In recent years horror and gothic themes have penetrated mainstream popular culture in a manner unseen since the horror boom of the 1970s. Primetime television viewers who before might not have shown interest in such late-night fare now happily settle down after dinner to watch zombie or serial killer shows. This collection of 54 biographical essays examines many overlooked and underrated figures who have played a role in the ever expanding world of horror and gothic entertainment. The contributors push the boundaries of how we define these terms, bringing into the discussion such diverse figures as singer-songwriter Tom Waits, occultist Dion Fortune, author Charles Beaumont, historian and bishop Gregory of Tours and video game designer Shinji Mikami.

Vampires . . . they ache, they love, they thirst for the forbidden. They are your friends and lovers, and your worst fears. “A major new voice in horror fiction . . . an electric style and no shortage of nerve.”—Booklist At a club in Missing Mile, N.C., the children of the night gather, dressed in black, look for acceptance. Among them are Ghost, who sees what others do not; Ann, longing for love; and Jason, whose real name is Nothing, newly awakened to an ancient, deathless truth about his father, and himself. Others are coming to Missing Mile tonight. Three beautiful, hip vagabonds—Molochai, Twig, and the seductive Zillah, whose eyes are as green as limes—are on their own lost journey, slaking their ancient thirst for blood, looking for supple young flesh. They find it in Nothing and Ann, leading them on a mad, illicit road trip south to New Orleans. Over miles of dark highway, Ghost pursues, his powers guiding him on a journey to reach his destiny, to save Ann from her new companions, to save Nothing from himself. . . . “An important and original work . . . a gritty, highly literate blend of brutality and sentiment, hope and despair.”—Science Fiction Chronicle

In recent years horror and gothic themes have penetrated mainstream popular culture in a manner unseen since the horror boom of the 1970s. Primetime television viewers who before might not have shown interest in such late-night fare now happily settle down after dinner to watch zombie or serial killer shows. This collection of 54 biographical essays examines many overlooked and underrated figures who have played a role in the ever expanding world of horror and gothic entertainment. The contributors push the boundaries of how we define these terms, bringing into the discussion such diverse figures as singer-songwriter Tom Waits, occultist Dion Fortune, author Charles Beaumont, historian and bishop Gregory of Tours and video game designer Shinji Mikami.

New Authors and collections. A collection of new tales with brilliant new writers and lost souls from the darkest corners of literature and legend: Maturin's Melmoth the Wanderer mingles with Dante’s infernal spirits and a retold tale from Ovid's Metamorphoses. And with the dark fiction of William Hope Hodgson and Arthur Machen this promises to be a haunting, chilling read. New, contemporary and notable writers featured are: Sara Dobie Bauer, Sarah L. Byrne, Rachael Cudlitz, C.R. Evans, Geneve Flynn, Adele Gardner, Anne Gresham, Sara M. Harvey, Kurt Hunt, Michael Matheson, J.A.W. McCarthy, John M. McIlveen, Jessica Nickelsen, Michael Penncavage, Lina Rather, Alexandra Renwick, Aeryn Rudel, Lizz-Ayn Shaarawi, Erin Skolney, Lucy A. Snyder, David Tallerman, and Damien Angelica Walters. These appear alongside classic stories by Mary Elizabeth Braddon, F. Marion Crawford, Washington Irving, Perceval Landon, Edith Wharton and more.

Vengeful souls don't stay dead They taunt the minds of the living until they throw themselves from clifftops. Yet death turns a profit when you drive ships onto rocks to plunder riches. Agatha knows one thing for sure: respect the dead. Especially those who did not die quietly. Now, a lonely witch has conjured a young sailor's soul. And woken them all. Only Agatha knows the truth. She hears it in the whispers drifting across the waves. She hears it in the crackle of the flames. And the marauders will stop at nothing to silence her. Shh ... Listen ... The Dead Are Coming ... From the Amazon bestselling author of Crone comes a thoroughly original and spellbinding piece of storytelling. The Municipality of Lost Souls is a gothic ghost story set in 1860s England with characters destined to haunt you forever. For readers of dark fantasy who love witchcraft, magic and a little spookiness. For fans of Daphe du Maurier, Laura Purcell, Michelle Paver and Stacey Halls. 'A 5-star winner from Queen of the Night Terrors' - Amazon reviewer. 'Really got my heart pounding' - Amazon reviewer. 'Female Stephen King!' - Amazon reviewer. Jeannie Wycherley is the author of several books set in East Devon, including Crone, recipient of a Chill with a Book Readers Award (2018) and an Indie B.R.A.G medallion (2017), Beyond the Veil (2018) and the bestselling Wonky Inn cozy mystery series.

Just weeks after four students cross the threshold of the derelict Fischer House, one of them has committed suicide and the other three are descending into madness. Nick Mason's sister is one of them. To save her, Nick must join ranks with Paul Seaton—the only person to have visited the house and survive. But Paul is a troubled man, haunted by otherworldly visions that even now threaten his sanity. Desperate, Nick forces Paul to go back into the past, to the secret journal of beautiful photographer Pandora Gibson-Hoare and a debauched gathering in the 1920s, and to the dark legacy of Klaus Fischer—master of the unspeakable crime and demonic proceedings that have haunted the mansion for decades. Because now, the Fischer House is beckoning, and some old friends have gathered to welcome Paul back. . . .

What if fairy tales were real?"The figure was dark with jagged little edges. While it was an image only caught fleetingly out of the corner of her eye, it was possible to make some distinction in regards to its identity, which was not unlike a raven in appearance."Larundel - A place plagued by lost souls.A ring that has claimed a few of them.And a woman who is about to collide with a world she has forgotten about.When an abandoned mental asylum is set to be redeveloped, sinister events unfold in the community surrounding it.Isobel moves into the neighbourhood looking for a new future only to find a past she never knew belonged to her. Is she a sane person living in an insane world or a crazy person trapped in reality?Set in an actual abandoned mental institution on the outskirts of Melbourne, Australia, THE RING OF LOST SOULS is a fast-paced fairy tale weaving together a believable blend of fantasy, urban legend and pure insanity.