Vampires of the Desert (Cryptofiction Classics - Weird Tales of Strange Creatures)


Book Description

This early work by A. Hyatt Verrill was originally published in 1929 and we are now republishing it with a brand new introductory biography as part of our Cryptofiction Classics series. 'Vampires of the Desert' is a short story about a paleontologist that discovers an mysterious ancient creature that was sucking the blood from its victims. Alpheus Hyatt Verrill was born in 1871. A graduate of Yale University, he wrote on a variety of topics, ranging from natural history and whaling to juvenile adventures and science fiction. Over the course of his career, he produced some 115 books. However, he was probably best known the travelogues he penned while exploring the Americas and the Caribbean. The Cryptofiction Classics series contains a collection of wonderful stories from some of the greatest authors in the genre, including Ambrose Bierce, Arthur Conan Doyle, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Jack London. From its roots in cryptozoology, this genre features bizarre, fantastical, and often terrifying tales of mythical and legendary creatures. Whether it be giant spiders, werewolves, lake monsters, or dinosaurs, the Cryptofiction Classics series offers a fantastic introduction to the world of weird creatures in fiction.




Rovers


Book Description

Two immortal brothers crisscross the American Southwest to elude a murderous biker gang and protect a young woman in this “utter triumph and delight” from award-winning author Richard Lange (Jonathan Ames, author of A Man Named Doll). Summer, 1976. Jesse and his brother, Edgar, are on the road in search of victims. They’re rovers, nearly indestructible nocturnal beings who must consume human blood in order to survive. For seventy years they’ve lurked on the fringes of society, roaming from town to town, dingy motel to dingy motel, stalking the transients, addicts, and prostitutes they feed on. This hard-boiled supernatural hell ride kicks off when the brothers encounter a young woman who disrupts their grim routine, forcing Jesse to confront his past and plunging his present into deadly chaos as he finds himself scrambling to save her life. The story plays out through the eyes of the brothers, a grieving father searching for his son’s murderer, and a violent gang of rover bikers, coming to a shattering conclusion in Las Vegas on the eve of America’s Bicentennial. Gripping, relentless, and ferocious, Rovers demonstrates once again why Richard Lange has been hailed as an “expert writer, his prose exact, his narrative tightly controlled” (Steph Cha, Los Angeles Times). Finalist for the 2022 Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award




Terror in the Desert


Book Description

Set in the American Southwest, "desert terror" films combine elements from horror, film noir and road movies to tell stories of isolation and violence. For more than half a century, these diverse and troubling films have eluded critical classification and analysis. Highlighting pioneering filmmakers and bizarre production stories, the author traces the genre's origins and development, from cult exploitation (The Hills Have Eyes, The Hitcher) to crowd-pleasing franchises (Tremors, From Dusk Till Dawn) to quirky auteurist fare (Natural Born Killers, Lost Highway) to more recent releases (Bone Tomahawk, Nocturnal Animals). Rare stills, promotional materials and a filmography are included.




Eco-Vampires


Book Description

This work studies the ways vampiric narratives explore the eco-friendly credentials of the undead. Many of these texts and films show the vampire to be an essential part of a global ecosystem and an organism that can no longer tolerate the all-consuming forces of globalization and consumerism. Re-examining Bram Stoker's Dracula and a range of other vampire narratives, primarily films, in a fresh light, this book reveals the nosferatu as both a plague on humankind and the eco-warriors that planet Earth desperately needs.




The Vampire Book


Book Description

The Ultimate Collection of Vampire Facts and Fiction From Vlad the Impaler to Barnabas Collins to Edward Cullen to Dracula and Bill Compton, renowned religion expert and fearless vampire authority J. Gordon Melton, PhD takes the reader on a vast, alphabetic tour of the psychosexual, macabre world of the blood-sucking undead. Digging deep into the lore, myths, pop culture, and reported realities of vampires and vampire legends from across the globe, The Vampire Book: The Encyclopedia of the Undead exposes everything about the blood thirsty predator. Death and immortality, sexual prowess and surrender, intimacy and alienation, rebellion and temptation. The allure of the vampire is eternal, and The Vampire Book explores it all. The historical, literary, mythological, biographical, and popular aspects of one of the world's most mesmerizing paranormal subject. This vast reference is an alphabetical tour of the psychosexual, macabre world of the soul-sucking undead. In the first fully revised and updated edition in a decade, Dr. J. Gordon Melton (president of the American chapter of the Transylvania Society of Dracula) bites even deeper into vampire lore, myths, reported realities, and legends that come from all around the world. From Transylvania to plague-infested Europe to Nostradamus and from modern literature to movies and TV series, this exhaustive guide furnishes more than 500 essays to quench your thirst for facts, biographies, definitions, and more.




