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The Fortune Hunters
by Joan AikenAn inheritance comes with its own sinister dangers...'Joan Aiken's triumph with this genre is that she does it so much better than others' New York Times Book ReviewAnnette, an increasingly amnesiac magazine editor who has inherited an unexpected fortune, leaves London for a new life in a cottage in the country, but falls prey to a series of strange characters who threaten to deprive her of not just her money, but her sanity too. There's a world-famous artist with a dark secret; a New Zealander on an archaeological dig; and a strange neighbour wheeling an invalid 'child' on a lonely road...Set in the picturesque Sussex town where the author was born and spent her early years in a haunted house, this gothic thriller builds to a terrifying climax as the heroine pits her wits against the sinister forces that surround her.
The Rim of Morning
by Stephen King William SloaneIn the 1930s, William Sloane wrote two brilliant novels that gave a whole new meaning to cosmic horror. In To Walk the Night, Bark Jones and his college buddy Jerry Lister, a science whiz, head back to their alma mater to visit a cherished professor of astronomy. They discover his body, consumed by fire, in his laboratory, and an uncannily beautiful young widow in his house--but nothing compares to the revelation that Jerry and Bark encounter in the deserts of Arizona at the end of the book. In The Edge of Running Water, Julian Blair, a brilliant electrophysicist, has retired to a small town in remotest Maine after the death of his wife. His latest experiments threaten to shake up the town, not to mention the universe itself. suspicious locals and under the guard of an unpleasant and uncooperative housekeeper, Mrs. Walters. There is also stunning Anne, Blair's sister-in-law. Meanwhile, Julian, dead to the world, stays locked in his study. The Rim of Morning: two novels about the inescapable link between knowledge and sacrifice, the other, unspeakable, unknowable, unendurable side of the world we think we know. About the silence out there.
The Sundered Worlds
by Michael MoorcockDorian Hawkmoon... Corum Jhaelen Irsei... Elric of Melniboné. Over the years, Michael Moorcock has captivated readers with his unending versions of the Eternal Champion, the timeless warrior who serves the Cosmic Balance in the ongoing battle that rages between Law and Chaos through the many planes and levels of the multiverse. But what is the multiverse and what are its origins? In this essential novel, Michael Moorcock provides readers these critical answers.World War Three has come and gone, and humankind has survived its brutal past to assume its place among the stars. Yet their existence is endangered nonetheless, as their entire universe is threatening to collapse. All their hopes rest on the shoulders of Count Renark von Bek, a nobleman of extraordinary psychic abilities and carefully guarded secrets.Aided by his companions, von Bek will delve into the Sundered Worlds, a mysterious galaxy outside the space-time continuum that has materialized on the edges of known space. Inside this roving galaxy, they will uncover the secrets of the multiverse and embark upon a last desperate gamble to save humankind.But as they will soon discover, even survival comes laden with danger, as the solutions to their dilemma may also hold the final keys to their destruction
The Time Axis
by Henry KuttnerCalled to the end of time by a being they knew only as The Face of Ea, four adventurers from the twentieth century faced a power that not even the super-science of that era could meet - the nekron, negative matter, negative force, ultimate destruction for everything it touched. It seemed hopeless to expect them to win this battle for the fate of the universe - but between them they had a power they themselves could not suspect.
Warriors of Mars
by Michael MoorcockBrilliant physicist and warrior Michael Kane's experiments in matter transmission catapult him across space and time to the verdant and war-torn Mars of the distant past. There he meets the beautiful Princess Shizala and learns the ways of her people, the Kamala, and of their war with the Argzoon. Swept up in their civil war, with Kane win the day, and the heart of the Princess? The creator of Elric of Melniboné, Michael Moorcock remains one of the most honored science fiction and fantasy authors of all time. Moorcock's Eternal Champion makes his debut in book one of the Warrior of Mars series.
Wicked Angel: A Novel
by Taylor CaldwellA tale of family horror in the tradition of The Bad Seed and The Omen from the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Dialogues with the Devil. To his mother, Angelo is the most beautiful and brilliant child in the world. She caters to his every whim and dismisses his malicious outbursts as childish pranks. But as Angelo grows older, his behavior only becomes more disturbing. A pet dog disappears. A playground run-in leaves one of his teachers with a broken arm. Still, his mother refuses to believe that anything is wrong with her precious angel. His father and his aunt, however, have begun to suspect that behind Angelo’s cherubic smile lurks a dark and twisted monster who preys on the innocent. But how do they reveal Angelo’s true nature before it’s too late? A mesmerizing portrait of evil personified, Wicked Angel is a psychological tour-de-force from an author who “never falters when it comes to storytelling” (Publishers Weekly).
