Monster Fiction

It’s not easy making the career jump from office-supplies-store middle manager to heroic interdimensional adventurer. At least, Jason tries to be heroic, but it's hard to be good when all your powers are evil. He’ll face off against cannibals, cultists, wizards, monsters...and that’s just on the first day. He’s going to need courage, he’s going to need wit, and he’s going to need some magic powers of his own. But first, he’s going to need pants.

From werewolves and vampires, to demons and aliens, the monster is one of the most recognizable figures in horror. But what makes something, or someone, monstrous? Award-winning and up-and-coming authors like Richard Kadrey, Cassandra Khaw, Indrapramit Das, Priya Sharma, and more attempt to answer this question. These all-new stories range from traditional to modern, from mainstream to literary, from familiar monsters to the unknown . . . and unimaginable.

It's 1890 and the citizens of Boston are beginning to go missing in the fog. The police are confounded. The public is frightened. The city is on the edge of hysteria. It's up to the mysterious Smith, inventor and adventurer, to figure out what's going on with the help of his assistant, April Malone. They'll have to face off against a secret society, corrupt policemen, and a mad psychologist hell-bent on dissecting Smith, in order to solve the mystery of what's going on and to save the city from an even more sinister threat.

Lawless, British Columbia is on edge after a powerful earthquake jolts the region, quickly followed by a string of savage animal attacks. Newly stationed to the area after her predecessor mysteriously disappears, Conservation Officer Christine Moon needs to calm the jangled nerves of the small mountain town. Awakened from ancient slumber, something stalks the swirling, grey mists that surround Lawless. A beast with a gnawing hunger that grows stronger by the minute - its only thought, to satisfy its ravenous appetite.

A Vengeful Killer Carries Out an Insidious Plan of Death and Retribution When a troubled woman is lured to her death in the small coastal town of Belle Harbor, Florida, Special Agent Bailey Flynn discovers an unsettling connection between the gruesome murder and the mutilated body of a teenage girl found hidden in a long-abandoned grave. As the local police begin an investigation into the latest homicide and quickly identify a surprising prime suspect, Bailey realizes that all is not as it seems. And when a resource working closely with the investigation becomes the killer’s next victim, ...

On a hot summer night in Montauk, the bodies of two local bar patrons are discovered in the dunes, torn to shreds, their identities unrecognizable.... In another part of town, a woman's backyard is invaded by four terrifying creatures that defy any kind of description. What's clear is that they're hostile - and they're ravenous....

Eric Bergman used to be treated like an outcast, cripple, and freak. Some pitied him, others squirmed in his presence, while others still mocked him to his face. He himself even thought he was born cursed by the gods. But bit by bit, all that changed. That which was once considered a flaw or defect transformed into an advantage. And Eric slowly learned to use it to his benefit.

The Aether Shift. An event that changed the world forever. Unleashing untold powers onto the minds and bodies of humans on Earth. Some were chosen, against their will, to become something new. Azaria, finally allowed leave the house on her own for the first time, ends up as a Dungeon Core, however, the situation gets turned sideways during the process and she's left alone for nearly a year. Lance, an individual with a hidden past has been struggling in the changed world that is Earth. Meeting Azaria through a twist of fate, what will change with the two brought together.

My name is Frank Moon, and my life is completely in the toilet. Most of my friends, along with a large portion of New York City, are dead following the arrival of a bizarre meteor. The otherworldly phenomena brought with it a sickness—a disease—the likes of which this planet has never seen. A nightmarish species of super predator was born that day, something I call the Unseen. But at least I still have Jill, though, it was close…really close. Now, my wife and I find ourselves back in our old stomping grounds of South Florida, hellbent on locating our parents. Sadly, our triumphant ...

There’s more to the swamplands than meets the teeth. In this supernatural tale of magic and mysticism, Henry Lemarchand grew up in Philadelphia knowing very little of his family—his father disappeared when he was young, leaving behind only a strange pouch of animal teeth. When he is sent to the Louisiana bayou to spend the summer with his eccentric uncle and cousin in their decaying ancestral mansion, Henry learns about his family’s supernatural legacy.

