The witches who populate these 100 delightfully scary stories include practitioners of white witchcraft and devotees of black magic. Most are female, some are male, and a few are thoroughly unclassifiable. They can be born witches or made witches, and may mix simple love potions or volatile concoctions that threaten all we hold dear. Some resent not receiving the treatment they feel they deserve from lesser mortals; yet other witches don't even realize that they wield any special influence at all. The many writers who take on this ever-fascinating character (so fundamentally human unlike her more paranormal, ghostly brethren) include Juleen Brantingham ("Burning in the Light"), Joe R. Landsdale ("By the Hair of the Head"), Simon McCaffery ("Blood Mary"), Terry Campbell ("Retrocurses"), Lawrence Shimel ("Coming Out of the Broom Closet"), and a coven of others.

Very few things are more frightening than unearthly creatures conceived by the masterminds of supernatural fiction. This collection of the macabre renders a large scope of such creatures, from the mythical beast in F. Murray Gilchrist's "The Basilisk," to the horrifying Shape in the Japanese legend Lafacadio Hearn translates as "jikininki," as well as the preternatural horse in Edgar Allan Poe's "Metzengerstein," and the ominous entries in E.F. Benson's "Caterpillars." This volume will take you from the invisible visitors in Hugh B. Cave's "Take Me, for Instance," to a child 's imagination taking on a life of it's own in Robert Weinberg's "Night Shapes."

Brian McNaughton's masterful "nasty stories" will shock, amaze, and delight you. From twists upon medieval torture chambers to the weirdest Little Red Riding Hood you'll ever meet, Nasty Stories will take your breath away and hold you rapt: a delightful nightmare of terror and humor in equal parts. Once you've read it, you'll know to be afraid!

Witches and warlocks have been part of the fantasy field since its beginning. After all, you need someone to actually use magic if you're going to have it in your story. And magic-users can appear in any setting, from ancient Rome to the modern world, from imaginary kingdoms to the old Salem colony. Here are 25 tales spanning time and space, with only one things in common (aside from great storytelling): witches and warlocks! Included are: WITCHES, by Janet Fox THE TRAP, by Henry S. Whitehead and H.P. Lovecraft ELOMA'S SECOND CAREER, by Lorie Calkins SALEM'S CHILDREN, by Mary Leader THE INN OF THE TWO WITCHES: A FIND, by Joseph Conrad THE WITCH OF FAITH LANE, by Skadi meic Beorh YOU SHALL HAVE THIS DELICACY, by Mark McLaughlin THE CRIMES OF LADY FOWLIS, by Eliza Lynn Linton THE HORNED WOMEN, by Lady Wilde THE VOICE IN THE NIGHT, by William J. Wintle AD GEHENNAM TECUM, by Robert Reginald LOIS THE WITCH, by Elizabeth Gaskell THE SIX SKILLS OF MADAME LUMIERE, by Marissa Lingen THE HOLLOW OF THE THREE HILLS, by Nathaniel Hawthorne SMALL MAGIC, by Janet Fox OLD DEB AND OTHER OLD COLONY WITCHES, by William Root Bliss THE LEGEND OF THE PIPE, by Launcelot THE JUSTICE-BEARER, by Cynthia Ward DEMONS ARE A GHOUL'S BEST FRIEND, by M.E. Brines THE SORCERER EVORAGDOU, by Darrell Schweitzer SCREAMING IN SILENCE, by C.J. Henderson & Bruce Gehweiler THE UNBELIEVER, by Janet Fox THE ROBBERY, by Cynthia Ward KEEPING UP APPEARANCES, by Lawrence Watt-Evans BRIGHT STREETS OF AIR, by Nina Kiriki Hoffman And don't forget to search this ebook store for "Wildside Press Megapack" to see the 260+ entries in the MEGAPACK® series, covering science fiction, fantasy, horror, mysteries, westerns, author collections...and much, much more!

Steve Rasnic Tem once said his writing was filtered through “a different lens to view the world.” With a style all his own, Tem has galvanized and thrilled fans of weird fiction worldwide. His efforts have earned him the Bram Stoker, World Fantasy and British Fantasy Awards. His métier is the monstrous secret, the unsettling darkness hidden within all of us. “Bedtime Story” opens with a line that defines Tem’s style: “I don’t know why bad things happen. There’s never a good reason. They just do.” The story introduces us to a nightmare conjured from the mind of a child, preparing to victimize her own father. “The Unmasking” takes us into the tortured psyche of a horribly deformed recluse obsessed with the intricacies of human skin. “Outside,” one of several homages to the great H.P. Lovecraft, melds Tem’s uniquely poetic style with the cosmic horror created by that twisted gentleman from Providence. “The Masque of Edgar Allan Poe” focuses on Tem’s fondness for mask imagery, and how the veneer we wear on the surface can become immobile, consuming our souls. “The Doll Thief” is a deeply disturbing exercise in pathos, perversion and psychosis. In “Pulled Down to Sleep,” a man fights to remain awake, knowing that sleep will doom him to a life of unspeakable nightmares. “Worms” is a frightening tale of vengeance that will literally leave your skin crawling. With “Mother Hag,” Tem gives us a “grim” fairy tale about monstrous motherly love, courtesy of a grotesque, carnivorous witch.

From the depths of R'lyeh come twenty-one brand-new, utterly terrifying, and thoroughly entertaining tales of Lovecraftian horror and the macabre Taking their inspiration from works by Lovecraft himself, prominent writers such as Caitlin R. Kiernan, Brian Stableford, Ramsey Campbell, Michael Shea, Darrell Schweitzer, Donald R. Burleson, and David J. Schow delve deep into the psyche, expanding on concepts H.P. Lovecraft created and taking them in new directions. The result is stories that are wholly original, some even featuring Lovecraft himself as a character. Black Wings editor S.T. Joshi is the recognized authority on all things Lovecraftian, and is famous for his restorations of Lovecraft's original works. He has assembled a star-studded line-up in a book that is essential for every horror library. Including: Pickman's Other Model - Caitlín R. Kiernan Desert Dreams - Donald R. Burleson Engravings - Joseph S. Pulver, Sr. Copping Squid - Michael Shea Passing Spirits - Sam Gafford The Broadsword - Laird Barron Usurped - William Browning Spencer Denker's Book - Davd J. Schow Inhabitants of Wraithwood - W.H Pugmire The Dome - Mollie L. Burleson Rotterdam - Nicholas Royle Tempting Providence - Jonathan Thomas Howling in the Dark - Darrell Schweitzer The Truth About Pickman - Brian Stableford Tunnells - Philip Haldeman The Correspondence of Cameron Thaddeus Nash - Annotated by Ramsey Campbell Violence, Child of Trust - Michael Cisco Lesser Demons - Norman Partridge An Eldritch Matter - Adam Niswander Substitutions - Michael Marshall Smith Susie - Jason Van Hollander

Whether featuring tattooed demon hunters, angst-y vampires, supernatural gumshoes, or pixelated pixies, Urban Fantasy mashes up old-school tales with pop culture, creating iconic characters, diverging moralities, and complex settings. Urban fantasy is finally showcased in this star-studded collection, representing all three of its distinct styles, including the playful new mythologies of Charles de Lint, the sexy paranormal romances of Patricia Briggs, and the gritty urban noir of Neil Gaiman.