Fantasy Short Stories

Previously published in the collection Hungry Tales, "Calling Death" is a nonviolent zombie story set in Appalachia. With humor and rich storytelling, Jonathan Maberry brings you zombies as you've never seen them before.

She needs a way out from under her parent's abuse. He wants her to be his wife. Will an arranged marriage give them both what they desire most? Marriage wasn't in Kassandra's plans. Not at all. Not ever. But when her parents declined all her college scholarships and took away her money, her options vanished into thin air...until he requested her hand in marriage... From the moment Quinn saw her, he fell instantly in love. He asked for the church to grant him permission to marry her and with their approval and her acceptance, he thought he had everything. On the day of their wedding ceremony...

The title story of this collection - a devilishly ironic riff on H. P. Lovecraft's "Pickman's Model" - was nominated for a World Fantasy Award, while "Probiscus" was nominated for an International Horror Guild award and reprinted in The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror 19. In addition to his previously published work, this collection contains an original story.

As Eva Moretti continues her work at the Ghent International Exhibition, in addition to nursing her beloved Jed, a familiar darkness slips back into the light. Jed, rousing from a coma, is still healing from a devastating fall, yet senses something far worse—an enemy once thought gone, now moving in the shadows. Old secrets surface. Fires ignite. And in a city caught between celebration and collapse, Eva and Jed must face what they’ve been avoiding: the truth.

The EMP has officially crippled the nation and her infrastructure sits in ruin. Can a burned-out DEA agent, a Guatemalan-born cartel daughter, and an estranged brother find their way back to their families, or will they succumb to the perils of a nation in steep decline? The Complete Age of Embers is a no-holds-barred post-apocalyptic adventure series chronicling a nationwide descent into a powerless world.

When we came to America, we brought anger and socialism and hunger. We also brought our demons. In Burning Girls and Other Stories, Veronica Schanoes crosses borders and genres with stories of fierce women at the margins of society burning their way toward the center. This debut collection introduces listeners to a fantasist in the vein of Karen Russell and Kelly Link, with a voice all her own.

A poison salesman bargains for his life with a beautiful, mysterious customer.... A devious virgin mage pits her two best friends against each other for the right to take her to bed.... A male spy sells his virginity contract to a much more experienced sorceress.... A young woman finally earns the title of queen--only to launch an affair with her king's deadly brother.... A successful lord chooses a wife from his magicless farmworkers, but the alluring young woman is much more than he bargained for.... And two men on the field of war learn how cheat at a card game--and how to be honest with...

A reluctant servant of Pharasma, Salim is no missionary. Yet when a desperate eidolon seeks his help in saving his master's soul, Salim has little choice in the matter. Saddled with a strange curse, this mysterious snake-man's creator is no longer in control of his actions - yet they may still weigh on his soul when it comes time for Pharasma's judgment. Only Salim can put a stop to events before they go too far. But are some souls really worth saving?

A gripping historical romance with time-travel, espionage, and an irresistible love story, perfect for readers who crave strong heroines, adventure, and passion that defies time. Time-traveling agent Jed must protect the Liege World Expo from sabotage, yet his ruthless intergalactic foes, the Tresians, are determined to spread despair, corrupt the press, and trigger a catastrophic flood. Eva, a bold, forward-thinking woman, is eager to shape the future. But when she’s kidnapped, she realizes the danger runs deeper than she imagined. Reunited with Jed, their growing connection is tested as...

If you give Oberon the Irish wolfhound a bath, he's going to ask you for a story. Fortunately, his human, Atticus, has many centuries of life under his belt as the Iron Druid, and a whole lot of stories to share. Enjoy twelve new short stories from the New York Times bestselling series the Iron Druid Chronicles. Join Oberon and his Boston terrier buddy, Starbuck, in the tub as they hear about Corrie Ten Boom, Junko Tabei, Francisco de Miranda, Johannes Kepler, and many other figures from history spanning centuries. Sack Rome with King Alaric of the Visigoths or have a think with Auguste Rodin!

