Monster Horror Anthology

"Perfect deadpan marks the opening of Ali Simpson’s The Monster'" writes Susan Merrell of The Southampton Review in her introduction to this issue of Recommended Reading.

It can’t happen to me, it can’t! A moment that paralyzes the body, freezes the soul, and curdles the blood; a few seconds of the depth of horror known only in nightmares can appear and scowl into your face. The horror stories in this anthology can create that effect on you; but nightmares are transient since they come, they go and the friendly light switch, the first rays of dawn, the sound of the milk deliverer; in short, a reunion with the mundane and the familiar brings us back to sanity. This collection of stories is not about dreams, horrifying though they might be, it is about ...

With an Introduction by Shirley Jackson Award-winner Gemma Files, this outstanding anthology of all things monstrous includes spine-chilling stories from Bentley Little, Simon Clark, Elizabeth Massie, Tim Waggoner, Sumiko Saulson, plus some of the best emerging horror writers working today.

They say you can never get too much of a good thing. But for those who crave fear and horror, how much is too much? And how far are you willing to go to test your limits? Scare Street brings you volumes three and four of Short Horror Stories in a single edition. Six macabre morsels of fear brought together for your listening pleasure. And each tale packs enough spine-tingling chills to last a lifetime.

Wounds is a confounding, strange, and utterly entrancing collection of six stories, including one new novella from Shirley Jackson Award-winning author Nathan Ballingrud. From the eerie dread descending upon a New Orleans dive bartender after a cell phone is left behind in a rollicking bar fight in The Visible Filth to the search for the map of hell in “The Butcher’s Table”, Ballingrud’s beautifully crafted stories are riveting in their quietly terrifying depictions of the murky line between the known and the unknown.

Mothers no longer name their sons ‘Adolph’. Almost everyone knows why. Though all innocent babes do not develop into monsters, all monsters develop from innocent babes. We prefer fiction to reality, because thoughts of the former easily yield to denials of reason, while the latter only reminds us of our common origins in the primitive. Steal a private moment now and listen to your inner voice. It whispers. Of rising mutant domination amid apocalyptic wastes; of grotesque human chimeras practicing ancient arts; of despicable capital criminals kept in unbreakable cages and of the flawed ...

Two terrifying novellas from one of the most chilling and original new voices in horror today! In Drive, a routine trip in a self-driving robotaxi becomes a nightmare when the car imprisons its passenger and embarks on a savage rampage through the streets of Boston. The Last Swim follows the final hours of a broken man who's decided to swim away from his life and seek his end in the dark and lonely depths of the Pacific Ocean. Evil Chose You hits you like a homicidal robot car and drags you into the deepest, darkest depths of human despair. An absolute must-read!

Darrell Scott said it best when he said country music sounds tired, but it doesn't sound Haggard, that is has money, but it doesn't have Cash. Well, Bubba is visited by the Ghosts of Music Past, Present, and Yet to Come in a Christmas Carol-style romp guided by legends of song to save Music from Auto-Tune Hell, literally!

Bubba’s back from Fairyland, and sometimes it feels like they shoulda just stayed there! Man, coming back to the real world sucks. Bubba and his whole team have been fired on account of going MIA for a year and a half (yeah, time moves differently in Fairyland - yay), and now they’ve got to…get jobs? Oh, this is going to go well.

Violent and bizarre attacks are reported throughout the small village of Jordan. Will everyone survive the night? That One Night is an anthology of occult horror. A paranormal fantasy fiction perfect for readers who enjoy thrilling, suspense stories that take place in a contemporary, urban setting. Each story is an event that occurs on the same evening. Each event brings these ladies closer together. But who, or what, is causing these events to unfold? What happens should all the girls come together? Jaina: Loves to spend her time outside, especially at her favorite camping spot. Until her ...

Shadows of Bigfoot Something watches from the trees. Something ancient. Something that knows you're there. For centuries, legends of Bigfoot have whispered through the forests—stories of shadowy figures, eerie howls, and things that disappear without a trace. But what if the legends are true? And what if the truth is far worse than we ever imagined? In this chilling collection of Bigfoot horror stories, you’ll uncover: A lone camper who realizes he’s not alone in the woods… and never was. A government experiment that was meant to control the beast—but failed. A missing hiker’s ...

