Dark Fantasy Short Stories

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 the haunted village of Eldergrove, the legend of Elspeth, the Pumpkin Patch Witch, still sends chills through the hearts of the villagers. Once a woman of beauty and charm, Elspeth's descent into the dark arts unleashed a storm of cruelty—especially upon her own husband. Tormented by her wicked spells, Edmund sought a desperate escape from her spells and twisted grasp, but their love story ended in betrayal, and a curse that bound her spirit to the cursed pumpkin patch. Now, as the tale comes full circle, an eerie prophecy unfolds: the witch’s reincarnation rises from the very ...

Rachel Marek is a journalist with a plan. She intends to expose the truth about dragons to the world - and her target is within sight. Nothing matters but getting the truth, especially not the ruggedly handsome, roguishly thrilling Highlander who oozes danger and charm. And when she finds the truth that shatters her faith, she'll have to trust her heart to the very man who can crush it.

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.

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.

Three Stories. Three temptations. One irresistible surrender. Enter a world where desire obeys no rules—except the ones whispered in the dark. From teasing anticipation to the sweet sting of submission, this collection invites you to lose control… and love every moment of it. Read the following stories in this collection: The Art Class: Teach me Gently Trevor, a dominant by nature, guides Elizabeth on a journey of submission and self-discovery. Their tale unfolds through trust, understanding, and the captivating world of bondage, where the boundaries between Master and slave blur, ...

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.

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 ...

One of the best ways to turn an average camping trip or sleepover with friends into an all-out adventure is to spark your kid’s curiosity with a nail-biting and edge-of-your-seat tale of terror. Whatever the case may be, these captivating and mind-bending stories are sure to capture their attention and leave them begging for more. On top of that, all of the characters are easily relatable and will even empower your children toward a deeper understanding of some powerful moral life lessons.

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...

Featuring stories from R.L. Stine and Madeleine Roux, this middle-grade horror anthology, curated by New York Times best-selling author and master of macabre Jonathan Maberry, is a chilling tribute to Alvin Schwartz’s Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. Flesh-hungry ogres? Brains full of spiders? Haunted houses you can’t escape? This collection of 35 terrifying stories from the Horror Writers Association has it all, including ghastly illustrations from Iris Compiet that will absolutely chill listeners to the bone.

The very best of Brian Lumley's works in the Cthulhu Mythos sub-genre, including such recent tales as "The Hymn" and "The Taint", are collected and presented for the first time in audio format.

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.

The stories in Fifty Beasts to Break Your Heart are about the abomination that resides within us all. That churning, clawing, ravenous yearning: the hunger to be held, and seen, and known. And the terror, too: to be loved too well, or not enough, or for long enough. To be laid bare before your sweetheart, to their horror. To be recognized as the monstrous thing you are. In these lush, strange stories, GennaRose Nethercott explores human longing in all its diamond-dark facets to create a collection that will redefine what you see as a beast, and make you beg to have your heart broken.

> 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.

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.

Josh Malerman is a master weaver of stories—and in this spine-chilling collection he spins five twisted tales from the shadows of the human soul.

Discover six stories sharing one impactful message in this fantasy collection.

Nobody likes getting bullied, and Donny has had enough. Deciding to take matters into his own hands, he solicits the help of the old Asian man at the end of his street to teach him Karate. During a grueling two days of training, Donny earns belt after belt, until he finally becomes a Karate Master.

Weird Tales: Strange Stories from Egypt Embark on an extraordinary journey with "Strange Stories from Egypt," a collection of horror short stories that transcends clichés. Immerse yourself in authentic Egypt, where legends come to life, and the line between reality and fantasy blurs. The networks are buzzing: "A collection that takes us on a journey and gives us chills!" – Évasions Littéraires. "A captivating, magical, and chilling short story collection." – Lire Imaginaire. "A fantastically horrific short story collection, brilliantly written." – Books Feed Me More. "A collection ...