For fans of Daisy Johnson and Kirsty Logan, a gothic short story collection for winter nights from an emerging voice in British literary fiction 'The short twisted tales . . . have a laconic elegance that's both chilling and pleasurable' Financial Times 'Trust me: you want to read this. It's the queer horror book of your dreams' Kirsty Logan Irresistibly strange and inventive, Parallel Hells is a collection of dark and delightful stories that blends folklore and gothic horror with a contemporary twist. A golem discovers its powers far exceed its Creator's expectations. An ancient creature, who feasts on the shame of modern-day Londoners, struggles to fit in with friends they will long outlive. And an Oxford historian discovers an antique tome that may help her overcome her academic rivals. In this deliciously macabre debut collection, Leon Craig explores queer identity, power, love and the painful complexities of being human in startling new ways. 'A glorious collection of short stories that reads as if Edgar Allan Poe and Shirley Jackson had a little queer baby . . . It is such a fresh and playful approach to storytelling that you cannot help but be totally enamoured with Craig's abilities.' Big Issue

Mike Storey's childhood was turned upside-down when he witnessed his family being brutally murdered. Now, in his forties, his life is about to take another change... As a freelance crime writer, he takes on the challenge of investigating the disappearance of a young local girl, Kathryn Hellman. Mike is be-friended by another young girl, who's Christian name is also Kathryn. His new-found friend shows Mike a Parallel-World, one that really exists alongside the day-to-day mundane world that Mike has long since come accustomed to, but the parallel-world that his young friend Kathryn shows him, is one of unbelievable Horror & Terror.

The Union of Arcana has become the most powerful civilization in human history, expanding through the portals linking parallel universes and laying claim to one uninhabited planet after another. But now the Union's scouts have discovered a new portal, on the far side of which lies a shattering revelation.

Four friends from wildly different backgrounds have bonded over Dungeons & Dragons since the sixth grade. Now they're facing senior year and a major shift in their own universes. Math whiz Archie is struggling with his parents' divorce after his dad comes out as gay. Mari is terrified of her adoptive mother's life-altering news. Dante is carrying around a huge secret that is proving impossible to keep hidden. And when Sam gets dumped by the love of his life, everyone is ready to join him on a cross-country quest to win her back. The four quickly discover that the road is not forgiving, and that real life is no game. They must face a test of friendship where the stakes are more than just a roll of the dice--they are life and death.

What if you woke up to a new life every day? A collision of universes leaves Abby living two lives at once - and sharing them with her own double. Two worlds. Two guys. Two selves. How will she stay in control?

"What was the historical context for the Buddha's teachings on rebirth? What is reborn? Do all Buddhist traditions agree about what happens after death? Is it necessary to believe in rebirth to consider oneself a Buddhist? All these questions will be addressed in this short, reliable, and accessible introduction to Rebirth across Buddhist history and traditions. The book will also cover contemporary refutations of rebirth in secular Buddhist contexts as well as western scientific attempts to document reincarnation in conversation with Buddhist beliefs"--

The notion of an infernal place of punishment for 'undesired' elements in human culture and human nature has a long history both as religious idea and as cultural metaphor. This book brings together a wide array of scholars who examine hell as an idea within the Christian tradition and its 'afterlife' in historical and contemporary imagination. Leading scholars grapple with the construction and meaning of hell in the past and investigate its modern utility as a means to describe what is perceived as horrific or undesirable in modern culture. While the idea of an infernal region of punishment was largely developed in the context of early Jewish and Christian religious culture, it remains a central belief for some Christians in the modern world. Hell's reception (its 'afterlife') in the modern world has extended hell's meaning beyond the religious realm; hell has become a pervasive image and metaphor in political rhetoric, in popular culture, and in the media. Bringing together scholars from a variety of fields to contribute to a wider understanding of this fascinating and important cultural idea, this book will appeal to readers from historical, religious, literary and cultural perspectives.