Sci Fi, Fantasy & Horror

With a new introduction, this collection of Japanese ghost stories brings together fantastic tales of vengeful spirits, mountain-dwelling phantoms, man-eating oni, haunted trees, and child-rearing ghosts, with stories such as Yuki-Onna, Hoichi the Earless, The Ghost of O-Kiku from The Bancho Sarayashiki, the sorry tale of O-Iwa from the Yotsuya Kaidan, The Peony Lantern and The Ghost Who Bought Candy. Japan has a long and ancient custom of sharing stories of the supernatural, brought to fashionable prominence in the Kaidan literature of the Edo period, now presented here for the modern reader. FLAME TREE 451: From myth to mystery, the supernatural to horror, fantasy and science fiction, Flame Tree 451 offers a healthy diet of werewolves and mechanical men, blood-lusty vampires, dastardly villains, mad scientists, secret worlds, lost civilizations and escapist fantasies. Discover a storehouse of tales gathered specifically for the reader of the fantastic.

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A finger-tip tingling selection of ghostly capers from E.F. Benson, Algernon Blackwood, Dick Donovan, H.D. Everett, Mary E. Wilkins Freeman, William Hope Hodgson, W.W. Jacobs, M.R. James, Bram Stoker, H.G. Wells and Edith Wharton. Gothic mansions, haunted estates, houses over-run by phantoms: this new collection of classic tales will keep you entertained in the long watches of the night. FLAME TREE 451: From myth to mystery, the supernatural to horror, fantasy and science fiction, Flame Tree 451 offers a healthy diet of werewolves and mechanical men, blood-lusty vampires, dastardly villains, mad scientists, secret worlds, lost civilizations and escapist fantasies. Discover a storehouse of tales gathered specifically for the reader of the fantastic.

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Cal Kestis leads the Mantis crew on an adventure set between Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.Cal Kestis has built a new life for himself with the crew of the Stinger Mantis. Together, Cal's crew has brought down bounty hunters, defeated Inquisitors, and even evaded Darth Vader himself. More important, Merrin, Cere, Greez, and faithful droid BD-1 are the closest thing Cal has had to a family since the fall of the Jedi Order. Even as the galaxy's future grows more uncertain by the day, with each blow struck against the Empire the Mantis crew grows more daring.On what should be a routine mission, they meet a stormtrooper determined to chart her own course with the help of Cal and the crew. In exchange for help starting a new life, the Imperial deserter brings word of a powerful, potentially invaluable tool for their fight against the Empire. And even better, she can help them get to it. The only catch-pursuing it will bring them into the path of one of the Empire's most dangerous servants, the Inquisitor known as the Fifth Brother.Can the Imperial deserter truly be trusted? And while Cal and his friends have survived run-ins with the Inquisitors before, how many times can they evade the Empire before their luck runs out?

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'Laugh-out-loud, feel-good read' *****'Absorbing, modern romcom' *****'Charming' *****Tender and unforgettable, Love Bites is a laugh-out-loud, queer romance with a surprising paranormal twist.Two years after a painful divorce, Chloë is still struggling to leave the house, paralysed by anxiety and memory. So when she's bullied into a night of dancing by her busybody aunt and finds herself in a goth club, on her own, in a strange part of town, she isn't looking for anything more than to pass the time until she can leave.Then she meets Angela, a smart, beautiful astronomy Ph.D. student whose smile makes her heart pound. In Angela's eyes, Chloë can see a future. Suddenly, home alone is the last place Chloë wants to be.Trouble is, Angela can only come out at night. Angela doesn't feel the cold. Angela doesn't eat. Angela doesn't have a pulse. Angela has sharp and deadly teeth.Angela and Chloë might just be perfect for each other. But how do you build a life together when one of you is already dead?

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In a fallen kingdom, one girl carries the key to discovering the secrets of her nation's past – and unleashing the demons that sleep at its heart. An epic new fantasy duology inspired by Chinese mythology. Once, Lan had a different name. Now, she goes by the one the Elantian colonizers gave her. She spends her days scavenging for remnants of the past. For anything that might help her understand the strange mark burned into her arm by her mother, in her last act before she died. No one can see the mysterious mark – until the night Zen appears at the teahouse and saves her life. Zen is a practitioner, one of the fabled magicians of the Last Kingdom, whose abilities were rumoured to be drawn from the demons they communed with. Magic believed to be long lost. Magic to be hidden at all costs. Both Lan and Zen have secrets buried deep within. Fate has connected them, but their destiny remains unwritten. Both hold the power to liberate their land. And both hold the power to destroy the world. A ferocious tale of romance and fate, SONG OF SILVER, FLAME LIKE NIGHT is a gift to those seeking adventure with a mythological twist. Perfect for fans of DAUGHTER OF THE MOON GODDESS by Sue Lynn Tan, THE FINAL STRIFE by Saara El-Arifi, and IRON WIDOW by Xiran Jay Zhao.

