Dark Fantasy Short Stories

In April 2020, the world faced imminent lock-down, so a group of filmmakers started a virtual support group. Once a week, these diverse voices would assemble to do what they do best: tell each other stories. Campfire horror tales, emotional cosmic mysteries, and anything else that either made them take their minds off what was happening to the world, or help them understand it. HAUNTED REELS is the best of those stories.

Stories of the Silver Tower and of Sir Bryan's youth. With more and more foes placing themselves in Sir Bryan's way, the old knight is more determined than ever to reach the Starlight Monastery.

From the savage steppes of Nagali to the heart of intrigue in Quing Tzu, this anthology is packed with tales of the supernatural, of action and adventure. Set in the same world as the epic fantasy Convent series, beginning with A Dead Wizard’s Dream, this collection of 11 original fantastical short stories explores lands heretofore unseen in the series.

A selection of short fiction by Dusty McGowan; blending magic realism and dark comedy.

O.J. Simpson in an alternate reality and blind ninjas ushering in the apocalypse are just two of the beautifully written tales in this seminal work of art, from the mind of a human being the likes of which God and the devil wholeheartedly agree upon. While drenched in comedy, Laughter's Cold Shadow takes on the darkest of subject matter: murder, rape, racism, the nuclear family, ninjas, Nazis, zombies, police brutality, drug cartels, hedonism, psychopathy, and more.

Sometimes the world is a very dark place. You know the magic is still out there, but it feels distant or displaced. Voices in the Darkness is an attempt to create a link, to bring some of those voices together in a single work of art. Six award-winning authors lent their talent to this work. The stories are unique and dark, filled with wonder and emotion.

Jenna thought becoming a Blood Vice agent would solve all her problems, but now she’s sworn to solve House Lilith’s problems, too. And there’s no shortage of trouble when dealing with the most regal vampire family in the United States. The duke’s first assignment for Jenna and company is to locate Ursula, the estranged Duchess of House Lilith suspected of murdering her sire. It’s a tall order - a wild bat chase, some might say - and the long hours with half-sired agent Roman Knight soon drive Jenna to distraction, and possible destruction.

Set in the same world as the epic fantasy Convent series, beginning with "A Dead Wizard’s Dream", this collection of 11 fantasy short stories takes a closer look at lands and peoples less explored in the Chronicles series so far. From the barbaric and barren Lama Kulul Desert where dwell sinister lizard-men to the lush and lawless Archipelago where barbaric Goblins roam, this adventure-filled anthology is brimming with action, magic and old lore.

During her lifetime Violet Paget, who wrote as Vernon Lee, was referred to as 'the greatest of modern exponents of the supernatural in fiction', and yet today she remains on the periphery of the genre. This collection of her uniquely weird short stories and dark fantasies proves why she was once considered among the best of the genre, and why she deserves to return to those ranks today.

Heartbroken and recently divorced, Jennifer had lost her will to live. Ready to take her own life, she was visited by a strange leprechaun-looking man who offered to take her sorrow away. All she needs to do is swallow two black pills.

Tales from the Eerie Canal weaves the sinister mystery of Edgar Allan Poe with the dark humor of Edward Gorey. No canal. No Lake Erie. Just a stream of the disturbing splashed with bits of the absurd.

The prophecy says she is the hope. Her magic will bring prosperity and happiness to her people. But her power makes her the prime target. He WANTS her power. His black magic trap is laid out to seduce her....

Sometimes, a thread pulled through the flesh is all that holds you together. Sometimes, the blade of a knife or the point of a nail is the only way you know you're real. When pain becomes art and a quarter is buried deep within you, all you want is to be seen, to have value, to be loved. But love can be fragile, folded into an origami elephant while you disappear, carried on the musical notes that build a bridge, or woven into an illusion so real, so perfect that you can fool yourself for a little while.

A medieval swindler gets caught with his proverbial pants down; a foolproof plan is put into place to pick up some cash via AI, until things take an unexpected and deadly turn; a legendary bodyguard is hired to protect precious cargo, but who will protect the cargo from him? The 14 brand-new stories deal with the complex idea of morality and will make listeners wonder what side is the right side.

Fifteen dark tales by USA Today best-selling author J.R. Rain. "Vampire Nights": Samantha Moon meets someone unexpected on a late-night trip to Denny's, someone who seems to know all her secrets and has all the answers. "Book Burning": Two brothers find themselves on a late-night mission to burn a legendary book of supposed dark powers. "The Silo": The land is dying and crops are failing. The city of Wheatopia is in the middle of the worst drought in recent memory - that is, until a city slicker and his too-thin wife arrive in town.... Plus 12 more!

Drei unheimliche Geschichten mit Anklängen an die "Schwarze Romantik" von Linda Budinger ("Cotton Reloaded", "Das Schwarze Auge"). Einfühlsam gelesen von Karen Schulz-Vobach. Stefan erfährt durch Zufall von einem bronzezeitlichen Urnenfeld, das bei archäologischen Grabungen freigelegt wurde. Nachts macht er sich auf, um die Schätze die er dort vermutet, zu heben. Doch er rechnet nicht mit dem Fluch des Geisterkessels!

Welcome to a mystical age of cruelty, hexes, and treachery, where malicious magic rules, and you are but a single necromancer’s spell away from eternal terror. From malevolent medieval magicians to the Wild West witches, this spellbinding volume by a master of the macabre is packed with frightening fables guaranteed to send a supernatural chill down your spine.

I've tracked down ten authors who have, at some point, participated in the act of cannibalism. I've collected one short story from each writer and combined them here for your amusement and observation. Isaac Cone presents “Margaritaville”, Jimmy Buffet’s hit song reinterpreted as a southern gothic. Sandeyu Yamamoto writes “Antiquing” about a family with a rare type of OCD where they haunt the object they most obsessed over.

The author of Beneath takes you on a journey into the dark heart of rural England Lincolnshire, a place of beauty and peace, but also a place of bleakness and violence. In this collection of short stories, Amazon best-selling horror writer, Kit Tinsley explores the darkness at the center of the countryside. The 10 tales within cover many aspects of the horror genre, from the supernatural to all too human evil.

In Frankenstein, King of the Dead, Book 1, an expedition to the continent of Antarctica started a chain reaction of chaos. Mr. Franklin Victor Castle, formerly known only as Dr. Frankenstein's monster, launches into action, continuing a mission he began more than a century earlier. He never counted on her entering his life. Now, in the besieged city of Ann Arbor, Michigan, Frank's best friend and truest love is trapped by the living dead. Frank heads off with only one goal...to save her.