Critically acclaimed, "The Ballad of the Wayfaring Stranger and the Dead Man's Whore" tells a backwoods spook story driven by longing, loss and unescapable doom."Demory catches the atmosphere of the old murder ballads perfectly here. It's a world where everyone takes it for granted that terrible things happen to the innocent, and where the only possible reaction to that news is a stoical shrug. The tale's chilling effect comes not from set-piece shocks, but rather from a sense of q...

The witch Sekkura, defender of the Barbary Pirates, sets off on a quest to defend her charges from a mysterious sorcerer. Her journey takes her from the Great Desert to the palaces of the djinn and from the alabaster spires of Algiers to the deepest jungles before her story is complete. "Sycorax Resplendent" tells a story of magic, passion and transformation in the shadows of one of William Shakespeare's greatest plays.

Philomena Thrice-Bound has had her future mapped out for her from before her birth. As the daughter of one of the rulers of a vast city on the edge of a surreal wilderness, her role was to serve as a handmaiden to her family's infernal benefactor. Philomena will have none of it. Follow Philomena Thrice-Bound on a twisting journey from the perfumed, treacherous Agora to her final destiny. Follow but watch your step. Follow and watch your tongue. Follow.

From Rumplestiltskin to Faust, tales of deals with creatures from beyond have always fascinated readers. "Bargains" continues that tradition with nine original stories about deals with demons, monsters and a host of creatures from the dim recesses of Somewhere Else.

Palookaville is a blue-collar supervillain antholology set in the shadows of the superheroic world. Second-string criminals, masked mooks and clued-in henchmen leave the stresses of the criminal world behind and live “normal lives” in the sleepy bedroom town of Powell Heights until the outside world muscles its way in. Fortunately, the citizens of Palookaville know all about muscle work. “PALOOKAVILLE is a wonderfully weird, occasionally violent, often funny, deeply twisted revisionist loo...

It’s 1958 and the night sky of Mars sings to a hot-jazz tune played by a quartet of slot machine, rocket engine, laser fire and broken bone. The Outfit and the corporations run Mars, keeping the mines running and the Strip humming. Deputy Marshals ride between the waystations and the city, bringing rough justice to the roughest beat in the solar system. Barsoomist rebels fight a hit-and-run war, staying one step ahead of the law and the Mob, knowing they’ve got miles to go before they slee...