Dark Fantasy Short Stories

The 32nd edition of Writers of the Future may be the best new book yet! Brand-new adventure through space, time, and possibility. Along the way these new authors will introduce you to fascinating characters such as Nate, a very loyal companion - like most werewolves would be. Keanie has a parasite that lets her morph and so transform into anyone. Liz owns a dinosaur maker, but raw ingredients can be a problem. Anna slaves away in a factory but her magic leaves her unfulfilled. These authors take creative writing to a whole new level!

Rhona and her paladin brother, Alastar, belong to a holy people who have waged war on witches and warlocks and their clans from the highlands. But when she uses magic to save his life, their world is thrown upside down. On the run, having left all they knew behind, they have to rely on those who hate paladins. All magic is evil, the high paladin taught.... But Alastar starts to understand that he might have been misled.

For an imperial assassin, assignment as a courtesan in the Floating World seems like a waste of her talents...until killers target her clan sisters. In the legendary Floating World, wars are waged with wit, the strongest soldier can be bound with threads of silk, and flesh is the currency by which life, death, and freedom can all be purchased. Half-elf Jie bemoans her temporary assignment as a Night Blossom in the most sought-after house, even if it's the perfect cover for her real work as an assassin in the emperor’s service.

In Dark Property, a woman carries a dying baby across a desert waste, moving toward a fortress harboring a mysterious resurrection cult. Menaced by scavengers, she nevertheless begins to suspect that the reality within the fortress may be even more unsettling than the blasted environment outside. In Contagion and Other Stories, Evenson takes his audiences into a world that is at once apocalyptic, dark, observant, and grotesque without ever dipping into static genre conventions.

Featuring all-new tales of dark fantasy, cosmic horror, supernatural revenge, and the sorcery of terror from masters of the craft, this issue includes stories and poems by Alma Katsu, Heather Graham, Maurice Broaddus, Fran Wilde, Priya Sharma, Anne Walsh, Yvonne Navarro, Jake Bible, Gabrielle Faust, and Christina Sng.

First published in the US in 1988 and in the UK in 1990, The Wine-Dark Sea contains eight unsettling stories that explore protagonists' fears and desires, at once illogical and terrifying, and culminate in a disturbing and enigmatic ending. Aickman's "strange stories" (his preferred term for them) are a subtle exploration of psychological displacement and paranoia; his characters ordinary people that are gradually drawn into the darker recesses of their own minds. For fans of the horror genre, Robert Aickman is a must read.

Hot Sleep Sex Stories Bundle. Taken Deep While She Sleeps, Age Gap & More! The Complete Sleepy ~ While She Sleeps series: Sleepy for the Man of the House Sleepy for My Best Friend’s Brother Sleepy for the Country Doctor Includes intimacy, surprises and unexpected twists.

She’s a marine biologist; he’s a shark. Will they ever be able to make a relationship work, or is their sea-crossed love doomed to fail? And who says you need to be alive or even human to enjoy a happily ever after? Warning: this is not a kid’s story. This sharktastic love story is an over-the-top, cheeky tale with a ridiculously fun and shocking, gory conclusion. Originally, I wrote it years ago as a creepy romance just for my partner, as a Valentine’s Day gift. I revamped it after finding inspiration in the latest shark movie trailer. It seemed appropriate to release it on the ...

> Berserker is a stand-alone short story, framed as a missing chapter from Paternus, the urban fantasy, mythic fiction novel, by Dyrk Ashton. It tells of the time when one of the characters finally met his father, many centuries ago.

There has never been a hunt that Dorian has lost. With his sights sent on a relic the Dragon Kings need to battle an ancient foe, he won’t let anything stand in his way - especially not the beautiful owner. Alexandra is smart and cautious. Yet the attraction between them is impossible to deny - or ignore. In his arms, Alexandra finds passion like no other - and a love that will transcend time. But can she give her heart to a dragon?