I'm bound to a demon. For my entire life, I avoided magic at all costs. Now, I'm responsible for a demon who wields magic more powerful than the toughest mage or sorcerer. Demons are evil. That's what my textbooks say. That's what I see. He's ruthless, he's temperamental, he's cold. But he protects me without fail. I wonder if he's hiding a heart behind his hostility. My demon is a monster.

By day, Mark Wojcik can be found elbow-deep in engine grease, making cars and trucks safe for the highway. By night, he can be found traipsing through the wilds of Pennsylvania, making the world safe for humans. He's more than just a mechanic, he's a New Templar Knight. He travels the backroads and byways fighting weresquonks, ningen, selkies, ghosts, and . . . gnomes? Is that gnome . . . naked? (Sigh.) Season One collects the first four novellas in the Spells, Salt, & Steel series: Spells, Salt, & Steel; Open Season; Deep Trouble; and Close Encounters.

Sea Slayer Kelia Starling has grown up with one truth: Sea Shadows are vicious creatures that need to be eradicated. No exceptions. Not even for him. The Society's sole purpose is to protect the general population from supernatural monsters, and Kelia's their top Slayer. But when her father is murdered and her handler insists it's suicide, she starts to question whether the Society really has her best interests at heart.

Jake Taylor was your average broke student at the University. One day, when he had no classes, he stumbled across a booth set up for "brain scans," Earn while you sleep. It looked like easy money, so he signed up for the full scan. It would require sleeping in a booth for two days, but he would wake up thousands of dollars richer. It should be easy money… The next thing he knows, he is no longer human, and the new world he finds himself in is an extremely dangerous place. So dangerous that the former occupant of the body he finds himself in had just died from a venomous snakebite. He is ...

I was stolen from my family and raised in the wastelands to the north. I did what I had to ensure my survival. I became the Champion, with my history carved into my skin for all to see. Now, I spend my days drinking and hiding from my past, until four newcomers offer me a job I can't refuse. When my past and future mix, I must once again rise and fight. This time it's not for my freedom, it's for my happiness.

R'AXELL SPACE WARRIORS Her life on the Moon IV ship sucked. The lab she worked in didn't value her, the men on the ship were best kept as far away as possible, and to top off the day, mercenaries were attacking Moon IV! Wendy would try to flee in one of the escape pods, but...why was she reacting like that when she came face to face with a dangerous and sexy as hell alien, who was looking at her as if he was about to devour her? Ever since his people were nearly decimated, R'Axell had been attacking human ships, a task he hated, but which led him to his companion. As soon as he saw that ...

Ordinary twenty-something Kurusu Kimihito thought living with a bunch of monster girls was complicated enough, but there's a new directive sent down from the government: get a job!

My name is Marek, and I hunt monsters for gold. But now, with the help of a magic beacon, I'm seeking those who are tainted. The impure. Abominations. Monster girls. But not to kill. They need my help. All kinds of help. I'm more than happy to provide it, to do all I can to keep them safe from the real monsters that exist in the world.

Loren Calla has only ever been ordinary. As a human struggling to survive in a city that caters to the needs of vampires, werewolves, witches, and other supernatural creatures, she always assumed her life would remain simple, predictable, and as safe as her world would allow. Until she barely escapes abduction at the hands of Darkslayers—supernatural bounty hunters that possess the Sight, a magical tracking ability that allows them to see a person's aura—and one of her friends is taken in her place. The abductors are demanding a ransom: Loren's life in exchange for her friend's safe return.

I'm not all that special, really. I'm sure there are a lot of girls with old gypsy blood who see the dead, have killer cults hunting their family, and turn into something that gets scary when they panic. Yep. I'm just an ordinary girl. I wish people would believe that. I've been labeled as one thing or another for most of my life: Death Girl. Crazy Gypsy Girl. Gothic Chick. Monster. It took my mother's death for me to finally start getting answers about what's really been going on. Unfortunately, most of the answers come from men...who aren't just men.