Maxima Library

The Horror Writers Association Presents

BLOOD LITE

...a collection of entertaining tales that puts the fun back into dark fiction, with ironic twists and tongue-in-cheek wit to temper the jagged edge.

Charlaine Harris reveals the dark side of going green, when a quartet of die-hard environmentalists hosts a fundraiser with a gory twist in "An Evening with Al Gore"...In an all-new Dresden Files story from Jim Butcher, when it comes to tracking deadly paranormal doings, there's no such thing as a "Day Off" for the Chicago P.D.'s wizard detective, Harry Dresden...Sherrilyn Kenyon turns a cubicle-dwelling MBA with no life into a demon-fighting seraph with one hell of an afterlife in "Where Angels Fear to Tread"...Celebrity necromancer Jaime Vegas is headlining a sold-out séance tour, but behind the scenes, a disgruntled ghost has a bone to pick, in Kelley Armstrong's "The Ungrateful Dead." Plus tales guaranteed to get under your skin — in a good way — from Janet Berliner Don D'Ammassa Nancy Holder Nancy Kilpatrick J. A. Konrath and F. Paul Wilson Joe R. Lansdale Will LudwigsenSharyn McCrumb Mark Onspaugh Mike Resnick Steven SavileD. L. Snell Eric James Stone Jeff Strand Lucien Soulban Matt Venne Christopher Welch

So let the blood flow and laughter reign — because when it comes to facing our deepest, darkest fears, a little humor goes a long way!

An anthology of stories edited by John Joseph Adams.

From

Dracula

to

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

; from

Castlevania

to

Tru Blood

, the romance between popular culture and vampires hearkens back to humanity’s darkest, deepest fears, flowing through our very blood, fears of death, and life, and insatiable hunger. And yet, there is an attraction, undeniable, to the vampire archetype, whether the pale European count, impeccably dressed and coldly masculine, yet strangely ambiguous, ready to sink his sharp teeth deep into his victims’ necks, draining or converting them, or the vamp, the count’s feminine counterpart, villain and victim in one, using her wiles and icy sexuality to corrupt man and woman alike… Edited by John Joseph Adams (

Wastelands

,

The Living Dead

),

By Blood We Live

gathers together the best vampire literature of the last three decades from many of today’s most renowned authors of fantasy, speculative fiction, and horror.

She thought her date was out of this world.

Actually, he was not of this world . . .

We've all been on bad dates, nightmare dates, dreadful experiences that turned out to be uniquely memorable in the very worst way. But at least our partners for these detestable evenings were more or less . . .

human

!

Now Kim Harrison, Lynsay Sands, Kelley Armstrong, and Lori Handeland — four of the very best writers currently exploring the dangerous seduction of the supernatural — offer up dating disasters (and unexpected delights) of a completely different sort: dark, wicked, paranormally sensual assignations with werewolves, demon lovers, and the romantically challenged undead. Sexy, witty, chilling, and altogether remarkable, here is proof positive that some love matches are made someplace other than heaven.

Elena Michaels es una chica del siglo XXI: segura de sí misma, aguda e inteligente, dispuesta para la lucha. Y como toda mujer, también tiene sus secretos. Nada fuera de lo común, excepto que ella es realmente extraordinaria. De hecho, podría ser la más asombrosa de las mujeres. Porque Elena es la única mujer lobo en el mundo…

Diez años atrás, y contra su voluntad, su novio la transformó en loba. Algunos días Elena siente su doble naturaleza como un regalo del cielo, otros como una maldición. Hace un año decidió abandonar la protección de la Jauría, su familia lobo, y vivir como humana. Pero ahora, la Jauría está bajo la presión de una banda de hombres lobo que no demuestran ningún respeto por las viejas y buenas costumbres con sus salvajes asesinatos de personas inocentes. Elena deberá usar todos sus poderes para atrapar y destruir a los renegados antes de que ellos la destruyan. ¿Perderá definitivamente su lado humano? Es tiempo de decidir de qué lado pondrá su lealtad.

Jauría es un apasionante thriller que tiene una vuelta de tuerca sobrenatural tan peligrosamente excitante y seductora como su heroína.

