Urban Horror

It had been almost a century and a half since I last encountered anyone from the Order of the Morning Dawn. They were religious fundamentalists with the dual goal of eliminating vampires and witches. Being both a vampire and a witch, I was the embodiment of everything the Order hates. Their first attempt to eliminate me failed. Thanks to the fact that my mentor in the craft was also a necromancer.

Hecate’s social life is looking up. Her sister is getting married, the new brother-in-law-to-be is a really good guy, and his family is helping Hecate fill in the gaps of her knowledge of what the hell she is. Her grandfather’s ghost is convinced that she needs to become a ghost hunter in her family tradition. She has attempted to tell him that her way is more appropriate, but it is hard to get a new idea into the minds of the deceased. When her grandfather’s assistant arrives, Hecate is in for a shock. Not only is he pale as marble, but he is also as solid as the stone as well.

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 getting caught turning wolf on national television, Kitty retreats to a mountain cabin to recover and write her memoirs. But this is Kitty, so trouble is never far behind, and instead of Walden Pond, she gets Evil Dead.

For the fans of The DaVinci Code - with three generations of extraordinary women keeping alive the ancient Goddess faith. "Whenever you are of need, come to Me when the moon is full and I, Hecate, Queen of all witches, will guide you, my daughter, to your heart's desire."

With their magic diminishing, warring factions of New Orleans witches desperately search for the Book of the Unwinding - a legendary grimoire, hidden by spells, that holds the key to unimaginable powers. As a ruthless struggle erupts in a maelstrom of malevolent magic, psychic Nathalie Boudreau finds her destiny intertwined with that of an exiled witch. Her name is Alice Marin, a vulnerable young woman trapped in a realm of illusion. Only Nathalie can free her, but first she must come to understand and master her own extraordinary abilities.

Magic is seeping out of the world, leaving the witches who've relied on it for countless centuries increasingly hopeless. While some see an inevitable end of their era, others are courting madness - willing to sacrifice former allies, friends, and family to retain the power they covet. While the other witches watch their reality unravel, young Alice Marin is using magic's waning days to delve into the mystery of numerous disappearances in the occult circles of New Orleans.

Legends say that the world was once filled with evil until the mighty Jade Emperor split it into three, Heaven, Hell, and Earth. He banished the demons and left the Sun and the Moon to watch over mankind. But one of those banished, Xuè Lóng the Blood Dragon, was enraged by his punishment and vowed to return and wreak havoc on humanity.

William Maltese's Flicker number one Book of Answers chronicles the rise of one all-knowing, all-seeing, all-powerful teenage Grand Master Magician, and the battles fought by old and young, by magic (black and white), by demons, beasts, and humans.

This second novel in the acclaimed Greywalker series finds PI Blaine Harper investigating a chilling case as Halloween approaches. After university researchers create an artificial poltergeist, the team leader suspects someone is faking the phenomena. When a student is murdered, Blaine is asked to investigate. Stepping into the spirit world, she realizes the haunting may be very real. But that doesn't necessarily mean a ghost did the killing.

She has been dealing with the demonic all her life, so when her brother gets tangled up with a demon named Sparkles, "Luna the Lunatic" rolls in on her motorcycle to save the day. Armed with the ability to harm demons, her scathing sarcasm, and a hefty chip on her shoulder, Luna gathers the most unusual of allies, teaming up with a green-eyed heroin addict and a snarky demon of "some import". After all, outcasts of a feather should stick together...even until the end.

In Ghost of a Smile, the Ghost Finders answer a desperate call for help from one of the world’s biggest drug companies. A team of police enforcement agents has already disappeared, and the Ghost Finders have no idea how to proceed. But they’d better figure something out fast, because time is running out—and failure means an entire building full of innocent victims will cease to exist.

In his quest to destroy the Dark Fae, the Dragon King known as Kiril goes to Ireland as a spy. When a gorgeous, mysterious woman tries to seduce him, Kiril instantly sees through her glamour to the Dark Fae beneath. Shara isn't just any Dark; she's from one of the most powerful bloodlines. And despite the dangers, Kiril can't stay away from her. He is enthralled by her smile and enslaved by the undeniable passion. Shara has one chance to make things right with her family and to prove her worth.

Meet the operatives of the Carnacki Institute - JC Chance: the team leader, brave, charming, and almost unbearably arrogant; Melody Chambers: the science geek who keeps the antisupernatural equipment running; and Happy Jack Palmer: the terminally gloomy telepath. Their mission: do something about ghosts. Lay them to rest, send them packing, or just kick their nasty, ectoplasmic arses....

The sexy, thrilling adventures continue in best-selling author Keri Arthur's new Dark Angels series, set in the realm of danger and desire known as the Guardian World.... Half-werewolf, half-Aedh Risa Jones can enter the realm between life and death, and she can see the Reapers who collect the souls of the dead. Now, she is using her gifts - and the investigative know-how of a man who broke her heart - to find a cabal searching for the power to control time, reality, and fate. And this is besides her work for the Vampire Council, half of whom want her dead.

Even the dead have to work for a living. This time, a priceless heirloom bracelet's been stolen from the wealthy Sebastian Pierce. And guess who's been hired to find it? I'll give you a hint: Me. Pierce has plenty of hard cash, a soft heart - and a hot-blooded daughter named Marian. Marian has big eyes for yours truly - and a very jealous boyfriend. And me? I have a night job I can really sink my teeth into.

In the seventh entry in Carrie Vaughn's best-selling Kitty Norville series, a publicity stunt turns into a fight for the popular radio talk show host's life.

Addiction is an affliction. As you crave you endure sweats, irritations, sleepless nights. Your life suffers, your job suffers.... Your family suffers. But you need it. You have to have your fix. Joe O'Hara is having a bad morning, and it's just about to get worse. A random road traffic accident sends him on the path to addiction. Crack is the only thing that can give him any relief from his living hell - but it's a far cry from the crack you might think it is.

The Ghost Finders are investigating a haunting at the long-abandoned Haybarn Theater, which is being renovated. But work has been thrown off-schedule by the some peculiar and unnatural activities. And after the potentially world-altering recent events of their previous assignment, the team thinks that a haunted theater (aren't they all?) will be a walk in the park.

My name's Bill Ryder and I have no life, but not because I enjoy video games or D&D. I literally have no heartbeat thanks to the night I met Sally. She was too good to be true, a woman to die for. So I did, bleeding out with my throat torn open. Problem is, I didn't stay dead. Now I'm a vampire, surrounded by other vamps who are stronger and faster – not to mention better looking. It's enough to give a guy a complex. Worse, their leader, a douche called Night Razor, can't stand me.