Figures Unseen: Selected Stories


Book Description

In the worlds of Steve Rasnic Tem a father takes his son “fishing” in the deepest part of downtown, flayed rabbits visit a suburban back yard, a man is haunted by a surrealistic nightmare of crutches, a father is unable to rescue his son from a nightmare of trees, a bereaved man transforms memories of his wife into performance art, great moving cliffs of detritus randomly prowl the world, a seemingly pointless life finds final expression in bits of folded paper, a nuclear holocaust brings about a new mythology, an isolated man discovers he’s part of a terrifying community, a photographer discovers the unexpected in the faces of dead children, and a couple’s aging dismantles reality. Winner of the World Fantasy, British Fantasy and Bram Stoker Awards, Tem has earned a reputation as one of the finest and most original short fiction writers of our time, blending elements of horror, dark fantasy, science fiction and surreal nightmare into a genre uniquely his own. This new volume collects for the first time thirty-five of Tem’s best tales, selected by the author, and includes an introduction by Simon Strantzas.




Things Not Seen


Book Description

Winner of American Library Association Schneider Family Book Award! Bobby Phillips is an average fifteen-year-old-boy. Until the morning he wakes up and can't see himself in the mirror. Not blind, not dreaming-Bobby is just plain invisible. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to Bobby's new condition; even his dad the physicist can't figure it out. For Bobby that means no school, no friends, no life. He's a missing person. Then he meets Alicia. She's blind, and Bobby can't resist talking to her, trusting her. But people are starting to wonder where Bobby is. Bobby knows that his invisibility could have dangerous consequences for his family and that time is running out. He has to find out how to be seen again-before it's too late.




Yours to Tell


Book Description

Steve Rasnic Tem and Melanie Tem are no strangers to the writing business. Between the two of them, they have published more than 600 short stories, 20 novels, and 10 short story collections. Not to mention numerous articles, essays, poems, and plays. They’ve won the World Fantasy Award, British Fantasy Award, and Bram Stoker Award. In this book they go over everything from the mechanics of writing, to how to find the time to write, to dealing with all the paper writers tend to collect. They discuss plot, point of view, setting, characterization, and more, all in an informal tone that invites you to become part of their conversation. Learn how to find your stories because they are Yours to Tell.




The Man in the Picture


Book Description

The author of The Woman in Black returns to the realm of supernatural hauntings in a tale that “chills the blood gently like fine wine” (The Guardian, UK). When Oliver returns to Cambridge, he makes sure to pay a visit to his former professor, now retired and living in a small college apartment. Oliver can’t help but notice a peculiar painting on the wall; a mysterious depiction of masked revelers at the Venice carnival. Yet in the foreground, there is an anachronistically modern figure. On this cold winter’s night, the old professor has decided to reveal the painting’s eerie secret. The dark art of the Venetian scene, instead of imitating life, has the power to entrap it. To stare into the painting is to play dangerously with the unseen demons it hides, and become the victim of its macabre beauty.




The Best of the Best Horror of the Year


Book Description

***One of Publishers Weekly's ""Most Anticipated Books of Fall 2018""*** A group of mountain climbers, caught in the dark, fight to survive their descent; in the British countryside, hundreds of magpies ascend into the sky, higher and higher, until they seem to vanish into the heavens; a professor and his student track a zombie horde in order to research zombie behavior; an all-girl riding school has sinister secrets; a town rails in vain against a curse inflicted upon it by its founders. For more than three decades, editor and anthologist Ellen Datlow, winner of multiple Hugo, Bram Stoker, and World Fantasy awards, has had her finger on the pulse of the horror genre, introducing readers to writers whose tales can unnerve, frighten, and terrify. This anniversary volume, which collects the best stories from the first ten years of her annual The Best Horror of the Year anthology series, includes fiction from award-winning and critically acclaimed authors Neil Gaiman, Livia Llewellyn, Laird Barron, Gemma Files, Stephen Graham Jones, and many more. TABLE OF CONTENTS: Introduction―Ellen Datlow Lowland Sea―Suzy McKee Charnas Wingless Beasts―Lucy Taylor The Nimble Men―Glen Hirshberg Little America―Dan Chaon Black and White Sky―Tanith Lee The Monster Makers―Steve Rasnic Tem Chapter Six―Stephen Graham Jones In a Cavern, in a Canyon―Laird Barron Allochthon―Livia Llewellyn Shepherds’ Business―Stephen Gallagher Down to a Sunless Sea―Neil Gaiman The Man from the Peak―Adam Golaski In Paris, In the Mouth of Kronos―John Langan The Moraine―Simon Bestwick At the Riding School―Cody Goodfellow Cargo―E.Michael Lewis Tender as Teeth―Stephanie Crawford & Duane Swierczynski Wild Acre―Nathan Ballingrud The Callers―Ramsey Campbell This Stagnant Breath of Change―Brian Hodge Grave Goods―Gemma Files The Ballad of Ballard and Sandrine―Peter Straub Majorlena―Jane Jakeman The Days of Our Lives―Adam L. G. Nevill You Can Stay All Day―Mira Grant No Matter Which Way We Turned―Brian Evenson Nesters―Siobhan Carroll Better You Believe―Carole Johnstone About the Authors Acknowledgment of Copyright About the Editor




