Monster Fiction

He's a simple man, trying to live a simple life. He works at a dry cleaner and lives by himself. He doesn't have any friends and doesn't dare to reach out to others because there's a monster inside of him, a bloody-minded creature he's fighting a losing battle to control. He prays to God for help knowing that, unless his prayers are answered very soon, he will go on a killing spree. A taut tale of suspense and the fantastic, that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last sentence.

I’m out for revenge. He’s out to rule the world. Kirill and I are as different as day and night. We shouldn’t have been in the same frame or universe. But we meet under the strangest circumstances. He’s my superior in the military and the man who’ll introduce me to carnage.

After being attacked by a serial killer, being saved by Loki - so-called god of mischief, lies, and chaos - being dragged to Alfheim, losing every cent in her bank account, and caring for her grandmother, Amy Lewis has lost her scholarship to veterinary school. But it's all right. She has a plan. If she manages to keep her day job as a receptionist and her night job as a vet tech, she may be able to get her scholarship reinstated and save enough money for the dreaded "miscellaneous fees". Too bad her day boss is unbearable....

Janner, Tink, and Leeli Igiby, the Lost Jewels of Anniera, are hiding from Gnag the Nameless in the Green Hollows, one of the few places in the land of Aerwiar not overrun by the Fangs of Dang. But there's a big problem. Janner's little brother - heir to the throne of Anniera - has grown a tail. And gray fur. Not to mention two pointed ears and long, dangerous fangs. To the suspicious folk of the Green Hollows, he looks like a monster. But Janner knows better. His brother isn't as scary as he looks. He's perfectly harmless. Isn't he?

Sam’s life has always been strange. After all, his family have no idea that he’s half monster, half fairy. But now he’s keeping an even bigger secret. He alone has the power to bring monsters to life! (He’s even got a tiny gargoyle hatchling hidden in his sock drawer.) When Queen Maggie finds out, she’s delighted. She wants Sam to create her a whole new legion of vile ogres. When he refuses, she vows that she will destroy everything Sam holds dear.

When my father died and I stepped into his shoes as leader of Enigma, I vowed to protect the gang he’d built. And I won’t break that promise—no matter what I have to do to keep it. So when a mysterious attacker targets our territory, I swallow my pride and propose an alliance between Enigma and the Princes of Carnage, a biker gang led by Nico Morelli. We’ve been rivals for years, but his territory is under attack too, and we’ll have a better chance of defending ourselves if we work together. Except Nico doesn’t just want an alliance.

When it comes to stealing from mafia men, there are three rules. Don't get caught. Don't be seen. And most of all—don't fall in love with them. After being hired to steal a painting, I find myself ensnared. Damon, Minos, and Aaecus are monsters, and they only want one thing: Me. Seven days of sin in exchange for freedom from the Three Fates Mafia. If only it were that easy. The strings of fate have bound the four of us together, and not even gods or monsters can keep us apart.

All that stands between rowdy long-haul trucker Jill MacLeod (aka Junkmouth) and her family back in Boston is two thousand miles of asphalt. Well, that and the monstrous game the System has had her playing ever since it descended on Earth. The reward: mana. Jill's goal: kill, score, drive—and stay alive. Behind the wheel of a turreted forty-ton semi named Bertha, Jill hammers east from Montana through a gauntlet of every kind of chomping, hissing, rabid creature imaginable. Barreling forward in her magical soulbound big rig and chalking up a bumper crop of roadkill, Jill isn't alone for long.

I scented my mate and she disappeared before we could meet, leaving behind a forgotten piece of clothing. It’s driving me crazy. I’ve checked every unmated human female, asking if this mysterious red fabric is hers. Pissing off other males in the process, but what do I care? I’m on a quest to find my future bound, no matter what.

With Ravenheart defeated and his regal duties done, Josh and his lovely misfits return to their idyllic home nestled in the shadows of the Hangsane. Will they hang up their weapons, end their monster-hunting days, and settle down for a cozy slice of farming life like so many heroes? Absolutely not! Attacked, rescued, forced into the Hangsane to seek more power, Josh and the Misfits are hurled straight into the thick of it.

