Dark Fantasy Short Stories

The four previous volumes in Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling's anthology series of fairly-tales retold with a distinctively modern edge have been hailded by reviewers as "brilliant", "provocative", and "disturbing". In this triumphant new collection of original fiction, 21 of today's leading writers spin the cherished fables of childhood into glittering gold - offering magical tales for adults, as seductive as they are sophisticated.

The mind of Roland Yeomans is a wonder-filled carnival of delight and terror that stretches from the mysterious forests found bordering civilization to the coldest reaches of alien dimensions. Yet all his work is united by one common thread: a vivid and profound understanding of the vast sea of emotions that bring strength and mythic resonance to our frail species. Roland Yeomans' characters may find themselves anywhere and anywhen.

Don't believe everything the characters tell you. Recommended for fans of John Crowley, Paul Park, and Michael Swanwick.

A beer run becomes an interdimensional excursion. Two men settle their differences after discovering an extraordinary secret in the wilderness. A woman faces the bureaucracy of a digital afterlife. A grieving man seeks to know where his wife was reincarnated. Strange lights in the sky transform the lives of a small town. God and the devil play billiards for people's souls. A teenage deity's science project sprouts a startling discovery. These and more dream-like detours into the surreal, interstitial, and inexplicable await within. Chock full of gooey, mind-bending goodness.

The book is a rich cocktail of short stories that include macabre murders, fraud, love, self-improvement, hate, and laughter. These tongue-in-cheek tales have been created for enjoyment, entertainment, and pleasure.

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.

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.

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....

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!

Listen to the latest issue of Savage Realms Monthly and fill up on stalwart heroes doing battle with the forces of evil in this epic collection of short sword and sorcery fiction. This month brings you an exciting crop of stories; Robert Price brings us a new Thongor tale, the talented Matthew X. Gomez delivers another swashbuckling adventure, and Richard L. Rubin is here with a new mercenary mission. Don't miss the latest issue of Savage Realms!

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.

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.

Sergeant Jacob Knox leads the Head Knockers, a unit of scout-saboteurs in the war against the Dread Duke and his armies. They are the favorite squad among Captain Brighton's Stormwalkers, until an ambush by shapeshifters kills the Captain, half the company, and Knox's best men. Now the new Captain has new orders: he's sending the Head Knockers to investigate an abandoned village, the possible source of the attack.

A tracker named Hawkwing and a former bandit known as the White Demon try to evade a clandestine organization known as the Seroko. “The Hawk’s Shadow” tells their tale and leads into the Black Earth trilogy.