The genealogist Draston has failed to find a royal ancestor for his master, Hamvok the Merciful. To save himself, Draston promises to prove the tyrant is descended from a god. In doing so, he commits himself to a path of forgery and sacrilege. His enterprise will risk the wrath of gods. But, far worse, it will draw him to a shadowy figure more terrible than all the gods combined, the Fate Healer.A five thousand word short story where the quill proves to be more dangerous than any sword. The genealogist Draston is charged with the impossible. His master, Hamvok the Merciful, craves a royal ancestor or two to legitimize his tyranny. But every avenue of Draston’s research comes to a dead end. Nobility has never sneezed on Hamvok’s ancestors, much less married into them. And now Draston’s time has run out. To save himself from Hamvok’s violent displeasure, Draston promises to prove the tyrant is descended from a god. In doing so, he commits himself to a path of forgery and sacrilege. His enterprise will risk the wrath of gods. But, far worse, it will draw him to a shadowy figure more terrible than all the gods combined, the Fate Healer. Views: 600
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He was not sure what he had been looking for. He only knew that he had not found it.
Shadow Moon has been away from America for nearly two years. His nights are broken with dangerous dreams. Sometimes he almost believes he doesn't care if he ever returns home.
In the Highlands of Scotland, where the sky is pale white and it feels as remote as any place can possibly be, the beautiful and the wealthy gather at a grand old house in the glen. And when the strange local doctor offers him work at the party, Shadow is intrigued.
He knows there is no good reason for him to be there.
So what do they want with him? Views: 600
For more than two decades Peter Straub has engrossed, entertained, and terrified us with his dazzling blend of cool artistry and mad, spine-tingling imagination. With Mr. X, the bestselling author of Ghost Story, The Talisman (with Stephen King), and The Hellfire Club takes us into the darkest dimensions of the human psyche and proves once again that he is without peer in the realm of psychological suspense and horror, a master storyteller whose unique and powerful gifts qualify him to be called the Edgar Allan Poe of our times.
Mr. X is Straub's original and startling take on the theme of the doppelgänger. Ned Dunstan's birthday is fast approaching, and every year on this date, Ned experiences a paralyzing seizure in which he is forced to witness scenes of ruthless slaughter perpetrated by a mysterious and malevolent figure in black whom Ned calls Mr. X.
Ned has been drawn back to his hometown, Edgerton, Illinois, by a premonition that his mother, Star, is dying. Before she loosens her hold on life, she imparts to Ned the name of his father, never before disclosed, and warns him that he is in grave danger. Despite her foreboding, Ned's determination to learn as much as possible about his absent father ignites a series of extraordinary adventures that gradually reveal the heart of both his own identity and that of his entirely fantastic family: He discovers that he is shadowed by an identical twin brother who can pass through doors and otherwise defy the laws of nature; he becomes the lead suspect in three violent deaths; he investigates the secret shadow-world within Edgerton; he learns to "eat time" and remembers the one occasion when he and his sinister brother united into a single being. Finally, at the moment of battle, he must call upon everything he has learned to save his own life.
Brimming with the author's trademark wit, understated eloquence, vibrant characters, and brilliant sense of pace, Mr. X displays Peter Straub at the top of his form.
From the Hardcover edition. Views: 600
Harlan Ellison has been compared to an annoying gnat, a no-see ’em buzzing in your peripheral vision till you try to swat him, and he’s gone.
The great English writer Michael Moorcock—and if his name does not leave you dumbstruck with awe, you should move on—called Ellison a “fox in the sf hen-coop” whose presence will “produce a brighter, faster hen, with improved survival characteristics, laying a tastier, more nourishing egg” and went on to say Ellison was “a brave and lively little beast, who makes a great show of himself to the hounds, but remains too wary ever to lead them to his lair.”
The brilliant novelist Joanna Russ, in admiring frustration, opined that Ellison’s stories “have an assault on you,” but complained that “they’re not like a piece of sculpture that you can stop and walk around and look at from all sides.” Ellison’s reply: “Absolutely not; I want them to grab you by the throat and tear off parts of your body.”
Ellison’s a double agent who lures you into the bush, and when you blink, he’s gone; you don’t know whether to turn left or right, or just dig a hole. He crafts enigmas set to entrap you. When Ellison sees where a story is going, he figures—since he’s writing for the smartest readers alive—you do, too. So he stops and turns left. Or right. Or widdershins. Or digs a cave with 200 tunnels.
Can & Can’tankerous gathers ten previously uncollected tales from the fifth and sixth decades of Harlan Ellison’s professional writing career: a written-in-the-window endeavor that invites re-reading from the start before you’ve even finished it; a second entry in his (now) ongoing abcedarian sequence; a “lost” pulp tale re-cast as a retro-fable; a melancholy meditation for departed friend and fellow legend, Ray Bradbury; a 2001 revision of a 1956 original; an absurdist ascent toward enlightenment (or its gluten-free substitute); a 200-word exercise in not following the directions as written (with a special introduction by Neil Gaiman that weighs in at four times the word count of its subject); a fantastical lament for a bottom-line world; the 2011 Nebula Award-winning short story; and Ellison’s most recent offering, a fusion of fact and fiction that calls to mind Russ’s frustration and Moorcock’s metaphor while offering a solution to the story’s enigma in plain view.
