Search Worlds Without End

From the Sumerian epic of Gilgamesh to Norse prophecies of Ragnarok to the Revelations of Saint John to Cormac McCarthy's The Road, and any number of fictional zombie Armageddons and the dystopic world of The Hunger Games, we have always wondered what will happen after the world as we know it ends. No matter what the doomsday scenario -- cataclysmic climate change, political chaos, societal collapse, nuclear war, pestilence, or so many other dreaded variations -- we inevitably believe that even though the world perishes, some portion of humankind will live on. Such stories involve death and disaster, but they are also tales of rebirth and survival. Grim or triumphant, these outstanding, post-apocalyptic stories selected from the best of those published in the tumultuous last decade allow us to consider what life will be like after the end.

Table of Contents:

• Introduction - essay by Paula Guran
• The Books - (2010) - shortstory by Kage Baker
• Tumaki - (2010) - novelette by Nnedi Okorafor
• The Egg Man - (2008) - novelette by Mary Rosenblum
• Chislehurst Messiah - (2011) - shortstory by Lauren Beukes
• Ragnarok - (2011) - poem by Paul Park
• Beat Me Daddy (Eight to the Bar) - (2002) - shortstory by Cory Doctorow
• After the Apocalypse - (2011) - shortstory by Maureen F. McHugh
• We Will Never Live in the Castle - (2010) - shortstory by Paul G. Tremblay
• Never, Never, Three Times Never - (2002) - shortstory by Simon Morden
• Pump Six - (2008) - novelette by Paolo Bacigalupi
• The Disappeared - (2008) - shortstory by Blake Butler
• Amaryllis - (2010) - shortstory by Carrie Vaughn
• The Fifth Star in the Southern Cross - (2008) - shortstory by Margo Lanagan
• True North - (2011) - novelette by M. J. Locke
• Horses - (2009) - novelette by Livia Llewellyn
• The Cecilia Paradox - (2012) - shortstory by John Mantooth
• The Adjudicator - (2009) - shortstory by Brian Evenson
• A Story, with Beans - (2009) - shortstory by Steven Gould
• Goddess of Mercy - (2012) - novelette by Bruce Sterling
• Isolation Point, California - (2007) - shortstory by John Shirley

Once upon a time, the stories that came to be known as "fairy tales" were cultivated to entertain adults more than children; it was only later that they were tamed and pruned into less thorny versions intended for youngsters. But in truth, they have continued to prick the imaginations of readers at all ages.

Over the years, authors have often borrowed bits and pieces from these stories, grafting them into their own writing, creating literature with both new meaning and age-old significance. In the last few decades or so, they've also intentionally retold and reinvented the tales in a variety of ways--delightful or dark, wistful or wicked, sweet or satirical--that forge new trails through the forests of fantastic fiction.

This new anthology compiles some of the best modern fairy-tale retellings and reinventions from award-winning and bestselling authors, acclaimed storytellers, and exciting new talents, into an enchanting collection. Explore magical new realms by traveling with us, Beyond the Woods...

Table of Contents:

• Tanith Lee - "Red as Blood" (Nebula Award nomination, 1980)
• Gene Wolfe - "In the House of Gingerbread" (World Fantasy Award nomination, 1988)
• Angela Slatter - "The Bone Mother"
• Elizabeth Bear - "Follow Me Light"
• Yoon Ha Lee - "Coin of Hearts Desire"
• Nalo Hopkinson - "The Glass Bottle Trick"
• Catherynne M. Valente - "The Maiden Tree"
• Holly Black - "Coat of Stars"
• Caitlín R. Kiernan - "Road of Needles"
• Kelly Link - "Travels with the Snow Queen" (World Fantasy Award nomination, 1999)
• Karen Joy Fowler - "Halfway People"
• Margo Lanagan - "Catastrophic Disruption of the Head"
• Shveta Thakrar - "Lavanya and Deepika"
• Theodora Goss - "Princess Lucinda and the Hound of the Moon"
• Gardner Dozois - "Fairy Tale"
• Peter S. Beagle - "The Queen Who Could Not Walk"
• Priya Sharma - "Lebkuchen"
• Neil Gaiman - "Diamonds and Pearls: A Fairy Tale"
• Richard Bowes - "The Queen and the Cambion"
• Octavia Cade - "The Mussel Eater"
• Jane Yolen - "Memoirs of a Bottle Djinn"
• Steve Duffy - "Bears: A Fairy Tale of 1958"
• Charles de Lint -"The Moon Is Drowning While I Sleep" (World Fantasy Award nomination, 1994)
• Veronica Schanoes - "Rats"
• Rachel Swirsky - "Beyond the Naked Eye"
• Ken Liu - "Good Hunting"
• Kirstyn McDermott - "The Moon's Good Grace"
• Peter Straub - "The Juniper Tree"
• Jeff VanderMeer - "Greensleeves"
• Tanith Lee - "Beauty

A tantalizing selection of stories from some of the best female authors who've helped define the modern vampire.

Bram Stoker was hardly the first author--male or female--to fictionalize the folkloric vampire, but he defined the modern iconic vampire when Dracula appeared in 1897. Since then, many have reinterpreted the ever-versatile vampire over and over again--and female writers have played vital roles in proving that the vampire, as well as our perpetual fascination with it, is truly immortal. These authors have devised some of the most fascinating, popular, and entertaining of our many vampiric variations: suavely sensual... fascinating but fatal... sexy and smart... undead but prone to detection... tormented or terrifying... amusing or amoral... doomed or deadly... badass and beautiful... cutting-edge or classic...

Blood Sisters collects a wide range of fantastical stories from New York Times bestsellers Holly Black, Nancy Holder, Catherynne M. Valente, and Carrie Vaughn, and critically acclaimed writers Chelsea Quinn Yarbro and Tanith Lee, all of whom have left their indelible and unique stamps on the vampire genre. Whether they are undeniably heroes and heroines or bloodthirsty monsters (or something in between), the undead are a lively lot. This anthology offers some of the best short fiction ever written by the "blood sisters" who know them best: stories you can really sink your teeth into.

Table of Contents:

• "A Princess of Spain" by Carrie Vaughn
• "Shipwrecks Above" by Caitlín R. Kiernan
• "The Fall of the House of Blackwater" by Freda Warrington
• "In Memory of..." by Nancy Kilpatrick
• "Where the Vampires Live" by Storm Constantine
• "La Dame" by Tanith Lee
• "October 1927" by Jewelle Gomez
• "Renewal" by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
• "Blood Freak" by Nancy Holder
• "The Power and the Passion" by Pat Cadigan
• "The Unicorn Tapestry" by Suzy McKee Charnas
• "This Town Ain't Big Enough" by Tanya Huff
• "Vampire King of the Goth Chicks" by Nancy A. Collins
• "Learning Curve" by Kelley Armstrong
• "The Better Half" by Melanie Tem
• "Selling Houses" by Laurell K. Hamilton
• "Greedy Choke Puppy" by Nalo Hopkinson
• "Tacky" by Charlaine Harris
• "Needles" by Elizabeth Bear
• "From the Teeth of Strange Children" by Lisa L. Hannett
• "Father Peña's Last Dance" by Hannah Strom-Martin
• "Sun Falls" by Angela Slatter
• "Magdala Amygdala" by Lucy Snyder
• "The Coldest Girl in Coldtown" by Holly Black
• "In the Future When All's Well" by Catherynne M. Valente

Tales of Dystopia and Desire aimed at a Young Adult readership...

When society crumbles, can young love survive? When the young are deprived of their bright future and left to survive day to day, what bonds remain between individuals? Can young love survive a dystopian nightmare? This exciting collection of stories explores the struggles, both emotional and physical, of teenagers trying to survive as society falls apart or as they help build a new world. Compelling, emotionally charged stories of young lives lived in desperate circumstances.

Contents:

• 1 - Introduction (Brave New Love: 15 Dystopian Tales of Desire) - essay by Paula Guran
• 5 - Hidden Ribbon - short story by John Shirley
• 29 - The Salt Sea and the Sky - short story by Elizabeth Bear
• 45 - In the Clearing - novella by Kiera Cass
• 90 - Otherwise - novelette by Nisi Shawl
• 120 - Now Purple with Love's Wound - short story by Carrie Vaughn
• 138 - Berserker Eyes - novelette by Maria V. Snyder
• 173 - Arose from Poetry - short story by Steve Berman
• 187 - Red - short story by Amanda Downum
• 209 - Foundlings - short story by Diana Peterfreund
• 236 - Seekers in the City - novelette by Jeanne DuPrau
• 260 - The Up - novelette by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
• 284 - The Dream Eater - novelette by Carrie Ryan
• 315 - 357 - novelette by Jesse Karp
• 341 - Eric and Pan - short story by William Sleator
• 362 - The Empty Pocket - short story by Seth Cadin
• 386 - About the Authors (Brave New Love: 15 Dystopian Tales of Desire) - essay by uncredited

Embraces: Dark Erotica is a literate and provocative approach to the type of fiction that came to be called erotic horror in the last decade or so.

Contents:

• ix - Introduction (Embraces: Dark Erotica) - essay by Paula Guran
• 1 - You Give Me Fever - short story by Nancy Holder
• 11 - Saturnalia - (1999) - short story by David J. Schow
• 31 - On the Dangers of Simultaneity, Or, Ungh, Mmmm, Oh-Baby-Yeah, Aaah, Oooh... UH-OH! - short story by Robert Devereaux
• 39 - Creeps - short story by Steve Rasnic Tem
• 47 - Torpor - short story by Charlee Jacob
• 63 - Seeing Things - short story by J. R. Corcorrhan
• 79 - Before the White Asylum - short story by Rob Hardin
• 89 - Blue Boy - short story by M. Christian
• 105 - Her Master's Hand - short story by Dominick Cancilla
• 109 - Madly, Deeply - short story by Connie Wilkins
• 117 - First Love - short story by Jay Russell
• 123 - Small Bubbles - short story by Samuel Cross
• 129 - Payback's a Bitch - short story by Thomas S. Roche
• 147 - Director of Dolls - short story by Anne Tourney
• 157 - Mekong Medusa - short story by Julia Solis
• 167 - Beholder - short story by Stephen Dedman
• 173 - Homewrecker - (1998) - short story by Poppy Z. Brite
• 177 - Matchbox Screamers - short story by Ian Grey
• 187 - The Virgin Spring - short story by Lorelei Shannon
• 199 - Learn at Home! Your Career in Evil! - short story by John Shirley
• 215 - About the Writers (Embraces: Dark Erotica) - essay by Paula Guran

Portals to all the knowledge in the world, libraries are also created universes of a multitude of imaginations. Librarians guide us to enlightenment as well as serving as the captains, mages, and gatekeepers who open the doors to delight, speculation, wonder, and terror. This captivating compilation of science fiction and fantasy short fiction showcases stories of librarians--mysterious curators, heroic bibliognosts, arcane archivists, catalogers of very special collections--and libraries--repositories of arcane wisdom, storehouses of signals from other galaxies, bastions of culture, the last outposts of civilization in a post-apocalyptic world...

Contents

• Paula Guran - Introduction: Ad Librum
• Ellen Klages - In the House of the Seven Librarians
• Kage Baker - The Books
• Esther M. Friesner - Death and the Librarian
• Elizabeth Bear - In Libres
• Richard Bowes - The King of the Big Night Hours
• Ruthanna Emrys - Those Who Watch
• Norman Partridge - Special Collections
• Ray Bradbury - Exchange
• Holly Black - Paper Cuts Scissors
• Ken Liu - Summer Reading
• Kelly Link - Magic for Beginners
• Sarah Monette - The Inheritance of Barnabas Wilcox
• Kristine Kathryn Rusch - The Midbury Lake Incident
• A.C. Wise - With Tales in Their Teeth, from the Mountain They Came
• Tansy Raynor Roberts - What Books Survive
• E. Saxey - The Librarian's Dilemma
• Amal El-Mohtar - The Green Book
• Scott Lynch - In the Stacks
• Robert Reed - A Woman's Best Friend
• Xia Jia - If on a Winter's Night a Traveler
• Gregory Benford - The Sigma Structure Symphony
• Jack McDevitt - The Fort Moxie Branch
• Edoardo Albert - The Last Librarian

It's too late! The living dead have already taken over the world. Your brains have been devoured. Nothing is left but spasms of ravenous need--an obscene hunger for even more zombie fiction. Forget the metaphors and the mildly scary. You want shock, you want grue, you want disturbing, gut-wrenching, skull-crunching zombie stories that take you over the edge and go splat. You want the bloody best of the ultimate undead. You have no choice... you... must... have... Extreme Zombies!

Table of Contents:

• Introduction - essay by Paula Guran
• On the Far Side of the Cadillac Desert with Dead Folks - (1989) - novelette by Joe R. Lansdale
• Susan - (2001) - short story by Robin D. Laws
• Going Down - (2006) - short story by Nancy Kilpatrick
• The Traumatized Generation - (2003) - short story by Murray J. D. Leeder
• Aftertaste - (1996) - novelette by John Shirley
• Abed - (1992) - short story by Elizabeth Massie
• Chuy and the Fish - (2005) - short story by David Wellington
• Dead Giveaway - (1989) - short story by Brian Hodge
• Makak - (2004) - short story by Edward Lee
• Tomorrow's Precious Lambs - (2011) - short story by Monica Valentinelli
• Meathouse Man - (1976) - novelette by George R. R. Martin
• Charlie's Hole - (2002) - short story by Jesse Bullington
• At First Only Darkness - (2011) - short story by Nancy A. Collins
• Jerry's Kids Meet Wormboy - (1989) - novelette by David J. Schow
• An Unfortunate Incident at the Slaughterhouse - (2010) - short story by Harper Hull
• Captive Hearts - (2010) - short story by Brian Keene
• For the Good of All - (2009) - short story by Yvonne Navarro
• We Will Rebuild - (2009) - short story by Cody Goodfellow
• Home - (2005) - short story by David Moody
• Provider - (2003) - short story by Tim Waggoner
• Zombies for Jesus - (1989) - short story by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
• Viva Las Vegas - (2008) - short story by Thomas S. Roche
• Romero's Children - (2010) - short story by David A. Riley
• In Beauty, Like the Night - (1992) - short story by Norman Partridge
• The Blood Kiss - (1988) - novelette by Dennis Etchison

Speculative fiction imagines drastically diverse ways of being and worlds that are other than the one with which we are familiar. Queerness is a natural fit for such fiction, so one would expect it to be customarily included. That has not always been the case, but LGBTQ+ representation in science fiction and fantasy--in both short and long form--is now relatively common. Even so, most of the queer science fiction and fantasy anthologies published in the last thirty-five years have been narrowly focused: specifically gay male or lesbian (or, more recently, transgender) themes, or all science fiction or all fantasy, or adhering to a specific theme or subgenre.

