'Eerie, atmospheric, full of suspense and surprises' - GUARDIAN 'A gothic-tinged tale with all the suspense and menace of page-turning crime fiction' - SYDNEY MORNING HERALD People come to visit my home and I love to show them around. It's not the original house of course. That was destroyed the day my entire family died. But I don't think their ghosts know the difference. Pera Sinclair was nine the day her family home was destroyed, killing everyone inside. Over the decades she rebuilt Sinclair House, each room telling a piece of her story and that of the people who died there. And while she doesn't believe in ghosts, she's not above telling visitors a ghost story or two. As Pera guides a family through her home on the last tour of the season, an unexpected group of men arrive. Dangerous men, who will hurt the family and see no reason to keep an old woman alive. But these men will learn that Pera is far from helpless. After all, death seems to follow wherever she goes... Sinister and lyrical, The Underhistory is a haunting tale of loss, self-preservation and the darkness beneath.

Botanica is an island, but almost all of the island is taken up by the Tree. Little knowing how they came to be here, small communities live around the coast line. The Tree provides them shelter, kindling, medicine – and a place of legends, for there are ghosts within the trees who snatch children and the dying. Lillah has come of age and is now ready to leave her community and walk the tree for five years, learning all Botanica has to teach her. Before setting off, Lillah is asked by the dying mother of a young boy to take him with her. In a country where a plague killed half the population, Morace will otherwise be killed in case he has the same disease. But can Lillah keep the boy’s secret, or will she have to resort to breaking the oldest taboo on Botanica? Another astonishingly imaginative novel from the acclaimed author of Slights. FILE UNDER: Fantasy [A Stunning World / An Epic Journey / A Terrifying Secret / Ghosts in the Tree]

A 'Wasp Factory' for the misery memoir generation. Stephanie is a killer. After an accident in which her mother dies, she has a near-death experience, and finds herself in a room full of people - everyone she's ever slighted. They clutch at her, scratch and tear at her. But she finds herself drawn back to this place, again and again, determined to unlock its secrets. Which means she has to die, again and again. And she starts to wonder whether other people see the same room when they die. SLIGHTS is a deeply intense, disturbing read. The misery memoir craze of the last few years has overshadowed genre fiction's impact with (allegedly) real-life experiences. Now it's time for horror and fantasy fiction to fight back.

Marvo is a stage magician. His magic is real. Marvo grows up without knowing his parents, without knowing his heritage, without knowing much about life. The magicians have always been with us, since the beginning of civilisation. They fill our heads with the mist, keeping us from witnessing the stark reality of existence. But are things so bad that Marvo will bring it down on all of us, forever? Marvo begins to understand those around him, and his place in the world; he discovers that his remarkable powers can be put to good, or to evil. He only has to choose... FILE UNDER: Horror [Sleight of Hand / Find the Lady / All is Illusion / Death Rules]

“Don’t write merely to shock. People are used to shock-horror. You need to get beneath the skin. Use a flensing knife and keep it sharp. It’s good to shock, but only as part of the story you tell.” In this chapbook, Kaaron Warren—the Shirley Jackson Award-winning writer behind Slights, The Greif Hole, and Into Bones Like Oil—explores the craft and philosophy of trapping dark and disturbing fiction on the page. Drawn from essays, workshops, and articles about the craft and business of writing, Capturing Ghosts On The Page feature’s Warren’s tips on writing ghost stories, overcoming professional jealousy, working to an anthology brief, tapping your dreams for inspiration, and more. Whether you want an insight into the creative process that drives Warren’s dark and enchanting fiction, or you are an aspiring writer seeking tips from one of the most talented authors of horror fiction writing today, this chapbook is a peek into the mindset and practice of a celebrated Australian author.

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.

A florist becomes obsessed with the strange, haunting red flowers she buys from an equally strange old lady... At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Australian. 3 stories. 8 yrs+

18 short stories take us to the end of the world in this anthology of post-apocalyptic fiction featuring bestselling authors like Emily St. John Mandel, China Miéville, Samuel R. Delaney, Clive Barker, and more! In the moments when it all comes crashing down, what will we value the most, and how will we save it? Featuring new and exclusive post-apocalyptic short stories, as well as classics of the genre, editor Preston Grassmann takes us through the fall and beyond—to the things that are created after. This anthology includes stories by: • China Miéville • Emily St. John Mandel • Clive Barker • Carmen Maria Machado • Charlie Jane Anders • Samuel R. Delaney • Ramsey Campbell, • Lavie Tidhar • Kaaron Warrern • Anna Tambour • Nina Allan • Jeffrey Thomas • Paul Di Filippo • Ron Drummond • Nikhil Singh • John Skipp • Autumn Christian • Chris Kelso • Rumi Kaneko • Nick Mamatas • D.R.G. Sugawara Calling on the finest traditions of post-apocalyptic fiction, this anthology asks us what makes us human, and who we will be when we emerge out of the ruins?

Winner of the Bram Stoker and Shirley Jackson Awards: “Twenty insanely inventive, hauntingly atmospheric and flat out coo coo for Cocoa Puffs stories” (Hellnotes). A World Fantasy Award nominee, “this anthology . . . is a collection of some of the most talented horror and speculative fiction authors writing today” (BuzzFeed). It includes all-new stories by Laird Barron, Pat Cadigan, Brian Evenson, Jeffrey Ford, Caítlin R. Kiernan, Garth Nix, Michael Marshall Smith, Kaaron Warren, and other masters of all things spooky and suspenseful. In tales that crisscross the boundaries of fear and imagination—from a haunted courtyard in New Orleans to a remote Arctic research station—swamp monsters, pool-cleaning robots, and cannibalistic spirits wreak chaos and terror across the pages. You’ll be invited to a prom where a psycho hides inside a sparkly dress or rented tux; on a trip aboard a train to a destination that teems with ghosts; and into the darkest recesses of a human mind, the most fertile ground for the blossoming of true evil. “Datlow’s ‘experimental’ crowdfunded horror anthology is nicely unthemed. . . . This is an excellent anthology for horror fans, with a nice range of tones and styles and some intriguing new voices.” —Publishers Weekly “[Fearful Symmetries] not only goes beyond expectations, it raises the bar high above into the horror heavens. . . . A melting pot of distinct voices and styles that leave you wanting more.” —Hellnotes “One of the best horror anthologies I’ve ever read.” —Thirteen O’Clock