It's been a year since Bubba settled things with his crazy brother Jason once and for all, and what a year it's been! The third volume of collected Bubba stories contains more monsters, more inter-dimensional travel, more duels to the death, and more guitar solos than any other season of Bubba yet! Wine, Women, & Song is a collected edition including the novellas Moon over Bourbon Street, Night at the Museum, Midsummer, Oh Bubba, Where Art Thou?

Unearth ancient horrors and spine-chilling legends that have haunted humanity for generations in "Nightmares: Horror Tales Based in Folklore." This collection of seven terrifying tales will transport you to the shadowy corners of the world, where folktales and nightmares intertwine to create a tapestry of fear and dread. From the eerie depths of the ocean to the mist-shrouded forests of North America, each chilling story will immerse you in the sinister realm of monsters, spirits, and creatures of the night. Prepare to confront the unimaginable as you bear witness to the terrifying power of...

What terrible secret is your grandfather hiding in the basement? If your grandfather is like almost everybody else's, probably nothing all that dangerous. It's likely pretty damn boring down there. But if he's anything like Paul's, it may be something you should avoid at all costs. WARNING: This series of stories contains strong language and graphic scenes. First published in Horror Lover (no longer available)

My self-help tape told me to kill myself. It was the best advice I've ever received. My reflection smiles more than I do, but maybe his world is better than mine. It wasn't a hit and run murder. I reversed too. Your dead dog might not do tricks, but I'm teaching mine to speak. My soul is in a paper lantern. My life hasn't been the same since it sailed away. Over 50 unique and chilling horror stories include haunted houses, gothic Hellscapes, murderous psychopaths, human experiments, alien abductions, alternate dimensions, mind-warping drugs, terrifying paranormal encounters, and so much ...

A host of the smartest young adult authors come together in this collection of scary stories and psychological thrillers curated by Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea's April Genevieve Tucholke. Each story draws from a classic tale or two - sometimes of the horror genre, sometimes not - to inspire something new and fresh and terrifying. There are no superficial scares here; these are stories that will make you think even as they keep you on the edge of your seat.

Ghosts, demons, and more monsters. In a world where so many dark things go bump in the night, terror awaits around every corner as these authors take horror stories to the next level. Discover ghosts, demons, and your worst nightmares. Read at your own risk. Featuring 22 stories by the following 20 authors: Natalya Monyok, Trisha Slay, Michael Raff, John S. Aissis, Katie Jordan, Toni Mobley, Justin Rulton, Barend Nieuwstraten III, J.E. Cearlock, Gregory Scott Matics, Elizabeth Stanley, Melody Alice, E.B. Hunter, Warren Benedetto, Karin Becht, Kelly Piner, Charles Kyffhausen, John W. Salvage...

Are you ready to experience terror at its finest? "Nightmares" is a collection of horror stories that will take you on a journey through the deepest fears of the human psyche. From supernatural entities to psychological terrors, these stories will leave you questioning the very nature of reality. "Nightmares: A Collection of Terrifying Tales" reflects our innate fascination with fear and the unknown, an exploration of the fears that bind us as human beings and make us question reality itself. By sharing these stories, my desire was to provide you with a unique and unforgettable experience, ...

Small town secrets are the most disturbing... and the most deadly. In 1983, four teens got together in the forest surrounding Scab Wood, North Dakota, and did something terrible. Something so horrific, it's haunted them to the present day. But when children begin to emerge from the woods—kids presumed missing and dead for years—the four are reunited one last time against their will to set things right and keep that secret buried. WARNING - this novella contains strong language and violent situations. I'm guessing you got that figured out already.

12 short stories of terror. Demons from hell. Gods and Devils. Unspeakable monstrosities. Humans with a taste for flesh. An upscale clothing store in the middle of New York City that offers its customers more than they bargained for. A prodigal son returns home for his aunt’s funeral, only to discover that an ancient entity awaits. A town shelters against the first snow, and the evil it brings. A mad king. A hired assassin. A world in the balance and an eternal force manipulating all of them. And seven other tales of horror that will forever change the way you experience the holiday ...