Far Out: Recent Queer Science Fiction and Fantasy, on the other hand, features both science fiction and fantasy short fiction from the last decade and includes characters, perspectives, and stories that span the rainbow. With stories from incredible authors ranging from Seanan McGuire to Charlie Jane Anders to Sam J. Miller, it's an essential read for anyone interested in queer science fiction and fantasy.

Contents:

• ix - Introduction: Over the Rainbow and Into the Far Out (Far Out: Recent Queer Science Fiction and Fantasy) - essay by Paula Guran
• 1 - Destroyed by the Waters - (2016) - short story by Rachel Swirsky
• 15 - The Sea Troll's Daughter - (2010) - novelette by Caitlín R. Kiernan?
• 39 - And If the Body Were Not the Soul - (2015) - novelette by A. C. Wise
• 63 - Imago - (2017) - novelette by Tristan Alice Nieto
• 97 - Paranormal Romance - (2013) - novelette by Christopher Barzak
• 117 - Three Points Masculine - (2016) - short story by An Owomoyela
• 133 - Das Steingeschöpf - (2016) - short story by G. V. Anderson
• 149 - The Deepwater Bride - (2015) - novelette by Tamsyn Muir
• 173 - The Shape of My Name - (2015) - short story by Nino Cipri
• 189 - Otherwise - (2012) - novelette by Nisi Shawl
• 211 - The Night Train - [Earth (Lavie Tidhar)] - (2010) - short story by Lavie Tidhar
• 225 - Ours Is the Prettiest - [Chronicles of the Borderlands] - (2011) - novelette by Nalo Hopkinson
• 255 - Don't Press Charges and I Won't Sue - (2017) - novelette by Charlie Jane Anders
• 273 - Driving Jenny Home - (2014) - short story by Seanan McGuire
• 297 - I'm Alive, I Love You, I'll See You in Reno - (2010) - short story by Vylar Kaftan
• 305 - In the Eyes of Jack Saul - (2020) - short story by Richard Bowes
• 315 - Secondhand Bodies - (2016) - short story by JY Yang
• 331 - Seasons of Glass and Iron - (2016) - short story by Amal El-Mohtar
• 347 - Né Le!? - (2016) - short story by Darcie Little Badger
• 363 - The Duke of Riverside - [The World of Riverside] - (2011) - novelette by Ellen Kushner
• 385 - Cat Pictures Please - [CatNet] - (2015) - short story by Naomi Kritzer
• 395 - The Lily and the Horn - (2015) - short story by Catherynne M. Valente
• 407 - Calved - (2015) - short story by Sam J. Miller
• 421 - The River's Children - (2011) - short story by Shweta Narayan

Human competition is eternal. No matter what the future brings, sports will be a part of it. But what forms will these games take? Who will be the spectator, who will play? Will aliens be our opponents or machines? What rules will we play by? What will be at stake? What rewards will be reaped by the victors? What fates await the defeated? Will the entire universe be our arena or will our world be smaller than today? Visionary authors speculate on what swifter, higher, stronger will mean in the near and distant future.

Table of Contents:

• Preface - essay by Paula Guran
• Will the Chill - (1979) - novelette by John Shirley
• Run to Starlight - (1974) - novelette by George R. R. Martin
• Man-Mountain Gentian - (1983) - shortstory by Howard Waldrop
• Ender's Game - (1977) - novelette by Orson Scott Card
• The Fate of Nations - (2003) - shortstory by James Morrow
• Unsportsmanlike Conduct - (2003) - shortfiction by Scott Westerfeld
• Ladies and Gentlemen, This Is Your Crisis! - (1976) - shortfiction by Kate Wilhelm
• Breakaway - (1981) - novelette by George Alec Effinger
• Kip, Running - (2008) - shortstory by Genevieve Williams
• Diamond Girls - (2005) - shortstory by Louise Marley
• Anda's Game - (2004) - shortstory by Cory Doctorow
• Listen - (1995) - shortstory by Joel Richards
• Name That Planet! - (2005) - shortstory by Elizabeth Ann Scarborough
• Distance - (2003) - novelette by Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff
• Pawn - (2002) - shortstory by Timons Esaias
• The Survivor - (1965) - novelette by Walter F. Moudy

The spirits of the dead have walked among our legends, myths, and stories since before recorded history. Ghostly visitations, hauntings, unquiet souls seeking the living, vengeful wraiths, the possibility of life beyond the grave that can somehow reach out and touch us... these are some of literature's most enduring icons. Now, in the twenty-first century, we are no less fascinated with phantoms than our cave-dwelling ancestors or our Victorian-age forebears. Thirty modern masters of fright and fantasy fill this anthology with shivers, chills, and spooky explorations of both sides of the veil. Be prepared to keep a light on all night!

Table of Contents:

• Introduction: Questionable Shapes - essay by Paula Guran
• There's a Hole in the City - (2005) - shortstory by Richard Bowes
• The Trentino Kid - (2003) - shortstory by Jeffrey Ford
• A Soul in a Bottle - (2006) - novelette by Tim Powers
• The Watcher in the Corners - (2007) - shortfiction by Sarah Monette
• The Palace - (2007) - shortstory by Barbara Roden
• The Proving of Smollett Standforth - (2011) - shortstory by Margo Lanagan
• The Third Always Beside You - (2011) - novelette by John Langan
• The Plum Blossom Lantern - (2003) - shortstory by Richard Parks
• Uncle - shortfiction by Stephen Graham Jones
• The Rag-and-Bone Men - (1999) - shortstory by Steve Duffy
• October in the Chair - (2002) - shortstory by Neil Gaiman
• Savannah is Six - (2000) - shortstory by James Van Pelt
• Wonderwall - (2004) - shortstory by Elizabeth Hand
• Between the Cold Moon and the Earth - (2006) - shortstory by Peter Atkins
• The Muldoon - (2006) - novelette by Glen Hirshberg
• Booth's Ghost - (2010) - shortfiction by Karen Joy Fowler
• Apokatastasis - (2002) - shortstory by Caitlín R. Kiernan
• The Lagerstätte - (2008) - novelette by Laird Barron
• Cell Call - (2003) - shortstory by Marc Laidlaw
• Cruel Sistah - (2005) - shortstory by Nisi Shawl
• The Box - (2006) - shortstory by Stephen Gallagher
• Ancestor Money - (2003) - shortstory by Maureen F. McHugh
• Dhost - (2007) - shortstory by Melanie Tem
• Mrs. Midnight - (2009) - shortstory by Reggie Oliver
• Tin Cans - (2010) - shortstory by Ekaterina Sedia
• Mr. Aickman's Air Rifle - (2004) - novella by Peter Straub
• The Score - (2009) - novelette by Alaya Dawn Johnson
• The Ex - (2011) - shortfiction by Steve Rasnic Tem
• Faces in Walls - (2010) - shortfiction by John Shirley
• The Case of the Lighthouse Shambler - (2011) - shortfiction by Joe R. Lansdale
• About the Authors - essay by uncredited

Shivers and spirits... the mystical and macabre... our darkest fears and sweetest fantasies... the fun and frivolity of tricks, treats, festivities, and masquerades. Halloween is a holiday filled with both delight and dread, beloved by youngsters and adults alike. Celebrate the most magical season of the year with this sensational treasury of seasonal tales -- spooky, suspenseful, terrifying, or teasing -- harvested from a multitude of master storytellers.

Table of Contents:

• Introduction - (2011) - essay by Paula Guran
• Conversations in a Dead Language - (1989) - short story by Thomas Ligotti
• Monsters - (2009) - novelette by Stewart O'Nan
• The Halloween Man - (1986) - short story by William F. Nolan
• The Young Tamlane - (1802) - poem by Sir Walter Scott
• Pork Pie Hat - (1994) - novella by Peter Straub
• Three Doors - (2006) - short story by Norman Partridge
• Auntie Elspeth's Halloween Story, or the Gourd, the Bad and the Ugly - (2001) - short story by Esther M. Friesner
• Struwwelpeter - (2001) - novelette by Glen Hirshberg
• Hallowe'en in a Suburb - (1926) - poem by H. P. Lovecraft
• On the Reef - short fiction by Caitlín R. Kiernan
• The Sticks - (2007) - short story by Charlee Jacob
• Riding Bitch - (2007) - novelette by K. W. Jeter
• Memories of el Día de los Muertos - (1993) - short fiction by Nancy Kilpatrick
• Halloween Street - (1999) - short story by Steve Rasnic Tem
• Tricks & Treats: One Night on Halloween Street - (1999) - short story by Steve Rasnic Tem
• Memories - (2010) - short story by Peter Crowther
• Ulalume: A Ballad - (1847) - poem by Edgar Allan Poe
• Mask Game - (2000) - short fiction by John Shirley
• By the Book - (2010) - short fiction by Nancy Holder
• Hornets - (2001) - novella by Al Sarrantonio
• Pranks - (2009) - short story by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
• Pumpkin Night - (2008) - short fiction by Gary McMahon
• The Universal Soldier - (2006) - short story by Charles de Lint
• Night Out - short fiction by Tina Rath
• One Thin Dime - (2010) - short story by Stewart Moore
• Man-Size in Marble - (1887) - short story by E. Nesbit
• The Great Pumpkin Arrives at Last - short fiction by Sarah Langan
• Sugar Skulls - (2006) - short fiction by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
• On a Dark October - (1984) - short story by Joe R. Lansdale
• The Vow on Halloween - (1924) - short story by Lyllian Huntley Harris
• The October Game - (1948) - short story by Ray Bradbury
• The November Game - (1991) - short story by F. Paul Wilson
• Tessellations - novella by Gary A. Braunbeck
• About the Authors - (2011) - essay by Paula Guran
• About the Editor - (2011) - essay by Paula Guran

The farther we've gotten from the magic and mystery of the past, the more we've come to love Halloween--the one time each year when the mundane is overturned in favor of the bizarre, the "other side" is closest, and everyone can become anyone (or anything) they wish... and sometimes what they don't. Introducing nineteen original stories from mistresses and masters of the dark celebrate the most fantastic, enchanting, spooky, and supernatural of holidays.

Contents:

• Black Dog - (2013) - short fiction by Laird Barron
• From Dust - (2013) - short fiction by Laura Bickle
• Angelic - (2013) - short fiction by Jay Caselberg
• Pumpkin Head Escapes - (2013) - short fiction by Lawrence C. Connolly
• All Hallows in the High Hills - (2013) - short fiction by Brenda Cooper
• We, the Fortunate Bereaved - (2013) - short fiction by Brian Hodge
• Thirteen - (2013) - short story by Stephen Graham Jones
• Whilst the Night Rejoices Profound and Still - (2012) - short story by Caitlín R. Kiernan
• Trick or Treat - (2013) - short fiction by Nancy Kilpatrick
• Long Way Home - [Pine Deep] - (2013) - novelette by Jonathan Maberry
• The Mummy's Heart - (2013) - short fiction by Norman Partridge
• All Souls Day - (2013) - short fiction by Barbara Roden
• And When You Called Us We Came to You - (2013) - short fiction by John Shirley
• The Halloween Men - (2013) - short fiction by Maria V. Snyder
• Lesser Fires - (2013) - short story by Melanie Tem and Steve Rasnic Tem
• Unternehmen Werwolf - [Kitty Short Fiction] - (2013) - short fiction by Carrie Vaughn
• For the Removal of Unwanted Guests - (2013) - short story by A. C. Wise
• Quadruple Whammy - (2013) - short fiction by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
• Introduction: The New Boo - (2013) - essay by Paula Guran

Bright lights, big city... magic spells, witchcraft, wizardry, fairies, devilry, and more. Urban living, at least in fantasy fiction, is full of both magical wonder and dark enchantment. Street kids may have supernatural beings to protect them or have such powers themselves. Brujeria may be part of your way of life. Crimes can be caused (and solved) with occult arts and even a losing sports team's "curse" can be lifted with wizardry. And be careful of what cab you call - it might take you on a journey beyond belief! Some of the best stories of urban enchantment from the last few years is gathered in one volume full of hex appeal and arcane arts.

Table of Contents:

• "Paranormal Romance," Christopher Barzak
• "The Slaughtered Lamb," Elizabeth Bear
• "The Land of Heart's Desire," Holly Black
• "Seeing Eye," Patricia Briggs
• "De la Tierra," Emma Bull
• "Curses," Jim Butcher
• "Dog Boys," Charles de Lint
• "Snake Charmer," Amanda Downum
• "Street Wizard," Simon R. Green
• "-30-," Caitlín R. Kiernan
• "Stone Man," Nancy Kress
• "Pearlywhite" Mark Laidlaw & John Shirley
• "In the Stacks," Scott Lynch
• "Spellcaster 2.0," Jonathan Maberry
• "Kabu Kabu," Nnedi Okorafor
• "Stray Magic," Diana Peterfreund
• "The Woman Who Walked with Dogs," Mary Rosenblum"
• "Wallamelon," Nisi Shawl
• "Grand Central Park," Delia Sherman
• "Words," Angela Slatter
• "Alchemy," Lucy Sussex
• "A Voice Like a Hole," Catherynne M. Valente
• "The Arcane Art of Misdirection," Carrie Vaughn
• "Thief of Precious Things," A.C. Wise

The sea is full of mysteries and rivers shelter the unknown. Dating back to ancient Assyria, folkloric tales of mermaids, sirens, rusalka, nymphs, selkes, and other seafolk are found in many cultures, including those of Europe, Africa, the Near East and Asia. Dangerous or benevolent, seductive or sinister - modern masters of fantasy continue to create new legends of these creatures that enchant and entertain us more than ever. Gathered here are some of the finest of these stories. Immerse yourself in this wonderful - and sometimes wicked - watery world!