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If you go down to the woods today, be sure of a big surprise. The Battle of Nearby Village is over, and deep in the Darkwood, Gretel and her friends journey into the hostile mountains of the north, seeking new allies in their fight against the huntsmen. There they find Gilde the Bear Witch, along with a Werewolf named Scarlett and a winged man named Hex. Meanwhile, Hansel and Daisy set off on a dangerous trip of their own to the Citadel, where they end up in the middle of a political battle for the future of the whole country. Can Gretel and her friends persuade Gilde to join forces, or at least stop fighting them at every step? Can Hansel find a way to heal the land’s divisions and make the huntsmen change their ways before disaster strikes them all? And how did Trevor the spider get hold of a wig? Discover the answers to all these questions and more in Such Big Teeth. Venture into the Darkwood in this modern fairy tale that will bewitch adults and younger readers alike.

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'Every page bursts with heart' Anthony Doerr, author of All The Light We Cannot SeeFor Lewis and Wren, their first year of marriage is also their last. A few weeks after their wedding, Lewis receives a rare diagnosis. He's turning into a great white shark, and has less than a year left to live as a human. At first, Wren resists her husband's fate. Is there a way for them to be together after Lewis fully transforms?But as Lewis changes, day by day, Wren begins to make peace with the inevitable. After all, this isn't the first time she's lost a loved one.An extraordinary novel of love, loss, hope and happiness, Shark Heart explores the shapes that love takes, in all its many forms, and asks us to ask ourselves: what makes us human?'Compelling, moving, lyrical' - Claire North, author of Ithaca and The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August

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'You are in for a treat' GEORGE R.R. MARTINMeet the beloved Sir Hereward and Mister Fitz in this exciting collection by Sunday Times bestseller Garth Nix gathering all eight of their stories - plus a never-before-published tale - in one magical volume for the very first time!Sir Hereward: the only male child of an ancient society of witches. Knight, artillerist, swordsman. Mercenary for hire. Ill-starred lover.Mister Fitz: puppet, sorcerer, loremaster. Practitioner of arcane arts and wielder of sorcerous needles.Sir Hereward and Mister Fitz: godslayers. Agents of the Council of the Treaty for the Safety of the World, charged with the location and removal of listed extra-dimensional entities, more commonly known as gods.Together, they are relentless travellers in a treacherous world of magic, gunpowder, and adventure.Compiled for the first time ever, these eight magical stories - plus an all-new tale, 'The Field of Fallen Foe' - featuring fabulous, quintessential Garth Nix protagonists Sir Hereward and Mister Fitz comprise a must-have adult fantasy collection for fans and those about to discover the witch knight and his puppet sorcerer for the first time.PRAISE FOR GARTH NIX'Garth Nix is one of the best world-builders in fantasy' BRANDON SANDERSON'Garth Nix sets the standard for fantasy' LEIGH BARDUGO'This is my favorite kind of tale' V. E. SCHWAB'The most original magic I've seen in years' JOE ABERCROMBIE'A warm, whimsical delight' VERONICA ROTHReader Advisory: Though some of Garth Nix's books and stories are for children, this one is not. It is for adult readers.

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An all-new Star Trek movie-era adventure featuring James T. Kirk! Investigating the massacre of a telepathic minority, Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise confront a terrifying new threat: faceless, armored hunters whose extradimensional technology makes them seemingly unstoppable. Kirk must team with the powerful telepath Miranda Jones and the enigmatic Medusans to take on these merciless killers in an epic battle that will reveal the true faces of both enemy and ally!

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The thrilling finale of the LIFEL1K3 trilogy from the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Nevernight Chronicle and The Illuminae Files. Best friends have become enemies. Lovers have become strangers. And deciding whose side you're on is a matter of life and death. For Eve and Lemon, discovering the truth about themselves – and each other – was too much for their friendship to take. As a new world war looms, they must navigate strained loyalties, unlikely alliances, and betrayals. Heartbreaking choices will reveal the true heroes . . . and they may not be who you think they are.

