Horror Literature History

"History of the Necronomicon" is a short text written by H. P. Lovecraft in 1927, and published in 1938. It describes the origins of the fictional book of the same name: the occult grimoire Necronomicon, a now-famous element of some of his stories. The short text purports to be non-fiction, adding to the appearance of 'pseudo-authenticity' which Lovecraft valued in building his Cthulhu Mythos oeuvre. Accordingly, it supposes the history of the Necronomicon as the inspiration for Robert W. Chambers' The King in Yellow, which concerns a book that overthrows the minds of those who read it.

Northern California, 1985. Leo Cecchino won’t rest until his people are safe. Leading the battle against the Soviet walking dead, he turns to his ex-girlfriend’s chess master sister to calculate their next move. But with the commie invaders deliberately infecting American innocents, they’re running out of time to stop the streets from flowing with rivers of blood.

Have you ever wondered whether or not vampires actually exist? Whether they are merely folk tales or real creatures that walk the same world we do? Donald F. Glut's classic survey of the historical record provides food for thought and fascinating insights into the sanguinary world of True Vampires of History.

Thea Hope longs to be an alchemist out of the shadow of her famous mother. The two of them are close to creating the legendary Philosopher’s Stone — whose properties include immortality and can turn any metal into gold — but just when the promise of the Stone’s riches is in their grasp, Thea’s mother destroys the Stone in a sudden fit of violent madness.

Ruin and desolation have fallen on the Roman Empire. The undead have destroyed everything in their path. The greatest city in the world in nothing more than a wasteland. Men gather in the furthest corners of the empire, preparing for their final stand. The last army of Rome, the last fighting force of mankind. Across the empire, a group of desperate friends carry with them one last hope. They must travel to the heart of the undead. They must be willing to sacrifice. They must be ready to give everything they have in order to save Rome and each other. Out of ruin there may be rebirth.

Caught between the undead horde and civil war, the Roman Empire is on the verge of destruction. Italy is in flames, and Rome is under siege by the Risen, while Titus and Otho both lay claim to the title of Emperor. Centurion Vitus Protus, Praetor Domitius, and their allies face a desperate choice. They must either stay and fight for the City of Rome or leave and survive in the wilderness left behind by the Risen.

History tells us that William Shakespeare died in April of 1616. Or did he? What if the “William Kemp” who set sail from England for the New World in April of 1619 was actually the bard in disguise? How would he adjust to life in the Virginia Colony? How would he interact with the Powhatans? And what if he was forced to do battle with a monster out of legend? This is the story of Shakespeare’s second life.

After Jack the Ripper terrorized London in 1888, he would spark a mystery when he disappeared, his string of violent and horrific murders ending as quickly as they began. Now, in 1907, biographer Charles Hapgood is about to be visited a man who astonishingly claims that he was the famous Ripper and that he wishes to tell his tale before his coming death. Skeptical at first, Hapgood agrees to hear his story, only to soon be shown indisputable proof that his visitor speaks the truth.

Early morning, 1902. In a gloomy Edinburgh tenement, Eilidh the charlady tips coal into a fire grate and sets it alight. Overhearing, a cat ambles over to curl up against the welcome heat. This is to be the cat's last day on earth. But he is going to return...as The Ghost Cat, a spirit-feline destined to live out his ghostly existence according to the medieval proverb of "The Cat with Nine Lives" - For Three He Plays, For Three He Strays, For Three He Stays.

Three bank robbers are on the run following a rather unusual heist. They decide to seek shelter for the night in a tiny, seemingly harmless town. However, the following morning they awaken to discover that the town they chose is actually some form of disturbingly cheery utopia complete with sickly sweet citizens who have the rather odd habit of breaking into perfectly choreographed song and dance numbers. When they try to leave, they discover that getting out of this bizarre little village may not be as easy as they thought.

