Mirrors in the Deluge is a collection of 32 unrelated stories that take elements from fantasy, science fiction, horror and other genres and give them a lateral shift. Like much of Rhys’ work these quirky tales between them encompass parody, pastiche and puns. The fun, as ever, starts with the title of each story – gently leading an unsuspecting reader into preconceived ideas and expectations; expectations that are soon spun around, turned on their head (or other extremities), and pushed in an unexpected direction. Thus, a saunter merely through the contents page is already a hugely entertaining experience and one more akin to savouring the hors d’oeuvres of a grand feast than consulting a list of shortcuts into a literary tome. In fact, the gastronomic metaphor serves us well here; the courses on offer range from tantalising tuck to a gourmand’s repast, but never mere vittles – perhaps the way to enjoy this book is to digest one story, three times a day (four if you’re a halfling who needs second breakfast), rather than trying to gorge on all the available delights and delicacies at one sitting. To complete this gourmet’s guide, a tempting sampling of the stories must include: The Soft Landing, a unique story told from the perspective of a photon; Travels with my Antinomy, how do you solve a paradox when you’re part of it?; Vanity of Vanities, the internet achieves consciousness and takes over, but with very different consequences than you might imagine; The Fairy and the Dinosaur, in which a fairy can’t find what she wants for her picnic in the goblin market, is offered cloned prehistoric plums but turns to a time-travelling robot to go back to the age of the dinosaurs and eat an original plum. Other titles to tempt you include The Martian Monocles, The Prodigal Beard, A Dame Abroad, The Unkissed Artist Formerly Known as Frog, The Goat That Gloated, The Taste of Turtle Tears, The Bones of Jones, and The Haggis Eater.

There are few students in my class. When one considers what the subject is, this isn’t surprising. I teach myself. In other words, I impart to my students facts and fancies based on my life and ideas. It’s the least popular class in the university and I doubt it will be funded for another term. But none of that is my fault. I wanted to teach a proper discipline such as ecology, but the authorities wouldn’t let me. They insisted that I teach myself; and as a result, I do so. The students are given an assignment. They each have to write a short piece about how I spend my free time. But this is information I’ve always kept secret. I can’t imagine how they’re expected to know anything about my private life, certainly not in detail. Clearly I’m being spied on. Unless it’s guesswork? I read the essays anxiously. Yes, only some of them have got it right… Cover design: Alison Buck

"I have been enjoying the work of Welsh fantasist Rhys Hughes for quite a few years now, and it’s an honor to be publishing not one, but three MEGAPACK® collections of his indescribably excellent, of which this is the first. There is fantasy, of course. But there is also absurdist comedy. And horrors. And monsters. And all manner of things that only he could come up with. Truly, there is no one writing at the moment who is anything like him. Looking backwards, he’s a bit like R.A. Lafferty (but not), and a bit like Neal Gaiman (but not), and a bit like Paul Di Filippo (but not). Or perhaps they are a bit like him? (Or not?) After all, it’s a bit field with lots of overlap. Whatever these 24 tales are (or are not), prepare yourself for a strange and magical journey. You will have fun!" —John Betancourt Included are: BARBARIAN GRAN VAMPIRIC GRAMPS DEPRESSURISED GHOST STORY THE POCKET SHOPS ARMS AGAINST A SEA THE AGELESS AGELASTS THE PRIVATE PIRATES CLUB SWALLOWING THE AMAZON PYRAMID AND THISBE THE FOREST CHAPEL BELL JELLYDÄMMERUNG! THE PURLOINED LIVER JOURNEY THROUGH A WALL THE JAM OF HYPNOS THE TELL-TALE NOSE THE BANKER OF INGOLSTADT THE ASTRAL DISRUPTOR THE MACROSCOPIC TEAPOT THE CHIMNEY WHAT I FEAR MOST FINDING THE BOOK OF SAND THE CANDID SLYNESS OF SCURRILITY FOREPAWS CHAMELEONS ANTON ARCTIC AND THE CONQUEST OF THE SCOTTISH POLE If you enjoy this volume of our MEGAPACK® series, search your favorite ebook store for "Wildside Press MEGAPACK" to see the complete selction of more than 400 entries, covering science fiction, fantasy, mystery, literature, westerns, and much, much more!

“Reading is a mesmeric experience, and The Devil’s Halo is one hypnotic horizon after another!” – from the Foreword by A.A. ATTANASIO In death, as in life, paperwork is hell. The paperwork for the recently deceased Monty Zubris needs to be examined and deliberated upon. So, meanwhile, the Devil has consigned him to the Waiting Room of the Afterlife. It is ordered alphabetically, so he is compelled to make his way to his designated zone, which is, of course, near the very end of the chamber. On this voyage of enormous length, he meets various dead individuals, many of whom wish to tell him their remarkable stories. A light comedy, a picaresque journey – like a warped subterranean Pilgrim’s Progress. “Only Rhys Hughes could have written The Devil’s Halo!” – IAN WATSON, European SF Society Grand Master 2024. “For many years, I have regarded each new book from Rhys Hughes as continuing proof that the universe is a marvelous, exciting and creative place. His work brightens my days, lightens my burdens, and convinces me that I am in the presence of a font of exuberant inventiveness. THE DEVIL’S HALO is no exception, and might very well be in the Hughes Top Five. All the myriad tales of Hell from Dante onward have never charted any territory as gaily bizarre and humanly affecting as this book unveils. As Monty Zubris traverses the ten-million-mile length of Hell’s Waiting Room, the reader is treated to posthumous wonders akin to those in Philip Jose Farmer’s RIVERWORLD books. If Anatole France, Voltaire, James Branch Cabell and C. S. Lewis had been born in the year 2000, and come of age amidst our twenty-first-century chaos, they might have collaborated to produce an existential odyssey half as wild and unruly as this one. Somewhere in Hell’s Waiting Room, Robert Sheckley and William Tenn are reading this book and splitting their sides with rueful laughter.” – PAUL DI FILIPPO, author of Vangie’s Ghosts Cover design and artwork by Alison Buck