The Winds of Limbo
by Michael MoorcockHe was a mysterious cosmic presence who came out of nowhere with the incredible promise to free the dying planet. Earth's future is one of peace. There are no more wars, nuclear weapons are outlawed, and technology is raising mankind to new heights. Many cities are now underground. Alain von Bek is a bastard of distinguished lineage working an unassuming job with city administration in the underground city of Switzerland. But with the appearance of a massive clownish figure calling himself the Fireclown, Alain's life and the course of Earth's future are both about to change. The Fireclown claims to hold the keys to mankind's salvation. He carries an undeniable charisma that is winning him followers, chief among them Helen Curtis, Alain's cousin and former lover, not to mention serious candidate in the next presidential election. But there are also those who mistrust the Fireclown. At the forefront of this opposition is Minister Simon von Bek, Alain's grandfather, and Helen's chief competition in the forthcoming election. Gradually, Alain finds himself sucked into a game of chess between these three polarizing forces, but each new revelation raises new questions, about his past and that of the world's future. He will have to put his trust in someone, and time is running out-for him and the world.
13 Ghostly Tales
by Freya LittledaleMoans! Groans! Rattling bones! Things that go bump in the night! Are you ready to be scared silly? Here are 13 Ghostly Tales that are guaranteed to make you shiver. Read them--only if you dare! Reading level 5th grade, Ages 9-13 Pictures are described.
Columbella
by Phyllis A. WhitneyA governess becomes entangled with a dysfunctional and dangerous family in this novel by a New York Times–bestselling “master of suspense” (Mary Higgins Clark). Finally liberated from her cruel and domineering mother, twenty-eight-year-old schoolteacher Jessica Abbott has accepted a position as governess in Hampden House, a crumbling plantation on the cliffs of St. Croix. Her charge is Leila Drew, the oppressed teenage daughter of a pathologically punishing mother. But the vulnerable girl is not Catherine Drew’s only victim. For years, Catherine’s desperate husband, King, a man to whom Jessica is irresistibly drawn, has been searching for the means to a safe escape—for himself and Leila—from this ruin of a family. As Jessica becomes further entwined in the violent dynamics of the Drew family, she realizes Catherine’s wretched power may be grounded in a secret that has trapped not only King and Leila, but herself as well. A recipient of the Mystery Writers of America Grand Master Award, Phyllis A. Whitney was hailed by Mary Higgins Clark as “a superb and gifted storyteller, and a master of suspense.” This ebook features an illustrated biography of Phyllis A. Whitney including rare images from the author’s estate.
The Devil and Her Son
by Margery AllinghamA desperate woman’s innocent escape from London turns deadly in this suspenseful mystery by the renowned author of the Albert Campion series. Out of a job, a home, and luck, Mary Coleridge tells a seemingly innocuous lie in order to take a break from the pressures of London. Posing as her friend, Marie-Elizabeth Mason, Mary travels to the countryside to visit Miss Mason’s wealthy aunt. The estate is grand, Mrs. de Liane eager and endearing, the food abundant and delectable. It is so nice, in fact, that Mary settles into her new life as Marie-Elizabeth, and even entertains the possibility of a new beau. But something is not right within the great house. As Mary’s stay extends, the sweet Mrs. de Liane begins to sour. The scheming matriarch has a devilish plan in store for her niece. And when Mary fails to cooperate, Mrs. de Liane decides to hold her captive. With no one to turn to and no way out, will Mary ever escape the house, and the oppressive evil that rules it? The queen of classic crime, Margery Allingham, delivers a dazzling manor house mystery writing as Maxwell March.
Ghosts Who Went to School
by Judith SpearingWhat would you do if a ghost came to your class? Wilbur doesn't mean to make trouble, but books rise by themselves, voices answer the teacher...
Goosebumps (Goosebumps #7, 31, 40)
by R. L. StineNight of the Living Dummy I, II and III. These stories are Goosebumps #7, #31, and #40, respectively. Discovering an old ventriloquist dummy in the trash and naming it Slappy, young Lindy inadvertently sets off a terrifying series of events, in a scary story collection that features cover art of Slappy with flashing eyes.
Night Creature (The Werewolf Chronicles #1)
by Rodman Philbrick Lynn HarnettBorn human and raised as a wolf—but forever destined to be a monster Abandoned as a child, Gruff is taken in and raised by a Wolfmother. She teaches him to survive in the wild—and to be wary of the Legwalkers. When a chance encounter brings Gruff near humans again, he wants to know more about this world to which he no longer belongs. But as he soon discovers, he doesn&’t really fit in with the wolves either. As Gruff feels his body change into that of a monster—and hears the evil call coming from others like him—he knows it&’s time to face the terrible truth about himself.