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A new standalone SF epic from a master of the genre

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“What’s it like, not being real?”In LA, where today’s star is tomorrow’s busboy, discarded “Fictionals”—characters spun into flesh-and-blood by technology—are everywhere. Screenwriter Niles Golan’s therapist is a Fictional. So is his best friend. So (maybe) is the woman in the bar he can’t stop staring at. It’s getting so you can’t tell who’s real and who’s not.Niles isn’t completely sure how real he is…

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Terror in the steamy jungles of Venus, encounters on the arid expanse of Jupiter; asteroids mysteriously bursting with vegetation whizz past and reveal worlds beyond imagination orbiting the giver of all known life - the Sun. Mike Ashley curates this literary tour through the space around this heavenly body, taking in the sights of Mercury, Venus, Mars, an alternate Earth, strange goings on on Saturn and tales from a bizarre civilization on Neptune. Pluto (still a planet in the Classic period of SF) becomes the site for a desperate tale of isolation, and a nameless point at the limits of the Sun's orbital space gives rise to a final poetic vision of this spot in the universe we call home... Born of the Sun collects one story for each of the planets thought to be in our solar system during the Golden Age of SF, from some of the greatest, and from some of the most obscure, authors of the genre. Featuring the genius works of Larry Niven, Poul Andersen, Clifford D Simak, Clare Winger Harris and many more.

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'Rich, intricate worldbuilding meets swoonworthy romance. . . Phédre and Joscelin’s story is the beating heart of every romantasy to follow' - Olivie BlakeThe second book in the Kushiel's Legacy trilogy, Kushiel’s Chosen by Jacqueline Carey is a sweeping fantasy of romance, luxuriance and intrigue – perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Jennifer L. Armentrout.Temptress. Traitor. Tormentor.Phèdre was trained as a spy, courtesan and strategist under her tutor’s watchful eye. He also saw she’d been touched by the god Kushiel’s dart, chosen to experience pain and pleasure as one. Above all, he taught Phèdre to observe and analyse – skills that may yet save her life.Once before, Phèdre sacrificed everything to save her country, but the gods still cast a shadow over her land. For while their young queen is beloved by her people, traitors remain. Those who want others on the throne and aren’t done with schemes for power and revenge. To do her duty, Phèdre must again leave her homeland – only to uncover an earth-shattering plot. One masterminded by the one person she can’t deny. . .‘Kushiel’s Chosen is elegant, intricate, sensual, and captivating’ - Robert Jordan, author of The Wheel of Time series‘Ms Carey’s alternate Renaissance period is perfection’ - Romantic Times‘A great love story, intense spirituality, high eroticism, and lots of adventure, intrigue and swordplay’ -Booklist starred reviewStart the journey with Kushiel’s Dart, and finish with Kushiel’s Avatar.

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Suzume Iwato lives with her aunt in a quiet port town in Kyushu, Japan. One day, on her way to school, she runs into a young man searching for a door and follows him to a ruin in the mountains. Standing alone amidst the collapsed walls is a single old, white door. As if pulled by an invisible force, Suzume reaches out her hand to open it... Eventually, doors begin to open up one after another across Japan, and they must be closed before disaster crosses over from the other side. Follow Suzume's journey to do just that in this novelization of Makoto Shinkai's film, written by the director himself.

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A stunning new edition of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and other stories including Rip Van Winkle. Little treasures, the FLAME TREE COLLECTABLE CLASSICS are chosen to create a delightful and timeless home library. Each stunning, gift edition features deluxe cover treatments, ribbon markers, luxury endpapers and gilded edges. The unabridged text is accompanied by a Glossary of Victorian and Literary terms produced for the modern reader. First published in The Sketch Book in 1819–20, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow tells the story of schoolmaster Ichabod Crane, who comes to live in Sleepy Hollow, a Dutch settlement near the Hudson River. It is a place that abounds with local superstitions, including one concerning a headless horseman. Crane’s eye is caught by Katrina van Tassel, the daughter of a wealthy farmer, and he starts to court her. This behaviour provokes the ire of another would-be-suitor, Brom Bones, a renowned village prankster. At a party, Crane confesses his love for Katrina, who rejects him. On his way home, he encounters the ‘horseman’, who hurls his head at Crane. Ichabod Crane is never heard of again. The only traces that remained of him were his horse, saddle, hat and a mysterious shattered pumpkin. What did happen to Ichabod Crane that night, and who was the Headless Horseman?

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Charles Dickens is a much-loved author for his vast and important contributions to English literature. This collection brings together his supernatural short stories, some of which were included in his longer works, and others that originally featured in magazines, including ‘The Bagman’s Story’, ‘The Ghost in the Bride’s Chamber’ and ‘To Be Read at Dusk’, among others. They are all fantastically gripping stories from one of the greatest writers of all-time. Essential collaborations with his acolytes Wilkie Collins and Elizabeth Gaskell are also included.

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Ruti defeated the new Hero before he could cause too much damage. But rather than cool his ambitions, the loss leaves Van utterly obsessed with getting back at her! Now it's up to Red to safeguard the laid-back lifestyle he's created with his sister. Can he set this dangerous other Hero on the right path before it's too late?