Visions have always been...my pasture. I almost think there is no wisdom comparable to that of exchanging the realities of life for dreams. Old castles, old pictures, old histories take one back into centuries that cannot disappoint. I waked one morning from a dream of which all I could recover was that I had thought myself in an ancient castle and that on the uppermost banister of a great staircase I saw a gigantic hand in armour. In the evening I sat down to write, without knowing in the least what I intended to say or relate.

Sueños de paz es un diario cuya existencia se desconocía hasta hace muy poco. Refleja la historia de una joven neerlandesa entre los años 1943 y 1945, escondida también, como Ana Frank, y viviendo bajo una amenaza permanente. Un relato que hace sentir al oyente en carne propia lo que la protagonista y su familia pasaron día a día, mientras tomaba notas del horror nazi hasta llenar una libreta y seis cuadernos.

"A Chapter in the History of the Tyrone Family" is a Gothic short story by Sheridan Le Fanu focusing on a young woman who marries a Scottish landowner with a dark past. A short story whose haunting and semi-supernatural elements might have influenced Charlotte Bronts "Jane Eyre", Le Fanus tale combines a lot of elements horror, romance, thriller, and drama to create a compelling and sophisticated world from which there is no easy escape.

It is 1889 and The Scottish Play is coming home. But before the darling couple of London theatre, Henry Irving and Ellen Terry, take their acclaimed Macbeth to the Edinburgh stage terror treads the boards. A grisly message found smeared across the cobbles in blood, foretelling someone's demise. As the bloody prophecies continue to appear Edinburgh's own beloved pair - Detective 'Nine-Nails' McGray and Inspector Ian Frey - enter the scene.

When Duncan MacGuire sets out to help a slave escape the Great Houses of the South, little does he know they'd send a demon to capture them. Set in the Boston Metaphysical Society alternate history universe, this short story is a prequel to the award winning novel, Boston Metaphysical Society: A Storm of Secrets and the popular graphic novel, Boston Metaphysical Society.

Sometimes being a vampire isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Julian Brownell, a 2,000-year-old vampire, is learning that the hard way. The depression and divorce in his banal, pretend-human life were bad enough. But when he decides to burst back onto the vampire scene, things go from bad to worse as he finds himself firmly in the sights of the deadliest vampire hunter of all time.

After escaping from the "fat camps" Jenna, Starling, and Kasey think they are finally free. Commander Sharpe is on the hunt for the girls, after finding them he kidnaps and holds them prisoner in his compound. Camp was nothing compared to what Sharpe does to them. Can they survive this new situation? Will they finally win against the man who ran the camps? Find out in the conclusion to Fat Free Nation.

"History of the Necronomicon" is a short text written by H. P. Lovecraft in 1927, and published in 1938. It describes the origins of the fictional book of the same name: the occult grimoire Necronomicon, a now-famous element of some of his stories. The short text purports to be non-fiction, adding to the appearance of 'pseudo-authenticity' which Lovecraft valued in building his Cthulhu Mythos oeuvre. Accordingly, it supposes the history of the Necronomicon as the inspiration for Robert W. Chambers' The King in Yellow, which concerns a book that overthrows the minds of those who read it.

In this world, steam and electricity are the favored sources of power. Science has taken the place of religion, while magic is unknown by all but peculiar outcasts. But the border between reality and the underworld here is extremely thin. Thankfully, the adepts of scientific knowledge have found success holding back the onslaught of infernal creatures. Electricity is stronger than magic, but even it is not all-powerful. A former detective constable for the New Babylon Criminal Investigative Police, Leopold Orso is illustrious.

At the illustrious Greyscott Academy, reputation is everything. For Meg, the daughter of the school's janitor, the rules are simple: keep your head down, don't step on any rich kids' toes and stay invisible until graduation. That is, until the glamorous Wren twins - the beautiful, troubled Lottie and the magnetic Sebastien - decide to take Meg under their gilded wings. But not all that glitters is gold. After a disastrous incident at Greyscott's famous Midsummer Ball, Meg finds herself on the outs.