Urban Short Stories

The Drayton Chronicles is a collection of novellas chronicling the evolution of a vampire. In "Drayton, The Taker:" Blake Barnes commits suicide by freezing on Mt. Hood. As his life fades, he assumes Death has come to him in the form of a young man. In his last moments, he asks Death to find his family, to tell them he's sorry. Drayton honors this last request as he absorbs Blake Barnes' waning essence. He travels to the Lowcountry of South Carolina to find his family. But saying sorry is not always as easy as the words imply.

Geschichten machen die Welt zu einem besseren Ort. New York im April 2020. Während des ersten Lockdowns wird das Dach ihres Mietshauses für die Bewohner zur überraschenden Zuflucht vor der Isolation. Jeden Abend treffen sie sich dort und erzählen einander ihre ungewöhnlichen, spannenden, komischen und bewegenden Geschichten. Jeder Mieter und jede Mieterin steuert eine bei (wahr oder zumindest gut erfunden), und ein neues Decamerone für unsere Zeit nimmt seinen Anfang. Allmählich findet die Runde zu einer unerwarteten Gemeinschaft und Anteilnahme füreinander.

Released one year after the publication of The King in Yellow - a milestone of supernaturalfiction - Robert W. Chambers’ title story of this short-story collection isconsidered one of his finest weird tales. It is followed by a series ofromantic art nouveau stories. Chambers’ love of natural scenery, symbolicanimal figures, and ghostly imagery are on full display as he weaves hischaracters through these otherworldly tales.

Two books in one box. Willow Rose's I Am Wolf and Song for a Gypsy. Both are part of the Wolfboy Chronicles, the story of the life of Sami the Wolfboy. I Am Wolf: They call me Wolfboy. Of that very simple reason that I am part-wolf, part-boy. I'm not immortal as many people might think, but I will live longer than most. Song for a Gypsy: Sara's life is drastically changed the moment a convoy of horse-drawn caravans enters the quiet Reidenburgerstrasse, where she lives with the people she thinks are her parents.

Quinlan used to have dreams about Queen Fand. She watched, unable to help as the goddess of the fairies was defeated, imprisoned, and finally enslaved to the Veilman. Now, those dreams don't just come to her at night. She's starting to believe that what she sees is real. She needs to learn the truth, and Shane Murphy might be the only one who can help her figure it out. Her boyfriend, Eli, refuses to believe, even though he sees the same things Quinlan sees. But there's so much more to it. Eli knows it's true, but he's not ready to admit it—yet.

Every state has an urban legend that evokes fear and curiosity in equal parts, and we've chronicled all of these logic-defying horrors here in the Haunted States of America anthology. From the Jersey Devil to La Llorona, each story included introduces a new chill inducing, stomach churning monster, specter, or poltergeist certain to keep you up at night. A broad ranging collection of authors, including seasoned veterans and some first timers making a fright-tastic debut, have all united to unearth the scariest lore from each state in the US, as well as D.C. and Puerto Rico.

A century and a quarter ago, Bram Stoker unleashed the unbridled horror of Count Dracula upon the world. We can only wonder if he ever imagined the impact his creation would have on not only the horror world, but across the globe. Vampires have become a foremost staple of horror stories and have been represented in both print and film countless times over the decades–and their mythos has grown unchecked, evolved, and taken root in the collective consciousness of old and young, horror fans and non-horror fans alike.

Everything they knew had been a lie. They didn’t belong here, and someone wanted them gone. Freya preferred to be alone serving lattes and trying not to fail calculus. It had been just her and the nerdy boy next door best friend Jamie. All of that changed when the dark and gorgeous stranger walked into the coffee shop. Dathen thought he had been okay with helping run his family’s local business, but the dreams were haunting him and drawing him to the girl surrounded in pink light. Seeking out his dream girl could get them all killed, but that kiss...

"Take these paths to the place where lost things go, karma vs. a promise, a ghost stepping out of a poster, a deal with the Devil over a football game and more: Nine adventures of contemporary magic and spirits, including triple award finalist/Twilight Zone episode “Wong’s Lost and Found Emporium.” (PG excerpt). “What’s wrong with you?” she demanded. “I want to know! Why are you so callous”? She snatched up the metal container from the floor in front of me and held it wrapped in her shawl. “Tell me now!” she screamed, right in front of me.