Strokes be damned! Ellison’s still here! HE’s still writing! And with more new books published in the last ten years than any preceding decade of his career, his third act is proving to be the kind other living legends envy. Views: 600
Pivot is:Winner of the Indie Reader Discovery Awards for HorrorWinner of the top prize (Gold) in Horror for the eLit Book AwardsFinalist for the Next Generation Indie Book AwardsAre psychopaths born, or are they made? Jack Harper is taught to murder from the age of five, setting off a chain of horrific events that could lead to deliverance… or ruin.Charles Baker of IndieReader says, "PIVOT is an intelligent, beautifully written thriller filled with equal parts terror and bizarreness, but never forgetting that it has a heart far larger than it at first lets on." - See more at: https://indiereader.com/2014/05/pivot/For some, the Devil introduces himself as an average man. For others, he crushes their souls and makes them bleed. For Jack Harper, the Devil renders himself a savior.But things are changing.Once a loyal follower of Cyrus and an accomplished killer, Jack Harper now begins to question everything. There are new, strange forces at work that are intruding on Jack's kills, abilities, and very being. Maybe, though, deep down Jack has been waiting for this intrusion, and maybe Cyrus is not as powerful as he seems. Views: 599
The first issue of ”Writer’s Muse” Magazine! It is a compilation of the works of the Writer’s Muse Page, an online writer’s group started by Richard Cotton. ***The stories and poetry included in the first Writer’s Muse Magazine issue, our Christmas 2012 issue, are participants in a contest on the page.The first issue of ”Writer’s Muse” Magazine! It is a compilation of the works of the Writer’s Muse Page, an online writer’s group started by Richard Cotton. ***The stories and poetry included in the first Writer’s Muse Magazine issue, our Christmas 2012 issue, are participants in a contest on the page. The contest was to see who created the most beloved Christmas story, as determined by votes on the page. It was a hard decision to make, figuring out which story was the winner, with so many truly inspired submissions. Congratulations to Victoria Tomlinson, who won the contest with her heartwarming tale of the innocence of children and the true spirit of the season, “A Christmas Gift”.We hope you enjoy all of the submissions in this, our first issue! Views: 599
On October 15 at 2:15 a.m. everyone on Earth vanished.Well, almost everyone.A scattered few woke alone in a world where there are no rules other than survival ... at any cost.Yesterday’s Gone is an epic, groundbreaking, thrilling new series told in serial format. Look for a new 100 page "episode" each month.On October 15 at 2:15 a.m. everyone on Earth vanished.Well, almost everyone.A scattered few woke alone in a world where there are no rules other than survival... at any cost.A journalist wanders the horrible reality of an empty New York in search of his wife and son.A serial killer must hunt in a land where prey is now an endangered species.A mother shields her young daughter from danger, though every breath fills her with terror.A bullied teen is thrilled to find everyone gone. Until the knock at the door.A fugitive survives a fiery plane crash. Will he be redeemed, or return to what he’s best at: the kill?An eight year old boy sets out on a journey to find his missing family. What he finds will change him forever.These survivors aren’t alone...Someone or something is watching them.And waiting...Strangers unite.Sides are chosen.Will humanity survive what it never saw coming?The only certainty is that Yesterday’s Gone.You’ve never read anything like Yesterday’s Gone – the epic, groundbreaking, thrilling new series. Look for a new 100 page episode each month. Views: 599
Five years after they barely escaped an explosion that destroyed their homes, the survivors decide it's time to return above ground. However, one little girl's prophetic dreams speak of danger above. What is waiting for them behind the door to the civilization they left behind many years ago?A group of scientists are stationed on a planet when a deadly explosion threatens to destroy everything. Luckily one little girl has the power to see the danger in her dreams and they are quickly able to move underground before disaster strikes, while leaving many of the natives behind.Five years later, they're still underground and running out of food. Panic overtakes the small community of survivors and they push for action. The same little girl warns of danger waiting for them back above ground, but desperation takes hold and no one will listen to her. What is waiting for them behind the door to the civilization they left behind many years ago? Views: 599
Set in a small-town North Carolina amusement park in 1973, Joyland tells the story of the summer in which college student Devin Jones comes to work as a carny and confronts the legacy of a vicious murder, the fate of a dying child, and the ways both will change his life forever.
Joyland is a brand-new novel and has never previously been published. Views: 599
A mother fights a losing battle for her daughter's survival in a struggle against cancer. Meanwhile her daughter finds her own solution that will change her into someone else.A Breath of Fiction is a unique collection, since each of the 200 stories contained in the volume is made up of exactly 200 words. The stories range in mood from serious to enigmatic to poignant to silly. Some stories closely examine ordinary moments that might easily be overlooked in the course of a day or a lifetime. Other stories open a window to the fantastic and to the impossible. But all of the stories are concerned with what it means to experience life. The beauty of these very short stories, grouped into twelve different thematic categories, is that a reader may choose to read as much or as little as they choose at a time. Since these stories were originally posted online (on the blog also titled A Breath of Fiction), they are meant to be accessible for a brief moment of reading, or for a complete immersion in the variety of stories and experiences presented in these pages. Views: 598
Orr has become rich and powerful. Now he finds himself languishing in a notorious prison. Before the end will he fully understand the suffering he has caused and the price he must pay? Note to reader - if you appreciated this short story please, if you are able, make a small donation to a charity of your choice.Orr has become rich and powerful. Now he finds himself languishing in a notorious prison. Before the end will he fully understand the suffering he has caused and the price he must pay? Note to reader - if you appreciated this short story please, if you are able, make a small donation to a charity of your choice.The short story, War Merchant, was inspired by a Bob Dylan song and a television interview where an arms dealer said "war was good for business". The synopsis was written on the 2nd May 2010 and the story was published on 24th Nov 2010.If you enjoyed this story please look out for Wilde’s other free short stories, such as Drawing God?, Elixir of Life and Vengeance. Wilde also has two novels available for purchase, Dreams in Kratocracy (2012 Edition) and Legacy. Views: 598
