Dark Horror

For more than 30 years, Ellen Datlow has been at the center of horror. Bringing you the most frightening and terrifying stories, Datlow always has her finger on the pulse of what horror fans crave. Now, with the 11th volume of the series, Daltow's back again to bring you the stories that will keep you up at night. With each passing year, science, technology, and the march of time shine light into the craggy corners of the universe, making the fears of an earlier generation seem quaint. This light creates its own shadows. The Best Horror of the Year chronicles these shifting shadows.

An elven assassin. A dragon prince. Three days they had together. Three days was not enough. There's a traitor among the elves. A traitor who will stop at nothing to see Eroan pay for the crime of loving a dragon, and Eroan Ilanea will pay with blood. Lysander has never been free to choose his fate. That is about to change. Finally, he learns what it means to be emerald, but knowledge is power, and power whispers its seductive curse into the ear of a broken prince.

Captain Morgan Starling and her crew travel the stars, shipping cargo from one system to the next. Easy work, until first contact with another race devolved into all-out war. Now, they’re under attack from humanity’s mysterious alien foe, ambushed in the void between systems. When an unknown vessel comes to their aid, events spiral out of control, a twisted secret within its haunted corridors threatening to consume them, body and soul.

The house sits stoic and slightly askew off the coast of Raven's Head. Its off-kilter windows are both charming and disorienting, its walls of overstuffed bookshelves both comforting and claustrophobic. When Leo and Lark Parrish arrive at their vacation home with their parents, their mother's idea of a quintessential Maine getaway seems like both a blessing and a curse.

Alex Cole will do anything for money. Murder? Check. Assault? Check. Infanticide? Check. Sexual favors? Double-check. But after getting himself roped into something called Kuman Thong - including its roasted human fetuses - Cole is left fighting unfathomable phenomena beyond his comprehension and rather unexpectedly trying save the world. All for a lousy paycheck.

Things seem to be going well for Liv Silver: She's adjusting to her new home (and her new family) in London; she has a burgeoning romance with Henry Harper, one of the cutest boys in school; and the girl who's been turning her dreams into nightmares, Anabel, is now locked up. But serenity doesn't last for long. It seems that Liv's troubles are far from over - in fact, suddenly they're piling up.

The Fever struck hard and fast, rising out of the slums and claiming victim after victim. At first, reports trickled across the wire in small segments relegated to the final seconds of the broadcast news. Lost among stories of failing economies and political bickering, few noticed what proved to be the birth pangs of a monster. Within months, the disease dominated the news as thousands died and infection rates soared. William Hill knew his chances of avoiding the virus sat squarely between slim and none.

Christmas needn't only be about good cheer. The audiobook includes four festive tales of the supernatural, apocalyptic, and blood-sucking variety - an antidote for anyone who occasionally finds Christmas overly sentimental or commercialized and likes to escape to somewhere darker.

The Titan Oberon and his fierce ally, Alessa, have returned to wreak havoc upon the mortal realm once more. As they launch their assault, the people of Igerox find themselves faced with impossible choices, forced to make decisions that challenge their very morals and beliefs. With the fate of all life hanging in the balance, the lordships of Igerox must push past their limits and embrace their darkest instincts if they hope to survive. But even as they struggle to defend themselves, Oberon and Alessa prove to be formidable foes, wielding dark powers that threaten to overwhelm all.

Grumpy single dad seeks nanny...Her father tells me she’s mute. Except I catch her humming a lullaby. He’s a liar. Or she has everyone deceived. What possibly could a four-year-old be hiding? I really should have done a background check on him. Imagine my surprise when I discover my grumpy boss works for the mafia. I want to leave but he won’t let me. I’m his captive, forced to follow his rules and do as he demands.

For more than ten years, Diablo has been one of PC gaming’s iconic and blockbuster franchises, with millions of players experiencing to this day all the adventure and terror in the world of Sanctuary. Now, to tie-in with the long-awaited release of Blizzard Entertainment’s all-new game, Diablo III, the original novel Deckard Cain will bridge the untold story of one of Diablo’s most popular characters.

From paranormal plots to stories of the supernatural, tales of the unfamiliar have always fascinated us humans. To keep the tradition alive, fantasy aficionado Paula Guran has gathered the most delightfully disturbing work from some of today's finest writers of the fantastique! No two mysterious shadows are alike, and the same can be said for the books in this series. The Year's Best Dark Fantasy & Horror, Volume 4 contains more than twenty stories. Listener beware and indulge if you dare, because these chilling tales are sure to spook and surprise!

A year ago, Cal Thompson was a college freshman more interested in meeting girls and partying than in attending biology class. Now, after a fateful encounter with a mysterious woman named Morgan, biology has become, literally, Cal's life. Cal was infected by a parasite that has a truly horrifying effect on its host. Cal himself is a carrier, unchanged by the parasite, but he's infected the girlfriends he's had since Morgan. All three have turned into the ravening ghouls Cal calls Peeps. The rest of us know them as vampires.

In the dark and dangerous Warhammer world, the desperate and the depraved live hand in glove. In this anthology of stories, reacquaint yourself with some of its more morally ambiguous denizens, including ‘Filthy’ Harald Kleindeinst and the scryer Rosanna Ophuls, Baron Johann von Mecklenberg, playwright and self-confessed genius Detlef Sierck and, of course, the vampire Genevieve.

Experience Willowfield in a chilling and heartbreaking new way - through the eyes of its haunted master, Professor Callum Hughes. This novella follows the plot of THE CRUEL DARK from beginning to end, chapter by chapter, in Callum Hughes' POV and contains several bonus scenes. LOVER is meant to be enjoyed after THE CRUEL DARK and not in tandem, as it contains plot spoilers from Chapter 1.

Months have passed since Juliet Moreau returned to civilization after escaping her father's island - and the secrets she left behind. Now back in London, she is rebuilding the life she once knew and trying to forget Dr. Moreau's horrific legacy - though someone, or something, hasn't forgotten her. As people close to Juliet fall victim one by one to a murderer who leaves a macabre calling card of three claw-like slashes, Juliet fears one of her father's creations may have also made it off the island.

Honey, I just want you to have everything you ever wanted. That’s what Jacy’s mom always told her. And Jacy felt like she finally did. Newly married and with a baby on the way, Jacy and her new husband, Jed, embark on their first road trip together to visit his father, Dr. Ash, in Michigan’s far-flung Upper Peninsula. The moment they arrive at the cottage snug within the lush woods, Jacy feels bathed in love by the warm and hospitable Dr. Ash, if less so by his house manager, the enigmatic Mrs. Brandt. But their Edenic first days take a turn when Jacy has a health scare.

A group of misfit teens who call themselves "The Dark Ones" make an abandoned house their hangout. But the demon they've inadvertently awakened possesses them one by one, using them to create a reign of unholy terror.

Phantom of the Opera meets Beauty and the Beast in this gothic-inspired dark fantasy romance. A haunted tower, a mysterious instructor, and the lure of the music of the night...After the death of her father, Aria is left penniless and destitute. To avoid working the streets, she becomes the ward of a Count and moves to a remote town called High Tower. High Tower is a gloomy place with one vivid attraction: The theater. Lords and ladies come from afar to be seduced by a night of unforgettable entertainment.

Before I begin, I want to assure you that I am fine—in fact, you could say I am in quite good spirits considering recent events! I’m afraid I found myself in quite the predicament—but it’s been sorted out now. My ship was boarded by a group of what I soon learned were pirates…