Showing titles in Horror

“You like it darker? Fine, so do I,” writes Stephen King in the afterword to this magnificent new collection of twelve stories that delve into the darker part of life—both metaphorical and literal. King has, for half a century, been a master of the form, and these stories, about fate, mortality, luck, and the folds in reality where anything can happen, are as rich and riveting as his novels, both weighty in theme and a huge pleasure to digest.

Deborah Harkness first introduced the world to Diana Bishop, an Oxford scholar and witch, and vampire geneticist Matthew de Clermont in A Discovery of Witches. Drawn to each other despite long-standing taboos, these two otherworldly beings found themselves at the center of a battle for a lost, enchanted manuscript known as Ashmole 782. Since then, they have fallen in love, traveled to Elizabethan England, dissolved the Covenant between the three species, and awoken the dark powers within Diana’s family line.

Yet, as the powers of hell watch eagerly, Scorio and Naomi spurn those who would recruit them and venture into the untold depths of hell in search of the enigmatic Herdsmen. Amidst landscapes of haunting beauty and terror, they will face terrible fiends, forge friendships with wondrous new allies, and encounter societies of Great Souls to put the worst of hell to shame.

Steve and his companions have been offered a chance, the slimmest of hopes, that the UC—whatever that is—will protect the earth. That protection, offered as it is with the full knowledge that it could embroil billions in a new war? It's never going to come cheap. The UC wants something, and it's down to Steve to figure out how to pay that debt or survive without their sheltering hand. The greater galaxy is a harsh place, and in the eyes of those who battle to keep the flame of freedom alive another day, anyone who would give up their freedom to gain a little security?

For years, I have been living in secret, in a safe haven called Eridian for wolves and others alike inside The Deadlands. Hiding from the Highers' laws and the eyes of the Elites, the Highers' weapon, I make sure we survive the best we can while we live our simple lives. When we collected a female in need to bring her back to Eridian, it was supposed to go as planned, like any other time. And it did until a letter changed it all. As Alpha of Eridian, I have to keep our home a secret and my pack safe at any cost. Even if the cost is me.

We won. But so did he. His final act damaged my Well, the source of my magic, perhaps beyond repair. My body is failing as my own powers slowly kill me. I have to find a cure before it's too late, but there are so few people who can even understand what's wrong, much less how to go about fixing it. Not even my fellow Archons know how to help, and my sources are coming up dry. Desperation is driving me into branches of magic some might consider dangerous and that others would gladly kill me for just looking at.

Silas, now vastly more powerful than he ever anticipated, confronts a harsh truth: brute strength alone won't save his world. Beyond mere leveling up lies a complex path to salvation. Embarking on a rigorous training regimen under the guidance of a seasoned mentor, Silas hones his skills, spells, and crafting abilities alongside allies, old and new. Yet, as his prowess grows, so too does the scope of his challenges. Drawn into ancient feuds that span clans and corporations, Silas must navigate a treacherous web of alliances and enmities.

Will obsession be enough? I'd always believed my love was enough to save him. To protect him. I was wrong. The Copycat killer gets closer every day, and I can't help but feel his every move is in my direction.

Something always goes sideways, but this is bigger than expected. Maybe it's not an entirely bad thing, though, as mana-infected animals spreading over the world would definitely make everyone more open to the idea of the apocalypse. The question is what was Silas supposed to do about it, though.

The Source, the natural wellspring of Magic in the world, is stretched to the breaking point. If gluttonous witchcraft and human usurpers are not curtailed, it will vanish from the Nine Realms, taking with it every legendary race, and the magical sway of all that is good in the world will disappear forever. Before that end, the gods themselves will wage a final destructive war on Creation. The quest to save Magic at all costs is at hand, and an ancient prophesy awakens.

Father Zan insists Chao and Huifen venture north. Ancient ruins await. A divine spire there stands. Their identities must remain hidden. The Divine Flying Tiger Clan's Trials are in two short years.

There are lines that probably shouldn't be crossed, doors that should stay shut, thoughts that shouldn't be considered. In these three novellas by Stephen Graham Jones, the dead talk, ancient evil opens its eyes, and that guy across the parking lot, he's watching you, and has been for a while now. Lock the door; tell yourself it's nothing; turn the radio up. It won't matter. You're already three miles past where you meant to stop.

In the elven realm, Jassyn has spent his life both researching the fertility crisis and being forced to produce offspring. His existence balances on a narrow precipice between solving mysteries of the elves' infertility or succumbing to his handlers' maltreatment. A new assignment, tutoring a half-breed princess in a human realm, promises a temporary relief. But he soon discovers the real reason for his presence.

In the heart of the South Pacific lies Point Nemo, the most desolate and remote place on Earth. At its core is a dead zone, devoid of life, where government agencies crash their obsolete satellites and space stations, confident they won't harm a soul. When the International Space Station suffers a catastrophic failure and plummets through the atmosphere, it's here that Mission Specialist Julie Rohr, an astrobiologist studying living space dust called xylem, finds herself marooned. Julie's only hope for rescue lies in the hands of her estranged father, Dr. Finn Maddern, a renowned mycologist.

Marsh will work to unravel two supernatural mysteries as only a redneck wizard can: poorly, and with much cursing. In Bringing Home the Rain he has to piece together just why it hasn’t rained in months within the bounds of a perfect circle just south of town. And in Dancing With Your Demons he’s on the trail of a missing woman whose now infamous son once burned down a church.

Constance Greene confronts Manhattan’s most dangerous serial killer, Enoch Leng, bartering for her sister's life—but she is betrayed and turned away empty-handed, incandescent with rage. Unknown to Leng, Pendergast’s brother, Diogenes, appears unexpectedly, offering to help—for mysterious reasons of his own. Disguised as a cleric, Diogenes establishes himself in New York's notorious Five Points slum, manipulating events like a chess master, watching Leng’s every move…and awaiting his own chance to strike.

It would appear that, after two years of relative slacking, the Hero of Chaos is once again facing an ever-growing workload. Boxxy had been quite fortunate to obtain an exceptionally potent pawn with very little effort, but that was still effort it did not intend to expend. Sensing it might get dragged into things it really doesn't want to bother with, the creature makes haste to depart Velos and its orcs so that it may continue its private preparations for the upcoming Dragon Festival.

Charlie Reade looks like a regular high school kid, great at baseball and football, a decent student. But he carries a heavy load. His mom was killed in a hit-and-run accident when he was 10, and grief drove his dad to drink. Charlie learned how to take care of himself—and his dad. Then, when Charlie is 17, he meets a dog named Radar and his aging master, Howard Bowditch, a recluse in a big house at the top of a big hill, with a locked shed in the backyard. Sometimes strange sounds emerge from it.

Betrayed and bloodied, The Hand has failed. After a desperate battle, Nismera, the Goddess of War, now rules the realms as the last remnants of Samkiel's power spill across the sky. Desperate to keep Samkiel safe after almost losing him, Dianna is willing to give up everything to protect him, even if that means sacrificing their relationship itself. But that's not a risk Samkiel is willing to take, even as the stakes grow ever higher. The one true king is poised to return, but when the dust settles, who will truly rule?

The battle grows dire. The death toll rises. The end is nigh. Natisse, believing Kullen has fallen to a traitor’s blade, fights on to honor his memory and to complete his final mission: to save their Empire from the enemy fleet threatening destruction. Together with Golgoth, she must stand before the very fires of Hell to protect the city and people she has come to love.