What destiny awaits them after the screaming? After abruptly departing from a train in a small town, a couple encounters a weeping woman—a professional mourner—sobbing inconsolably at a funeral. Mako changes afterward—she can't stop crying! In another tale, having decided to die together, a couple enters Aokigahara, the infamous suicide forest. What is the shocking otherworldly torrent that they discover there?

One of horror's greatest talents, Junji Ito beckons readers to join him in an experience of ultimate terror with four transcendently terrifying tales.

Junji Ito meets Mary Shelley! The master of horror manga bends all his skill into bringing the anguished and solitary monster—and the fouler beast who created him—to life with the brilliantly detailed chiaroscuro he is known for.

Also included are six tales of Oshikiri—a high school student who lives in a decaying mansion connected to a haunted parallel world. Uncanny doppelgangers, unfortunately murdered friends, and a whole lot more are in store for him.

Bonus: The Ito family dog! Thrill to the adventures of Non-non Ito, an adorable Maltese!

Sinopticon: A Celebration of Chinese Science Fiction is a groundbreaking anthology that brings together thirteen extraordinary tales of speculative fiction from China, translated into English for the very first time. Curated and translated by the critically acclaimed writer and essayist Xueting Christine Ni, this collection offers a diverse and captivating array of stories that will take readers on a journey through the imaginative landscapes of Chinese science fiction.

From the celebrated Jiang Bo's 'Starship: Library' to Regina Kanyu Wang's 'The Tide of Moon City', and Anna Wu's 'Meisje met de Parel', readers are presented with a tapestry of narratives that span a variety of themes and perspectives. The writers featured in this anthology include award winners, bestsellers, screenwriters, playwrights, philosophers, university lecturers, and computer programmers, showcasing the breadth and depth of Chinese SF.

Sinopticon invites readers to explore the transformational and often visionary world of Chinese speculative fiction, making it an essential read for all fans of the genre.

A vengeful family hides an army deserter for eight years after the end of World War II, cocooning him in a false reality where the war never ended. A pair of girls look alike, but they’re not twins. And a boy's nightmare threatens to spill out into the real world...

This hauntingly strange story collection showcases a dozen of Junji Ito's earliest works from when he burst onto the horror scene, sowing fresh seeds of terror.

The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes is a collection of eleven detective stories by Arthur Conan Doyle. Silver Blaze, The Yellow Face, The Stockbroker's Clerk, The Gloria Scott, The Musgrave Ritual, The Reigate Squire, The Crooked Man, The Resident Patient, The Greek Interpreter, The Naval Treaty, and The Final Problem are the fascinating narratives that comprise this anthology.

These tales present a variety of intriguing cases, showcasing Holmes's legendary prowess in observation, forensic science, and logical reasoning. Notably, this volume includes the climactic battle of wits between Holmes and his arch-nemesis, the criminal mastermind Professor Moriarty, which is widely considered to solidify Holmes' immortality as a literary figure.

Exhalation by Ted Chiang is a collection of nine profoundly original, provocative, and poignant stories. Some of these tales, including two published for the first time, offer a stunning exploration of humanity's oldest questions and new quandaries that could only be examined by Chiang's imaginative mind.

In "The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate", we encounter a time-traveling portal that confronts a fabric seller in ancient Baghdad with his past mistakes and the possibility of second chances. The titular story, "Exhalation", presents an alien scientist faced with a universe-altering discovery. "Anxiety Is the Dizziness of Freedom" challenges our understanding of choice and free will through the lens of alternate universes.

These stories navigate the essence of the universe and what it means to be human, each in its own unique and beautifully crafted manner. Chiang's second collection of short fiction is a testament to the power of science fiction to investigate the beauty, meaning, and compassion of the human condition.

At the Mountains of Madness is a tale of terror unlike any other. The barren, windswept interior of the Antarctic plateau was lifeless—or so the expedition from Miskatonic University thought. Then they found the strange fossils of unheard-of creatures...and the carved stones tens of millions of years old...and, finally, the mind-blasting terror of the City of the Old Ones.

Three additional strange tales, written as only H.P. Lovecraft can write, are also included in this macabre collection of the strange and the weird.

• At the Mountains of Madness • A complete short novel, part of the Cthulhu Mythos.
• The Dreams in the Witch-House • A novelette, part of the Cthulhu Mythos.
• The Shunned House • A novelette.
• The Statement of Randolph Carter • A short story, part of the Randolph Carter series.