The Phantom of the Temple: A Judge Dee Mystery (The Judge Dee Mysteries)
by Robert van GulikJudge Dee presided over his imperial Chinese court with a unique brand of Confucian justice. A near mythic figure in China, he distinguished himself as a tribunal magistrate, inquisitor, and public avenger. Long after his death, accounts of his exploits were celebrated in Chinese folklore, and later immortalized by Robert van Gulik in his electrifying mysteries. In The Phantom of the Temple, three separate puzzles—the disappearance of a wealthy merchant's daughter, twenty missing bars of gold, and a decapitated corpse—are pieced together by the clever judge to solve three murders and one complex, gruesome plot. “Judge Dee belongs in that select group of fictional detectives headed by the renowned Sherlock Holmes. I assure you it is a compliment not given frivolously.”—Robert Kirsch, Los AngelesTimes Robert Van Gulik (1910-67) was a Dutch diplomat and an authority on Chinese history and culture. He drew his plots from the whole body of Chinese literature, especially from the popular detective novels that first appeared in the seventeenth century.
The Shores of Death
by Michael MoorcockWith Earth teetering on the brink of extinction, only one man dares to defy the legacy of the Spaceraiders - Clovis Marca, the twilight man.Long ago Earth, now fixed on her axis, with eternal day on one side, eternal night on the other and a ribbon of twilight in between, was ravaged by galactic raiders. Earthlings recovered, grew stronger. But now, unable to reproduce, the last humans are frenzied with final decadence. And fear.Only Clovis Marca, the last man born on Earth, dares to brave infected space to seek the impossible solution. His dark quest leads him to face Orlando Sharvis, the scientist whose insane experiments on his own mind and body might just save the human race... but would that race then be more, or less, human?
Tarnsman of Gor: Gor Book 1 (Gorean Saga #1)
by John NormanTarl Cabot has always believed himself to be a citizen of Earth. He has no inkling that his destiny is far greater than the small planet he has inhabited for the first twenty-odd years of his life. One frosty winter night in the New England woods, he finds himself transported to the planet of Gor, also known as Counter-Earth, where everything is dramatically different from anything he has ever experienced. It emerges that Tarl is to be trained as a Tarnsman, one of the most honored positions in the rigid, caste-bound Gorean society. He is disciplined by the best teachers and warriors that Gor has to offer . . . but to what end? Rediscover this brilliantly imagined world where men are masters and women live to serve their every desire.
Three Gothic Novels
by E. F. BleilerOne of the most interesting phenomena in the history of literature, the Gothic novel -- which flourished from about 1765 to 1825 -- still has much to offer to the modern reader. Supernatural thrills, adventure and suspense, colorful settings, and, in the better examples, literary quality are all present. Unfortunately, true Gothic novels (not simply modern detective stories called "Gothic") are extremely rare books, and have never been as available as they should be.The first member in this collection, Horace Walpole's TheCastle of Otranto, published as a Christmas book for 1764, was the first and one of the greatest members of the genre. It has also been one of the most influential books in history. It motivated the Gothic revival in the arts, and it probably did more to usher in the early-19th-century Romanticism than any other single work. It also served as the model in plot, characterizations, settings, and tone for hundreds, perhaps thousands of successors.Vathek, by the eccentric British millionaire William Beckford, is generally considered to be the high point of the Oriental tale in English literature. Certainly no one has ever written (in any European tongue) a story which better unifies the stirrings of Gothic romanticism with the color, poetry, and vivacity of the original Arabian Nights.The third novel in this collection, John Polidor's Vampyre, emerged from the same soirées of ghost-story telling in Geneva that produced Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. The first full-length vampire story in English, it initiated a very important literary chain that also leads up to the present. Included with Polidori's novel is Lord Byron's little-known Fragment, from which Polidori (who was Byron's physician in Switzerland) plagiarized his plot.These three novels (and the fragment) are still well worth reading. Generations of readers have found thrills and horrors in Walpole's fine work, while Vathek cannot be excelled in its unusual mixture of the bizarre, cruel irony, and masterful narration. Polidori's thriller still conveys chills, and the Fragment makes us all wish that Byron had completed his novel.
Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Stories That Scared Even Me
by Alfred Hitchcock17 short stories by a variety of authors, the novelette It by Theodore Sturgeon, and the novel Out of the Deeps by John Wyndham.
The Courtesy of Death (Murder Room #587)
by Geoffrey HouseholdBy the author of Rogue Male, a classic thriller of the twentieth century.'Household ... helped to develop the suspense story into an art form' New York TimesWhen retired mining engineer Yarrow is disturbed after midnight by Barnabas Fosworth, he assumes that he is just a curious eccentric. But by helping Fosworth in his search for the mysterious girl he seeks, Yarrow soon finds his life inexplicably threatened by a mystical sect who believe that taking life is forgivable, since death is only a transition.Entombed in a cavern in the Mendips, Yarrow discovers the ancient secrets that have their origins in paleolithic paintings; and it is only through this new knowledge that he can hope to escape a very unpleasant death.