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Panoply is a small, efficient police force, dedicated to maintaining the rule of democracy among the ten thousand disparate city states orbiting the planet Yellowstone.Ingvar Tench was one of Panoply's most experienced operatives. So why did she walk alone and virtually unarmed into a habitat with a vicious grudge against her organisation?As his colleagues pick up the pieces, Dreyfus must face his conscience. Four years ago, when an investigation linked to one of his most dangerous adversaries got a little too personal, Dreyfus arranged for Tench to continue the enquiry by proxy.In using her - even though he had his reasons - did Dreyfus also put her in the line of fire?And what does Tench's misadventure tell him about an enemy he had hoped was dormant?Praise for Alastair Reynolds:'A leading light of the new British space opera' Los Angeles Review of Books on Alastair Reynolds'One of the giants of the new British space opera' io9 on Alastair Reynolds'[Reynolds is] a mastersinger of the space opera' The Times (UK) on Blue Remembered Earth'[Reynolds] is the most gifted hard SF writers working today' Publishers Weekly on Beyond the Aquila Rift

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Two kingdoms, ancient enemies, must stand alone against an implacable invader in the masterful conclusion of the Great God's War epic from the New York Times bestselling author of the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant.They are coming.The kingdoms of Belleger and Amika had been fighting for generations. But then they learned of a terrible threat moving through them to destroy the Last Repository, an immense hidden library. To face this greater enemy, King Bifalt of Belleger and Queen Estie of Amika allied their lands and prepared for war.They are at the door.Now the time of preparation is over. Black ships and sorcery test the cannon that defend the Bay of Lights. Treachery and betrayal threaten the kingdoms. The priests of the Great God Rile sow dissent. And Estie rides for the Last Repository, desperate to enlist the help of their Magisters-and to understand the nature of her own magical gift.They are here.Bifalt hates sorcery as much as he loves Estie, and the discovery that she could become a Magister shatters him. But he must rally and fight. Belleger and Amika are all that stand between the Great God's forces and his ultimate goal: the destruction of the Last Repository and its treasure of knowledge.

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Welcome to the Best of the Masterworks: a selection of the finest in science fictionMill Valley, Marin County, California. Dr Miles Bennell has lived there all his life. But one day Miles sees a patient who claims her Uncle isn't himself. He's a different person, despite being identical in every way except one: he is only pretending to have emotions.Miles dismisses this as delusions and refers her to a psychiatrist.Then he finds the pods. Giant seed pods, filled with a strange, grey substance. A strange grey substance that can slowly, slowly, become a perfect replica of a person.But what has happened to the people being replicated?Adapted for screen multiple times, The Body Snatchers is the origin of the phrase 'pod people', and a staple of pulp science fiction. Read by many as an allegory for the Cold War, or McCarthyism, it perfectly encapsulates the paranoia that comes with not knowing who around you can be trusted.'A good story, to be read and savoured' - Stephen King'Will chill you straight to the marrow' - Galaxy Science Fiction'Intensely readable and unpredictably ingenious' - The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction

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You have 20 minutes to find your perfect mate. Then you may never see them again. Now or Never has launched in Cardiff and something’s clearly very wrong with the app. Not only is everyone going on dates, but everyone’s on the same date. The same meals. The same hobbies. The same small talk. Andy Davidson would be investigating. But he’s got a date. CAST: Tom Price (Sgt Andy Davidson), Kai Owen (Rhys Williams), Natalia Hinds (Phoebe), Sunjay Midda (Sunil), Rebecca Trehearn (Anna). NOTE: Torchwood contains adult material and may not be suitable for younger listeners.

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A young girl and her father take a desperate pilgrimage through a blasted post-apocalyptic Mojave Desert to the Holy City of Las Vegas in this vivid and uncanny tale of outsiders in a dangerous world, perfect for fans of Lucy A. Snyder and Jeff Vandermeer. An unknown devastation has swept across the United States, a sickness causes the dead to flower and sprout fruit, and the promise of miracles draws pilgrims from all over to the Holy City of Las Vegas. Magdala and her father flee their home in the Sonora Desert, setting out across the wasteland in search of a cure for her disability. As they pass through blasted cities and ruined towns, they are forced to join with a group of survivors making their own pilgrimage. But the road to Las Vegas is filled with danger, strange cults occupying the wreckage of towns, and uncanny stuffed men roaming the desert. As a strange sickness begins to take hold, the band of survivors grows ever thinner, and months turn to years. Magdala finds herself placing her trust in the most unlikely of places, and the closer she gets to her holy destination, the further from salvation she seems.

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