During a time of political and social unrest in Egypt, a god-like force, Nyarlathotep, emerges. He travels the land dazzling people with electricity and psychology. While witnesses of this god-like creature encourage others to see him, afterwards, people seem terrified. As the narrator recounts his experiences, he becomes disoriented. By the end of the story, the narrator and the other viewers of Nyarlathotep begin to lose touch with reality.

Provocative and controversial, socially conscious and politically charged, wildly imaginative yet deeply grounded, the thirty-two never-before-published stories, essays, and poems in The Last Dangerous Visions stand as a testament to Ellison’s lifelong pursuit of art, uniting a diverse range of science fiction writers both famous and newly minted, including Max Brooks, Edward Bryant, Cecil Castellucci, James S. A. Corey, Howard Fast, Patricia Hodgell, Dan Simmons, Robert Sheckley, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Mildred Downey Broxon, and Cory Doctorow, among others.

I thought the last thing I would have expected while working at the mall during the holiday season was to meet a real elf woman. Then the blue-skinned ogre tore through the mall. The elf and I made a quick escape and ended up in a strange fantasy world. Now, I’m finding out that the elves have been in decline for centuries and are being hunted to extinction for their magical abilities. They need someone to help them. Someone to protect them. Someone with magical powers that could make elves strong like they used to be.

What's your forbidden fantasy? Mine involves my wife spread eagle on a bed with another man buried deep between her thighs. Call me a dirty bastard if you must, but tonight that dream is about to become reality. We're out of town on vacation in Rockville and just scored an invitation to a private party. The theme, you ask? Naughty schoolgirl. Yes, this is happening. Warning! Heat level - 5/5 flames. This one is scorching.

Dive into a world of forbidden desire with BDSM Short Stories: Please Daddy, I’m a Good Girl, a scorching collection of five electrifying tales crafted to ignite your deepest fantasies and keep your vibrator humming night after night. Penned by the sultry maestro Celeste Moreau, this anthology is a siren’s call to women craving intense, consensual BDSM that pushes boundaries and delivers explosive pleasure. Each story—The Velvet Cage, The Midnight Masquerade, The Crimson Altar, The Penthouse Pact, and The Garden of Surrender—pulses with raw, filthy passion, designed to make you wet,...

In the aftermath of WWII, an alien virus struck the Earth, endowing a handful of survivors with extraordinary powers. Originally published in 1987, the newly expanded saga contains additional original stories by eminent writers.

Sympathy with the sea, with the weird, and with monsters fills the stories of Imperfect Commentaries. Ruthanna Emrys' collection offers listeners feminist and #ownvoices Neo-Lovecraftian fiction, anthropological science fiction, and fantasies of belonging, plus miscellaneous deleted scenes, poems, and secret story origins. Listeners familiar with her novels (Winter Tide and Deep Roots) will see the first appearance of Aphra Marsh, an Innsmouth survivor, still recovering from her losses and making a life for herself in late-1940s San Francisco.

Four women, and a freshman year beyond his wildest fantasies. My life flipped upside down the day an older woman decided to take interest in me. At nineteen, I thought I had a normal, boring college life. Then she walked into my life with her knowing smiles and promises of pleasure I’d never imagined. Before I knew it, my mundane freshman year transformed into an education no university could provide. I had no idea how much my life was about to change. Volume 1 includes books 1-5. His First Taste His First Seduction His First Lesson His First Challenge His First Encounter

"Into the Comet" was first published in the October 1960 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. Sir Arthur C. Clarke (1917-2008) is regarded as one of the most-influential science fiction writers of all time. He was named a Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, and was inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame.

Kuno, a former soldier, is searching for fortune. But not just as any ordinary adventurer. True power comes from making alliances with the alluring dungeon goddesses. Armed with a mysterious journal, his trusty axes, and no small amount of courage, he must navigate treacherous dungeons and prove his worth. The prize? Exclusive access to the goddesses' domains.