Monster Fiction

From the second I saw her, I knew she’d be my ruin. Sitting all alone at the bar, she looked like an angel. Eurydice in human form; her beauty eclipsed by demons. Now, I’m one of them. The ghost she’s tried for years to escape. Thinking I wouldn’t be able to find her. But I never stopped trying, and now that I have, her past sins should be the least of her worries.

Eleven-year-old Josh and 12-year-old Amanda just moved into the oldest and weirdest house on the block - the two siblings think it might even be haunted! But of course their parents don't believe them. You'll get used to it, they say. Go out and make some new friends. But the creepy kids are not like anyone Josh and Amanda have ever met before. And when they take a shortcut through the cemetery one night, Josh and Amanda learn why.

Mukohda was brought to another world from modern Japan by falling victim to a “Hero Summoning.” Though he managed to conquer a dungeon along with his three familiars, Fel, Sui, and Dora-chan, in the end they just went back to enjoying their carefree trip. After ordeals like suffering the envious gazes of new adventurers, and destroying an orc settlement, Mukohda finally arrives at the seaside town of Berléand. Now that they’ve come to the ocean, there is but one thing to do—fully enjoy their longtime goal, the bounty of the sea!!

"Perfect deadpan marks the opening of Ali Simpson’s The Monster'" writes Susan Merrell of The Southampton Review in her introduction to this issue of Recommended Reading.

Especially a matchmaker who works at the kind of paranormal bathhouse that would have grandmothers clutching their pearls. A worse look is a matchmaker experiencing a crisis of confidence. I am that matchmaker.

The Hangsane are coming at Josh and the Misfits like a raging beast, and it's relentless. Having discovered the lost city of Telemar and found the Angel Stone, they find themselves trapped in the drow castle. If they can break free, they’ll have to fight their way across the mountains.

Ben is really coming into his title of Draco Rex. Not only has he discovered a new species of dragon, but now Jemma has bonded to the baby fire-breather named Tirian. And there are more dragons out there just waiting to be found.

When I'm back at school for my last few weeks of college, I find normalcy for the first time in months. Despite getting comfortable, I can't give Rook and Oliver the answer they so clearly want, even if it's not the one they want to hear. They have to understand it's not that easy. Don't they? Following them across the country brings more than just new house problems and adjusting to their lifestyle. Issues from not so long ago come to light, and I realize I'm not as normal as I'd hoped to be, after killing my professor for what he did to me.

Alchemist Zoe Faust is no stranger to magical mayhem, but when her boyfriend's new tea shop is vandalized and his special tea blends stolen, she plunges into a baffling mystery to save him. The clues lead Zoe and her gargoyle sidekick Dorian to an eerie mansion high in the Portland hills, filled with creeping carnivorous plants and enigmatic topiary monsters. When they stumble across a corpse in the conservatory that appears to have been killed by sinister shrubbery, an estranged member of the family is implicated in the murder.

When I—along with my best friend and his big purple monster boyfriend—come across a fortress-like raider camp while journeying across the monster-infested Wastes, we stop to deliver a message. Somehow, that simple pit stop turns into a seemingly impossible quest to get this camp's missing leader out of the prison where he's being held and forced to fight monsters and other humans. I know exactly where it is because I've been there. Problem is, I'm making this journey with the prickliest and most arrogant guy I've ever met, who seems to hate me on sight. Oh, and he's also half-monster.

After pacifying the old Earth underground military base and defeating the Sleem, Tyson Dawes and Silken Sands are flush with new items and morties. But the Dearth Conglomerate has been circling over them in Arizona, and they want his land. Which wouldn't be such a problem if the boss weren't such an incompetent and spoiled child.

What could possibly be the most infuriating thing to a vampire disgusted by the internet? A twenty-six-year-old social media influencer who just ran out on her cheating ex-fiancé and insists on staying in Vlad's quiet castle. But he needs money to repair his ancestral home, and Aubrey needs a place to lick her wounds after getting her heart broken. He is ready to have humans invading his space. He is not, however, ready for her.

“Our secrets are out, so why remain enemies? You always knew I was a pretty little monster. Why are you so shocked that I’m a villain?” Oh, how the tables have turned. With painful truths revealed, I, Alpha Malifer Nightshade, must now face the consequences of my deceit. I played a dangerous game, hoping no one would put the pieces together, but I failed to account for one strong opponent: my fated mate.

Whenever Mark puts his new, ultra-rare trading card into play, bad things happen to his opponents after the game has ended.

Henry is a little creeped out by his new apartment. For one thing, the previous tenants died a few weeks before he moved in. For another, there's a gas leak somewhere in the building and the smell is starting to seep into his clothes. Just when Henry thinks things couldn't get much worse, one of the former tenants pays him a midnight visit.

Pie and Pell are like two peas in a pod: meant for each other, madly in love, and living their best lives as Mr. and Mrs. Monster of Saint Mark’s...kind of. Pie is dreading her new job working for the tall, dark, and sleek Modern Minotaur. And the irony that just a few weeks ago she was demanding that Pell allow her to get a job to support the sanctuary, isn’t lost. It’s like the gods are playing with her on purpose. Pell is still his grumpy self but he’s got a new job as well—babysitting a bag of magic rings that seem to have a mind of their own.

Kit may be the youngest wizard ever, but she sure doesn’t feel like the best wizard. Her magic just keeps going wrong, and other weird stuff is happening too: talking animals, exploding fireballs, and a strange new arrival in the local park. Even Dogon (the half dog, half dragon) is droopy! So Kit and her two best friends - animal-whispering Alita and studious Josh - set off with Faith the librarian to investigate this wild magic that’s causing so much commotion. Their journey takes them to a Scottish loch, where they meet an eco-conscious wizard and some very grumpy mermaids.

This issue of Weird Tales presents a variety of stories, essays, and poems about cryptids and urban legends. Not to dispel, but to reveal.

After a horrible marriage, Haggard has zero plans of ever finding a woman again. One-night stands not counting, he adores his life as a single man. There are no expectations. No "where are yous" and "are you coming homes". The life he chooses to live is a simple one. Until he makes a huge mistake, and he steps over that line between "daughter’s best friend" and "a woman he desperately wants". Before long, he can’t stop thinking about her. Can’t stop wanting her. Can’t stop feeling things for her that a man 20 years her senior should never feel for a girl he watched grow up.

Tess Snow has everything she ever wanted: one more semester before a career in property development, a loving boyfriend, and a future dazzling bright with possibility. For their two-year anniversary, Brax surprises Tess with a romantic trip to Mexico. Sandy beaches, delicious cocktails, and soul-connecting sex set the mood for a wonderful holiday. With a full heart, and looking forward to a passion filled week, Tess is on top of the world. But lusty paradise is shattered. Kidnapped. Drugged. Stolen.