Contains seventeen science fiction, fantasy, and horror short stories by James van Pelt.

I'm coming for you is a bad movie line. For Death it is a promise. We tend to like to avoid the concept of death, but it keeps finding us. So we put together a book. But what to call it. We were sick of death coming in and taking friends and family, giving no regard for us except to leer from the darkness. The answer came, in a callout to Steven Colbert: we opted for Deathiness. Death didn't like that. I believe it was her fault (oh hell yes, death is a woman) that I found myself being carried out of the house with a couple of pulmonary embolisms and realizing that most people who were in my condition met the grim reaper. So I resolved to change my life, be a nicer person, give up cheese products and... Nah, I decided to invite the B Cubed family on board to talk about it and maybe have a laugh at Death's expense. So Death, be warned: We're Coming for You! And we're doing it with these great stories: In "The Bodies We Carry" K.G. Anderson, one of the great up and comers writing about how to make death more real. In "The Miracle Man" Jim Wright gives another chilling look into the world he created for the Best Selling Alternative Apocalypse. In "Instructions for My Executors" Clare Marsh treats us with a poetic look at death and what the family should do. In "Rule 49" (perhaps my favorite) has Maureen McGuirk looking at death as a real entity and shows us their many faces. In "Spoons", Jay Wilburn dips into a well of thought and sensitivity as he makes death into a gentle journey that is not taken alone. And "Gallows Humor?" Michael Mansaray takes a unique look at the inevitability of death that must be read to appreciate. "For What is a Man" is David Foster's quest for an answer to the question with no real unswer. "Mudpaws and the Tall Thing" Frances Rowat is a touching story reminiscent of the work Mike Resnick that sees the worlds end from the perspective of a lovely dog. "A Comedian's Valediction Forbidding Mourning" is the wonderful Larry Lefkowitz's reminder to laugh. "The Thing Underneath" is a wee bit of horror by James Van Pelt. "Have You Ever Been Experienced?" is an old theme made fresh by Paula Hammond, as she shows the power of being addicted to death. "Death's Scout" is Mark O. Decker thoughtful poem that I'll let you read rather than read about. It's that good. "Papercut" by Larry Hinkle will make you throw this book out the window in disgust and horror, only to stop the car and retrieve the book to read it again. "Death's Doorway" is Diana Hauer's incredible story of those who walk beside us through that final gate. "Missing" by Robin Pond is that story that makes you want to read a hundred more just like it. In "Final Questions," Chris Kuriata, adds to the duties of death to in this thoughtful look at unanswered questions of the dead. "The Borrower", by Katie Sakanai speaks to the value of the human spirit across space and time. "Three O'Clock" is Lamont Turner's nicely done story on making the best out of a bad situation. "To Do Right", by Cory Swanson, shows us a better way to die. A good end to life is not to be underestimated. "Old Forgotten Grave" by Bill Camp is a familiar but comfortable reminder that all of us will be forgotten. "Ashes," by my dear friend Lizzy Shannon is a touching look at the end of life. "The Devil's Backbone," by Larry Hodges, brings his trademark humor to what happens when the Devil takes on the Good Humor man. "Written in Stone," by Lauren Stoker. "Death," by Robert Armstrong The Four Horsemen (and Women) of the Apocalypse by Sarina Dorie "Deathventures, Inc." by Robinne Weiss "Rest In Virtual" by Tommy Blanchard Loving Death in New York, is poet Alicia Hilton's look at death on the streets of the Big Apple. Life Long Love by the inspired you man, Sirrus James. Not old enought to drink, but old enough to understand love.

Set in Denver, Colorado, and the western foothills, Van Pelt's first novel is both a coming-of-age tale as 15-year-old Eric searches for his father, and a story of Eric's search 60 years later for hope in the midst of disaster in a world of blood bandits, feral children, and an insane militia.

Van Pelt's first collection, "Strangers and Beggars," was voted one of the Best Books of 2003 by the American Library Association. This new collection continues to explore the ever-changing boundaries of science fiction, fantasy and horror.

From a giant spider that can’t be ignored in a high school classroom, to humanity facing a mutagen plague, to the last two robots witnessing the end of the universe, this comprehensive collection includes sixty-two of the best stories from James Van Pelt’s fertile and wide-ranging imagination that have appeared over the last thirty years in Asimov's, Analog, Realms of Fantasy, Weird Tales, Talebones, and numerous other science fiction and fantasy publications. Included in this collection is a Nebula finalist, a Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award Finalist, numerous stories that were recognized by Analog or Asimov’s readers as among the best of the year, along with titles that were reprinted in Gardner Dozois’s Year’s Best Science Fiction, and other year’s best anthologies. Frightening or thrilling or uplifting, each of these stories is an exploration into the unknown. Take up a journey now into The Best of James Van Pelt.

James Van Pelt's fourth story collection Flying in the Heart of the Lafayette Escadrille offers a carnival of science fiction, fantasy and horror tales. Hang on as you fly a WWI fighter plane displayed in a singles' bar, ride a dragon from a troubled-man's past, run genetically engineered world record marathons, see Tokyo Rose and the ghost of a romance past, read books before they turn to stone, roam with wolves who will not let you go, conduct alien abductions, and swim in a lake of childhood regrets. Van Pelt's wide-ranging imagination promises a surprise at every turn, taking you into the very heart of your dreams and fears.

A soldier returns home with a dangerous secret from an alternate realm, unaware that she is surrounded by spies and collaborators, in this intense military science fiction novel. Naval officer Mila Blackwood is determined to keep her country’s most powerful secret – shrouding, the ability to traverse their planet in seconds through an alternate realm – out of enemy hands. But spies are everywhere: her submarine has been infiltrated by a Dhavnak agent, and her teenage brother has been seduced by an enemy soldier. When Blackwood’s submarine is attacked by a monster, she and fellow sailor, Holland, are marked with special abilities, whose manifestations could end the war – but in whose favor? Forced to submit to military scientists in her paranoid and war-torn home, Blackwood soon learns that the only people she can trust might also be the enemy. File Under: Science Fiction [ Enemy Within | Periscope Down | Gods and Monsters | Lightning Strikes Twice ]

Rock Stars on God is a collection of hard-hitting interviews about spirituality, the afterlife, and our purpose here on earth with some of rock's biggest names. Not only will you discover insights about each artist's spirituality, but you'll find a training ground for engaging others in conversations about Jesus. Book jacket.

The short stories in this first collection by critically acclaimed writer Daryl Gregory run the gamut from science fiction to contemporary fantasy, with a few stories that defy easy classification. His characters may be neuroscientists, superhero sidekicks, middle-aged heroes of children's stories, or fantatics spreading a virus-borne religion, but they are all convincingly human. - Includes two never-before published short stories - Introduction by Nancy Kress

Acclaimed writer Naomi Kritzer's marvelous tales of science fiction and fantasy are now collected in Cat Pictures and Other Stories. Here are seventeen short stories, including her Hugo Award-winning story "Cat Pictures Please," which is about what would happen if artificial intelligence was born out of our search engine history. Two stories are previously unpublished. Kritzer has a gift for telling stories both humorous and tender. Her stories are filled with wit and intelligence, and require thoughtful reading.