Real Vampires, Night Stalkers and Creatures from the Darkside


Book Description

Not only do vampires exist, but they walk among us! Paranormal researcher extraordinaire and author of hundreds of books on the mysterious and unknown, Brad Steiger, reveals that real vampires are not immortal, do not have fangs or sleep in coffins, and have no fear of sunlight or crucifixes. A chilling chronicle of the often-ignored history of vampirism, Real Vampires, Night Stalkers, and Creatures from the Darkside is a shocking account of occultist rituals and the inhuman forces that influence these immortal beasts. From spine-tingling classic tales—Vlad the Impaler, the Countess of Blood—to stories of famous mass-murderers and their shocking, cannibalistic, and vampire-like behavior—Jack the Ripper, the Zodiac Killer, Jeffrey Dahmer—to hair-raising testimony from ordinary people who’ve encountered vampires, and finally to interviews with modern vampires themselves, this frightening collection covers them all. Not for the faint of heart, you’ll encounter 163 terrifying tales of the hideous wraiths and creatures that lurk in shadow, including . . . the Mexican prostitute who mesmerized an entire village, convincing them she was an Incan goddess who required human sacrifice for her magic. the three teenagers who left a trail across the South as they conducted blood-drinking rituals with animals. the mysterious Lady in Black, who draws psychic energy from men who dare approach her as she wanders through city streets and parks. the young bride-to-be possessed by an evil spirit pretending to be her recently deceased uncle. the college student who thought that he had gotten lucky when he was invited to a party by a gorgeous woman—until he found out that the other partygoers seemed to want blood in return for their beer. Shining a light on the horrifying truth, Real Vampires, Night Stalkers, and Creatures from the Darkside dispels many myths but also confirms the truth behind several traits of real vampires. You’ll encounter loathsome slashers, rippers, and murderers who do not promise immortality with their “bite,” only a painful death. The numerous photos and illustrations bring the text to life!




Desert of the Heart


Book Description

“A landmark work of lesbian fiction” and the basis for the acclaimed film Desert Hearts (The New York Times). Against the backdrop of Reno, Nevada, in the late 1950s, award-winning author Jane Rule chronicles a love affair between two women. When Desert of the Heart opens, Evelyn Hall is on a plane that will take her from her old life in Oakland, California, to Reno, where she plans to divorce her husband of sixteen years. A voluntary exile in a brave new world, she meets a woman who will change her life. Fifteen years younger, Ann Childs works as a change apron in a casino. Evelyn is instantly drawn to the fiercely independent Ann, and their friendship soon evolves into a romantic relationship. An English professor who had always led a conventional life, Evelyn suddenly finds all her beliefs about love, morality, and identity called into question. Peopled by a cast of unforgettable characters, this is a novel that dares to ask whether love between two women can last.




The Desert Prince


Book Description

An epic fantasy adventure set in the beloved world of the Demon Cycle, following a new generation of heroes, from New York Times bestselling author Peter V. Brett “Heart-wrenching, smart, and modern . . . The Desert Prince has set a new standard for fantasy.”—Wesley Chu, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The War Arts Saga Fifteen years have passed since the end of the war with demons, creatures of darkness who have hunted the night and plagued humanity since time out of mind. The heroes of humanity’s hour of need have become legend, and those who remain struggle to escape their shadows. Olive Paper and Darin Bales have grown up in this new peaceful world. Demons have been all but destroyed, but dangers still lurk for the children of heroes. Olive, princess of Hollow, has her entire life planned out by her mother, Duchess Leesha Paper: a steady march on a checklist to prepare her for succession. The more her mother writes the script, the more Olive rails against playing the parts she is assigned. Darin faces challenges of a different kind. Though free to choose his own path, the weight of legacy hangs heavy around his shoulders. It isn’t easy being the son of the man people say saved the world. Everyone expects greatness from Darin, but the only thing he’s ever been great at is hiding. When Olive and Darin step across the wards one night, they learn the demons are not all gone, and those that remain hunger for revenge. Events are set in motion that only prophecy can foresee as Olive and Darin seek to find their own places in the world in time to save it again.




The Vampire Film


Book Description

This introductory volume offers an elegant analysis of the enduring appeal of the cinematic vampire. From Georges Méliès' early cinematic experiments to Twilight and Let the Right One In, the history of vampires in cinema can be organized by a handful of governing principles that help make sense of this movie monster's remarkable fecundity. Among these principles are that the cinematic vampire is invariably about sex and the vexed human relationship with technology, and that the vampire is always an overdetermined body condensing what a culture considers other. This volume includes in-depth studies of films including Powell's A Fool There Was, Franco's Vampyros Lesbos, Cronenberg's Rabid, Kümel's Daughters of Darkness, and Merhige's Shadow of the Vampire.




The Desert Spear


Book Description

Continues the adventures of reluctant savior Arlen Bales, who wonders at the identity of a spear-wielding figure that emerges from the desert and leads a vast army intent on a holy war against the demons that have forced humankind to seek the refuge of powerful spells.