dark horse /ˈdärk ˈˌhôrs/ noun 1. a candidate or competitor about whom little is known but who unexpectedly wins or succeeds. "a dark-horse candidate" Join editor Robert Weller for a curated tour of nine writers who always give as good as they get. From hard science-fiction (James C. Glass’ Singularity for Hire) to dark and brutal prehistoric apocalypses (Wayne Kyle Spitzer’s A Survivor’s Guide to the Dinosaur Apocalypse), from Lovecraftian horror (Bill Link’s Torchlight Parade) to zombies and horror comedy (Andy Kumpon’s Seeds of the Dead); from farcical romps near foggy moors (Ron Ford’s Dr. Jekyll in Love) to lyric and whimsical interludes (M. Kari Barr’s A Father’s Legacy). Indeed, even from absurd capers (Kevin M. Penelerick’s Brother Bob) to tales of unlikely compassion (Erik Schubach’s Scythe), you’ll be sure to find it here. So grab a seat before the starting gun fires, poor yourself a glass of strange wine, and get ready for the running of the dark horses …

dark horse/ˈdärk ˈˌhôrs/ noun 1. a candidate or competitor about whom little is known but who unexpectedly wins or succeeds."a dark-horse candidate"Join editor Robert Weller for a curated tour of nine writers who always give as good as they get. From hard science-fiction (James C. Glass' Singularity for Hire) to dark and brutal prehistoric apocalypses (Wayne Kyle Spitzer's A Survivor's Guide to the Dinosaur Apocalypse), from Lovecraftian horror (Bill Link's Torchlight Parade) to zombies and horror comedy (Andy Kumpon's Seeds of the Dead); from farcical romps near foggy moors (Ron Ford's Dr. Jekyll in Love) to lyric and whimsical interludes (M. Kari Barr's A Father's Legacy). Indeed, even from absurd capers (Kevin M. Penelerick's Brother Bob) to tales of unlikely compassion (Erik Schubach's Scythe), you'll be sure to find it here. So grab a seat before the starting gun fires, poor yourself a glass of strange wine, and get ready for the running of the dark horses ...

This volume collects the most important writings by Mark Twain in which he used biblical settings, themes, and figures. Featuring Twain's singular portrayals of God, Adam, Eve, Satan, Methuselah, Shem, St. Peter, and others, the writings stand among Twain's most imaginative expressions of his views on human nature and humankind's relation to the Creator and the universe. Composed over four decades (1871-1910), the writings range from farce to fantasy to satire, each one bearing the mark of Twain's unmistakable wit and insight. Among the many delights in store for readers are Adam and Eve's divergent accounts of their domestic troubles; Methuselah's discussion of an ancient version of baseball, complete with a parody of baseball jargon; Shem's hand-wringing account of how material shortages and labor troubles were hampering the progress of the ark his father, Noah, was building; a description of the disruptive actions of the fire-and-brimstone evangelist Sam Jones upon arriving in heaven; Captain Stormfield's revelations of what heaven is really like; Satan's musings on our puerile concepts of the afterlife; and Twain's advice on how to dress and tip properly in heaven. Twain's humor, however, is never gratuitous. As readers laugh their way through this volume, they will find ample evidence of Twain's concerns about scriptural fallacies and inconsistencies, the Bible's rather flat portrayal of important characters, and our limited notions about the nature and meaning of our own--and God's--existence. Many of the pieces in this collection, even the most lighthearted, might still be considered controversial; of some of the darker pieces, Twain himself acknowledged that they would be heretical in any age. Moreover, these writings are valuable cultural artifacts of a time when, across the Western world, fundamental religious beliefs were being called into question by the precepts of Darwinism and the rapid advances of science and technology. Several of this volume's selections are previously unpublished; others, like Letters from the Earth, are classics. Virtually all have been newly edited to reflect as closely as possible Twain's final intentions for their form and content. For serious Twain devotees, editors Howard G. Baetzhold and Joseph B. McCullough have supplied an abundance of background material on the writings, including details on the history of their composition, publication, and relevance to the Twain canon.

Madison Spencer, the liveliest and snarkiest dead girl in the universe, continues the afterlife adventure begun in Chuck Palahniuk’s bestseller Damned. Just as that novel brought us a brilliant Hell that only he could imagine, Doomed is a dark and twisted apocalyptic vision from this provocative storyteller. The bestselling Damned chronicled Madison’s journey across the unspeakable (and really gross) landscape of the afterlife to confront the Devil himself. But her story isn’t over yet. In a series of electronic dispatches from the Great Beyond, Doomed describes the ultimate showdown between Good and Evil. After a Halloween ritual gone awry, Madison finds herself trapped in Purgatory—or, as mortals like you and I know it, Earth. She can see and hear every detail of the world she left behind, yet she’s invisible to everyone who’s still alive. Not only do people look right through her, they walk right through her as well. The upside is that, no longer subject to physical limitations, she can pass through doors and walls. Her first stop is her parents’ luxurious apartment, where she encounters the ghost of her long-deceased grandmother. For Madison, the encounter triggers memories of the awful summer she spent upstate with Nana Minnie and her grandfather, Papadaddy. As she revisits the painful truth of what transpired over those months (including a disturbing and finally fatal meeting in a rest stop’s fetid men’s room, in which . . . well, never mind), her saga of eternal damnation takes on a new and sinister meaning. Satan has had Madison in his sights from the very beginning: through her and her narcissistic celebrity parents, he plans to engineer an era of eternal damnation. For everyone. Once again, our unconventional but plucky heroine must face her fears and gather her wits for the battle of a lifetime. Dante Alighieri, watch your back; Chuck Palahniuk is gaining on you.

BOOKER PRIZE WINNER • NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A novel that follows a middle-aged man as he contends with a past he never much thought about—until his closest childhood friends return with a vengeance: one of them from the grave, another maddeningly present. A novel so compelling that it begs to be read in a single setting, The Sense of an Ending has the psychological and emotional depth and sophistication of Henry James at his best, and is a stunning achievement in Julian Barnes's oeuvre. Tony Webster thought he left his past behind as he built a life for himself, and his career has provided him with a secure retirement and an amicable relationship with his ex-wife and daughter, who now has a family of her own. But when he is presented with a mysterious legacy, he is forced to revise his estimation of his own nature and place in the world.

Gerald tells of the very unusual animals he would add to the zoo, if he were in charge.

A reclusive vampire clan and a deadly mist create one of the most disastrous missions our heroes have ever faced! The most horrific _B.P.R.D._ in years!