dark horse /ˈdärk ˈˌhôrs/ noun 1. a candidate or competitor about whom little is known but who unexpectedly wins or succeeds. "a dark-horse candidate" Join us for a monthly tour of writers who give as good as they get. From hard science-fiction to stark, melancholic apocalypses; from Lovecraftian horror to zombies and horror comedy; from whimsical interludes to tales of unlikely compassion--whatever it is, if it's weird, it's here. So grab a seat before the starting gun fires, pour yourself a glass of strange wine, and get ready for the running of the dark horses. In this issue: TAP TAP TAP Elsa Loftis ALL THE SINGULARITY GIRLS Glenn Dungan THE BATTLE FOR ASHGROVE ROAD Hugh A.D. Spencer DESPERATE TO REVIVE Mark J. Schultis X-RAY RIDER (PART TWO) Wayne Kyle Spitzer DR. SORBY’S AMAZING AQUATIC MENAGERIE Olivier Faivre FORTY MILES OF BAD ROAD Rick M. Clausen JUNE BUG SEASON Sarah Wilson Gregory NOAH FROM MARS Lawrence Dagstine THE WILD HUNT David Newkirk

Double, double toil and trouble... Shakespeare began the tense apprehension with his melodic yet warning phrase. Ray Bradbury continued the dark and ominous foreboding that oozes between the words. Now, it has come to the North American Old West, a world with its severe terrain and hardened residents. The rules were harsher out here, the ethics and morals changed, the fight for life and liberty quite different than anything these pioneers, these outlaws, these six-shooters and rebel rousers, these unquestionably brave men and women had bargained for. For them, something wicked certainly rode. Like a hell-broth boil and bubble... In this anthology, we explore the Old West with a skewed view, showcasing the weird western genre through stories that explore the peculiar and the fantastic, the wicked that was and could have been. You'll experience spiritual nightmares, mythical monsters, cosmic outlaws, discerning gods, and science run amok. Even the North Pole Security division isn't immune to the supernatural strangeness that stalks the late 1800s. In the tradition of the pulp and western stories of a bygone era, these are thirty tales to intrigue, amaze, and perhaps down right spook you right out of your boots. So brew up some coffee, head out to the rocking chair on the porch, and tilt your hat to shade your eyes so you can read real close. Just be sure you keep one eye on the horizon and one hand near your holster. For... With dark intentions and creatures astride, Something wicked this way rides. Enjoy stories from these talented authors Gustavo Bondoni - Marilyn "Mattie" Brahen - Kenneth Bykerk - Dwain Campbell - Gregg Chamberlain - Vonnie Winslow Crist - Stuart Croskell - Lawrence Dagstine - J.B. Dane - Kevin M. Folliard - John A. Frochio - Steve Gladwin - L.L. Hill - Adrian Ludens - Stefan Markos - Jonathon Mast - Jason J. McCuiston - Gregory L. Norris - Q Parker - Peter Prellwitz - John B. Rosenman - Alistair Rey - Darrell Schweitzer - Bradley H. Sinor - Matias Travieso-Diaz - Charles Wilkinson - Martin Zeigler

"In the murky London gloom, a knife-wielding gentleman prowls the midnight streets with his faithful watchdog Snuff - gathering together the grisly ingredients they will need for an upcoming ancient and unearthly rite. And all manner of players, both human and undead, are preparing to participate."--Publisher.

National Book Award Finalist • Here is the unforgettable story of the Binewskis, a circus-geek family whose matriarch and patriarch have bred their own exhibit of human oddities—with the help of amphetamines, arsenic, and radioisotopes. One of The Atlantic’s Great American Novels of the Past 100 Years Their offspring include Arturo the Aquaboy, who has flippers for limbs and a megalomaniac ambition worthy of Genghis Khan . . . Iphy and Elly, the lissome Siamese twins . . . albino hunchback Oly, and the outwardly normal Chick, whose mysterious gifts make him the family’s most precious—and dangerous—asset. As the Binewskis take their act across the backwaters of the U.S., inspiring fanatical devotion and murderous revulsion; as its members conduct their own Machiavellian version of sibling rivalry, Geek Love throws its sulfurous light on our notions of the freakish and the normal, the beautiful and the ugly, the holy and the obscene. Family values will never be the same.

