Dark Fantasy Short Stories

In this debut collection of body-horror fairy tales and mid-apocalyptic Catholic cyberpunk, memory and myth, loss and age, these are the tools of storyteller Jarboe, a talent in the field of queer fabulism. Bodily autonomy and transformation, the importance of negative emotions, unhealthy relationships, and bad situations amidst the staggering and urgent question of how build and nurture meaning, love, and safety in a larger world/society that might not be "fixable."

"He had been created to replace a lost son. His face was made of porcelain and burnt clay formed his spine. The lips were painted on and showed a never-changing smile, while twisted copper wire held his body together. When the artificial boy looked down he could see through the gaps between the coils. There, deep down inside him, was a living thing - a fleeting flutter, visible for only one moment at a time. His creator called him Felix." In three interconnected short stories, Felix searches for the truth about how he came to be alive. He meets a strange butterfly catcher, a terrifying ...

"Everything You've Always Wanted" by Mick Garris: It was supposed to be the night of his life - a celebration of his one hit slasher flick. But the price of admission is higher than this has-been filmmaker ever could have imagined. "The Land of Sunshine" by Kealan Patrick Burke: Although she was mute long before the affair that nearly wrecked their marriage, her silence has tortured her husband ever since. Now he will seek out what he has lost or be driven mad by remorse.

🔥Smart Erotica for Smart Readers🔥 A Steamy, Unapologetic Erotic Adventure by New York Times, USA TODAY and #1 Erotica Bestseller Marata Eros ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ "Sexy read! Want a book to raise your blood pressure? This is the one! Hot—really hot!" ~ Donna Morris ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ "If you want a quickie that's steaming HOT, imaginative, and has a great storyline, this book is for you!" ~ Skylar Griffin 💋 Zoe’s always been the mastermind of her and Dara’s wildest escapades—but this time, her own desires take center stage.✨ Meet Zoe Scott: She’s ...

Nate Temple and his pal, Alucard, just want a little peace and quiet after the events of Tiny Gods, but it just isn't in the cards for them. Tory leaves town and asks them to watch over the rebellious Reds. But they have other plans. When love is in the air, there is nothing a teenager wouldn't do. And there is nothing a dad wouldn't do to keep them safe. Even if it involves a Johnson Beaver concert, a magical djinn, and a herd of centaurs.

"SEX in the CITY meets 50 SHADES in micro-binge style!" 🔥Dara Nichols Series, Box Set 2: Novelettes 9-16 🔥 From New York Times, USA TODAY, and #1 Erotica Bestseller Marata Eros. What Readers are Saying: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Five Stars..." ~ Lindsay Gould ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Addictive, edgy, and irresistible!" 💋 Smart Erotica for Smart Readers: Volume 2 in the wildly popular Dara Nichols Series continues the steamy escapades with a thrilling focus on Zoe Scott. When her firefighter boyfriend, Darrell, seems stuck in his vanilla ways, Zoe and Dara team up to ignite passion and push ...

Love Is Absolutely Disgusting, and You Know It Licking the Bottom of the Love Jar is a collection of surreal fiction stories and bleak poetry. Using these strange offerings, we explore the topic of L-O-V-E for what it truly is: one part magical fantasy, and one part mental sickness, stirred together and served to those lost romantics who prefer their fables with an extra goop of weirdness. Let’s go ahead and ask ourselves the important questions, such as: Can a snake and a rabbit overcome the obstacles of their forbidden love? Can the boy get the girl when he's incapacitated by depression...

This volume brings together 17 masterful tales of cosmic horror inspired by Lovecraft's work. In his fiction, humanity is a tiny, accidental drop of light and life in the endless darkness of an uncaring universe a darkness populated by vast, utterly alien horrors. Our continued survival relies upon our utter obscurity, something that every fresh scientific wonder threatens to shatter.

A celestial entity sets out on an extraordinary quest to breathe life into a barren planet, weaving the foundations of existence itself. But as creation takes shape, unforeseen challenges arise, testing the limits of its power and purpose. "What a great fiction book about the cosmos! From the very first page, the story immerses you in the fascinating life of the cosmic builder, whose ability to create planetary life for the first time is nothing short of awe-inspiring. The vivid descriptions and imaginative storytelling by the author immediately draw you into this cosmic realm, making you ...

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...

For almost thirty years, Shirley Jackson Award–winning horror author Gemma Files has consistently served up tale after tale celebrating monstrosity in all its forms: the imperfect, the broken, the beautifully alien, and the sadly familiar. Her characters make their own choices and take their own chances, slipping from darkness into deeper darkness yet never losing their humanity—not even when they’re anything but.

As a child, Henry Cadmus lived on Catalina Island, a scenic vacationland off the Southern California coast. But Henry's experiences were far from idyllic. Today, even though Henry has seen firsthand the horrors of war, the ghastly images that haunt his dreams are ones he associates with his childhood... and the island: a snarling pig-man holding a cleaver; a jackal-headed woman on a high balcony, dripping blood; strange occult rituals... and worse. If it was up to Henry, he would avoid the island entirely.

Orson Scott Card, Kevin J. Anderson, and Larry Niven have seen the future. Now you can, too. A constellation of the brightest lights in the science fiction and fantasy firmament have judged these authors to be the best, the brightest, the truest emerging stars in the field.

From the author of Aevalorn Tales comes a story about the power of words, deception and subterfuge, and helping out an old friend. When esteemed emissary Ser Roham Baz falls victim to a mysterious curse that twists his words, it's up to his loyal friend, Joliver Barleywood, the clever Halfling Bard of the Aevalorn Parishes, to unravel the mystery. Joliver must use his cunning tongue to root out those who cursed Ser Roham, undo Roham’s affliction, and save the kingdom from falling into war. Set amid diplomatic negotiations fraught with tension and deceit, The Taunting Tongue weaves ...

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.

An incurable sickness has infected a fishing village along the coast of Ishalar. The sick do not die - they vanish, leaving behind footprints and ashen shadows. Delanis, the fourth throne of Ishalar, has already lost his wife to The Vanishing, and now his daughter is deep in the throes of the illness. More in his village are succumbing almost every day.

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.

Tarn and Beck have reset the clocks and gone back to the beginning. They used the power of the elfin light to time travel and save their family and friends, changing their pasts. Now they’re living new lives, free from shadows, but they’re separated from each other. Tarn and Beck have never met, nor have they met their friends. But the villains Komotuvu, Tobias, Damian and Orfea have teamed up. They remember their past lives and how Tarn, Beck, and their friends ruined their plans before. The villains hold grudges against Tarn and Beck as they’re trying to reach the mystical city of ...

The first in a series of anthologies devoted to the Lovecraftian gods, Ordo ab Chao follows the highly successful The Gods of HP Lovecraft (published in 2015 by JournalStone Publishing). We begin our series with the primal origins and the god Azathoth, who represents primordial chaos in the Lovecraftian Mythos.

Even in the fathomless depths of the underworld and the bleak chambers of a damaged heart, the bonds of love can heal...or destroy. He holds the ability to annihilate souls in the palm of his hand. He commands the respect of the most dangerous of demons and the most powerful of angels. He can seduce and dominate any female he wants with a mere look. But for all Azagoth's power, he's bound by shackles of his own making, and only an angel with a secret holds the key to his release.