CONTENTS

• Elizabeth Bear Bear - Swell
• Samuel R. Delany - Driftglass
• Neil Gaiman - The Sea Change
• Delia Sherman - Miss Carstairs and the Merman
• Margo Lanagan - Sea-Hearts
• Christopher Barzak - The Drowned Mermaid
• Genevieve Valentine - Abyssus Abyssum Invocat
• Seanan McGuire - Each to Each
• Sarah Monette - Somewhere Beneath Those Waves Was Her Home
• Peter S. Beagle - Salt Wine
• Caitlín R. Kiernan - The Mermaid of the Concrete Ocean
• Amanda Downum - Flotsam
• Cat Rambo - The Mermaids Singing Each to Each
• Anna Taborska - Rusalka3
• Chris Howard - The Mermaid Game
• Gene Wolfe - The Nebraskan and the Nereid
• Angela Slatter - A Good Husband
• A. C. Wise - Letters to a Body on the Cusp of Drowning
• Jane Yolen - The Corridors of the Sea
• Lisa L. Hannett - Forever, Miss Tapekwa County
• Catherynne M. Valente - Urchins, While Swimming
• Tanith Lee - Magritte's Secret Agent

Award-winning editor Paula Guran presents a diverse reprint anthology collecting classic myths and legends, retold by today's top fantasy writers.

The Native American trickster Coyote... the snake-haired Greek Gorgon Medusa, whose gaze turned men to stone... Kaggen, creator of the San peoples of Africa... the Holy Grail of Arthurian legend... Freyja, the Norse goddess of love and beauty... Ys, the mythical sunken city once built on the coast of France... Ragnarok, the myth of a world destroyed and reborn... Jason and the Argonauts, sailing in search of the Golden Fleece...

Myths and legends are the oldest of stories, part of our collective consciousness, and the source from which all fiction flows. Full of magic, supernatural powers, monsters, heroes, epic journeys, strange worlds, and vast imagination, they are fantasies so compelling we want to believe them true.

This new anthology compiles some of the best modern short mythic retellings and reinvention of legend from award-winning and bestselling authors, acclaimed storytellers, and exciting new talent, offering readers new ways to interpret and understand the world. Adventure with us on these Mythic Journeys...

Table of Contents:

• Introduction: A Map or Maybe Not
• "Lost Lake" - Emma Straub and Peter Straub
• "White Lines on a Green Field" - Catherynne M. Valente
• "Trickster" - Steven Barnes and Tananarive Due
• "Our Talons Can Crush Galaxies" - Brooke Bolander
• "A Memory of Wind" - Rachel Swirsky
• "Leda" - M. Rickert
• "Chivalry" - Neil Gaiman
• "The God of Au" - Ann Leckie
• "Faint Voices, Increasingly Desperate" - Anya Johanna DeNiro
• "Ogres of East Africa" - Sofia Samatar
• "Ys" - Aliette de Bodard
• "The Gorgon" - Tanith Lee
• "Merlin Dreams in the Mondream Wood" - Charles de Lint
• "Calypso in Berlin" - Elizabeth Hand
• "Seeds" - Lisa L. Hannett and Angela Slatter
• "Wonder-Worker-of-the-World" - Nisi Shawl
• "Thesea and Astaurius" - Priya Sharma
• "Foxfire, Foxfire" - Yoon Ha Lee
• "Owl vs. the Neighborhood Watch" - Darcie Little Badger
• "How to Survive an Epic Journey" - Tansy Rayner Roberts
• "Simargl and the Rowan Tree" - Ekaterina Sedia
• "The Ten Suns" - Ken Liu
• "Armless Maidens of the American West" - Genevieve Valentine
• "Give Her Honey When You Hear Her Scream" - Maria Dahvana Headley
• "Zhyuin" - John Shirley
• "Immortal Snake" - Rachel Pollack
• "A Wolf in Iceland Is the Child of a Lie" - Sonya Taaffe
• About the Authors
• About the Editor
• Acknowledgements

Fantasy spreads across the five boroughs in the first volume of a new anthology series collecting fantastic and extraordinary stories set in specific urban locales.

An intriguing but insular man with telekinetic powers becomes New York City's greatest superhero... A love affair blossoms between the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building... There are tunnels under New York that do not appear on any map... Being a Manhattan real estate broker for supernaturals is a real challenge...

Editor and anthologist Paula Guran collects a diverse array of unusual and memorable tales set in the Big Apple, from a who's-who of New York Times bestsellers and Hugo and Nebula Award-winning writers including George R. R. Martin, Peter Straub, Naomi Novik, Maria Dahvana Headley, Holly Black, and many more.

Anyone who's visited New York, New York knows what a "magical" place it is; these stories reveal just how marvelous, extraordinary, mysterious, and even occasionally eerie a truly fantastic city can be.

Table of Contents:

• Introduction: A Place Apart - Paula Guran
• How the Pooka Came to New York City - Delia Sherman
• ...And the Angel with Television Eyes - John Shirley
• Priced to Sell - Naomi Novik
• The Horrid Glory of Its Wings - Elizabeth Bear
• The Tallest Doll in New York City - Maria Dahvana Headley
• Blood Yesterday, Blood Tomorrow - Richard Bowes
• Pork Pie Hat - Peter Straub
• Grand Central Park - Delia Sherman
• The Land of Heart's Desire - Holly Black
• The City Born Great - N. K. Jemisin
• La Peau Verte - Caitlín R. Kiernan
• Cryptic Coloration - Elizabeth Bear
• Caisson - Karl Bunker
• Red as Snow - Seanan McGuire
• A Huntsman Passing By - Richard Bowes
• Painted Birds and Shivered Bones - Kat Howard
• Salsa Nocturna - Daniel José Older
• Weston Walks - Kit Reed
• The Rock in the Park - Peter S. Beagle
• Shell Games - George R. R. Martin
• About the Authors
• First Publication Data
• About the Editor

Legends and myths of all cultures tell of those possessing captivating allure we are powerless to resist. Sirens, demon lovers, femme fatales, and others compel our love, drawing us into realms of forbidden desire and uncontrollable passion. These seductions are not always supernatural, nor even sexual. We can be haunted by unrequited desire, ensnared by our own minds, or swept away by another's madness. Obsession overwhelms, takes us to irrational extremes, involves us in dangerous liaisons and fatal attractions... obsession consumes. Enticing, compulsively readable tales from nineteen masterful storytellers.

Table of Contents:

• "Medusa's Child," Kim Antieau
• "Hot Eyes, Cold Eyes," Lawrence Block
• "Hymenoptera," Michael Blumlein
• "She's Not There," Pat Cadigan
• "My Lady of the Hearth," Storm Constantine
• "Calypso in Berlin," Elizabeth Hand
• "Lady Madonna," Nancy Holder
• "In the Cold, Dark Time," Joe R. Lansdale
• "Nunc Dimittis," Tanith Lee
• "The Girl with Hungry Eyes," Fritz Leiber
• "Tallulah," Charles de Lint
• "The Snake Woman's Lover," Catherine Lundoff
• "Land of the Lost," Stewart O'Nan
• "The Oval Portrait," Edgar Allan Poe
• "The Hound Lover," Laura Resnick
• "Barbara," John Shirley
• "An Apiary of White Bees," Lee Thomas
• "Close to You," Steve Rasnic Tem
• "The Light That Passes Through You," Conrad Williams

Eighteen extraordinary authors devise all-new fairy tales: imaginative reinterpretations of the familiar, evocative new myths, speculations beyond the traditional realm of "once upon a time." Often dark, occasionally humorous, always enthralling, these stories find a certain Puss in a near-future New York, an empress bargaining with a dragon, a princess turned into a raven, a king's dancing daughters with powerful secrets, great heroism, terrible villainy, sparks of mischief, and a great deal more. Brilliant dreams and dazzling nightmares with meaning for today and tomorrow...

Table of Contents:

• Tales That Fairies Tell - short fiction by Richard Bowes
• The Giant In Repose - short fiction by Nathan Ballingrud
• Eat Me, Drink Me, Love Me - short fiction by Christopher Barzak
• Warrior Dreams - short fiction by Cinda Williams Chima
• Blanchefleur - short fiction by Theodora Goss
• The Road of Needles - short fiction by Caitlín R. Kiernan
• Below the Sun Beneath - short story by Tanith Lee
• The Coin of Heart's Desire - short fiction by Yoon Ha Lee
• Sleeping Beauty of Elista - short fiction by Ekaterina Sedia
• Egg - short story by Priya Sharma
• Lupine - short fiction by Nisi Shawl
• Castle of Masks - short fiction by Cory Skerry
• Flight - short story by Angela Slatter
• The Lenten Rose - short fiction by Genevieve Valentine
• The Hush of Feathers, the Clamour of Wings - short story by A. C. Wise
• Born and Bread - short story by Kaaron Warren
• The Mirror Tells All - short fiction by Erzebet YellowBoy
• The Spinning Wheel's Tale - short fiction by Jane Yolen

Kick out the jams with hot licks and fantastic riffs on rock and roll from the only kind of fiction that feeds the soul: science fiction and fantasy. Like rock, speculative fiction is larger than life and there's no limit on where it can take you. Electrifying stories with the drive, the emotion, the heart of rock. Headliners, award winners, and rising stars take the stage with their greatest fictional hits. Find a place, grab some space...get ready to rock! Includes two original stories.

"This collection of 24 stories, ranging from new works to decades-old Hugo nominees...evokes rock music's legacy of pushing boundaries and railing against the establishment ethos... this diverse collection will appeal to most rock-and-roll and genre fans."--Publishers Weekly

Contents (in alphabetical order):

• Elizabeth Bear, "Hobnoblin Blues": What if the trickster god Loki--who could sing gold from a dwarf, love from a goddess, troth from a giantess, bargain kidnapped goddesses away from giant captors, and blood-brotherhood from the All-Father--became a rock star?
• Poppy Z. Brite, "Arise": Cobb and Matthews are fictional renditions of Lennon and McCartney. Cobb, who faked his death years before to escape fame, hears Matthews has died of cancer. But the "death" turns out to be a creative resurrection.
• Edward Bryant, "Stone" (Nebula Award winner; Hugo nominated): Stim music: the empathy of the star performer feeds the wired-in audience and the audience feeds it back to the performer. But how far can it go?
• Pat Cadigan, "Rock On": In the near future, rock 'n' roll faces extinction. Only those who've experienced the real thing via neural interface can keep it alive.
• Lawrence C. Connolly "Mercenary" (Original): Bobbie Silver turns up to play and Silverheads--musicians and fans--gather at secret concerts. The music seems to bring hope and joy to a hopeless, joyless world, but not all see it that way. Online warnings of hidden threats and secret agendas...and perhaps the sources themselves...disappear.
• Bradley Denton "We Love Lydia Love": To what lengths will the industry go to keep a rock megastar producing platinum? How far will a musician go to get a recording contract?
• Elizabeth Hand "The Erl-King" (World Fantasy Award Nominee, Novella): Linette, the daughter of a survivor of the glitterati Warhol set of the 70s, meets a reclusive former rock star who her mother once knew. He can see magical beings through the windows of his mansion, and these are dark creatures indeed...
• Del James "Mourningstar" (Original): Fearing he will lose his guitarist, the lead singer of a band dedicated to darkness is determined his desires will be fulfilled and no sacrifice is too great.
• Graham Joyce "Last Rising Son": Two young people, an old blues song about doom updated, and a haunted Wurlitzer.
• Greg Kihn "Then Play On": Sometimes a guitar player's fingers hurt so bad you can't play, but you still gotta play. One night Charlie appears, playing a harmonica, and a guitarist's prayers are answered...maybe "prayers" isn't the right word, though...
• Marc Laidlaw "Wunderkindergarten": "Like a monster movie in which the monster gets to tap dance to rock. Only more so."
• Caitlín R. Kiernan "Paedomorphosis": Annie plays in the band, TranSister, but when she visits a member of the rock band Seven Deadlies (who practice--loudly--next door), she discovers a really weird scene.
• Charles de Lint "That Was Radio Clash": In a salute to the Clash's Joe Strummer, a story about making the right choices, taking chances--maybe getting a second chance--and a little bit of wish fulfillment.
• Graham Masterton "Voodoo Child": Jimi Hendrix is long dead, but there he is in London, recognized by an old friend. The man who wrote and performed "Voodoo Chile" had more acquaintance with certain strange rituals than we knew.
• Alastair Reynolds "At Budokan": Starts with a nightmare about being crushed to death by a massive robot version of James Hetfield of Metallica fame and ends with a Tyrannosaurus rex playing a Gibson Flying V.
• David J. Schow "Odeed": Nihilism, anarchy, audiences gone wild--it's all rock'n'roll, right? Then one night the band Gasm takes it all the way...the true power of rock literally annihilates.
• Lewis Shiner "Jeff Beck": Blue-collar Felix loves Jeff Beck. When he takes an unusual new drug he makes a wish: "I want to play guitar like Jeff Beck." We all know to be careful what we wish for...
• John Shirley "Freezone": Rick Rickenharp is a retro-rocker in a near-future cyberpunk world of warring corporations and multi-cultural chaos.
• Lucius Shepard "...How My Heart Breaks When I Sing This Song...": Rock returns to a post-semi-apocalyptic world in the form of an android with the memories of a long-dead musician. Haunted when he was alive, in his present form, his is a tortured soul.
• Norman Spinrad "The Big Flash" (Nebula Nominee, Novelette ): Rock and roll and a secret Pentagon propaganda campaign get way out of hand. A tour-de-force of style with multiple viewpoints.
• Bruce Sterling "We See Things Differently": A future America--with nothing much left except pop culture to sell--seen from the perspective of an Arab visitor. Tom Boston is a famous rock star and demagogue whose tour he covers for Al-Ahram
• Michael Swanwick "The Feast of Saint Janis" (Nebula Nominee, Novelette): A vistor from New Africa visit a future America in which Janis Joplin is worshiped as a goddess made flesh, with all the power and pitfalls that accompany the role.
• F. Paul Wilson "Bob Dylan, Troy Johnson, and the Speed Queen": Man from the future goes back to the sixties, thinking he can use his knowledge of the history of rock to become part of its heyday as a rock star. Things, of course, do not go as planned.
• Howard Waldrop "Flying Saucer Rock and Roll": A brilliant celebration of the underdog and a capella do-wop rock...with UFOs.

Wonders abound with the winter holidays. Yuletide brings marvels and miracles both fantastic and scientific. Christmas spirits can bring haunting holidays, seasonal songs might be sung by unearthly choirs, and magical celebrations are the norm during this very special time of the year. The best stories from many realms of fantasy and a multitude of future universes, gift-wrapped in one spectacular treasury of wintertime wonder!