In this futuristic courtroom horror tale of Stem Cell research turned bad, paranormal visitations and a fierce custody battle, two parents must overcome many obstacles in order to regain guardianship of something they once loved and cherished most.

“An intimate and deeply human memoir that shows why we should all be concerned about nuclear safety, and the dangers of ignoring science in the name of national security.”—Rebecca Skloot, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks A shocking account of the government’s attempt to conceal the effects of the toxic waste released by a secret nuclear weapons plant in Colorado and a community’s vain search for justice—soon to be a feature documentary Kristen Iversen grew up in a small Colorado town close to Rocky Flats, a secret nuclear weapons plant once designated "the most contaminated site in America." Full Body Burden is the story of a childhood and adolescence in the shadow of the Cold War, in a landscape at once startlingly beautiful and--unknown to those who lived there--tainted with invisible yet deadly particles of plutonium. It's also a book about the destructive power of secrets--both family and government. Her father's hidden liquor bottles, the strange cancers in children in the neighborhood, the truth about what was made at Rocky Flats--best not to inquire too deeply into any of it. But as Iversen grew older, she began to ask questions and discovered some disturbing realities. Based on extensive interviews, FBI and EPA documents, and class-action testimony, this taut, beautifully written book is both captivating and unnerving.

Acclaimed, award-winning author N.K. Jemisin (The Fifth Season, The City We Became) makes her comic book debut with bestselling artist Jamal Campbell (Naomi) as they thrust you into a stunning sci-fi murder mystery on the other side of the universe! For the past six months, newly chosen Green Lantern Sojourner “Jo” Mullein has been protecting the City Enduring, a massive metropolis of 20 billion people. The city has maintained peace for over 500 years by stripping its citizens of their ability to feel. As a result, violent crime is virtually unheard of, and murder is nonexistent. But that’s all about to change in this new graphic novel that puts a unique spin on the legacy of the Green Lanterns! Far Sector collects Far Sector #1-12.

From Lovecraft to Borges to Gaiman, a century of intrepid literary experimentation has created a corpus of dark and strange stories that transcend all known genre boundaries. Together these stories form The Weird, and its practitioners include some of the greatest names in twentieth and twenty-first century literature. Exotic and esoteric, The Weird plunges you into dark domains and brings you face to face with surreal monstrosities. You won't find any elves or wizards here...but you will find the biggest, boldest, and downright most peculiar stories from the last hundred years bound together in the biggest Weird collection ever assembled. The Weird features 110 stories by an all-star cast, from literary legends to international bestsellers to Booker Prize winners: including William Gibson, George R. R. Martin, Stephen King, Angela Carter, Kelly Link, Franz Kafka, China Miéville, Clive Barker, Haruki Murakami, M. R. James, Neil Gaiman, Mervyn Peake, and Michael Chabon. The Weird is the winner of the 2012 World Fantasy Award for Best Anthology At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Two adventurers, prospecting for gold in the jungles of Mexico, stumble across a lost Aztec city and cause an ancient evil to be unleashed. An early science fiction masterpiece written by Gertrude Barrows Bennett, writing as Francis Stevens. Discovering a lost city in the Mexican jungle, two adventurers embark on a terrifying journey. Disturbing ancient gods and nightmare creatures, they find a hidden civilization of Aztecs and bring dark magic into the modern world. With a potent cocktail of romance, revenge and swampish evil this book is one of the earliest examples of fantasy and remains an enthralling read. Gertrude Barrows Bennett, writing as Francis Stevens, is often regarded as the founder of dark fantasy and was admired by H.P. Lovecraft amongst many, with some ranking her alongside Mary Shelley in impact and imaginative power. Foundations of Feminist Fiction. The early 1900s saw a quiet revolution in literature dominated by male adventure heroes. Both men and women moved beyond the norms of the male gaze to write from a different gender perspective, sometimes with female protagonists, but also expressing the universal freedom to write on any subject whatsoever.