Truly, Madly, Undead-ly

This irresistible collection features stories of love amid vampires by five of today's hottest authors — Kristin Cast (

Tempted

), Richelle Mead (

Vampire Academy

), Alyson Noël (

Evermore

), Kelley Armstrong (

The Summoning

), and Francesca Lia Block (

Pretty Dead

).

From a fugitive vampire forced to trust a boy who might work for the group bent on destroying her to the legendary romance of two immortals whose love compels them to risk everything, this heart-pounding collection brings new meaning to the words "love you forever." Whether you're into romances that are dark and moody or light and fun, these stories will quench that insatiable thirst for enchanting tales of the beautiful undead.

'It's fascinating to see some of my favourite crime novelists coming together to create a taut, tense thriller; each chapter stands alone as a powerful story, yet they also combine seamlessly into a great read. Genuinely gripping.' – Harlan Coben

***

With each crime writer picking up the story in their usual locale, each of the authors tell a gripping story of murder, betrayal and intrigue. Running through each story is a charm bracelet which brings bad luck wherever it's found. Set in locations ranging from nineteenth-century Georgia to wartime Leeds, the book features stories from contributors such as Peter Robinson (writing about 1940s Leeds), Fidelis Morgan, Lynda La Plante (1970s Britain), Val McDermid (1980s Scotland) and Mark Billingham tackling contemporary London.

Never-before-published vampire stories by Charlaine Harris, Jim Butcher, Kelley Armstrong, and many others.

Suspenseful, surprising, sometimes dark, sometimes humorous-these all-new stories will ensure that readers never think of vampires (or birthdays) in quite the same way again.

In

New York Times

bestselling author Charlaine Harris's "Dracula Night," Sookie Stackhouse is the only human at the annual commemoration of Dracula's birth. But this year, the Prince of Darkness actually shows up-and finds Sookie to be a tasty-looking present.

New York Times

bestselling author Jim Butcher's crime-solving wizard Harry Dresden, of the Dresden Files novels, heads to a role-playing party to give his vampire brother a birthday present in "It's My Birthday Too," only to discover there are some bloodthirsty party crashers who don't share their brotherly love.

In "Twilight," Cassandra DuCharme, who appeared in New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong's

Dime Store Magic

, knows she has to kill to live as a vampire another year-but finds herself disturbingly disinterested in the hunt.

Plus ten more bloody good birthday stories that take the cake.

What newly married couple doesn't dream of a romantic retreat where they can escape the world for a while—but what happens when supernatural forces intrude on their wedded bliss?

Nine of today's hottest paranormal authors answer that question in this all-star collection of supernatural stories. Can a vampire-hunter enjoy her honeymoon when she's just learned that her new hubby is a werewolf? How can newlyweds focus on their wedding night when their honeymoon suite is haunted by feuding ghosts? And what's a wizard to do when a gruesome monster kidnaps the bride on her way home from the wedding?

With so much otherworldly mayhem awaiting our newlyweds, will they ever get around to the honeymoon itself? Find out in...

My Big Fat Supernatural Honeymoon.

The world is gone, destroyed by human, ecological, or supernatural causes. Survivors dodge chemical warfare and cruel gods; they travel the reaches of space and inhabit underground caverns. Their enemies are disease, corrupt corporations, and one another; their resources are few, and their courage is tested.

Powerful original dystopian tales from nine bestselling authors offer bleak insight, prophetic visions, and precious glimmers of light among the shards and ashes of a ruined world.

An anthology of stories

Paranormal crime stories by bestselling fiction writers like Anne Perry, Michael Stackpole, Laura Resnick, and more.

Paranormal crime stories by bestselling fiction writers like Kelley Armstrong, Anne Perry, Simon R. Green, Patricia Briggs, and more. A massive, monumental volume of paranormal crime fiction by bestselling authors. Gripping tales of mayhem include both novellas and short stories like 'Stalked by,' by Kelley Armstrong, 'The Judgment' by worldwide bestselling author Anne Perry, 'Appetite for Murder' by Simon R. Green, ', 'Road Dogs' by Norman Partridge, 'The Hex Is In' by Mike Resnick, 'Doppelgangster' by Laura Resnick, the chilling 'If Vanity Doesn't Kill Me' by Michael A. Stackpole, and many, many, more.