Table of Contents:

• The Night Things Changed - (2008) - novelette by Dana Cameron
• Wise Men - (2010) - shortstory by Orson Scott Card
• Go Toward the Light - (1996) - shortstory by Harlan Ellison
• Home for Christmas - (1995) - novella by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
• The Nutcracker Coup - (1992) - novelette by Janet Kagan
• The Best Christmas Ever - (2004) - shortstory by James Patrick Kelly
• Dulce Domum - (2009) - shortstory by Ellen Kushner
• Pal o' Mine - (1993) - shortstory by Charles de Lint
• A Woman's Best Friend - (2008) - shortstory by Robert Reed
• The Christmas Witch - (2006) - novelette by M. Rickert
• Loop - (1997) - shortstory by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
• A Christmas Story - (1951) - shortstory by Sarban
• If Dragon's Mass Eve Be Cold and Clear - (2011) - novelette by Ken Scholes
• Christmas at Hostage Canyon - (2011) - shortstory by James Stoddard
• The Winter Solstice - (2001) - novelette by Evelyn Vaughn
• Newsletter - (1997) - novelette by Connie Willis
• Julian: A Christmas Story - (2006) - novella by Robert Charles Wilson
• How the Bishop Sailed to Inniskeen - (1989) - shortstory by Gene Wolfe

Streets are more than thoroughfares. Cobblestone or concrete, state of mind or situation?streets are catalysts for culture; sources of knowledge and connection, invisible routes to hidden levels of influence. In worlds where magic is real, streets can be full of dangerous shadows or paths to salvation. Wizards walk such streets, monsters lurk in their alleys, demons prowl or strut, doors open to places full of delightful enchantment or seething with sorcery, and truly dead ends abound. This selection of stories?some tales may be rediscoveries, others never encountered on your fictional map?will take you for a wild ride through many realms of imagination.

Contents:

• Introduction: "Practices and Paved Paths" by Paula Guran
• "Freewheeling" by Charles de Lint
• "A Year and a Day in Old Theradane" by Scott Lynch
• "Caligo Lane" by Ellen Klages
• "Socks" by Delia Sherman
• "Painted Birds and Shivered Bones" by Kat Howard
• "The Goldfish Pond and Other Stories" by Neil Gaiman
• "One-Eyed Jack and the Suicide King" by Elizabeth Bear
• "Street Worm" by Nisi Shawl
• "A Water Matter" by Jay Lake
• "Last Call" by Jim Butcher
• "Bridle" by Caitlín R. Kiernan
• "The Last Triangle" by Jeffrey Ford
• "Working for the God of the Love of Money" by Kaaron Warren
• "Hello, Moto" by Nnedi Okorafor
• "The Spirit of the Thing: A Nightside Story" by Simon R. Green
• "A Night in Electric Squidland" by Sarah Monette
• "Speechless in Seattle" by Lisa Silverthorne
• "Palimpsest" by Catherynne M. Valente
• "Ash" by John Shirley "In Our Block" by R. A. Lafferty

Flashing swords and fearsome magicks... high adventure and wondrous wizardry... dread monsters and vast rewards...

Tales of sword and sorcery at their best offer keen wit, ingenious perception, freewheeling imagination, and canny invention. From its swashbuckling beginnings of good versus evil battles to clashes of more nuanced principles set in complex settings to havoc shaped by grittier perspectives, ambiguous morality, deep history, and expansive worldbuilding?readers continue to be thrilled by the exploits of great warriors and mighty mages.

Swords Against Darkness: an epic anthology of short stories and novellas from classic to modern, each tale a memorable vision from masters of mistresses of heroic fantasy past and present!

Contents:

Paula Guran, Introduction: "Knowledge Takes Precedence Over Death"

Forging & Shaping

• Robert E. Howard, "The Tower of the Elephant"
• C. L. Moore, "Hellsgarde"
• Clark Ashton Smith, "The Dark Eidolon"
• Jack Vance, "Liane the Wayfarer"
• Leigh Brackett, "Black Amazon of Mars"
• Fritz Leiber, "Ill Met in Lankhmar"
• Michael Moorcock, "While the Gods Laugh"

Normalizing & Annealing

• Tanith Lee, "Hero at the Gates"
• C. J. Cherryh, "A Thief in Korianth"
• Karl Edward Wagner, "Undertow"
• Katherine Kurtz, "Swords Against the Marluk"
• Mercedes Lackey, "Out of the Deep"
• Michael Shea, "Epistle from Lebanoi"
• James Enge, "Payment Deferred"
• John Balestra, "The Swords of Her Heart" (original)

Tempering & Sharpening

• Joanna Russ, "Bluestocking"
• Samuel R. Delany, "The Tale of Dragons and Dreamers"
• Elizabeth Moon, "First Blood"
• Saladin Ahmed, "Where Virtue Lives"
• Scott Lynch, "The Effigy Engine: A Tale of the Red Hats"
• Steven Erikson, "Goats of Glory"
• Elizabeth Bear, "The Ghost Makers"
• Kameron Hurley, "The Plague Givers"

Despite our tendency to think of the demonic as evil and the angelic as good, our own legends don't always bear this out. Angels can be the incarnation of light and salvation, but they can also fall - Satan himself is a fallen angel. Demons can be truly demonic, but these unearthly creatures can also, on occasion, lend humankind a hand. Temptation can lead to revelation, supernatural messengers who bring true justice may not be welcomed, and beings seeking redemption can be blind to mortal needs.

Stories from world-renowned authors of science fiction and fantasy - including Neil Gaiman, George R. R. Martin and Joyce Carol Oates - and rising stars portray angels in all their glory, demons at their most dreadful, and a surprising variety of modern interpretations of ancient myth.

Table of Contents:

• Introduction: Things Are Complicated - (2013) - essay by Paula Guran
• Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep - (1991) - novelette by Suzy McKee Charnas
• Stackalee - (1990) - short story by Norman Partridge
• Bed and Breakfast - (1996) - short fiction by Gene Wolfe
• Frumpy Little Beat Girl - (2010) - short story by Peter Atkins
• The Night of White Bhairab - (1984) - novelette by Lucius Shepard
• ...And the Angel with Television Eyes - (1983) - short story by John Shirley
• Lost Souls - (1986) - short story by Clive Barker
• Uncle Chaim and Aunt Rifke and the Angel - (2008) - novelette by Peter S. Beagle
• Demon - (1996) - short story by Joyce Carol Oates
• Alabaster - (2006) - novelette by Caitlín R. Kiernan
• Sanji's Demon - (2010) - novelette by Richard Parks
• Oh, Glorious Sight - (2001) - novelette by Tanya Huff
• Angel - (1987) - short story by Pat Cadigan
• The Man Who Stole the Moon - (2001) - novelette by Tanith Lee
• The Big Sky - (1995) - novelette by Charles de Lint
• Elegy for a Demon Lover - (2005) - short story by Sarah Monette
• And the Angels Sing - (1990) - short story by Kate Wilhelm
• The Goat Cutter - (2003) - short story by Jay Lake
• Spirit Guides - (1995) - short story by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
• Demons, Your Body, and You - (2011) - short story by Genevieve Valentine
• The Monsters of Heaven - (2007) - short story by Nathan Ballingrud
• Come to Me - (2012) - short story by Sam Cameron
• One Saturday Night, with Angel - (2010) - short story by Peter M. Ball
• Lammas Night - (1976) - novelette by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
• Pinion - (2011) - short story by Stellan Thorne
• Only Kids Are Afraid of the Dark - (1967) - short story by George R. R. Martin
• Murder Mysteries - (1992) - novelette by Neil Gaiman

For more than 80 years H. P. Lovecraft has inspired writers of horror and supernatural fiction with his dark vision of humankind's insignificant place in a vast, uncaring cosmos. At the time of his death in 1937, Lovecraft was virtually unknown, but from early cult status his readership expanded exponentially; his nightmarish visions laying down roots in the collective imagination of his readers. Now this master of the macabre is accepted as part of the literary mainstream, as an American author of note, and the impact of his work on modern popular culture - in literature, film, television, music, the graphic arts, gaming and theatre - has been profound. As Stephen King wrote in Danse Macabre, the shadow of H. P. Lovecraft 'underlies almost all of the important horror fiction that has come since.'

Today, Lovecraft's themes of cosmic indifference, the utter insignificance of humankind, minds invaded by the alien, and the horrors of history remain not only viable motifs for modern speculative fiction, but are more relevant than ever as we explore the mysteries of a universe in which our planet is infinitesimal.

This outstanding anthology of original stories - from both established award-winning authors and exciting new voices - collects tales of cosmic horror inspired by Lovecraft from authors who do not merely imitate, but reimagine, re-energize, and renew the best of his concepts in ways relevant to today's readers, to create fresh new fiction that explores our modern fears and nightmares. From the depths of R'lyeh to the heights of the Mountains of Madness, some of today's best weird fiction writers traverse terrain created by Lovecraft and create new eldritch geographies to explore...

Table of Contents:

• A Clutch - (2016) - novelette by Laird Barron
• I Believe That We Will Win - (2016) - short story by Nadia Bulkin
• The Sea Inside - (2016) - short story by Amanda Downum
• Those Who Watch - (2016) - short story by Ruthanna Emrys
• Deep Eden - (2016) - short story by Richard Gavin
• In the Sacred Cave - (2016) - short story by Lois H. Gresh
• In Syllables of Elder Seas - (2016) - short story by Lisa L. Hannett
• It's All the Same Road in the End - (2016) - novelette by Brian Hodge
• The Peddler's Tale, or, Isobel's Revenge - (2013) - short fiction by Caitlín R. Kiernan
• Outside the House, Watching for the Crows - (2016) - novelette by John Langan
• Falcon-and-Sparrows - (2016) - short story by Yoon Ha Lee
• In the Ruins of Mohenjo-Daro - (2016) - novelette by Usman T. Malik
• The Cthulhu Navy Wife - (2016) - short story by Sandra McDonald
• Caro in Carno - (2016) - short story by Helen Marshall
• Legacy of Salt - (2016) - short story by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
• Backbite - (2016) - novelette by Norman Partridge
• A Shadow of Thine Own Design - (2016) - short story by W. H. Pugmire
• Variations on Lovecraftian Themes - (2016) - short story by Veronica Schanoes
• An Open Letter to Mr. Edgar Allan Poe, from a Fervent Admirer - (2016) - short story by Michael Shea
• Just Beyond the Trailer Park - (2016) - novelette by John Shirley
• Alexandra Lost - (2016) - short story by Simon Strantzas
• Umbilicus - (2016) - short story by Damien Angelica Walters
• The Future Eats Everything - (2016) - short story by Don Webb
• I Do Not Count the Hours - (2016) - novelette by Michael Wehunt
• I Dress My Lover in Yellow - (2016) - short story by A. C. Wise

The Mummy Lives!

As a figure of the supernatural the mummy has attained iconic status in the popular imagination. For the first time, The Mammoth Book of the Mummy presents a collection of tales written for the twenty-first century--including four brand-new stories--that explore, subvert, and reinvent the mummy mythos. Some delve into the past, others explore alternative histories, and some bring mummies into our own world. Within these covers lie stories of revenge, romance, monsters, and mayhem, ranging freely across time periods, genres, and styles sure to please both mummy-lovers and those less wrapped up in mummy lore.

Contents Alphabetical by Author (* indicates original story)

• Kage Baker, "The Queen in Yellow"
• Gail Carriger, "The Curious Case of the Werewolf That Wasn't, the Mummy That Was, and the Cat in the Jar"
• Paul Cornell, "Ramesses on the Frontier"
• Terry Dowling, "The Shaddowes Box"
• Carole Nelson Douglas, "Fruit of the Tomb"
• Steve Duffy, "The Night Comes On"
• Karen Joy Fowler, "Private Grave 9"
• Will Hill, "Three Memories of Death"
• *Stephen Graham Jones, "American Mummy"
• John Langan, "On Skua Island"
• Joe R. Lansdale, "Bubba-Ho-Tep"
• *Helen Marshall, "The Embalmer"
• Kim Newman, "Egyptian Avenue"
• Norman Partridge, "The Mummy's Heart"
• Adam Roberts, "Tollund"
• Robert Sharp, "The Good Shabti"
• *Anglea Slatter, "Egyptian Revival"
• Keith Taylor, "The Emerald Scarab"
• Lois Tilton & Noreen Doyle, "The Chapter of Coming Forth by Night"

The idea of time travel has been with us since ancient times; now the concept of time travel seems... almost... plausible. Today, tales of chrononauts are more imaginative and thought-provoking than ever before: new views, cutting-edge concepts, radical notions of paradox and possibility--state-of-the-art speculative stories collected from those written in the twenty-first century. Forward to the past, back to the future--get ready for some fascinating trips!

CONTENTS (Alphabetically by author):

• "The Time Travel Club," Charlie Jane Anders
• "Mating Habits of the Late Cretaceous," Dale Bailey
• "The Carpet Beds of Sutro Park," Kage Baker
• "The Ile of Dogges," Elizabeth Bear & Sarah Monette
• "The Ghosts of Christmas," Paul Cornell
• "Thought Experiment," Eileen Gunn
• "First Flight," Mary Robinette Kowal
• "Blue Ink," Yoon Ha Lee
• "The Man Who Ended History: A Documentary," Ken Liu
• "The Lost Canal," Michael Moorcock
• "The Mists of Time," Tom Purdom
• "September at Wall and Broad," Kristine Kathryn Rusch
• "Two Shots from Fly's Photo Gallery," John Shirley
• "With Fate Conspire," Vandana Singh
• "Twember," Steve Rasnic Tem
• "Bespoke," Genevieve Valentine
• "The King of Where-I-Go," Howard Waldrop
• "Number 73 Glad Avenue," by Suzanne J. Willis

The undead are more alive today than ever. Immortal? Indeed! Nothing has sunk its teeth into twenty-first century popular culture as pervasively as the vampire. The fangsters have the freedom to fly across all genres and all mediums--there's even apps for vamps.

Whether roaming into romance, haunting horror, sneaking into science fiction, capering into humor, meandering through mystery--no icon is more versatile than the vampire. Slake your insatiable thirst with the best sanguinary stories of the new millennium: terrifying or tender, deadly or delicious, bad-ass or beneficent, classic or cutting-edge.