The Courtesy of Death
by Geoffrey HouseholdBy the author of Rogue Male, a classic thriller of the twentieth century.'Household ... helped to develop the suspense story into an art form' New York TimesWhen retired mining engineer Yarrow is disturbed after midnight by Barnabas Fosworth, he assumes that he is just a curious eccentric. But by helping Fosworth in his search for the mysterious girl he seeks, Yarrow soon finds his life inexplicably threatened by a mystical sect who believe that taking life is forgivable, since death is only a transition.Entombed in a cavern in the Mendips, Yarrow discovers the ancient secrets that have their origins in paleolithic paintings; and it is only through this new knowledge that he can hope to escape a very unpleasant death.
Flesh
by Philip José FarmerA starship crew returns to a primitive, post-apocalyptic—and deadly—Earth in this classic adventure by a Science Fiction Grand Master. After eight centuries of exploring the stars, Space Capt. Peter Stagg and his starship crew return to Earth to find a scorched planet with little plant life remaining. Civilization has changed drastically with technology reverted to the Stone Age and culture centered on a pagan fertility cult. Stagg soon finds himself initiated into the Elk fraternity. They graft antlers to his head, crowning him the new &“Sunhero.&” He is then sent on a six-month tour to repopulate the world with the help of every willing virgin. Now the crew must find a way to escape, because while the captain&’s journey might sound pleasurable, it will only end in pain . . . &“A bawdy but good yarn.&” —Analog Science Fiction and Fact&“Farmer must have had lots of fun writing this because I had quite a bit reading it.&” —Locu
Flight to the Lonesome Place
by Alexander KeyOn the run from killers, a boy genius looks for strength in numbersWhen he steps on stage, Ronnie Cleveland feels his troubles slip away. He is the Blue Boy, a genius who sings, plays piano, and solves math problems faster than any calculator. His nightclub act is a great success, but he feels fear creeping into his heart. When a young Spanish girl warns him that trouble is coming, he knows she is right—and that it&’s too late to stop it. Before his time in the spotlight, Ronnie worked for a pair of underworld accountants. Because he remembers every number he ever crunched, the Blue Boy&’s head holds enough dirt to put the entire mob in jail—and that makes him a target. When his manager and bodyguards disappear, Ronnie runs to find the mysterious girl, and seek refuge in the most lonesome place in the world.
The Jewel In The Skull (Gateway Essentials #446)
by Michael MoorcockDorian Hawkmoon, the last Duke of Koln, swore to destroy the Dark Empire of Granbretan. But after his defeat and capture at the hands of the vast forces of the Empire, Hawkmoon becomes a puppet, co-opted by his arch nemesis, the ruthless Baron Meliadus, to infiltrate the last stronghold of rebellion against Granbretan: the small but powerful city of the Kamarg. He has been implanted with a black jewel, through which the Dark Empire can control his every decision. But in the stronghold of the Kamarg, Hawkmoon discovers the power inside him to overcome any control, and his vengeance against the Dark Empire is filled with an unrelenting fury.
Outlaw of Gor (Gorean Saga #2)
by John NormanA warrior falls as the cult classic sword and sorcery series continues—the inspiration for the film starring Jack Palance. Tarl Cabot finds himself transported back to Counter-Earth from the sedate life he has known as a history professor on Earth. He is glad to be back in his role as a dominant warrior and again in the arms of his true love. Yet Tarl finds that his name on Gor has been tainted, his city defiled, and all those he loves made outcasts. He is no longer in the position of a proud warrior, but an outlaw for whom the simplest answers must come at a high price. He wonders why the Priest-Kings have called him back to Gor, and whether it is only to render him powerless. Rediscover this brilliantly imagined world where men are masters and women live to serve their every desire. Outlaw of Gor is the 2nd book in the Gorean Saga, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.
Picnic at Hanging Rock: A Novel (Australian Children's Classics)
by Joan LindsayThe classic novel about the disappearance of three boarding school girls that inspired the acclaimed film It was a cloudless summer day in the year 1900. Everyone at Appleyard College for Young Ladies agreed it was just right for a picnic at Hanging Rock. After lunch, a group of three girls climbed into the blaze of the afternoon sun, pressing on through the scrub into the shadows of the secluded volcanic outcropping. Farther, higher, until at last they disappeared. They never returned. . . . Mysterious and subtly erotic, Picnic at Hanging Rock inspired the iconic 1975 film of the same name by Peter Weir. A beguiling landmark of Australian literature, it stands with Shirley Jackson's We Have Always Lived in the Castle, Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca, and Jeffrey Eugenides' The Virgin Suicides as a masterpiece of haunting intrigue.