Dark Occult

While desperately searching for Lance, Leah finds her newfound psychic abilities pulling her toward the home of an eccentric painter who thinks Leah is the only person who can help find her missing son. It's a detour Leah feels she doesn't have time for, but also one that seems to carry a great importance she can't ignore even if she doesn't understand it. Lance, while being held captive at a long since abandoned amusement park by the Reverend and the Surfer and the mysterious thing called Patrick Cain, also meets someone new.

For Lance and Leah, it was supposed to be a quiet Christmas vacation. But when the spirits start visiting, silenced in death and unable to speak, Lance quickly realizes he’s up against a type of evil he’s never encountered before. To make matters worse, Lance isn’t feeling quite like himself.

In this collection, you'll find seven scary stories to tell around the campfire. From killer clowns to viral parasites, this anthology has all kinds of haunting stories to make your spine tingle. What happens when a group of college students come back from a cabin trip only to find mysterious photos on their phones? Or what about an author that must make her story go viral in order to avoid a gruesome death? Maybe you would prefer to hear about a boyfriend who takes his ex-girlfriend to the same bridge where his best friend died just a year ago?

A mysterious force is seeking inroads: vulnerabilities to exploit, friendships to hijack, untapped rage to harness toward its own ends. Who will serve it best? Claire is abrasive and aimless, embarrassed by her privileged upbringing. Weak-willed David is consumed by a recent breakup and harbors fantasies of violent, cultish orgies.

Jacqueline Carey is the New York Times best-selling author of the award-winning Kushiel's Legacy series. Dark Currents introduces Daisy Johanssen, a hell-spawn living in a Mid-west resort town that also boasts fairies, vampires, and a Norse goddess. As police department liaison for the paranormal, Daisy takes notice when a drowning victim shows signs of eldritch involvement. Paired with officer - and werewolf - Cody Fairfax, she must solve the case before tourist season is ruined.

Half-werewolf, half-Aedh Risa Jones is beginning to believe that the only way to find the keys she’s been searching for and save her friends is by dying. And when Wolfgang Schmidt, the lover of her boss at the vampire council, is found dead, her worst fears are confirmed. With the first portal of hell permanently open, the energies of the dark path are leaching into the world. Searching for Schmidt’s killer and the keys at the same time, Risa and reaper Azriel track a shape-shifting spider spirit capable of changing her form into a seductive woman. But when they finally find the second key, the Aedh Lucian snatches it and disappears.

Emma Gilbert never imagined she'd have to battle an ancient evil, one whose powers and rage have been building for centuries. More than 20 years have passed since Karen Gilbert was stalked by a demon child intent on her death. Still, she can't escape from dark forces in this world. As her life draws near its end, her body ravaged by the same cancer that took her mother and grandmother before her, she's restricted to a hospital bed. With time running out, she must warn her daughter of the dark forces in the world, those she could never talk about before.

Five years after a tragic expedition put New Hope Island back in the headlines, past-his-prime crime author Dennis Thorpe leads a writers' retreat to that secluded corner of the Hebrides.... The group is never seen again. Ruthie Gillespie, the beautiful, heavily tattooed, hard-drinking author of dark tales for children, was supposed to be among their number, but something stopped her at the eleventh hour, and it isn't long before the police come knocking.

Peter Warlock is a magician with a dark secret. Every night, he amazes audiences at his private theater in New York, where he performs feats that boggle the imagination. But his day job is just a cover for his otherworldly pursuits: Peter is a member of an underground group of psychics who gaze into the future to help prevent crimes. No one, not even his live-in girlfriend, knows the truth about Peter - until the séance when he foresees an unspeakable act of violence that will devastate the city.

Sarah is in a fight for her life with no one to trust. Her dark visions have brought her into the hands of a kidnapping ring who will do anything to find out how she knows so much about them. While the police hunt Sarah for the wrong reason, her parents think she is at a sleepover. Her life is in her own hands and whether she makes it out of this mess alive or not depends on how many people have to die.