Table of Contents:

• La Vampiresse - (1999) - shortstory by Tanith Lee
• The Coldest Girl in Coldtown - (2009) - novelette by Holly Black
• This Is Now - (2004) - shortstory by Michael Marshall Smith
• Sisters - (2002) - novelette by Charles de Lint
• The Screaming - (2004) - novelette by J. A. Konrath
• Zen and the Art of Vampirism - (2009) - shortfiction by Kelley Armstrong
• Dead Man Stalking - (2008) - novelette by Rachel Caine
• The Ghost of Leadville - (2009) - shortstory by Jeanne C. Stein
• Waste Land - (2002) - shortstory by Stephen Dedman
• A Gentleman of the Old School - (2005) - shortstory by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
• No Matter Where You Go - (2010) - shortstory by Tanya Huff
• Outfangthief - shortfiction by Conrad Williams
• Dancing with the Star - (2008) - shortstory by Susan Sizemore
• A Trick of the Dark - (2004) - shortstory by Tina Rath
• When Gretchen Was Human - (2001) - shortstory by Mary A. Turzillo
• Conquistador de la Noche - (2009) - novelette by Carrie Vaughn
• Endless Night - (2008) - shortstory by Barbara Roden
• Dahlia Underground - (2010) - shortfiction by Charlaine Harris
• The Belated Burial - (2009) - shortstory by Caitlín R. Kiernan
• Twilight States - (2005) - shortstory by Albert E. Cowdrey
• To the Moment - shortfiction by Nisi Shawl
• Castle in the Desert: Anno Dracula 1977 - (2000) - shortfiction by Kim Newman
• Vampires in the Lemon Grove - (2007) - shortstory by Karen Russell
• Vampires Anonymous - shortfiction by Nancy Kilpatrick
• The Wide, Carnivorous Sky - (2009) - novella by John Langan

From fantastic legends and science fictional futures come compelling tales of powerful women--or those who discover strength they did not know they possessed--who fight because they must, for what they believe in, for those they love, to simply survive, or who glory in battle itself. Fierce or fearful, they are courageous and honorable--occasionally unscrupulous and tainted--but all warriors worthy of the name!

Table of Contents:

• They Tell Me There Will Be No Pain - (2014) - shortstory by Rachael Acks
• Love Among the Talus - (2006) - shortstory by Elizabeth Bear
• The Days of the War, as Red as Blood, as Dark as Bile - (2014) - shortstory by Aliette de Bodard
• Anukazi's Daughter - (1984) - shortstory by Mary Gentle
• England Under the White Witch - (2012) - shortstory by Theodora Goss
• Soul Case - (2007) - shortstory by Nalo Hopkinson
• Not That Kind of War - (2005) - shortstory by Tanya Huff
• Wonder Maul Doll - (2007) - shortfiction by Kameron Hurley
• Joenna's Ax - (2010) - shortfiction by Elaine Isaak
• The Sea Troll's Daughter - (2010) - novelette by Caitlín R. Kiernan
• Eaters - (2014) - novelette by Nancy Kress
• Northern Chess - (1979) - shortstory by Tanith Lee
• The Knight of Chains, the Deuce of Stars - (2013) - shortstory by Yoon Ha Lee
• In the Loop - (2014) - shortstory by Ken Liu
• Dying With Her Cheer Pants On - (2010) - shortstory by Seanan McGuire
• The Lonely Songs of Laren Dorr - (1976) - shortstory by George R. R. Martin
• Naratha's Shadow - (2000) - novelette by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
• Hand to Hand - (1995) - shortstory by Elizabeth Moon
• And Wash Out by Tides of War - (2014) - shortstory by An Owomoyela
• Prayer - (2012) - shortstory by Robert Reed
• The Application of Hope - (2013) - novella by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
• The Girls from Avenger - (2010) - novelette by Carrie Vaughn
• Become a Warrior - (1998) - shortstory by Jane Yolen
• Boy Twelve - shortstory by Jessica Reisman

Paranormal investigators. Occult detectives. Ghost hunters. Monster fighters. Humans who unravel uncanny crimes and solve psychic puzzles. Sleuths with supernatural powers of their own who provide services far beyond those normal gumshoes, shamuses, and Sherlocks can. When vampires, werewolves, and things that go "bump" in the night are part of your world, criminals can be as inhuman as the crimes they commit, and magic can seep into the mundane. Those who solve the mysteries, bring justice, or even save the world itself, might utter spells, wield wands as well as firearms, or simply use their powers of deduction. Some of the best tales from top authors of the twenty-first century's most popular genres take you down mean streets and into strange crime scenes in this fantastic compilation.

Table of Contents:

• "Cryptic Coloration" by Elizabeth Bear
• "The Key" by Ilsa J. Blick
• "Mortal Bait" Richard Bowes
• "Star of David" by Patricia Briggs
• "Love Hurts" by Jim Butcher
• "Swing Shift" by Dana Cameron
• "The Necromancer's Apprentice" by Lillian Stewart Carl
• "Sherlock Holmes and the Diving Bell" by Simon Clark
• "The Adakian Eagle" by Bradley Denton
• "Hecate's Golden Eye" by P.N. Elrod
• "The Case of Death and Honey" by Neil Gaiman
• "The Nightside, Needless to Say" by Simon R. Green
• "Deal Breaker" by Justin Gustainis
• "Death by Dahlia" by Charlaine Harris
• "See Me" by Tanya Huff
• "Signatures of the Dead" by Faith Hunter
• "The Maltese Unicorn" by Caitlín R. Kiernan
• "The Case of the Stalking Shadow" by Joe R. Lansdale
• "Like a Part of the Family" by Jonathan Maberry
• "The Beast of Glamis" by William Meikle
• "Fox Tails" by Richard Parks
• "Imposters" by Sarah Monette
• "Defining Shadows" by Carrie Vaughn

Surrounded by the aura of magic, witches have captured our imagination for millennia and fascinate us now more than ever. No longer confined to the image of a hexing old crone, witches can be kindly healers and protectors, tough modern urban heroines, holders of forbidden knowledge, sweetly domestic spellcasters, darkly domineering, sexy enchantresses, ancient sorceresses, modern Wiccans, empowered or persecuted, possessors of supernatural abilities that can be used for good or evil -- or perhaps only perceived as such. Welcome to the world of witchery in many guises: wicked, wild, and wonderful!

Table of Contents:

• The Cold Blacksmith - (2006) - shortstory by Elizabeth Bear
• The Ground Whereon She Stands - (2011) - shortfiction by Leah Bobet
• The Witch's Headstone - (2007) - novelette by Neil Gaiman
• Lessons with Miss Gray - (2006) - novelette by Theodora Goss
• The Only Way to Fly - (1995) - shortstory by Nancy Holder
• Basement Magic - (2003) - novelette by Ellen Klages
• Nightside - - (1989) - shortstory by Mercedes Lackey
• April in Paris - (1962) - shortstory by Ursula K. Le Guin
• The Goosle - (2008) - shortstory by Margo Lanagan
• Mirage and Magia - (1982) - shortstory by Tanith Lee
• Poor Little Saturday - (1956) - shortstory by Madeleine L'Engle
• Catskin - (2003) - shortstory by Kelly Link
• Bloodlines - (2010) - shortfiction by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
• The Way Wind - (1995) - novelette by Andre Norton
• Skin Deep - (2008) - novelette by Richard Parks
• Ill Met in Ulthar - shortfiction by Tim Pratt
• Marlboros and Magic - shortstory by Linda Robertson
• Walpurgis Afternoon - (2005) - novelette by Delia Sherman
• The World Is Cruel, My Daughter - (2011) - shortstory by Cory Skerry
• The Robbery - (1995) - shortstory by Cynthia Ward
• Afterward - (1999) - shortstory by Don Webb
• Magic Carpets - (1995) - shortstory by Leslie What
• Boris Chernevsky's Hands - (1982) - shortstory by Jane Yolen

The living dead are more alive than ever! Zombies have become more than an iconic monster for the twenty-first century: they are now a phenomenon constantly revealing as much about ourselves - and our fascination with death, resurrection, and survival - as our love for the supernatural or post-apocalyptic speculation. Our most imaginative literary minds have been devoured by these incredible creatures and produced exciting, insightful, and unflinching new works of zombie fiction. We've again dug up the best stories published in the last few years and compiled them into an anthology to feed your insatiable hunger...

Contents:

• 7 - Return of the Preshamble - essay by Paula Guran
• 15 - The Afflicted - (2012) - novelette by Matthew Johnson
• 35 - Dead Song - (2012) - short fiction by Jay Wilburn
• 45 - Iphigenia in Aulis - [The Hungry Plague] - (2012) - novelette by Mike Carey
• 68 - Pollution - (2014) - short story by Don Webb
• 78 - Becca at the End of the World - (2013) - short story by Shira Lipkin
• 82 - The Naturalist - (2010) - novelette by Maureen F. McHugh
• 104 - Selected Sources for the Babylonian Plague of the Dead (572-571 BCE) - (2013) - short fiction by Alex Dally MacFarlane
• 108 - What Maisie Knew - (2010) - short fiction by David Liss
• 138 - Rocket Man - (2011) - short story by Stephen Graham Jones
• 146 - The Day the Music Died - (2011) - short fiction by Joe McKinney
• 161 - The Children's Hour - poem by Marge Simon
• 162 - Delice - (2010) - short fiction by Holly Newstein
• 171 - Trail of Dead - (2007) - short story by Joanne Anderton
• 183 - The Death and Life of Bob - (2013) - short fiction by William Jablonsky
• 195 - Stemming the Tide - (2013) - short story by Simon Strantzas
• 201 - Those Beneath the Bog - (2013) - short story by Jacques L. Condor and Maka Tai Meh
• 222 - What Still Abides - (2013) - short fiction by Marie Brennan
• 227 - Jack and Jill - juvenile - [Rot & Ruin - 0.25] - (2012) - short fiction by Jonathan Maberry
• 260 - In the Dreamtime of Lady Resurrection - (2007) - short story by Caitlín R. Kiernan
• 268 - Rigormarole - (2005) - poem by Michael A. Arnzen
• 270 - Kitty's Zombie New Year - [Kitty Short Fiction] - (2007) - short story by Carrie Vaughn
• 278 - The Gravedigger of Konstan Spring - (2012) - short story by Genevieve Valentine
• 287 - Chew - (2013) - short story by Tamsyn Muir
• 295 - 'Til Death Do Us Part - (2012) - short fiction by Shaun Jeffrey
• 304 - There Is No "E" in Zombi Which Means There Can Be No You or We - (2010) - short fiction by Roxane Gay
• 308 - What Once We Feared - (2013) - short fiction by Carrie Ryan
• 324 - The Harrowers - (2011) - short story by Eric Gregory
• 342 - Resurgam - (2010) - short fiction by Lisa Mannetti
• 360 - I Waltzed with a Zombie - (2009) - novelette by Ron Goulart
• 377 - Aftermath - (2012) - novelette by Joy Kennedy-O'Neill
• 397 - A Shepherd of the Valley - (2011) - short story by Maggie Slater
• 414 - The Day the Saucers Came - (2006) - poem by Neil Gaiman
• 416 - Love, Resurrected - [Tabat Short Fiction] - (2011) - short story by Cat Rambo
• 428 - Present - (2014) - short story by Nicole Kornher-Stace
• 439 - The Hunt: Before, and the Aftermath - (2012) - short fiction by Joe R. Lansdale
• 452 - Bit Rot - [Saturn's Children] - (2010) - novelette by Charles Stross

You can't kill the dead! Like any good monster, the zombie has proven to be ever-evolving, monumentally mutable, and open to seemingly endless imaginative interpretations: the thralls of voodoo sorcerers, George Romero's living dead, societal symbols, dancing thrillers, viral victims, reanimated ramblers, video gaming targets, post-apocalyptic permutations, shuffling sidekicks, literary mash-ups, the comedic, and, yes, even the romantic. Evidently, we have an enduring hunger for this infinite onslaught of the ever-hungry dead. Hoards of readers are now devouring zombie fiction faster than armies of the undead could chow down their brains. It's a sick job, but somebody had to do it: explore the innumerable necrotic nightmares of the latest, greatest, most fervent devotion in the history of humankind and ferret out the best of new millenial zombie stories: Zombies: The Recent Dead.

For more than eighty years H.P. Lovecraft has inspired writers of supernatural fiction, artists, musicians, filmmakers, and gaming. His themes of cosmic indifference, the utter insignificance of humankind, minds invaded by the alien, and the horrors of history - written with a pervasive atmosphere of unexplainable dread - today remain not only viable motifs, but are more relevant than ever as we explore the mysteries of a universe in which our planet is infinitesimal and climatic change is overwhelming it. In the first decade of the twenty-first century the best supernatural writers no longer imitate Lovecraft, but they are profoundly influenced by the genre and the mythos he created. NEW CTHULHU: THE RECENT WEIRD presents some of the best of this new Lovecraftian fiction - bizarre, subtle, atmospheric, metaphysical, psychological, filled with strange creatures and stranger characters - eldritch, unsettling, evocative, and darkly appealing.

Many of the best weird fiction writers (and creators in most other media) have been profoundly influenced by the genre and the mythos H.P. Lovecraft created eight decades ago. Lovecraft's themes of cosmic indifference, minds invaded by the alien, and the horrors of history - written with a pervasive atmosphere of unexplainable dread - are more relevant than ever as we explore the mysteries of a universe in which our planet is infinitesimal and climatic change is overwhelming it. A few years ago, New Cthulhu : The Recent Weird presented some of the best of this new Lovecraftian fiction from the first decade of the twenty-first century. Now, New Cthulhu 2: More Recent Weird brings you more eldritch tales and even fresher fiction inspired by Lovecraft.

