Fantasy Short Stories

Keeping up-to-date with the most buzzworthy and cutting-edge science fiction requires sifting through countless magazines, e-zines, websites, blogs, original anthologies, single-author collections, and more - a task accomplishable by only the most determined and voracious readers. For everyone else, Night Shade Books is proud to introduce the latest volume of The Best Science Fiction of the Year, collecting the finest that the genre has to offer, from the biggest names in the field to the most exciting new writers.

After 25 years serving as the human Monitor of the Interstellar Ark, Hermes, Orion is scheduled to be placed back into hibernation with the other crewmembers. Knowing he'll die there and be replaced before the ship's voyage is over, he decides that he won’t — can’t — accept that fate. Whatever it takes, Orion will escape Hermes and see what's beyond, even if it means defying the regulations of his only friend — the ship-wide artificial intelligence known as Dan.

From master anthologist Ellen Datlow comes an all-original of weird tales inspired by the strangeness of Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Between the hallucinogenic, weird, imaginative wordplay and the brilliant mathematical puzzles and social satire, Alice has been enjoyed and savored by every generation since its publication. Datlow asked 18 of the most brilliant and acclaimed writers working today to dream up stories inspired by all the strange events and surreal characters found in Wonderland.

"A Song For Sadye" is a tale of the DemonWars, and offers new insights into the life of the bard, Sadye.

The best-selling Extinction Cycle series by Nicholas Sansbury Smith first introduced listeners to a world ravaged by an engineered virus that turned men into monsters. Now, for the first time ever, comes a collection of Extinction Cycle short stories that explore the human spirit and the fight for survival in the face of overwhelming odds from some of the leading voices in the post-apocalyptic genre.

Everyone deserves to get away for a bit. Even the miscreants at St Mary's. Astonishingly, Dr. Bairstow has declared a holiday. Even more astonishingly - he's paying for it. Needless to say, there are strings attached. They have to record the 1601 performance of Hamlet, with Shakespeare himself in the role of the Ghost. It doesn't go well, of course.

Fearful Rock and Other Precarious Locales is the third volume of Night Shade Books' five volume "Selected Stories of Manly Wade Wellman." This volume is made up of eight novella length stories. It includes Wellman's "Judge Pursivant" and "Sergeant Jaeger" stories, as well as a lost classic from Strange Stories (1939).

Christmas is coming to Beechwood Harbor, but will the manor residents be ready for his magical visit? With mischief and mystery at every turn, Holly and friends have to rally to save Christmas before it's too late! A Very Beechwood Christmas includes four mini mysteries set around a wild and magical Christmas when the real Santa Claus comes to town!

"Earthlight" was first published in the August 1951 issue of Thrilling Wonder Stories. It was later expanded into the novel of the same name. 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.

"Mather’s Blood" takes place before the start of the DemonWars Saga and tells of the ranger Mather Wyndon, uncle of Elbryan, a central figure in DemonWars.

Jane Yellowrock, her best friend Molly Trueblood, an earth witch, police detective Paul "Brax" Braxton, and Molly's husband Evan go after a blood-family of rogue-vampires who killed a local family.

Only an act of pure love can shatter Shida the Silent's celestial bonds. Forged by divine hands to serve the whims of a powerful sultan, Shida the Silent, the enchanting genie, was endowed with unparalleled beauty and beguiling charm. Bestowed with the ability to satisfy every sexual desire of humans, Shida's only purpose is to infiltrate the ranks of the sultan's political adversaries, weaving her magical influence to sway their allegiances. Her mesmerizing presence becomes a formidable tool in the sultan's intricate game of diplomacy. However, amidst the intrigues of the court, Shida ...

It is in Skinwalker that Jane Yellowrock first meets George Dumas (Bruiser) and Leo Pellissier. Now, in "First Sight", that encounter is revisited - only this time from Bruiser’s point of view.

UNCOVER WHAT IS BELOW. What is beneath our feet? Below our skin? What lurks in the darkness in the basement, or deep inside the earth? How far down can you read before you go insane? Step down into the chilling stories in Below. We woefully present you with tales of the twisted and terrifying. Listen to maddening transmissions, step into a basement of secrets, encounter a mother whose hate transcends death, a late-night work call becomes a fight of survival, demons lurk, and spirits seek their final revenge. These are not your Mother's bedtime stories…

Brian was a book lover, always seeking the solace of dusty bookstores and the scent of well-worn pages. His tastes veered towards contemporary fiction, but he couldn't resist the allure of antiquated shops filled with stories from ages past. Fate intervened on one such visit when a seemingly ordinary book tumbled from a shelf and struck him, becoming slightly damaged in the process.

A Captivating Short Story Inspired by Innuit Legend and The Modern Day Plight of The Polar Bear. Journey into a world where an ancient spirit walks among mortals, and the balance of nature hangs by a delicate thread. Immerse yourself in a mesmerizing narrative that weaves together the captivating stories of Nanuk, the Polar Bear Shapeshifter Goddess, and the clash of cultures in the icy realms of Greenland. Witness the legacy of a young Inuit hunter chosen by destiny, the intricate magic of totems holding ancestral power, and the plight of the Arctic bears facing extinction at the hands of ...

Dial F for Frankenstein was first published in the January 1964 issue of Playboy. 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.

New York Times Notable Book author Charles Yu wrote the best-selling novel How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe. In his stunning, often humorous, collection Sorry Please Thank You, Yu draws on pop culture and science to make incisive observations about society - and offer touching insight into the human condition. In two of Yu’s remarkable stories, he focuses on a big-box-store night-shift employee with girl trouble and a company that outsources grief for profit.

Deep in his past, Reg helped create the orbiting environment of Skyholme. Now, he spends his days talking to his dead wife, his genetic alterations extending his weary existence. Until one day when he's asked to investigate a murder like any other because the victim is Skyholme itself.

It's been one year since a virus triggered junk DNA and people all over the world started changing, becoming something else, craving blood. It's been 10 months since the word vampire stopped being something from old monster stories and Hollywood movies. It's been six months since our world and theirs erupted into war, two since an uneasy peace was signed, and one hour since that peace was shattered. The war is here again - the vampire war.