Dark Fantasy Short Stories

PUBLISHER WARNING This work contains high levels of violence, graphic descriptions of death, male nudity and adult themes that may offend some readers. The author recommends readers must be 18+ years of age. FROM THE AUTHOR Welcome to the world of Jack Steel, a journey through worlds both real and imagined, full of heroism, adventure and raw masculinity on an epic scale. These are tales filled with brawn and brutality, where our heroes willingly fight to the death or die trying. As the publisher warning states, these stories are not for everyone. They contain high levels of violence, ...

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.

In their third critically acclaimed collection of original fairy tales for adults, World Fantasy Award-winning editors Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling present 21 new stories by some of the top names in literature today. Dark, disturbing and delightful, each story was written expressly for this superb collection of distinctly grown-up fantasy - a brilliant companion volume to Datlow and Windling's acclaimed anthologies, Snow White, Blood Red, and Black Thorn, White Rose.

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.

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.

From the author of Aevalorn Tales comes a dark fantasy story about the folly of arguing over something you'll never need. In the remote hamlet of Ehrendvale in the Aevalorn Wilds, a happy chance reveals a hidden treasure! However, its ownership is questioned, and tensions run high, threatening to split the once-peaceful community. Maedrey Puck, a Priest of Yondalla, is called to help settle the dispute. To put the matter to rest, she must administer three Trials by Ordeal to a landowner and a pig farmer, but can she quell their unbridled tempers and keep the hamlet from ripping itself apart...

This pretty much is what the title says. Many of the stories/novellas here will have only been done in limited print runs, such as in fanzines, magazines, pamphlets, special editions or online magazines. It’s a mixed genre of stories and these are what Brian considers the best of the rest of the stories in his body of work. We’ve got 111,000+ words in this collection so that means lots of enjoyment in what is likely the last collection coming from Brian.

A collection of horror/thriller stories with surprise endings to chill you and thrill you to the bone. The creepers include: BLOOD: Dan receives a letter from a woman claiming to be his half-sister from their father's illicit affair while married to his stepmother. He's not interested in meeting her, but reluctantly agrees. THE SPIDER WOMAN: Evelyn is homeless when she inherits her mother's house, which has been abandoned for years. Her mother was an entomologist whose obsession with spiders ruined her life. DEAD PEOPLE: Jesse's father wants him to go with him to a wake to see his first ...

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 trifling with fate. In the heart of the Aevalorn Parishes, the halfling folk prepare to celebrate the end of the Dark Days with warmth and camaraderie. But for Elina Hogsbreath, owner of the Swindle & Swine, this time heralds a troubling tradition. Horwich Cobbleberry is a vain and pompous halfling who has made it his habit to drink from a magical cup once a year, again endangering the inn and everyone in it. Having enough of Horwich’s false promises to forego the ritual, Elina takes matters into her own hands. Fans of ...

From the author of Aevalorn Tales comes a dark fantasy story about the healing power of food. In the quaint halfling hamlet of Pondaroak, Elina Hogsbreath, a kitchen witch and the steadfast proprietor of the Swindle & Swine, manages the tavern's everyday magic. On a stormy evening, a rain-drenched, weary traveler arrives to stay for the night. He is burdened by grief and harbors a dark secret. Witnessing his sorrow, Elina prepares a meal to soothe the traveler's woes and confronts old fae magic threatening to consume him.Appealing to Brandon Sanderson, Travis Baldree, and S. L. Rowland fans...

It’s the end of the farming season, and as celebrations get into full swing at the Swindle & Swine, Strelly Ramblefoot leads the raucous crowd through a barn-storming dance. Only something seems very wrong to the inn’s able barman. Fans of Brandon Sanderson, Travis Baldree, and S. L. Rowland will find The Song at Harvest's End spins a captivating cozy of community and dangerous magic. Halflings. Magic. Cozy. Trusting Your Intuition.

There are stories we tell to pass the time… and then there are stories we never tell, because telling them gives them power. The Witch in the Well: Return of Her is one of those stories. Set in a small town carved into the wilderness — a place where everyone knows your name but no one dares speak of her — this tale unfolds like a nightmare remembered. It follows the slow unraveling of peace when a sinister presence, once banished, makes her return. What happens when you open the door to something you were never meant to find? And what happens when it finds its way back? In this story,...

This collection of 22 short stories by the author of Daughter of Hounds and Alabaster firmly established Caitlín R. Kiernan as one of the preeminent voices in dark fantasy today. Through a cycle of interconnected narratives, Kiernan unflinchingly explores a surreal world where the fantastic and the mundane are never separated by more than the insubstantial thickness of a shadow.

A collection of horror/thriller stories with surprise endings to chill you and thrill you to the bone. The creepers include: THE MALL OF THE DAMNED: During the zombie apocalypse, a masked assassin with unusual skills terrorizes five survivors seeking refuge in a mall. SHADOW OF A DOUBT- There's something Timothy is not telling about the fatal accident that took his sister's life. METAMORPHOSIS: A young teenager is repulsed when she looks in the mirror and pursues black magic to become beautiful. ANOTHER DAMN DAY IN VEGAS: Two detectives have a particularly grisly day chasing bad guys. ...

In April 2020, the world faced imminent lock-down, so a group of filmmakers started a virtual support group. Once a week, these diverse voices would assemble to do what they do best: tell each other stories. Campfire horror tales, emotional cosmic mysteries, and anything else that either made them take their minds off what was happening to the world, or help them understand it. HAUNTED REELS is the best of those stories.

Discover the stories inspired by some of the greatest songs of all time. Dark fiction that will keep you turning the pages as you read stories influenced by songs like Satisfaction, Angie Baby, She Loves You, Maggie Mae, The Hotel California and more. Dark stories inspired by dark lyrics that tell the tales hidden behind the popular melodies that are so familiar to us all. Ten different authors bring you their literary visions provoked by their favorite song lyrics to create a chilling read you will not soon forget. Experience the insanity of a young woman who seeks refuge from reality in ...

Destinies can’t be ignored. No one knows that better than Annita. For as long as she can remember, it's been foretold she would find a dragon. A real-life dragon. She’s beginning to think it was all some kind of mistake until she’s swimming in one of the many caves around the island and discovers none other than a dragon. There is no fear as she approaches, utterly transfixed at the sight of the creature. Then he shifts into the shape of a thoroughly gorgeous man who spears her with bright blue eyes.

Welcome to futures profound, dark and unexpected… A businessman in the year 2047 awakens late one morning to discover that everything that has ever been written or entered on the internet has become instantly accessible to him. Then comes the terror of realising that his entire sordid life is now in the public domain. An Arnold Schwarzenegger replica arrives on Planet Strong, a theme-world teeming with Schwarzenegger look-a-likes, to compete in the Mr Arnold bodybuilding contest. Suddenly he finds his existence weirdly paralleling that of the plot of the movie Total Recall – and someone...

What exactly is the difference between a love letter and a suicide note? Is there really any difference at all? These might be the questions posed by Dear Sweet Filthy World, Caitlin R. Kiernan’s 14th collection of short fiction, comprising 28 uncollected and impossible-to-find stories. Here are 28 tales of apocalypse and rebirth, of miraculous transformation and utter annihilation. Here is the place where professing your undying devotion might be precisely the same thing as signing your own death warrant or worse.