Contents:

• "Introduction" by Paula Guran
• "The Same Deep Waters as You" by Brian Hodge
• "Mysterium Tremendum" by Laird Barron
• "The Transition of Elizabeth Haskings" by Caitlín R. Kiernan
• "Bloom" by John Langan
• "At Home with Azathoth" by John Shirley
• "The Litany of Earth" by Ruthanna Emrys
• "Necrotic Cove" by Lois H. Gresh
• "On Ice" by Simon Strantzas
• "The Wreck of the Charles Dexter Ward" by Elizabeth Bear and Sarah Monette
• "All My Love, A Fishhook" by Helen Marshall
• "The Doom That Came to Devil Reef" by Don Webb
• "Momma Durtt" by Michael Shea
• "They Smell of Thunder" by W. H. Pugmire
• "The Song of Sighs" by Angela Slatter
• "Fishwife" by Carrie Vaughn
• "In the House of the Hummingbirds" by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
• "Who Looks Back?" by Kyla Ward
• "Equoid" by Charles Stross
• "The Boy Who Followed Lovecraft" by Marc Laidlaw

Darkness surrounds us. We can find darkness anywhere: in a strange green stone etched with mysterious symbols; at a small town's annual picnic; in a ghostly house that is easy to enter but not so easy to leave; behind the dumpster in the alley where a harpy lives; in The Nowhere, a place where car keys, toys, people disappear to; among Polar explorers; and, most definitely, within ourselves. Darkness flies from mysterious crates; surrounds children whose nightlights have vanished; and flickers between us at the movie theater. Darkness crawls from the past and is waiting in our future; and there's always a chance that Halloween really is a door opening directly into endless shadow. Welcome to the dark. You may never want to leave. This inaugural volume of the year's best dark fantasy and horror features more than 500 pages of dark tales from some of today's finest writers of the fantastique. Chosen from a variety of sources, these stories are as eclectic and varied as the genre itself.

Table of Contents:

• What the Hell Do You Mean By "Dark Fantasy and Horror?" - essay by Paula Guran
• The Horrid Glory of Its Wings - (2009) - short story by Elizabeth Bear
• Lowland Sea - (2009) - novelette by Suzy McKee Charnas
• Copping Squid - (2009) - novelette by Michael Shea
• Monsters - (2009) - novelette by Stewart O'Nan
• The Brink of Eternity - (2009) - short story by Barbara Roden
• Frost Mountain Picnic Massacre - (2009) - short story by Seth Fried
• Sea-Hearts - (2009) - novella by Margo Lanagan
• A Haunted House of Her Own - (2009) - short fiction by Kelley Armstrong
• Headstone in Your Pocket - (2009) - short story by Paul Tremblay
• The Coldest Girl in Coldtown - (2009) - novelette by Holly Black
• Strange Scenes from an Unfinished Film - (2009) - short story by Gary McMahon
• A Delicate Architecture - (2009) - short story by Catherynne M. Valente
• The Mystery - (2009) - short fiction by Peter Atkins
• Variations on a Theme from Seinfeld - (2009) - short story by Peter Straub
• The Wide, Carnivorous Sky - (2009) - novella by John Langan
• Certain Death for a Known Person - (2009) - novelette by Steve Duffy
• The Ones Who Got Away - (2009) - short fiction by Stephen Graham Jones
• Leng - (2009) - short fiction by Marc Laidlaw
• Torn Away - (2009) - short fiction by Joe R. Lansdale
• The Nowhere Man - (2009) - short story by Sarah Pinborough
• The Bone's Prayer - (2009) - short story by Caitlín R. Kiernan
• The Water Tower - (2009) - short story by John Mantooth
• In the Porches of My Ears - (2009) - short story by Norman Prentiss
• The Cinderella Game - (2009) - short story by Kelly Link
• The Jacaranda Smile - (2009) - short story by Gemma Files
• The Other Box - (2009) - short fiction by Gerard Houarner
• White Charles - (2009) - novelette by Sarah Monette
• Everything Dies, Baby - (2009) - short story by Nadia Bulkin
• Bruise for Bruise - (2009) - short story by Robert Davies
• Respects - (2009) - short story by Ramsey Campbell
• Diamond Shell - (2009) - short story by Deborah Biancotti
• Nub Hut - (2009) - short story by Kurt Dinan
• The Cabinet Child - (2009) - short fiction by Steve Rasnic Tem
• Cherrystone and Shards of Ice - (2009) - short story by Ekaterina Sedia
• The Crevasse - (2009) - short story by Nathan Ballingrud and Dale Bailey
• Vic - (2009) - short fiction by Maura McHugh
• Halloween Town - (2009) - novella by Lucius Shepard
• The Long, Cold Goodbye - (2009) - novelette by Holly Phillips
• What Happens When You Wake Up in the Night - (2009) - short story by Michael Marshall Smith

This incomparable annual compilation of the best short fiction and novellas features an unmatched variety of the quietly weird, the merely eerie, high fantasy, modern Lovecraftian horror, nightmarish near-future scenarios, the darkly humorous, the supernatural, and the monstrously mundane from the brightest new talent, legendary authors like Joe R. Lansdale, Tanith Lee, and Gene Wolfe, and bestsellers such as Holly Black, Neil Gaiman, and Sarah Langan. Includes a 36,000 word novella by George R.R. Martin set in his A Song of Fire and Ice universe.

Table of Contents:

• Introduction: Back to the Dark - essay by Paula Guran
• Lesser Demons - (2010) - novelette by Norman Partridge
• Raise Your Hand If You're Dead - (2010) - shortstory by John Shirley
• As Red as Red - (2010) - shortstory by Caitlín R. Kiernan
• Tragic Life Stories - (2010) - shortfiction by Steve Duffy
• The Naturalist - (2010) - novelette by Maureen F. McHugh
• The Broadsword - (2010) - novella by Laird Barron
• A Thousand Flowers - (2010) - novelette by Margo Lanagan
• Frumpy Little Beat Girl - (2010) - shortstory by Peter Atkins
• The Stars Are Falling - (2010) - novelette by Joe R. Lansdale
• Hurt Me - (2010) - shortstory by M. L. N. Hanover
• Are You Trying To Tell Me This Is Heaven? - (2010) - shortstory by Sarah Langan
• Sea Warg - (2010) - shortfiction by Tanith Lee
• Crawlspace - (2010) - shortfiction by Stephen Graham Jones
• Mother Urban's Booke of Dayes - (2010) - shortstory by Jay Lake
• Brisneyland by Night - (2010) - novelette by Angela Slatter
• The Thing About Cassandra - (2010) - shortstory by Neil Gaiman
• He Said, Laughing - (2010) - shortstory by Simon R. Green
• Bloodsport - (2010) - shortfiction by Gene Wolfe
• Oaks Park - (2010) - shortfiction by M. K. Hobson
• Thimbleriggery and Fledglings - (2010) - shortfiction by Steve Berman
• You Dream - (2010) - shortstory by Ekaterina Sedia
• Red Blues - (2010) - shortfiction by Michael Skeet
• The Moon Will Look Strange - (2010) - shortstory by Lynda E. Rucker
• The Things - (2010) - shortstory by Peter Watts
• Malleus, Incus, Stapes - (2010) - shortfiction by Sarah Totton
• The Return - (2010) - shortfiction by S. D. Tullis
• The Dog King - (2010) - shortstory by Holly Black
• How Bria Died - (2009) - shortstory by Michael Aronovitz
• The Dire Wolf - (2010) - shortfiction by Genevieve Valentine
• Parallel Lines - (2010) - shortstory by Tim Powers
• The Mystery Knight: A Tale of the Seven Kingdoms - (2010) - novella by George R. R. Martin

Take a journey into darkness. Visit places where one might expect to find the dark-in a house where love was shared and lost, a milky-white pool in an Australian cave, the trenches of World War I, the deep woods. You would not be surprised to find the dark in a cheap apartment on the wrong side of town, down mean streets, under a gallows-tree, along dank passageways, trapped underground, in the neat future, or among the mysteries of old New Orleans. Dunes, lakes, isolated cabins, old books, and Old West saloons-well, the darkness might easily be there. But we've also found locales you thought were safe from shadows-at rib joint with good blues playing, inside an old wardrobe, on a baseball diamond, in an overly warm house, at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel... Travel into the best dark fantasy and horror from 2011: more than 500 pages of tales from some of today's best-known writers of the fantastique as well new talents-stories that will take you to a diverse assortment of dark places.

• "Hair" by Joan Aiken (The Monkey's Wedding & Other Stories / F&SF July/August)
• "Rakshasi" by Kelley Armstrong (The Monster's Corner: Through Inhuman Eyes)
• "Walls of Paper, Soft as Skin" by Adam Callaway (Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Issue #73, July 14, 2011)
• "The Lake" by Tananarive Due (The Monster's Corner: Through Inhuman Eyes)
• "Tell Me I'll See You Again" by Dennis Etchison (A Book of Horrors)
• "King Death" Paul Finch (King Death)
• "The Last Triangle" by Jeffrey Ford (Supernatural Noir)
• Near Zennor by Elizabeth Hand (A Book of Horrors)
• "Crossroads" by Laura Anne Gilman (Fantasy, August 2011)
• "After-Words" by Glen Hirshberg (The Janus Tree and Other Stories)
• "Rocket Man" by Stephen Graham Jones (Stymie, Vol. 4. Issue 1, Spring & Summer 2011)
• "The Maltese Unicorn" by Caitlin R. Kiernan (Supernatural Noir)
• "The Dune" by Stephen King (Granta 117)
• "Catastrophic Disruption of the Head" by Margo Lanagan (The Wilful Eye: Tales from the Tower, Vol. 1)
• "The Bleeding Shadow" by Joe R. Lansdale (Down These Strange Streets)
• "Why Light?" by Tanith Lee (Teeth)
• "Conservation of Shadows" by Yoon Ha Lee (Clarkesworld, August 2011)
• A Tangle of Green Men, Charles de Lint (Welcome to Bordertown)
• "After the Apocalypse" by Maureen McHugh (After the Apocalypse)
• "Why Do You Linger?" by Sarah Monette (Subterranean #8)
• "Lord Dunsany's Teapot" Naomi Novik (The Thackery T. Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities)
• "Mysteries of the Old Quarter" by Paul Park (Ghosts by Gaslight)
• "Vampire Lake", by Norman Partridge (Subterranean: Tales of Dark Fantasy 2)
• "A Journey of Only Two Paces" by Tim Powers (The Bible Repairman and Other Stories)
• "Four Legs in the Morning" by Norman Prentiss (Four Legs in the Morning)
• "The Fox Maiden" by Priya Sharma (On Spec, Summer 2011)
• "Time and Tide" by Alan Peter Ryan (F&SF, Sept/Oct 2011)
• "Sun Falls" by Angela Slatter (Dead Red Heart)
• "Still" by Tia V. Travis (Portents)
• "Objects in Dreams May Be Closer Than They Appear" by Lisa Tuttle (House of Fear)
• "The Bread We Eat in Dreams" by Catherynne M. Valente (Apex Magazine, Issue 30, November 2011)
• "All You Can Do Is Breathe" by Kaaron Warren (Blood & Other Cravings)

The darkness creeps upon us and we shudder, or it suddenly startles and we scream. There need be no monsters for us to be terrified in the dark, but if there are, they are just as often human and as supernatural. Join us in this outstanding annual exploration of the year's best dark fiction that includes stories of quiet fear, the utterly fantastic, the weirdly surreal, atmospheric noir, mysterious hauntings, seductive nightmares, and frighteningly plausible futures. Featuring thirty-five tales from masterful authors and talented new writers sure to make you reconsider walking in the shadows alone...

CONTENTS: (Listed alphabetically by author)

• Laird Barron, "Hand of Glory" (The Book of Cthulhu 2)
• Peter S. Beagle, "Great-Grandmother in the Cellar" (Under My Hat)
• Peter Bell, "Glamour of Madness" (The Ghosts & Scholars Book of Shadows)
• Joseph Bruchac, "Down in the Valley" (Postscripts #28/29: Exotic Gothic 4)
• Jim Butcher, "Bigfoot on Campus" (Hex Appeal)
• Mike Carey, "Iphigenia In Aulis" (An Apple for the Creature)
• Terry Dowling, "Nightside Eye" (Cemetery Dance #66)
• K. M. Ferebee, "The Bird Country" (Shimmer #15)
• Jeffrey Ford, "The Natural History of Autumn" (F&SF, July/August 2012)
• Neil Gaiman, "The Man Who Forgot Ray Bradbury" (The Shadow Show)
• Theodora Goss, "England Under the White Witch" (Clarkesworld, Issue 73)
• Maria Dahvana Headley, "Game" (Subterranean, Fall 2012)
• Robert Hood, "Escena de un Asesinato" (Postscripts #28/29: Exotic Gothic 4)
• Stephen Graham Jones, "Welcome to the Reptile House" (Strange Aeons #9)
• Caitlín R Kiernan, "Fake Plastic Trees: (After)
• Ellen Klages, "The Education of a Witch" (Under My Hat)
• Marc Laidlaw, "Forget You" (Lightspeed, June 2012)
• John Langan, "Renfrew's Course" (Lightspeed, April 2012)
• Joe R. Lansdale, "The Tall Grass" (Dark Tales of Lost Civilizations)
• Tim Lebbon, "Slaughterhouse Blues" (Nothing As It Seems)
• Alison Littlewood, "The Eyes of Water (The Eyes of Water)
• Ken Liu, "Good Hunting" (Strange Horizons, October 2012)
• Helen Marshall, "No Ghosts In London" (Hair Side, Flesh Side)
• Sarah Monette, "Blue Lace Agate" (Lightspeed, January 2012)
• Ekaterina Sedia, "End of White" (Shotguns v Cthulhu)
• Priya Sharma, "Pearls" (Bourbon Penn 04)
• Robert Shearman, "Bedtime Stories for Yasmin" (Shadows & Tall Trees 4)
• John Shirley, "When Death Wakes Me to Myself" (Black Wings II)
• Cory Skerry, "Sinking Among Lilies" (Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Issue #92)
• Simon Strantzas, "Go Home Again" (Fungi)
• Rachel Swirsky, "The Sea of Trees" (The Future Is Japanese)
• Melanie Tem, "Dahlias" (Black Wings II)
• Karen Tidbeck, "Arvid Pekon" (Jagganath: Stories)
• Genevieve Valentine, "Armless Maidens of the American West" (Apex, August 7, 2012)
• Brooke Wonders, "Everything Must Go" (Clarkesworld, Issue 74)

No matter your expectations, the dark is full of the unknown: grim futures, distorted pasts, invasions of the uncanny, paranormal fancies, weird dreams, unnerving nightmares, baffling enigmas, revelatory excursions, desperate adventures, spectral journeys, mundane terrors, and supernatural visions. You may stumble into obsession - or find redemption. Often disturbing, occasionally delightful, let The Year's Best Dark Fantasy and Horror be your annual guide through the mysteries and wonders of dark fiction.