New Pittsburgh, 1898 - A crucible of invention and intrigue. Born from the ashes of devastating fire, flood, and earthquake, the city is ruled by the shadow government of The Oligarchy. In the swarming streets, people of a hundred nations drudge to feed the engines of progress. The Department of Supernatural Investigation was set up to take care of those things that live below, that go bump in the night...those odd cases that go beyond 'standard' investigation. Nicknamed 'Storm and Fury', Mitch Storm and Jacob Drangosavich are two of the more creative agents working in New Pittsburgh.

Upswings, downturns, bubbles, patent trolls and hackers, venture capitalists and start-ups: sometimes the modern world of high-tech companies seems as ruled by the Fates, the Furies and the Muses, as any classical Greek drama. In this collection of intertwined short stories, a Silicon Valley insider imagines the forces of antiquity still active in the 21st century - with apps, databases, and a serious yen for skim-milk lattes. Proceed with caution. Your future depends on what you do next.

Vier Schreibende - eine Mission: Euch das Staunen zu lehren. Auf dem Berliner Stammtisch des "Phantastik Autoren Netzwerks" des Dezember 2019 kam die Frage auf, ob es nicht Möglichkeiten gäbe, Montage phantastisch zu finden. Daraus entstand die Idee, jeden Montag eine phantastische Kurzgeschichte zu veröffentlichen. Vier Schreibende plus vier Montage und ein Thema pro Monat, schon war die Sache perfekt. Daher gibt es seit Januar 2020 jeden Montag eine neue phantastische Geschichte auf der Facebook- bzw. Instagram-Seite "Phantastischermontag" und auf unseren AutorInnen-Seiten.

La prima antologia italiana di Chen Qiufan, uno dei migliori autori emergenti nel panorama della fantascienza cinese. Che cosa succederebbe a un consulente di marketing se riuscisse a trovare la strategia perfetta per lanciare l'applicazione di maggior successo di sempre, la fantomatica "Buddhagram"? E cosa si cela dietro i movimenti sinuosi dei pesci di Lijiang, un paesino dove tanti professionisti finiscono per disintossicarsi da ritmi lavorativi disumani?

Linx Maxwell is on the verge of greatness. She's finally graduated from street fairs and hopping chain link to making art that pays the bills. Her family life is...not dull. And it looks like her van might just be able to exist on hope and duct tape. If only she could get rid of the ghost who's plagued her since the eighth grade.

Seabury Quinn's short stories were featured in well more than half of the pulp magazine Weird Tales' original publication run. His most famous character, the supernatural French detective Dr. Jules de Grandin, investigated cases involving monsters, devil worshippers, serial killers, and spirits from beyond the grave, often set in the small town of Harrisonville, New Jersey.

Before writing the Conan stories, Robert E. Howard wrote an alternate history of the world that included the origins of the various races and countries that formed the background of his most famous heroic character. This history shows where the Cimmerians originated and the tribes they fought to establish their kingdom. How did the backward skin-wearing Picts overrun an empire? The answers are here. Fans of the Conan stories will enjoy this grand view of the history of the Hyborian Age.

Over 40 best-selling short stories by USA Today best-selling author J.R. Rain.

Ten-year-old Jason Meechum is a quiet boy who hides in fantasy and science-fiction books. Other kids pick on and make fun of him, but he suffers through it. That's because Jason has a secret. A secret of pain and fear. A secret he wants to tell but can't. All of that is about to change because Jason will be the recipient of something special. Something beautiful, mysterious, wondrous, and odd. Tonight, Jason will be the bearer of two secrets that will meet for the first time. Only one will survive. The outcome will determine if 10-year-old Jason will live to see age 11.

When a sandcastle is built, it looks good but soon the waves of nature and outside forces become bent on destroying it. So it was for a marriage that looked good from the outside. In an attempt to strengthen what was already crumbling, Godfrey and his wife, Miriam, embarked on a holiday to Venice to bolster their marriage. He became obsessed with religion and its negative effect on life, as well as admiring topless women on the beach, while she became more and more bored. The whole holiday became a disaster for both of them.

Sasha is a single mother and the youngest of her two sisters. Drama followers her everywhere and her sister, Stacey and Randi are fed up with her short temper and untamed tongue. Their relationship with Sasha seems toxic due to her unbearable irresponsible lifestyle. She faces many trails but relies on her good looks to get her out of trouble. Until she finally gets a wake up call.