Slithering from these pages are never-before-collected tales of suspense and wonder by the woman who invented modern-day dark fantasy: A man goes quietly to bed aboard the doomed Lusitania and awakens on a magical South Pacific Island just as the passenger liner is torpedoed. In a future where women rule the world, a sentient island becomes murderously jealous of a shipwrecked couple. Dire consequences await a human swept into the dark, magical world of elves. A deadly labyrinth coils around the dark heart of a picturesque landscape garden. Within an Egyptian sarcophagus lies the horrifying price of infidelity. Swirling unseen around us are loathsome creatures giving form to our basest desires and fears. A beautiful, veiled medium may hold the key to preventing unspeakable evil from slipping through the borderlands between life and death. On a lost island a woman pipe player and her monstrous dancing partner bring death and terror to five adventurers. ø The stories in this collection have played an integral role in the development of modern dark fantasy, greatly influencing such writers as H. P. Lovecraft and A. Merritt.

"Illustrations in the limited edition by J.K. Potter."

Venture back to a time when fairy tales were dark and terrifying in these modern-day adaptations of classic stories from two New York Times bestselling authors. In The Key by Rachel Hawkins, a girl uses her psychic abilities to look where she has been forbidden to look. And in The Brothers Piggett by Julie Kagawa, a chubby, insecure boy falls for a beautiful girl, with dangerous and devastating results. And look for the full anthology, Grim, edited by Christine Johnson, featuring some of the hottest authors in the young adult market, out March 2014.

Join twenty-five masterful authors and talented newcomers with more than 400 pages of the disturbing, unnerving, haunting, and strange. This outstanding annual exploration of the year’s best dark fiction delivers tales of deathly possession, the weirdly surreal, mysterious melancholy, and frighteningly plausible futures. Confront your own humanity and the fears that stir you—from the darkly supernatural and painfully familiar to the disquieting terror of the unknown.

The Book of Deacon is the first book of The Book of Deacon series by Joseph R. Lallo. Myranda Celeste’s world has been built on a legacy of bloodshed. For more than a century, her homeland the Northern Alliance has fought the Kingdom of Tressor in what has come to be known as the Perpetual War. While her people look upon the conflict with reverence, Myranda’s hate for the war has made her an outcast. When she finds a precious sword among the equipment of a fallen warrior, she believes her luck may have changed. Little does she imagine that the treasure will draw her into an adventure of wizards and warriors, soldiers and rebels, and beasts both noble and monstrous. The journey will teach her much about her potential, about the origins of the war, and about the threat her world truly faces. Will Myranda unlock the secret of bringing peace once and for all, or will the world be lost to the Perpetual War?

In this mischievous and utterly original debut, Hansel and Gretel walk out of their own story and into eight other classic Grimm-inspired tales. As readers follow the siblings through a forest brimming with menacing foes, they learn the true story behind (and beyond) the bread crumbs, edible houses, and outwitted witches. Fairy tales have never been more irreverent or subversive as Hansel and Gretel learn to take charge of their destinies and become the clever architects of their own happily ever after.

(15 stories featuring vampires, werewolves, witches, psychic detectives, time travel romance and more!)Crush by Chrissy PeeblesRae of Hope by W.J. MayEternal Vows by Chrissy PeeblesSeventh Mark by W.J. MayKindred by Erica StevensAwakened by Brenda K. DaviesTuesday & rsquo;s Child by Dale MayerBlur by Kristen MiddletonThe Core by Kate ThomasEnchanted Secrets by Kristen Middleton Captured by Erica StevensVampire in Denial by Dale MayerPlus 3 BONUS booksRavenous by Erica StevensThe Zombie Chronicles by Chrissy PeeblesZombie Games (Origins) by Kristen MiddletonAs a courtesy, the authors inform you there are some stories with cliffhangers. These are the first books or prequels to individual series. Some stories have been previously published. 15 thrilling stories in one volumeThese works of fiction are from some of today's most exciting authors. A star-studded anthology of thrilling, action-packed and totally swoon-worthy first books by your favorite authors. We hope you enjoy these tales of dark fantasy, gothic tales, fantasy adventure, paranormal romance, and urban fantasy.

A feast of seventeen original eerie and mesmerizing horror, thriller, and dark fantasy tales from acclaimed writers collaborating for the first time. Charlaine Harris and Rachel Caine enter a shadowy world of demons and angels in “Dark Witness” while Sarah Rees Brennan, Cassandra Clare, and Holly Black look at three weird sisters who face challenges beyond magic in “Sisters Before Misters.” Sarah MacLean and Carrie Ryan explore the exquisite agony of eternal love in “She, Doomed Girl,” and “Welded” by Tom Piccirilli and T. M. Wright offers an unsettling vision of an evil that infects and destroys lives. Mixing the ordinary—parents, teenagers, lovers—with the extraordinary—angels, demons, serial killers—these captivating and vivid tales delve deep into the shadowy, unexplored realms of the imagination . . . Charlaine Harris & Rachel Caine Sarah Rees Brennan & Cassandra Claire & Holly Beck Stuart MacBride & Allan Guthrie Sherrilyn Kenyon & Kevin J. Anderson Chelsea Cain & Lidia Yuknavitch Gregory Frost & Jonathan Maberry Michael Kortya & Jeffrey David Greene Sarah MacLean & Carrie Ryan Robert Jackson Bennet & David Liss Amber Benson & Jeffrey J. Mariotte Tim Lebbon & Michael Marshall Smith Nate Kenyon & James A. Moore Holly Newstein & Rick Hautala Mark Morris & Rio Youers Tom Piccirilli & T. M. Wright Rhodi Hawk & F. Paul Wilson Kasey Lansdale & Joe R. Lansdale

An evil queen, a dangerous man, and a witch, tangled together in a tale of Snow White... Desperate to save the last of her family from the murderous Faery Queen, Trina Mac Elvy weaves a spell of entrapment. But instead of a common soldier, the queen has released the Dark Huntsman, a full blooded fae with lethal powers. Caged for treason, Logan Ni Brennan, is ready to do anything to win free of the manipulative queen, even if it includes running a last errand for her...murdering a witch. The sight of Trina, ready to fight despite the odds, gives him another option: use the witch as a chess piece, put the queen's son on the throne, and bring down the queen forever. As the queen slides into insanity and her closest advisor makes plans to succeed to the throne, Logan secrets Trina away in the enchanted forest and makes a decisive move in his dangerous game of manipulation. But the gaming tables of fate turn on him, and when Trina's life is threatened he discovers he risks more than his freedom...he risks his heart. Are you hungry for dark twisted tales of fantasy and seduction? Strong heroines and supernatural heroes come together, take on evil, and fall in love. Dare to enter Jessica Aspen's world of steamy, fantasy romance in her new twisted fairy tale trilogy: Tales of the Black Court.