Table of Contents:

• Postcards from Abroad - (2013) - shortstory by Peter Atkins
• The Creature Recants - (2013) - shortstory by Dale Bailey
• The Good Husband - (2013) - novelette by Nathan Ballingrud
• Termination Dust - (2013) - novelette by Laird Barron
• The Ghost Makers - (2013) - shortfiction by Elizabeth Bear
• The Marginals - (2013) - shortfiction by Steve Duffy
• A Collapse of Horses - (2013) - shortfiction by Brian Evenson
• A Lunar Labyrinth - (2013) - shortstory by Neil Gaiman
• Pride - (2013) - shortstory by Glen Hirshberg
• Let My Smile Be Your Umbrella - (2013) - shortfiction by Brian Hodge
• The Soul in the Bell Jar - (2013) - novelette by K. J. Kabza
• The Prayer of Ninety Cats - (2013) - novelette by Caitlín R. Kiernan
• Dark Gardens - (2013) - shortfiction by Greg Kurzawa
• A Little of the Night - (2013) - shortfiction by Tanith Lee
• The Gruesome Affair of the Electric Blue Lightning - (2013) - novelette by Joe R. Lansdale
• Iseul's Lexicon - (2013) - shortfiction by Yoon Ha Lee
• The Plague - (2013) - shortstory by Ken Liu
• The Slipway Gray - (2013) - shortfiction by Helen Marshall
• To Die for Moonlight - (2013) - novelette by Sarah Monette
• Event Horizon - (2013) - shortstory by Sunny Moraine
• The Legend of Troop 13 - (2013) - novelette by Kit Reed
• Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell - (2013) - novella by Brandon Sanderson
• Phosphorus - (2013) - shortfiction by Veronica Schanoes
• Blue Amber - (2013) - shortfiction by David J. Schow
• Rag and Bone - (2013) - novelette by Priya Sharma
• Our Lady of Ruins - (2013) - shortfiction by Sarah Singleton
• Cuckoo - (2013) - shortfiction by Angela Slatter
• Wheatfield with Crows - (2013) - shortfiction by Steve Rasnic Tem
• Moonstruck - (2013) - shortstory by Karin Tidbeck
• The Dream Detective - (2013) - shortstory by Lisa Tuttle
• Fishwife - (2013) - shortstory by Carrie Vaughn
• Air, Water and the Grove - (2013) - shortstory by Kaaron Warren

No matter your expectations, the dark is full of the unknown: grim futures, distorted pasts, invasions of the uncanny, paranormal fancies, weird dreams, unnerving nightmares, baffling enigmas, revelatory excursions, desperate adventures, spectral journeys, mundane terrors, and supernatural visions. You may stumble into obsession--or find redemption. Often disturbing, occasionally delightful, let The Year's Best Dark Fantasy and Horror be your annual guide through the mysteries and wonders of dark fiction.

Table of Contents:

• The Screams of Dragons - (2014) - novelette by Kelley Armstrong
• The End of the End of Everything - (2014) - novelette by Dale Bailey
• (Little Miss) Queen of Darkness - (2014) - shortstory by Laird Barron
• Madam Damnable's Sewing Circle - (2014) - shortfiction by Elizabeth Bear
• Sleep Walking Now and Then - (2014) - novelette by Richard Bowes
• A Wish From a Bone - (2014) - novelette by Gemma Files
• The Female Factory - (2014) - novella by Lisa L. Hannett and Angela Slatter
• Who Is Your Executioner? - (2014) - novelette by Maria Dahvana Headley
• The Elvis Room - (2014) - shortfiction by Stephen Graham Jones
• Mothers, Lock Up Your Daughters Because They Are Terrifying - (2014) - shortstory by Alice Sola Kim
• Children of the Fang - (2014) - shortfiction by John Langan
• Combustion Hour - (2014) - shortstory by Yoon Ha Lee
• The Quiet Room - (2014) - shortfiction by V. H. Leslie
• Resurrection Points - (2014) - shortstory by Usman T. Malik
• Death and the Girl from Pi Delta Zeta - (2014) - shortfiction by Helen Marshall
• Dreamer - (2014) - shortfiction by Brandon Sanderson
• Emotional Dues - (2014) - shortfiction by Simon Strantzas
• The Still, Cold Air - (2014) - shortfiction by Steve Rasnic Tem
• Kur-a-Len - (2014) - novella by Lavie Tidhar
• Fragments from the Notes of a Dead Mycologist - (2014) - shortfiction by Jeff VanderMeer
• Water in Springtime - (2014) - shortstory by Kali Wallace
• The Nursery Corner - (2014) - novelette by Kaaron Warren
• And the Carnival Leaves Town - (2014) - shortfiction by A. C. Wise
• Only Unity Saves the Damned - shortfiction by Nadia Bulkin
• Mr Hill's Death - shortfiction by S. L. Gilbow
• The Cats of River Street (1925) - novelette by Caitlín R. Kiernan
• Running Shoes - (2014) - shortfiction by Ken Liu
• The Floating Girls: A Documentary - (2014) - shortfiction by Damien Walters Grintalis

Macabre meetings, sinister excursions, and deadly relationships; uncanny encounters; a classic ghost story featuring an American god; a historical murderer revived in a frightening new iteration; innovative Lovecraftian turns; shadowy fairy tales and weird myths; strange children, the unexpected, the supernatural, the surreal, and the all-too real... tales of the dark. Such stories have always fascinated us, and modern authors carry on the disquieting traditions of the past while inventing imaginative new ways to unsettle us. Chosen from a wide variety of venues, these stories are as eclectic and varied as shadows.

This volume of 2015's best dark fantasy and horror offers more than 500 pages of tales from some of today's finest writers of the fantastique--sure to delight as well as disturb.

Alphabetical by Author Last Name:

• "The Door" by Kelley Armstrong (Led Astray: The Best of Kelley Armstrong, Tachyon)
• "Snow" by Dale Bailey (Nightmare, June 2015)
• "1Up" by Holly Black (Press Start to Play, ed. Adams, Vintage)
• "Seven Minutes in Heaven" by Nadia Bulkin (Aickman's Heirs, ed. Strantzas, Undertow)
• "The Glad Hosts" by Rebecca Campbell (Lackington's #7)
• "Hairwork" by Gemma Files (She Walks in Shadows, eds. Moreno-Garcia & Stiles, Innsmouth Free Press)
• "Black Dog" by Neil Gaiman (Trigger Warning: Short Fictions and Disturbances, William Morrow)
• "A Shot of Salt Water" by Lisa L. Hannett (The Dark #8)
• "The Scavenger's Nursery" by Maria Dahvana Headley (Shimmer # 24)
• "Daniel's Theory About Dolls" by Stephen Graham Jones (The Doll Collection, ed. Datlow, Tor)
• "The Cripple and Starfish" by Caítlin R. Kiernan (Sirenia Digest #108)
• "The Absence of Words" by Swapna Kishore (Mythic Delirium #1.3)
• "Corpsemouth" by John Langan (The Monstrous, ed. Datlow, Tachyon)
• "Cassandra" by Ken Liu (Clarkesworld # 102)
• "Street of the Dead House" by Robert Lopresti (nEvermore, eds. Kilpatrick & soles, EDGE)
• "Mary, Mary" by Kirstyn McDermott (Cranky Ladies of History, eds. Roberts & Wessely, Fablecroft)
• "There is No Place for Sorrow in the Kingdom of the Cold" by Seanan McGuire, The Doll Collection, ed. Datlow, Tor)
• "Below the Falls" by Daniel Mills (Nightscript 1, ed. Muller, Chthonic Matter)
• "The Deepwater Bride" by Tamsyn Muir (F&SF Jul-Aug)
• "The Greyness" by Kathryn Ptacek (Expiration Date, ed. Kilpatrick, EDGE)
• "The Three Resurrections of Jessica Churchill" by Kelly Robson (Clarkesworld # 101)
• "Those" by Sofia Samatar (Uncanny #3)
• "Fabulous Beasts" by Priya Sharma (Tor.com)
• "Windows Underwater" by John Shirley (Innsmouth Nightmares, ed. Gresh, PS Publishing)
• "Ripper" by Angela Slatter (Horrorology, ed. Jones, Quercus)
• "The Lily and the Horn" by Catherynne M. Valente (Fantasy #59)
• "Sing Me Your Scars" by Damien Angelica Walters (Sing Me Your Scars, Apex)
• "The Body Finder" by Kaaron Warren (Blurring the Line, ed. Young, Cohesion)
• "The Devil Under the Maison Blue" by Michael Wehunt (The Dark #10)
• "Kaiju maximus®: "So various, So Beautiful, So New" by Kai Ashante Wilson (Fantasy #59)

Macabre meetings, sinister excursions, and deadly relationships; uncanny encounters; innovative Lovecraftian turns; shadowy fairy tales and weird myths; strange children, the unexpected, the supernatural, the surreal, and the all-too real... tales of the dark. Such stories have always fascinated us, and modern authors carry on the disquieting traditions of the past while inventing imaginative new ways to unsettle us. Chosen from a wide variety of venues, these stories are as eclectic and varied as shadows. This volume of 2016's best dark fantasy and horror offers more than five hundred pages of tales from some of today's finest writers of the fantastique ? sure to delight as well as disturb.

Table of Contents:

• "Lullaby for a Lost World", short story by Aliette de Bodard (Tor.com, June 2016)
• "Our Talons Can Crush Galaxies", short story by Brooke Bolander (Uncanny #13, Nov-Dec 2016)
• "Wish You Were Here", short story by Nadia Bulkin (Nightmare #49, Oct 2016/PoC Destroy Horror)
• "A Dying of the Light", short story by Rachel Caine (The Gods of H.P. Lovecraft)
• "Season of Glass and Iron", short story by Amal El-Mohtar (The Starlit Wood: New Fairy Tales)
• "Grave Goods", short story by Gemma Files (Autumn Cthulhu)
• "The Blameless",Jeffrey Ford (The Natural History of Hell)
• "As Cymbals Clash", short story by Cate Gardner (The Dark #19, Dec 2016)
• "The Iron Man", short story by Max Gladstone (Grimm Future)
• "Surfacing", short story by Lisa L. Hannett (Postscripts #36/37: The Dragons of the Night, May 2016)
• "Mommy's Little Man", short story by Brian Hodge (DarkFuse Magazine, Nov 4 2016)
• "The Sound of Salt and Sea", short story by Kat Howard (Uncanny #10, May-Jun 2016)
• "Red Dirt Witch", short story by N. K. Jemisin (Fantasy #60, Dec 2016/PoC Destroy Fantasy)
• "Birdfather", short story by Stephen Graham Jones (Black Static #51, Mar-Apr 2016)
• "The Games We Play", short story by Cassandra Khaw (Clockwork Phoenix 5)
• "The Line Between the Devil's Teeth (Murder Ballad No. Ten)", short story by Caitlin Kiernan (Sirenia Digest #130, Nov 2016)
• "Postcards from Natalie", short story by Carrie Laben (The Dark #14, Jul 2016)
• "The Finest, Fullest Flowering", short story by Marc Laidlaw (Nightmare #45, Jun 2016)
• "The Ballad of Black Tom", novella by Victor LaValle (Tor.com, Feb 16 2016)
• "Meet Me at the Frost Fair", short story by Alison Littlewood (A Midwinter Entertainment)
• "Bright Crown of Joy", short story by Livia Llewellyn (Children of Lovecraft)
• "The Jaws That Bite, The Claws That Catch", short story by Seanan McGuire (Lightspeed #72, May 2016)
• "My Body, Herself", short story by Carmen Maria Machado (Uncanny #12, Sep-Oct 2016)
• "Spinning Silver", short story by Naomi Novik (The Starlit Wood: New Fairy Tales)
• "Whose Drowned Face Sleeps", short story by An Owomoyela & Rachael Swirsky (Nightmare #46, Jul 2016/What the #@&% Is That?)
• "Grave Goods", short story by Priya Sharma (Albedo One #6)
• "The Rime of the Cosmic Mariner", short story by John Shirley (Lovecraft Alive!)
• "The Red Forest", short story by Angela Slatter (Winter Children and Other Chilling Tales)
• "Photograph", short story by Steve Rasnic Tem (Out of the Dark)
• "The Future is Blue", short story by Catherynne M. Valente (Drowned Worlds)
• "October Film Haunt: Under the House", Michael Wehunt (Greener Pastures)
• "Only Their Shining Beauty Was Left", short story by Fran Wilde (Shimmer #33, Sep 2016)
• "When the Stitches Come Undone", short story by A.C. Wise (Children of Lovecraft)
• "A Fist of Permutations in Lightning and Wildflowers", short story by Alyssa Wong (Tor.com, Mar 2 2016)
• "An Ocean the Color of Bruises", short story by Isabel Yap (Uncanny #11, Jul-Aug 2016)
• "Fairy Tales are for White People", short story by Melissa Yuan-Innes (Fireside Magazine #30, Feb 2016)
• "Braid of Days and Nights", short story by E. Lily Yu (Fantasy & Science Fiction, Jan-Feb 2016)

The supernatural, the surreal, and the all-too real... tales of the dark. Such stories have always fascinated us, and modern authors carry on the disquieting traditions of the past while inventing imaginative new ways to unsettle us. Chosen from a wide variety of venues, these stories are as eclectic and varied as shadows. This volume of 2017's best dark fantasy and horror offers more than five hundred pages of tales from some of today's finest writers of the fantastique-sure to delight as well as disturb...

