Decadent literature is intrinsically and proudly a literature of moral challenge; it is sceptical, cynical, and satirical. It recognizes that everyday morality does not work either in practical or in psychological terms, and is therefore a sham, but that ideal morality is -- not necessarily unfortunately -- unattainable. This volume collects the best of Brian Stableford's decadent work, including: "Salome," "O For a Fiery Gloom and Thee," "The Last Worshipper of Proteus," "The Evil That Men Do," "Ebony Eyes," "The Fisherman's Child," "The Storyteller's Tale," "The Unluckiest Thief," "The Flowers in the Forest," "The Mandrake Garden," and "Chanterelle."

Although the problems of writing fantasy and science fiction include all those pertaining to the writing of any kind of fiction, particular problems arise in stories in which unprecedented things can and do happen, as well as stories that often involve unhuman characters of various sorts, and that might require the elaborate design of entire imaginary worlds. This book provides an elementary introduction to problems of those kinds, and the ways in which they modify the general problems of writing fiction. It also suggests strategies that might enable the problems to be handled constructively and productively. The author has published more than seventy novels in the field, more than twenty short story collections, and more than twenty related works of non-fiction; he has, as the saying goes, been there, done that, and chewed his t-shirt in relevant frustration. Robert Reginald says: "An absolutely first-rate guide to writing fantastic literature. Stableford has much to say that potential writers of ALL fiction might find valuable, interesting, and highly illuminating. His reasonable discussion and dissection of the basic issues facing authors of creative fiction--and the solutions to be found to each problem--are dollops of solid gold advice, in this editor's humble opinion. Every would-be author should read this book--and more than once!"

The new collection features 14 essays relevant to the Literary Decadence movement, including pieces on: Joris-Karl Huysmans, Charles-Augustin Sainte-Beuve, Aloysius Bertrand, Theophile Gautier, Victor Hugo, Honore de Balzac, Gustave Flaubert, Emile Zola, Edmond de Goncourt, and Anatole France. Complete with bibliography and index.

Eight essays on science fiction and fantasy: "Narrative Strategies in Science Fiction," "Immortality in Science Fiction," "Why There Is (Almost) No Such Thing as Science Fiction," "Perfectibility and the Novel of the Future," "In Search of a New Genre," "Ecology and Dystopia," "Cosmic Horror," and "Growing Up as a Superhero." Complete with bibliography and index.

Eight highly-readable essays on science fiction and fantasy writers, including David Brin, Jonathan Carroll, Samuel R. Delany, Joe Haldeman, Robert Irwin, Graham Joyce, Michael Shea, plus a major piece, "Against the New Gods," on British SF and crime writer Sydney Fowler Wright. Complete with Bibliography and Index.

Once upon a time all literature was fantasy, set in a mythical past when magic existed, animals talked, and the gods took an active hand in earthly affairs. As the mythical past was displaced in Western estimation by the historical past and novelists became increasingly preoccupied with the present, fantasy was temporarily marginalized until the late 20th century, when it enjoyed a spectacular resurgence in every stratum of the literary marketplace. Stableford provides an invaluable guide to this sequence of events and to the current state of the field. The chronology tracks the evolution of fantasy from the origins of literature to the 21st century. The introduction explains the nature of the impulses creating and shaping fantasy literature, the problems of its definition and the reasons for its changing historical fortunes. The dictionary includes cross-referenced entries on more than 700 authors, ranging across the entire historical spectrum, while more than 200 other entries describe the fantasy subgenres, key images in fantasy literature, technical terms used in fantasy criticism, and the intimately convoluted relationship between literary fantasies, scholarly fantasies, and lifestyle fantasies. The book concludes with an extensive bibliography that ranges from general textbooks and specialized accounts of the history and scholarship of fantasy literature, through bibliographies and accounts of the fantasy literature of different nations, to individual author studies and useful websites.

Well-known critic and novelist Brian Stableford here discusses the writers, editors, and publishers who helped create the modern genre of science fiction: Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Edgar Allan Poe, Camille Flammarion, Jules Verne, H. G. Wells, Hugo Gernsback, John W. Campbell Jr., Edward E. "Doc" Smith, Robert A. Heinlein, James Blish, Gregory Benford, and Ian Watson. Complete with bibliography and index.

In the tradition of the old "Ace Doubles," two-in-one books (flip one over to read the second title)--here is the fourth Wildside Double. "Les Fleurs du Mal: A Tale of the Biotech Revolution," by Brian Stableford. In the year 2550, where premediated murder is supposedly impossible, a serial killer begins attacking very old men with specially bred plants that eat them from the inside out, creating the bizarre "flowers of evil" ("les fleurs du mal"). Biotech artist Oscar Wilde teams with UN detectives Charlotte Holmes and Hal Watson to unravel this futuristic nightmare. A Hugo Award finalist in the Novella category. "The Undead: A Tale of the Biotech Revolution," by Brian Stableford. In the world of the future, the latest rage is the creation of "Undead" personality simulations to place within the tombstones of the recently departed. But when a cluster of new monuments is vandalized, cemetery Chief Security Officer Tann Hicks must find the perpetrators and stop the crimes. Are the sims really dead? As the controversy over the Undead grows, with religious fanatics lining up against right-to-life advocates, Tann finds himself at the center of a growing political and media storm.

Cris's life falls apart after he and his girlfriend Claire are tattooed by artist Devon Curtin--who's murdered shortly after. Twenty years later, Curtin's fans, who believe his art was magical, are putting together an exhibit of his work, including the never-before-seen tattooes on Cris and Claire. Cris wants nothing to do with the show, but soon realizes that he and Claire might be in real danger. Because Devon Curtin's killer has never been caught...

Enjoy some “good, slimy fun” with this horror anthology that pays tribute to H.P. Lovecraft’s eeriest creation—featuring 16 “genuinely frightening” stories from Neil Gaiman, Ramsey Campbell, and more (San Francisco Chronicle). Inspired by H. P. Lovecraft’s classic, today’s masters of horror take up their pens and turn once more to that decayed, forsaken New England fishing village with its sparkling treasure, loathsome denizens, and unspeakable evil . . . In addition to the Lovecraft’s original novella, The Shadow Over Innsmouth, this anthology features 16 chilling stories by authors such as Neil Gaiman, Ramsey Campbell and Kim Newman—all exploring and deepening the Cthulhu Mythos. "Introduction: Spawn of the Deep Ones" by Stephen Jones "The Shadow Over Innsmouth" by H. P. Lovecraft "Beyond the Reef" by Basil Copper "The Big Fish" by Jack Yeovil "Return to Innsmouth" by Guy N. Smith "The Crossing" by Adrian Cole "Down to the Boots" by D. F. Lewis "The Church in High Street" by Ramsey Campbell "Innsmouth Gold" by David Sutton "Daoine Domhain" by Peter Tremayne "A Quarter to Three" by Kim Newman "The Tomb of Priscus" by Brian Mooney "The Innsmouth Heritage" by Brian Stableford "The Homecoming" by Nicholas Royle "Deepnet" by David Langford "To See the Sea" by Michael Marshall Smith "Dagon's Bell" by Brian Lumley "Only the End of the World Again" by Neil Gaiman