A Hope in the Unseen


Book Description

The inspiring, true coming-of-age story of a ferociously determined young man who, armed only with his intellect and his willpower, fights his way out of despair. In 1993, Cedric Jennings was a bright and ferociously determined honor student at Ballou, a high school in one of Washington D.C.’s most dangerous neighborhoods, where the dropout rate was well into double digits and just 80 students out of more than 1,350 boasted an average of B or better. At Ballou, Cedric had almost no friends. He ate lunch in a classroom most days, plowing through the extra work he asked for, knowing that he was really competing with kids from other, harder schools. Cedric Jennings’s driving ambition—which was fully supported by his forceful mother—was to attend a top college. In September 1995, after years of near superhuman dedication, he realized that ambition when he began as a freshman at Brown University. But he didn't leave his struggles behind. He found himself unprepared for college: he struggled to master classwork and fit in with the white upper-class students. Having traveled too far to turn back, Cedric was left to rely on his intelligence and his determination to maintain hope in the unseen—a future of acceptance and reward. In this updated edition, A Hope in the Unseen chronicles Cedric’s odyssey during his last two years of high school, follows him through his difficult first year at Brown, and tells the story of his subsequent successes in college and the world of work. Eye-opening, sometimes humorous, and often deeply moving, A Hope in the Unseen weaves a crucial new thread into the rich and ongoing narrative of the American experience.




The Canterbury Nightmares


Book Description

The Canterbury Nightmares is a collection of stories from the edge of the abyss. Combining the essence of Chaucer’s pilgrims on their journey to a shrine, with what appeared to be the end of a global pandemic, these tales were born in a time when personal connections were few, breathing the air in a grocery store felt unsafe, and the country was dissolving into seemingly irreparable divisions. Eleven travelers heading out to visit The Grand Canyon. All of them have their reasons. All of them have their losses, and their pain. All of them are dark. From an old man taking a promised journey with his wife, to a congregation that has lost its way, from different backgrounds and cultures, to different ways of dealing with grief, loss, and isolation, this book will take you places you do not expect. Contents: The Old Man's Tale – Steve Rasnic Tem The Liberation of Brother Buffalo – Michael Boatman Think of the Family – Ai Jiang To See Her in Sepia – Scott J. Moses The Preditor's Tale – Terence Taylor The Wife of Wrath's Tale – John B. Rosenman The Secret Place: A Knight’s Tale – Stephen Mark Rainey The Sacred Clarion – S. A. Cosby The Tour Guide's Tale – Anna Tambour Every Form of Person – J. A. W. McCarthy Vending Machine Girl – Eric LaRocca




Poe's Short Stories


Book Description




EDGAR ALLAN POE: 72 Short Stories and Novels & 80+ Poems; Including Essays, Letters & Biography (Illustrated)


Book Description

Edgar Allan Poe's collection of 72 short stories, novels, and over 80 poems, along with essays, letters, and biography, offers a comprehensive insight into the mind of this renowned American literary figure. Poe's unique blend of macabre themes, psychological depth, and intricate symbolism sets him apart as a pioneer of Gothic fiction and a master of the short story form. His hauntingly beautiful prose and melancholic tone create a sense of unease and suspense that captivates readers from start to finish. This illustrated edition allows readers to fully immerse themselves in Poe's world, appreciating both the words on the page and the visual depictions that accompany them. Edgar Allan Poe's personal struggles, including the loss of loved ones and battles with alcoholism, heavily influenced his writing and added a profound depth to his exploration of themes such as death, love, and madness. His ability to craft intricate plots and memorable characters reflects his keen understanding of human psychology and his fascination with the darker aspects of human nature. I highly recommend Edgar Allan Poe's collection to readers who appreciate gothic literature, psychological depth, and masterful storytelling. This comprehensive volume showcases Poe's diverse talents and offers a unique glimpse into the mind of one of America's most celebrated literary figures.




Blood


Book Description

A collection of “mesmerizing tales, each one creepier than the next” that go beyond the traditional vampire myths (Library Journal). When we think of vampires, an image instantly arises: fangs sunk deep into the throat of the victim. But bloodsucking is merely one form of vampirism. For this brilliantly original anthology, multiple award-winning editor Ellen Datlow solicited stories from many of the most powerfully dark voices in contemporary horror, who conjure tales that will chill readers to the marrow. In addition to the traditional fanged creatures, Datlow presents stories about the leeching of emotion, the draining of the soul, and other dark deeds of predation and exploitation, infestation, and evisceration . . . tales of life essence, literal or metaphorical, stolen. Seventeen stories by such acclaimed authors as Elizabeth Bear, Richard Bowes, Kathe Koja, Margo Lanagan, Carol Emshwiller, and Lisa Tuttle redefine the terror of vampirism.