Compiled and edited by the world's most prolific anthologist – the award-winning Martin H. Greenberg – this is the biggest paranormal crime book on the market and the ultimate collection for crime lovers, ghost hunters, and thrill seekers everywhere. Also included are multiple stories by New York Times bestselling authors. The Best Paranormal Crime Stories Ever Told is a new book in the series, which includes The Best Hunting Stories Ever Told and The Best Fishing Stories Ever Told.

Supernatural forces and desires come alive in these thirteen vampire tales. Like love, the adventures are never safe and hungers never die. And chances are taken. If you are seduced by the mystery of the heart, beating for a destiny unknown, you will helplessly follow the characters' in this collection — longing for one to call their own. Featuring several

New York Times

Bestsellers, connect with the pulse of the talented

Eternal Kiss

authors . . .

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong comes two Otherworld short stories that take readers on an exhilarating honeymoon chase with werewolves Elena and Clay, and a mysterious mission through the afterlife with dark witch-turned-angel, Eve Levine.

It's not a good sign when Elena Michaels and Clayton Danvers resort to everyday activities on their long-awaited honeymoon in St. Louis. But their encroaching boredom is about to take a back seat to an unexpected threat that catches Clay's attention. A non-pack werewolf is clearly stalking them – out to claim Elena for himself – and Clay has no intention of letting the upstart mutt spoil their romantic getaway, even if that means deceiving Elena as he pursues the rival werewolf on his own. Originally part of an anthology of supernatural romance stories, STALKED is the perfect introduction to Kelley Armstrong's Otherworld series and an action-packed interlude for fans to revisit some of their favorite characters.

In OFF-DUTY ANGEL, dark witch and half-demon Eve Levine is desperate for a little entertainment while her lover Kristof Nash is detained in afterlife court – enough to volunteer an extra week's worth of angel corps duty just to pass the time. Luckily something even better comes up: a real celestial bounty-hunter mission to trail a shaman, someone who might prove to be a useful lead in Kristof's court case. Following the target goes smoothly, until he leads Eve to The British Museum, where she inadvertently steps into a secret dimensional passage and stumbles upon a far more enticing puzzle.and a much greater danger. Packed with suspense and surprising twists, OFF-DUTY ANGEL reveals fascinating new insights into a beloved series character.

Two years ago, readers eagerly devoured The Living Dead. Publishers Weekly named it one of the Best Books of the Year, and Barnes Noble.com called it "The best collection of zombie fiction ever." Now acclaimed editor John Joseph Adams is back for another bite at the apple – the Adam's apple, that is – with 44 more of the best, most chilling, most thrilling zombie stories anywhere, including virtuoso performances by zombie fiction legends Max Brooks (World War Z, The Zombie Survival Guide), Robert Kirkman (The Walking Dead), and David Wellington (Monster Island ).

From Left 4 Dead to Zombieland to Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, ghoulishness has never been more exciting and relevant. Within these pages samurai warriors face off against the legions of hell, necrotic dinosaurs haunt a mysterious lost world, and eerily clever zombies organize their mindless brethren into a terrifying army. You'll even witness nightmare scenarios in which humanity is utterly wiped away beneath a relentless tide of fetid flesh.

The Living Dead 2 has more of what zombie fans hunger for – more scares, more action, more… brains. Experience the indispensable series that defines the very best in zombie literature.

An all original anthology from some of todays hottest supernatural writers, featuring stories of monsters from the monster's point of view.

In most stories we get the perspective of the hero, the ordinary, the everyman, but we are all the hero of our own tale, and so it must be true for legions of monsters, from Lucifer to Mordred, from child-thieving fairies to Frankenstein's monster and the Wicked Witch of the West. From our point of view, they may very well be horrible, terrifying monstrosities, but of course they won’t see themselves in the same light, and their point of view is what concerns us in these tales. Demons and goblins, dark gods and aliens, creatures of myth and legend, lurkers in darkness and beasts in human clothing… these are the subjects of The Monster’s Corner. With contributions by Lauren Groff, Chelsea Cain, Simon R. Green, Sharyn McCrumb, Kelley Armstrong, David Liss, Kevin J. Anderson, Jonathan Maberry, and many others.