After being saved from his own execution by a deal-making daemon, Keaton's tasked with killing a dungeon lord. A straightforward task for a former assassin, but the moment Keaton's dagger plunges into the dungeon core crystal, he becomes the newest lord of The Labyrinth. What starts as a maze of useless caverns quickly turns into something respectable as Keaton uses his powers to craft defenses and facilities. But to truly grow his dungeon, he needs minions. And to control those minions, he needs lieutenants: Beautiful, monstrous women with strength and powers beyond his understanding.

When the mysterious Order comes to Mike Radley's home begging for his help, he doesn't know what to expect. He didn't expect a trip to Maui where he would butt heads with merfolk nobility. He really didn't expect a confrontation with the Captain, a man with a magical boat and mysterious goals.

The Summer of Love has been replaced by the Summer of Fear as a sadistic killer prowls the streets of San Francisco. Known only as 'The Gemini,' his brutal murders have the city paralyzed in a merciless grip of terror as he taunts police with a series of cryptic puzzles and the body count rises. As detectives work to unravel the Gemini's chilling clues, the line between nightmare and reality begins to blur when Cassie Kennedy—a newly separated young mother and part-time psychic—discovers that her dreams are foretelling the gruesome deaths of three women.

Mike Wazowski is the top laugh collector at Monster's Inc., but he can't figure out why all the children have been falling asleep on him lately. Listen along as Mike discovers that the joke is on him!

When Elara flees corporate life to open a coffee shop in the small southern town of Fairhaven Falls, the last thing she is looking for is a relationship. But when she meets Grondar, the gruff orc owner of the bakery next door, sparks fly. Literally. Grondar has been burned by human females before. He has no intention of letting the feisty little female next door get under his skin—no matter how attractive he finds her. And it certainly doesn't mean he's going to let her get away with sabotaging his business.

Elspeth Spindle needs more than luck to stay safe in the eerie, mist-locked kingdom of Blunder—she needs a monster. She calls him the Nightmare, an ancient, mercurial spirit trapped in her head. He protects her. He keeps her secrets. But nothing comes for free, especially magic. When Elspeth meets a mysterious highwayman on the forest road, her life takes a drastic turn. Thrust into a world of shadow and deception, she joins a dangerous quest to cure Blunder from the dark magic infecting it.

It's Peretti's ultimate monster story. And this time, the monster is real. Miles away from the hectic city, Reed and Rebecca hike into the beautiful Northwestern woods. They're surrounded by gorgeous mountains, waterfalls, and hundreds of acres of unspoiled wilderness. But something - or someone - begins closing in on them. Something no human has ever seen. And it's killing everyone in its path without remorse.

Not all monsters are fantasy. Some are very real, and they walk among us. They're our friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers. They're the people we're supposed to trust...and they know it. Contained within this anthology are 35 never-before-published works by supremely talented authors and best-selling novelists. Brace yourself for the unexpected and unimaginable horror of...human monsters.

All I wanted was to go to a good college and finally get my life started. Maybe meet someone, get my degree, and do something I'm passionate about. I just wish someone had told me that my physics professor could feed on my emotions and desires, the guy who sits next to me in astrology club would be hiding his fangs, and my first friend would have a secret of his own. An incubus and a vampire should have been manageable—up until their bloodlines were mixed with an unpredictable race of Zodiac Shifters.

After an ancient evil is awakened by a naïve pawn, the reign of Lilith is put into motion- a horrid plot planned centuries in advance by fallen angels. With a legion of demons at her command, she plans her revenge upon one of the world's largest religious groups, before thrusting herself center stage and taking her seat upon the throne as Queen of the World. With threats coming at them from every angle, the Monster Squad turns to an ex-member to form a new team - a team made up of the most unlikely warriors, destined to hunt down and destroy the Demon Queen.