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.

Less than two months into his ten years of active-duty service to the Hegemony of Velvet Stars as an adept, and Desmond McLaughlin has already gotten himself embroiled in even more trouble. He's settled in just fine aboard his ship, the Fist of Defiance, and made plenty of friends. But it wouldn't be life if there weren't a few bad apples mixed in. Having clashed several times—once in a very physical fashion—with Adept Windracer, Desmond can only hope that the overly aggressive Uth'ra will stop trying to force him into the mold that she believes a male should occupy.

In a world where power is everything, Aleks and Vaira Kercheval have rejected their magical heritage. When the siblings cross the threshold, a long-dormant magic awakens, thrusting them into a world of ancient feuds and twisted powers. As Vaira embraces her magical heritage, determined to claim her rightful place among the Mage Houses, the powerless Aleks accidentally summons Ilea, a monstrous prince from the Void, thereby binding himself to a creature of immense power and insatiable hunger.

Humanity managed to advance to the point of opening up portals that led to other worlds and dimensions. From those dimensions emerged terrifying monsters that wreaked havoc on the world. The portals were closed eventually, but not before a humanoid species known as the Primis managed to take control of the world. The Primis are a godly race that live forever. Once every ten years, they hold a Great Tournament that will yield a single winner. The prize for the winner? The opportunity to became a Primis. Celestria is a princess from a small kingdom in the corner of the new world. She is ...

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.

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, ...

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.

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....

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.

These aliens seem nice enough, but she needs to figure out how to communicate with them and get back to Earth. Her alien captor finds everything about his new pet adorable, from her tiny toes to her blunted claws to her shiny mane. He will do everything in his power to make sure that his cute little pet remains healthy and happy. But what happens when this giant tentacled alien finds out his lovely pet is a sentient person who wants more from him than pets and treats?

Vir is in chaos, and soon Amber will be at the center of it all. The Sacred Forest, that is Amber’s destination after her attempted exile in the capital. But her journey won’t be simple. The Black Rose wants her for an important plan that will happen at her destination. A plan that will endanger those involved, and unbeknownst to her draw the ire of an Archmage—a mage capable of using Level 400 magic. And as if that wasn’t enough trouble, a high-level member of the Arcane Council wants something from her.

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.

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.

Zach grew in power and thrived in the post-Framework world. He became a respected leader, a shining example of what it meant to be good. But as the world ended, he had only one thought: to punish the monster that had killed the world long before the Framework ended it. Yet not even with his incredible power was he able to stand against the World Ender. His arrival in the new realty, the Infinite Realm, gives him the chance to grow stronger, to find the monster again-and make it pay.

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.

Bigfoot wants revenge! Just as Jaws terrified people right out of the water, The Shadowkiller will keep readers out of the woods...for good.

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.