A book of poetry by cult author Rhys Hughes with more than seventy poems selected from the past twenty years of his writing career and divided into four approximate categories: absurdism, mystical, science fiction and lovey-dovey, followed by an afterword.

Centered around the classic fiction of Arthur Conan Doyle, these three gonzo outings of steampunk surrealism bring absurd and hilarious changes to the worlds of Sherlock Holmes, archvillain Moriarty, and Professor Challenger.

The title, Existence is Elsewhen, paraphrases the last sentence of André Breton’s 1924 Manifesto of Surrealism, perfectly summing up the intent behind this anthology of stories from a wonderful collection of authors. Different worlds… different times. It’s what Elsewhen Press has been about since we launched our first title in 2011. Here, we present twenty science fiction stories for you to enjoy. We are delighted that headlining this collection is the fantastic John Gribbin, with a worrying vision of medical research in the near future. Future global healthcare is the theme of J A Christy’s story; while the ultimate in spare part surgery is where Dave Weaver takes us. Edwin Hayward’s search for a renewable protein source turns out to be digital; and Tanya Reimer’s story with characters we think we know, gives us pause for thought about another food we take for granted. Evolution is examined too, with Andy McKell’s chilling tale of what states could become if genetics are used to drive policy. Similarly, Robin Moran’s story explores the societal impact of an undesirable evolutionary trend; while Douglas Thompson provides a truly surreal warning of an impending disaster that will reverse evolution, with dire consequences. On a lighter note, we have satire from Steve Harrison discovering who really owns the Earth (and why); and Ira Nayman, who uses the surreal alternative realities of his Transdimensional Authority series as the setting for a detective story mash-up of Agatha Christie and Dashiel Hammett. Pursuing the crime-solving theme, Peter Wolfe explores life, and death, on a space station; while Stefan Jackson follows a police investigation into some bizarre cold-blooded murders in a cyberpunk future. Going into the past, albeit an 1831 set in the alternate Britain of his Royal Sorceress series, Christopher G. Nuttall reports on an investigation into a girl with strange powers. Strange powers in the present-day is the theme for Tej Turner, who tells a poignant tale of how extra-sensory perception makes it easier for a husband to bear his dying wife’s last few days. Difficult decisions are the theme of Chloe Skye’s heart-rending story exploring personal sacrifice. Relationships aren’t always so close, as Susan Oke’s tale demonstrates, when sibling rivalry is taken to the limit. Relationships are the backdrop to Peter R. Ellis’s story where a spectacular mid-winter event on a newly-colonised distant planet involves a Madonna and Child. Coming right back to Earth and in what feels like an almost imminent future, Siobhan McVeigh tells a cautionary tale for anyone thinking of using technology to deflect the blame for their actions. Building on the remarkable setting of Pera from her LiGa series, and developing Pera’s legendary Book of Shadow, Sanem Ozdural spins the creation myth of the first light tree in a lyrical and poetic song. Also exploring language, the master of fantastika and absurdism, Rhys Hughes, extrapolates the way in which language changes over time, with an entertaining result.

It’s Summer and what better way to celebrate than with the latest issue of Weird Fiction Quarterly? From the same demented gang that brought you the Winter and Fall installments, bring this new Summer edition with you to the beach, and perhaps, use it as a rolled-up weapon to hit your younger sibling AFTER you’ve read it. (This last suggestion is not endorsed by the Weird Fiction Quarterly Staff. We never advocate violence. Never. -The Editor)

Weird Fiction Quarterly continues the tradition of bringing you the finest in 500 word flash-fiction! (We dare you to find better!) In this, our fifth anthology, we bring you 41 wintry tales of weird wonder guaranteed to make you want to pull up a chair before a warm fire and wrap yourself in blanket and cat, because these stories are cold and will chill you to the bone. You won’t have time to do that, though. This is, after all, Weird Fiction Quarterly. You can never be prepared for what might happen. In here the eternal night is dark and frigid and filled with monsters. Let’s get cold.

Milkwood is not a nice place to be. With the passing of generations, it has curdled. At night it casts a buttery light on the moon. Fortunately, all the action in this book occurs elsewhere. It mostly happens in a warped version of the music industry or in an impossible tavern or in a future where everything is illegal. It sometimes even happens outside the narrative. But never in Milkwood. Never. Milkwood is barely even mentioned. For it is not a nice place to be.