“This guy can write!” —Ray BradburyLoory's collection of wry and witty, dark and perilous contemporary fables is populated by people-and monsters and trees and jocular octopi-who are united by twin motivations: fear and desire. In his singular universe, televisions talk (and sometimes sing), animals live in small apartments where their nephews visit from the sea, and men and women and boys and girls fall down wells and fly through space and find love on Ferris whee...

**“Mesmerizing and magical. . . . A stunning book.” —NPR.org“Short stories so imaginative — and yet so perplexingly familiar — they could have formed in a dream. . . . Taut, meticulously balanced and written in Loory’s direct, witty prose, his own stories take a page from Aesop: high-flying tales nonetheless boiled down to the essentials.” —The Los Angeles Times“Ben Loory’s stories are little gifts, strange and moving and wonderfully human. I devoured this book in ...

There is no light without dark; no highlights without shadows; no good without evil. The Devil is where things happen. Where stories begin. This collection brings together stories from multiple cultures, featuring the Devil both as an abstract concept and a creature, a terror, a force of nature, an enemy, a trickster, and so many more.Step into the world of shadows, and travel through Devil's many incarnations spanning centuries of history and myth, from the Ancient Greece, African...

A sweet and poignant story of friendship, from acclaimed short-story writer Ben LooryThe baseball player has it all—money, fame, and success. But something is missing. He doesn’t know what it is until he goes to the zoo and sees a walrus. What a splendid creature! Surely it could bring joy to his life. With happiness just a walrus away, the baseball player sets out to create the perfect enclosure for his new friend. He’s even willing to give up his job to be with t...

One man’s gifted daughter may be the cure to a mysterious illness causing hallucinations and death in this horror novel by the author of Little Girls.First the birds disappeared.Then the insects took over.And the madness began . . .They call it Wanderer’s Folly—a disease of delusions, of daydreams and nightmares. A plague threatening to wipe out humanity.After two years of creeping decay, David Arl...

It's Christmas Eve: a time of wonder, magic, anticipation... and terror.A father who will go to any lengths to feed his hungry children. An unsuspecting woman who inherits a house with a deadly secret. A murderous widow who shares a train carriage with Jack the Ripper. Two burglars who bite off more than they can chew during a late-night raid.These and many more bedtime stories come hideously to life in Mark L'Estrange's nineteen tales of terror, each set on the most festiv...

The Best of Our Past, the Worst of Our Future is whimsical and dreadful, verdant and sinister. Readers of “quiet horror” or “slow-burn horror” will enjoy this collection."Without a doubt, Christi Nogle is one of my favorite new voices in horror. Her fiction is by turns devastating, horrifying, and beyond beautiful. With her collection, The Best of Our Past, the Worst of Our Future, she's created something truly remarkable, the kind of horror that's filled ...

Amid the danger and death of a decaying 19th century city, the Pawnbroker plies his trade. A man of evil temper, he craves the one thing that will bring him the fulfillment he covets.In the present day, two teenage boys explore an abandoned Tudor-style house. An eerie atmosphere fills the boys with a sense of dread, and they realize that something sinister is in the air.As the past reaches the present, the boys must uncover the mystery of the house... and face the ancient e...

Shapeshifting stories by Tanith Lee, Peter S. Beagle, Midori Snyder, Jane Yolen, and others: "Rich reading that meets the editors' high standards." — Kirkus ReviewsIn world mythology, transformation legends are attached to almost every type of animal: a variety of birds, fish, reptiles, and even insects. In this book, you'll find stories inspired by such myths from around the world, retold and reimagined by some of the very best writers in the realm of fant...

In the West Highlands of Scotland, after the end of World War One, Brenda and her friends are preparing for an expedition of a lifetime: climbing An Cailleach, also known as The Witch.But even before they reach the base of the mountain, they realize that something is wrong. Strange apparitions, even stranger locals and ancient superstitions tell them of the dangerous path they have chosen.When things take a turn for the worse, will friendship be more important than survival...

The first three books in Helen Susan Swift's series of historical horror novels, 'Tales From The Dark Past', now available in one volume!Dark Voyage: It’s 1914, and fear and paranoia rule the high seas. Iain Cosgrove sets sail abroad Lady Balgay, last of Dundee’s once-grand sealing fleet. Fueled by rum and the tales of John Pratt, the crew obsess over ancient superstitions; ones Iain casually dismisses as simple lore... until they reach the frigid Artic seas. Soon,...

Come. Stay. The Abigael Inn has plans for you…"A chilling supernatural tale with indelible characters."—Kirkus ReviewsBen Oris, an orthopedic surgery resident in Philadelphia, is looking forward to his December vacation. After the year he's had, he could use a little R&R. But when a lawyer delivers some bizarre news, a week of rest and relaxation is the last thing he gets. A great aunt he never knew existed has willed a hotel to him.