Table of Contents:

• "Sunflower Junction," Simon Avery (Black Static #57)
• "Swift to Chase," Laird Barron (Adam's Ladder: An Anthology of Dark Science Fiction)
• "Fallow," Ashley Blooms (Shimmer #37)
• "Children of Thorns, Children of Water," Aliette de Bodard (Uncanny #17)
• "On Highway 18," Rebecca Campbell (F&SF 9-10/17)
• "Witch Hazel," Jeffrey Ford (Haunted Nights, eds. Ellen Datlow & Lisa Morton)
• "The Bride in Sea-Green Velvet," Robin Furth (F&SF 7-8/17)
• "Little Digs," Lisa L. Hannett (The Dark #20)
• "The Thule Stowaway," Maria Dahvana Headley (Uncanny #14)
• "The Eyes Are White and Quiet," Carole Johnstone (New Fears, ed. Mark Morris)
• Mapping the Interior, Stephen Graham Jones (Tor.com)
• "Don't Turn on the Lights," Cassandra Khaw (Nightmare #61)
• "The Dinosaur Tourist," Caitlín R. Kiernan (Sirenia Digest #139)
• "Survival Strategies," Helen Marshall (Black Static #60)
• "Red Bark and Ambergris," Kate Marshall (Beneath Ceaseless Skies #232)
• "Skins Smooth as Plantain, Hearts Soft as Mango," Ian Muneshwar (The Dark #27)
• "Everything Beautiful Is Terrifying," M. Rickert (Shadows & Tall Trees, ed. Michael Kelly)
• "Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience™," Rebecca Roanhorse (Apex #99)
• "Graverobbing Negress Seeks Employment," Eden Royce (Fiyah #2)
• "Moon Blood-Red, Tide Turning," Mark Samuels (Terror Tales of Cornwall, ed. Paul Finch)
• "The Crow Palace," Priya Sharma (Black Feathers, ed. Ellen Datlow)
• "The Swimming Pool Party," Robert Shearman (Shadows & Tall Trees 7, ed. Michael Kelly)
• "The Little Mermaid, in Passing," Angela Slatter (Review of Australian Fiction, Vol.22, #1)
• "Secret Keeper," Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam (Nightmare #61)
• "The Long Fade into Evening Steve," Steve Rasnic Tem (Darker Companions, eds. Scott David Aniolowski & Joseph S. Pulver, Sr.)
• "Moon and Memory and Muchness," Katherine Vaz (Mad Hatters and March Hares, ed. Ellen Datlow)
• "Exceeding Bitter," Kaaron Warren (Evil Is a Matter of Perspective, eds Adrian Collins & Mike Myers)
• "Succulents," Conrad Williams (New Fears, ed. Mark Morris)
• "The Lamentation of Their Women," Kai Ashante Wilson (Tor.com 8.24.17)

The supernatural, the surreal, and the all-too real... tales of the dark. Such stories have always fascinated us, and modern authors carry on the disquieting traditions of the past while inventing imaginative new ways to unsettle us. Chosen from a wide variety of venues, these stories are as eclectic and varied as shadows. This volume of 2018's best dark fantasy and horror offers more than five hundred pages of tales from some of today's finest writers of the fantastique--sure to delight as well as disturb...

Table of Contents:

• Down Where Sound Comes Blunt - (2018) - short story by G. V. Anderson
• Hainted - (2018) - short story by Ashley Blooms
• The Empyrean Light - (2018) - short fiction by Gregory Norman Bossert
• Raining Street - (2018) - short story by J. S. Breukelaar
• The Black God's Drums - (2018) - novella by P. Djèlí Clark
• Faint Voices, Increasingly Desperate - (2018) - short story by Anya Johanna DeNiro
• Big Dark Hole - (2018) - short fiction by Jeffrey Ford
• And Yet - (2018) - short story by A. T. Greenblatt
• Second to the Left, and Straight On - (2018) - short story by Jim C. Hines
• He Sings of Salt and Wormwood - (2018) - short fiction by Brian Hodge
• Just Another Love Song - (2018) - short story by Kat Howard
• Four Revelations from the Rusalka Ball - (2018) - short story by Cassandra Khaw
• Rust and Bone - (2018) - short story by Mary Robinette Kowal
• The Thing About Ghost Stories - (2018) - novelette by Naomi Kritzer
• A Man Walking His Dog - (2018) - short story by Tim Lebbon
• Honey - (2018) - short fiction by Valya Dudycz Lupescu
• Big Mother - (2018) - short story by Anya Ow
• Fish Hooks - (2018) - short fiction by Kit Power
• The Governor - (2018) - novelette by Tim Powers
• True Crime - (2018) - short story by M. Rickert
• Sour Milk Girls - (2018) - short story by Erin Roberts
• Every Good-bye Ain't Gone - (2018) - short story by Eden Royce
• Tom Is in the Attic - (2018) - short story by Robert Shearman
• When We Fall, We Forget - (2018) - short story by Angela Slatter
• In This Twilight - (2018) - short fiction by Simon Strantzas
• The Crow Knight - (2018) - novelette by Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam
• Thanatrauma - (2018) - short fiction by Steve Rasnic Tem
• Sick Cats in Small Places - (2018) - short fiction by Kaaron Warren
• Blood and Smoke, Vinegar and Ashes - (2018) - novelette by D. P. Watt
• The Pine Arch Collection - (2018) - short story by Michael Wehunt
• In the End, It Always Turns Out the Same - (2018) - short story by A. C. Wise
• Asphalt, River, Mother, Child - (2018) - short story by Isabel Yap
• Music for the Underworld - (2018) - short story by E. Lily Yu

Join twenty-five masterful authors and talented newcomers with more than 400 pages of the disturbing, unnerving, haunting, and strange. This outstanding annual exploration of the year's best dark fiction delivers tales of deathly possession, the weirdly surreal, mysterious melancholy, and frighteningly plausible futures.

Confront your own humanity and the fears that stir you--from the darkly supernatural and painfully familiar to the disquieting terror of the unknown.

Contents:

• xi - Introduction: Strange Days - essay by Paula Guran
• 1 - The Fourth Trimester is the Strangest - (2019) - short story by Rebecca Campbell
• 16 - Shattered Sidewalks of the Human Heart - (2019) - short story by Sam J. Miller
• 27 - The Surviving Child - (2019) - novella by Joyce Carol Oates
• 73 - The Promise of Saints - (2019) - short story by Angela Slatter
• 83 - Burrowing Machines - (2019) - short story by Sara Saab
• 94 - About the O'Dells - (2019) - short fiction by Pat Cadigan
• 121 - A Catalog of Storms - (2019) - short story by Fran Wilde
• 134 - Thoughts and Prayers - (2019) - short story by Ken Liu
• 152 - Logic Puzzles - (2019) - short story by Vaishnavi Patel
• 159 - A Strange Uncertain Light - (2019) - novelette by G. V. Anderson
• 199 - Conversations with the Sea Witch - (2019) - short story by Theodora Goss
• 208 - Haunt - (2019) - short story by Carmen Maria Machado
• 212 - Nice Things - (2019) - novelette by Ellen Klages
• 233 - Glass Eyes in Porcelain Faces - (2019) - short fiction by Jack Westlake
• 244 - Phantoms of the Midway - (2019) - short fiction by Seanan McGuire
• 265 - Hunting by the River - (2019) - short fiction by Daniel Carpenter
• 274 - Boiled Bones and Black Eggs - (2019) - short story by Nghi Vo
• 286 - His Heart Is the Haunted House - (2019) - short story by Aimee Ogden
• 300 - In That Place She Grows a Garden - (2019) - short story by Del Sandeen
• 317 - The Blur in the Corner of Your Eye - (2019) - novelette by Sarah Pinsker
• 341 - The Coven of Dead Girls - (2019) - short story by L'Erin Ogle
• 348 - Blood Is Another Word for Hunger - (2019) - short story by Rivers Solomon
• 367 - The Thing, with Feathers - (2019) - novelette by Marissa Lingen
• 384 - Some Kind of Blood-Soaked Future - (2019) - short story by Carlie St. George
• 395 - Read After Burning - (2019) - short story by Maria Dahvana Headley

The supernatural, the surreal, and the all-too real... tales of the dark. Such stories have always fascinated us, and modern authors carry on the disquieting traditions of the past while inventing imaginative new ways to unsettle us. Chosen from a wide variety of venues, these stories are as eclectic and varied as shadows.

This volume of The Year's Best Dark Fantasy and Horror offers more than four hundred pages of tales from some of today's finest writers of the fantastique?sure to delight as well as disturb!

Contents:

• xi - Introduction: Stranger Days - essay by Paula Guran
• 1 - Recognition - (2020) - short story by Victor LaValle
• 7 - Odette - (2020) - short fiction by Zen Cho
• 21 - Das Gesicht - (2020) - short fiction by Dale Bailey
• 38 - The Sycamore and the Sybil - (2020) - short story by Alix E. Harrow
• 65 - Desiccant - (2020) - short story by Craig Laurance Gidney
• 76 - Open House on Haunted Hill - (2020) - short story by John Wiswell
• 85 - The Genetic Alchemist's Daughter - (2020) - short story by Elaine Cuyegkeng
• 102 - Swanskin - (2020) - short story by Alison Littlewood
• 125 - Lusca - (2020) - short story by Soleil Knowles
• 133 - To Sail the Black - (2020) - short story by A. C. Wise
• 155 - Nobody Lives Here - (2020) - short story by H. Pueyo
• 162 - On Safari in R'lyeh and Carcosa with Gun and Camera - (2020) - short story by Elizabeth Bear
• 202 - The Owl Count - (2020) - novelette by Elizabeth Hand
• 225 - Color, Heat, and the Wreck of the Argo - (2020) - novelette by Catherynne M. Valente
• 251 - Ancestries - (2020) - short story by Sheree Renée Thomas?
• 262 - The Sound of the Sea, Too Close - (2020) - short fiction by James Everington
• 274 - Drunk Physics - (2020) - short fiction by Kelley Armstrong
• 297 - Call Them Children - (2020) - short story by Wenmimareba Klobah Collins
• 313 - Tea with the Earl of Twilight - (2020) - short story by Sonya Taaffe
• 326 - Wait for Night - (2020) - short story by Stephen Graham Jones
• 342 - Where the Old Neighbors Go - (2020) - short story by Thomas Ha
• 373 - And This Is How to Stay Alive - (2020) - novella by Shingai Njeri Kagunda
• 390 - Lacunae - (2020) - short fiction by V. H. Leslie
• 410 - The Girlfriend's Guide to Gods - (2020) - short story by Maria Dahvana Headley
• 417 - Monster - (2020) - novelette by Naomi Kritzer
• 446 - Last Night at the Fair - (2020) - short story by M. Rickert

The supernatural, the surreal, and the all-too real... Such tales of the dark and the unknown have always fascinated us, and modern authors carry on the disquieting traditions of the past while inventing imaginative new ways to unsettle us. Chosen from a wide variety of venues, these stories are as eclectic and varied as shadows.

The latest volume of The Year's Best Dark Fantasy and Horror edited by fantasy aficionado Paula Guran offers more than four hundred pages of tales from some of today's finest writers of the fantastique including Alix E. Harrow, Zen Cho, Elizabeth Hand and many more! Indulge if you dare, because these 23 tales of terror are sure to delight as well as disturb!

From paranormal plots to stories of the supernatural, tales of the unfamiliar have always fascinated us humans. To keep the tradition alive, fantasy aficionado Paula Guran has gathered the most delightfully disturbing work from some of today's finest writers of the fantastique!

No two mysterious shadows are alike, and the same can be said for the books in this series. The Year's Best Dark Fantasy and Horror, Volume 4 contains more than three hundred pages of mystical fiction. Reader beware and indulge if you dare, because these chilling tales are sure to spook and surprise!

Escape on a journey from the ordinary to the extraordinary...

This superbly curated collection explores myth and fable, dark and light--a heroic creature facing a dangerous demon; an earthly love facing the mossy decay of death. With tales of living ball gowns and timid monsters, of modern witches and multidimensional magic, these twenty-four stories will transport you from fantastical realms that push the limits of imagination to alternative realities mirroring much of our own.

Discover bewitchment and wonder, the surreal and the chimerical, in a fantasy anthology representing a diverse array of accomplished talent from around the world... and perhaps beyond.

Prepare to embark on yet another fantastic adventure with award-winning fantasy editor Paula Guran.

Delve into realms that exceed the limits of your imagination and embrace the surreal! Enjoy over 400 pages of tales ranging from wonderful to wicked. From lore and legends to myths and fables of alternative realities, you will discover bewitchment with the turn of every page.

The Year's Best Fantasy, Volume 2 has something for every fantasy lover, representing a diverse array of accomplished talent from around the world, and perhaps beyond...

The Year's Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Novellas 2015 inaugurates a new annual series of anthologies featuring some of the year's best novella-length science fiction and fantasy. Novellas, longer than short stories but shorter than novels, are a rich and rewarding literary form that can fully explore tomorrow's technology, the far reaches of the future, thought-provoking imaginings, fantastic worlds, and entertaining concepts with the impact of a short story and the detailed breadth of a novel. Gathering a wide variety of excellent SF and fantasy, this anthology of "short novels" showcases the talents of both established masters and new writers.

Table of Contents

• In Her Eyes by Seth Chambers (Fantasy & Science Fiction, Jan/Feb 2014)
• The Churn: An Expanse Novella by James S. A. Corey (Orbit)
• Where the Trains Turn by Pasi Ilmari Jääskeläinen, translated by Liisa Rantalaiho (Tor.com)
• Yesterday's Kin by Nancy Kress (Tachyon Publications)
• Claudius Rex by John P. Murphy (Alembical 3, edited by Lawrence M. Schoen and Arthur Dorrance, Paper Golem)
• The Things We Do For Love by K. J. Parker (Subterranean Press)
• The Mothers of Voorhisville by Mary Rickert (Tor.com)
• The Lightning Tree by Patrick Rothfuss (Rogues, edited by George R. R. Martin, Bantam/Titan)
• Dream Houses by Genevieve Valentine (Wyrm Publishing)

The second volume of Prime Books' annual anthology series collecting of some of the year's best novella-length science fiction and fantasy. Novellas, longer than short stories but shorter than novels, are a rich rewarding literary form that can fully explore tomorrow's technology, the far reaches of the future, thought-provoking imaginings, fantastic worlds, and entertaining concepts with all the impact of a short story as well as the detailed depth of a novel. Gathering a wide variety of excellent SF and fantasy, this anthology of "short novels" showcases the talents of both established masters and new writers.

Table of Contents:

• The Citadel of Weeping Pearls by Aliette de Bodard (Asimov's, Oct/Nov 2015)
• The Bone Swans of Amandale by C.S.E. Cooney (Bone Swans, Mythic Delirium Books)
• Binti by Nnedi Okorafor (Tor.com)
• The Last Witness by K. J. Parker (Tor.com)
• Johnny Rev by Rachel Pollack (Fantasy & Science Fiction, Jul/Aug 2015)
• Inhuman Garbage by Kristine Kathryn Rusch (Asimov's, March 2015)
• Gypsy by Carter Scholz (Fantasy & Science Fiction, Nov/Dec 2015)
• The Pauper Prince and the Eucalyptus Jinn by Usman Malik (Tor.com)
• What Has Passed Shall in Kinder Light Appear by Bao Shu, translated by Ken Liu (Fantasy & Science Fiction, Mar/Apr 2015)