Dark Fantasy Short Stories

The supernatural, the surreal, and the all-too real . . . Such tales of the dark and the unknown have always fascinated us, and modern authors carry on the disquieting traditions of the past while inventing imaginative new ways to unsettle us. Chosen from a wide variety of venues, these stories are as eclectic and varied as shadows.

These stories present electric messiahs, identity constructs, the Beatles, and even a nuclear Armageddon, which serve as comic foils for Lain's everyman characters. Here is an America where packets of Sea Monkeys arrive in the mail containing secret messages, and the girl next door can breathe underwater. With Last Week's Apocalypse, Douglas Lain arrives with a punch line and a warning.

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, ...

What William Gibson did for science fiction, China Miéville has done for fantasy, shattering old paradigms with fiercely imaginative works of startling, often shocking, intensity. Now from this brilliant writer comes a groundbreaking collection of stories, many of them previously unavailable in the United States, and including four never-before-published tales - one set in Miéville’s signature fantasy world of New Crobuzon.

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 ...

Markas hear news about dead people with weird symbols on their bodies. He decides to investigate symbols at the library to see if he can find anything. Shortly after he starts having dreams about the people and the rituals done to them. In one of such dreams Markas seeing visions of his own dad…

A collection of eight horror stories created by New York Times best-selling novelist Scott Sigler, author of horror/thrillers Infected, Contagious, Ancestor, Nocturnal and the young-adult Galactic Football League series.

Longing for the days of savage brutes, buxom wenches, and evil wizards? Look no more! Literary Rebel is proud to bring you a fresh new crop of monthly fantasy fiction by talented new authors. In the second issue: A dangerous shield maiden does battle with creatures from the deep, a barbarian is tasked with stealing a precious gemstone, and a hunter stalks epic prey.

A wide-ranging collection, these stories take readers on a journey through the wondrous and the worldly, the familiar and the fantastical. From vampires, fallen angels, and knights of lore, to lawyers, detectives, and school teachers, the characters walk with you, traversing the many and varied paths of the human psyche. Turn the pages, step forward onto the journey, leave behind your… Masks

From the author of Aevalorn Tales comes a story about betrayal and vengeance. In the Library of the Dead, the aged Tenrali Bubruco, Lower Magistrate of the City State of Caerleon, comes seeking revenge. Aided by Godwick Emberfoot, a Halfling Warlock, and his pseudodragon familiar, Greymalken, Tenrali shares his tale of betrayal and injustice to Godwick so that the spirit of a dead friend can be contacted and an old wrong can be settled. But Godwick has his own agenda. What begins as a quest for retribution unfolds into an epic journey through the depths of forbidden knowledge and the cost ...

In this darkly comic and surreal collection from celebrated author Alissa Nutting, misfit women scramble for agency in a series of uncanny circumstances. Throughout these breathtakingly creative 17 stories spread across time, space, and differing planes of reality, we encounter a host of women and girls in a wide range of unusual jobs. A space cargo deliverywoman enlists the help of her cybersex partner to release her mother from cryogenic prison.

A fallen angel with a mean streak and a Mohawk, Hades has spent thousands of years serving as Jailor of the Underworld. The souls he guards are as evil as they come, but few dare to cross him. All of that changes when a sexy fallen angel infiltrates his prison and unintentionally starts a riot. It's easy enough to quell an uprising, but for the first time, Hades is torn between delivering justice - or bestowing mercy - on the beautiful female who could be his salvation...or his undoing.

Audiobook contains: Accession of the Stone Born Death doesn't always ride a pale horse: Gavin Randall hasn’t been home in nearly thirty years. Upon his return, he discovers that he’s one of the rarest beings in the supernatural community - a Stone Born. Dust Walkers: When newly minted vigil Gavin Randall is summoned to a small town in New Mexico, the last thing he’s expecting is to have to fight a cartel of necromancers, and Shades of Fire & Ash: fanatics hellbent on destroying Gavin Randall, his friends, and the Archive itself have surfaced.

Book 1 - Dragon's Fake Mate, Book 2 - Dark Dragon Daddy, Book 3 - Alpha Dragon's Second Chance, and Book 4 - Hit-Man Protector Daddy. Sound interesting? The author thinks so too! Listen to Second Chance Fake Mate Protector Daddies and experience the compelling world of paranormal fantasy and romance.

Sword and sorcery fans, rejoice! Discover a world of shining steel and deadly sorcery where larger than life heroes do battle with the forces of evil. This is sword and sorcery at its finest! There is never a dull moment in Savage Realms. If you yearn for the days of Robert E. Howard, Clark Ashton Smith, and L. Sprague de Camp, look no further. The latest issue of Savage Realms features another installment of Redgar and Natali along with a tale by the talented Victor H. Rodriguez and newcomer Chad Wilson. Pick up a copy today.

Can love rise from the ashes of betrayal? Celia Bennet was once a queen on the dance floor—until heartbreak stole her fire. Now, she’s trapped in a future she never chose, buried under legal textbooks and a loveless engagement. She doesn’t dance. She doesn’t fight. Some days, she barely breathes. Until he returns. Asher Rudd—the boy who was once her world, now a storm of vengeance and desire. He shatters her carefully built walls, demanding answers, retribution… and her. She wants to escape. He wants her to pay. But as love and hate collide, their tangled past pulls them into a ...

Here are 23 terrifying tales, dark reflections of the silver screen from both sides of the camera. James Dean gets a second chance at life and death. The Wicked Witch is out of Oz, and she's made some very unlucky friends. When God decides reality needs an editor, what and who gets cut?

These are stories that explore the scarred outposts of desperation and desire, sickness and death, sex and decay. Within this audiobook, you will also find the acclaimed novella Nearly People (nominated for awards by the International Horror Guild and the British Fantasy Society), in which a woman's search for food in a nightmarish city brings her attention from an enigmatic man known as The Dancer, and a host of terrible epiphanies.

From the author of Aevalorn Tales comes a dark fantasy story about holding on to the power of imagination. When a flamboyant magical showman arrives in the quaint halfling hamlet of Pondaroak to perform at the local inn, the whole town is excited to see his show. Perhaps none more so than Elina Hogsbreath, a hedge witch and the gracious proprietor of the Swindle & Swine, anxiously busy to ensure everything goes off without a hitch. Elina uses everyday kitchen magic during the show's height to quell wide-eyes and hungry appetites, but she’s too busy to notice the obvious. Something dark is...

Vitus Adamson has a second chance at life now that he's no longer a zombie. But after killing his brother, Jamie, Vitus lands in prison on murder charges. Jamie's death exposes secret government projects so deep in the black they cannot be seen - without Vitus, that is. Sprung from jail, the government hires Vitus to clean up Jamie's messes, but tracking down his brother's homemade monsters gone rogue is easier said than done. The first of them is a convicted killer assumed to be safely behind bars.