Against the backdrop of an ancient battle between the forces of Light and the forces of Darkness, Aidan struggles to control the newly awakened and enigmatic powers that seem to be his only hope for rescuing Ava, his little sister, trapped somewhere beyond the Veil. As he gravitates to Kara, the beguiling and dangerously unstable girl who helped him realize his abilities, a terrible mistake of fate is revealed that points him back toward Rebecca, whose role is becoming more critical to the battle.

Dr. Tiana McGuire, a reclusive academic, has always found solace in her books and research, shunning the bustling social scene. Her quiet life shatters when she finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time, cursed with the haunting gift of sight. Now, pursued by malevolent forces, Tiana and her loved ones must flee for their lives.

For longtime Stephen King fans, the highlight of this volume will be The Little Sisters of Eluria, which is something of a prequel to the Dark Tower series. For "Constant Readers" and neophytes alike, all of the dark tales herein are intense, eerie, and instantly compelling. King "develops characters and atmosphere more fully in the span of 50 pages than many authors can in a full novel," says Amazon.com.

From astronauts in deep space to the ghosts of the Civil War, New York Times best-selling author Alethea Kontis creates worlds of wonder and delight, of weirdness and despair, of whimsy and darkness. Here are 20 stories and poems that will transport you to the magical dangerous worlds you've always known should exist, but have never quite been able to find.

Night Visions: At The Crossroad presents eight tales of horror and dark fantasy by Richard Laymon, Chet Williamson, and Gary Brandner. Prepare to enter a world where your darkest nightmare can become a chilling reality...A world of Night Visions.

Dustin Graves goes on a rare night out with the boys from the Boneyard, but things go horribly wrong. Over a hundred revelers drop dead at a pop diva’s concert, bleeding from their eyes and their ears. Miraculously, Dustin and his undead associates survive. But the troubles have just begun. Soon Dust is dealing with a bloodthirsty imp, a grizzled Scion, and a strange man covered in even stranger tattoos. Then Mammon, the demon prince of greed, comes knocking, eager to collect on Dustin’s end of the bargain….

Magic is seeping out of the world, leaving the witches who've relied on it for countless centuries increasingly hopeless. While some see an inevitable end of their era, others are courting madness - willing to sacrifice former allies, friends, and family to retain the power they covet. While the other witches watch their reality unravel, young Alice Marin is using magic's waning days to delve into the mystery of numerous disappearances in the occult circles of New Orleans.

Sorcerer Nate Garrett lost much in the battle that devastated Asgard, but the war against darkness is far from over. He’s spent a year searching for Arthur, hell-bent on stopping the evil leader of Avalon and rescuing his friend Tommy from his clutches. Nate’s investigation brings him to Washington, DC, where he finds the city under siege. Just when all hope seems lost, Layla Cassidy and her team arrive to join the fight, but Avalon’s deadly plan to conquer the earth realm is underway.

Hal Baker is overworked. He's been burning the candle at both ends for seven years, and now, it's caught up with him. When stress and exhaustion overtake him at work, he's ordered to take a break. Doctor's orders. With prompting from his boss and friend, he, his wife Veronica, and his son and daughter Sean and Donna go on a camping getaway. It's there he reconnects with his family and realizes what he's been missing out on. However, this blessing has an unexpected cost. Something strange is happening in Meechum Forest.

Claire Benolt doesn’t believe in weird stuff. Ghosts, vampires, and werewolves just aren’t real. At least that’s what she thought. Determined to leave her murky past behind, Claire gladly accepts a job working with a private detective. There’s only one catch. Her new boss just happens to be a vampire, and he wants her help catching the serial killer terrorizing New Orleans. And then there’s Mason, the hot Nightwalker who wants to eat her up, in more than one way. Can she survive the Ripper of New Orleans and Mason?