Empty rooms have their own stories to tell. Here are 11 of them. The lost, the forgotten, the unrespectable; the children in the walls, the girls from the factory, the Cult of Junnha, the lone figure from Apartment 12; the home where hate lives, the chuckling newborn - they all leave their echoes here. Remember to turn off the lights when you leave: keep the shadows safe. These empty rooms may not be so empty after all.

A collection of horror/thriller stories with surprise endings to chill you and thrill you to the bone. The creepers include: THE KILLER IN THE CLOSET: Elvis awakes with a butcher knife in his gut and calls 911 to save his life. AS RARE AS A WHITE CROW: An Uber driver picks up a fare, and a series of calamities occur on his way to the airport. MASSANUTTAN ACRES: A family enjoys their vacations camping each summer until a truck transporting a polar bear runs off the road. WAXWORKS: Sue discovers the wax figure of Jack the Ripper at the museum looks exactly like her new boyfriend. THE END OF ...

Long ago, powerful sorcerers stole the power of a god. Only the courage and sacrifice of great heroes stopped them from conquering the known world. They thought it was over. But the god who was robbed so long ago remained. He swore that long after the heroes were dead, when his power returned, he would have his vengeance on all of humanity. Now, the time of his prophecy is at hand. A band of elite desert warriors crosses the sea, hoping faith and courage will be enough to turn aside the coming apocalypse. Their leader, Prelate Yazid Valerian, seeks the mythical city of sorcerers.

Unity waits. Unity is there to help people like you and me. Do not betray Unity. A house on the beach that no one ever visits. A house with a history. It craves company. A killer. The other side of the mirror. A seaside town, remote and fearsomely private. The fragments of a family, ancient and invulnerable. A Scottish town gripped by cold. A lone creature, isolated and far away. The ignored, the unwelcome, the denied. Solace comes from an unearthly, mysterious place. It comes at a price. * This is a collection of horror stories, birthed up and presented in all their grim glory. “We never...

Step into the shadows—if you dare. Flowers at Midnight is a razor-sharp collection of flash fiction that packs a punch in 300 words or less. Each story is a fleeting glimpse into the uncanny, the eerie, and the unexplainable. From cursed objects and vengeful spirits to ancient rituals gone wrong and eldritch creatures hiding in plain sight, this collection blends the chilling atmosphere of horror with the dark beauty of fantasy. Perfect for fans of bite-sized terror, haunting imagery, and twist endings that linger long after the final sentence, these stories are designed to be devoured in...

The Caller of the Black is Brian Lumley's first published collection of stories, with many of them involving the Cthulhu Mythos.

Warning: This book contains graphic descriptions of sex that some people might find distasteful. All's fair in love and war. Megan and her man are truly in love. Amanda wants Megan's man. She has never lost to another woman in a fight for a man and she doesn't intend to start losing now. She comes up with a plan that she has never used before, a plan that has never been used before. An original plan.

Black Heart, Ivory Bones showcases 20 beguiling tales for the child who was and the adult who is, penned by 20 of the most creative artists in contemporary American literature. Here dissected are the darker anatomies of the timeless, seemingly simple stories we have long loved. Here wonder and truth have serious bite.

The old woman had lived alone in the mountains above the village for untold years, never being approached nor approaching anyone. Now that little world has encroached upon her in the form of a girl seeking refuge from a horrible future. Yet the villagers will not stand idly by while one of their own seeks to retreat from them and their ways. They will deal with the “witch” who has been watching them from afar for so many years. The outcome can only be horror. From the author of The Kobalos Trilogy and The Horrors of Bond Trilogy.

This collection contains the best of classic horror writing, with the atmospheric genius of Edgar Allan Poe, the invention and eeriness of Bram Stoker, and the suspense of Wilkie Collins amongst the terrifying gems. In this veritable schooling in the origins of modern-day horror and fantasy, some of the best minds in the history of English literature take on the world of vampires, werewolves, and the supernatural.