Dissolving Classroom revolves around a pair of twisted siblings - Yuuma, a young man obsessed with the devil, and Chizumi, the worst little sister in recorded history. Their unsettling presence causes all sorts of terrifying and tragic events wherever they go. This collection of scary short stories will shock readers with a literal interpretation of the ills that plague modern society.

From quiet, elegiac, contemporary tales to far-future, deep-space sagas, the stories chosen by series editor John Joseph Adams and guest editor Karen Joy Fowler for The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2016 demonstrate the vast spectrum of what science fiction and fantasy aims to illuminate. These narratives display the full gamut of the human experience, interrogating our hopes and our fears—of not just what we can accomplish or destroy as a person, but what we can accomplish or destroy as a people—and throwing us into strange new worlds that can only be explored when we shed the shackles of reality.

The anthology includes works by Rachel Swirsky, Sofia Samatar, Charlie Jane Anders, Ted Chiang, Kelly Link, Maria Dahvana Headley, Kij Johnson, Catherynne M. Valente, Dexter Palmer, and others. KAREN JOY FOWLER, guest editor, is the author of six novels and four short story collections, including We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves. She is the winner of the 2014 PEN/Faulkner Award, a finalist for the Man Booker Prize, and has won numerous Nebula and World Fantasy awards. JOHN JOSEPH ADAMS, series editor, is the best-selling editor of more than two dozen anthologies, including Brave New Worlds and Wastelands. He is the editor and publisher of the digital magazines Lightspeed and Nightmare and is the editor of John Joseph Adams Books, a new science fiction/fantasy novel imprint from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

How to Talk to Girls at Parties is a captivating graphic novel that follows the story of Enn, a fifteen-year-old boy who finds the world of girls to be a complete mystery. His friend Vic, on the other hand, seems to have it all figured out. Their lives take an unexpected turn when they decide to crash a local party, only to find out that the girls there are extraordinarily unique.

Based on the Locus Award-winning short story by Neil Gaiman, a renowned author, and brought to life with the vivid ink-and-watercolor illustrations by the acclaimed Daytripper duo, Gabriel B\u00e1 and F\u00e1bio Moon, this original hardcover graphic novel is an unforgettable experience that blends elements of fantasy and science fiction with the relatable struggles of adolescence.

Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang is a collection that combines the very strange with the heartbreakingly familiar. The stories present characters who face sudden and inevitable changes, such as the rise of automatons or the arrival of aliens, and must find a way to maintain some sense of normalcy.

With a blend of sharp intelligence and humor, Chiang's stories explore what it means to be alive in a world filled with uncertainty, beauty, and wonder. This collection includes the following stories:

• Tower of Babylon
• Understand
• Division by Zero
• Story of Your Life
• Seventy-Two Letters
• The Evolution of Human Science
• Hell is the Absence of God
• Liking What You See: A Documentary

Additionally, the collection features Story Notes that provide insights into the creation of each piece. Stories of Your Life and Others has been recognized as a contemporary classic and includes 'Story of Your Life,' which inspired the major motion picture Arrival.

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is a collection of twelve short stories by Arthur Conan Doyle, featuring his famous detective Sherlock Holmes. These tales showcase Holmes' remarkable powers of deduction and the wide variety of cases that come his way, ranging from the bizarre to the highly dangerous. Aided by his loyal friend Dr. John Watson, Holmes solves each mystery with his signature wit and ingenuity.

This edition of the timeless classic ensures that the reader will be engrossed in the thrilling adventures of one of literature's most enduring characters. From the enigmatic 'Red-headed League' to the chilling 'The Adventure of the Speckled Band,' and the peculiar 'The Adventure of the Copper Beeches,' readers will be taken on a journey through the dark, foggy streets of Victorian London, where danger and intrigue lurk around every corner.

Robert Neville is the last living man on Earth... but he is not alone. Every other man, woman, and child on Earth has become a vampire, and they are all hungry for Neville's blood.

By day, he is the hunter, stalking the sleeping undead through the abandoned ruins of civilization. By night, he barricades himself in his home and prays for dawn.

How long can one man survive in a world of vampires?

This collection includes the following stories:

• I am legend
• Buried talents
• The near departed
• Prey
• Witch war
• Dance of the dead
• Dress of white silk
• Mad house
• The funeral
• From shadowed places
• Person to person

This seventh volume of the year's best science fiction and fantasy features over thirty stories by some of the genre's greatest authors, including Elizabeth Bear, Paul Cornell, Cory Doctorow, James Patrick Kelly, Yoon Ha Lee, Kelly Link, Ken Liu, Sandra MacDonald, K.J. Parker, Robert Reed, Peter Watts, and many others. Selecting the best fiction from Asimov's, Clarkesworld, F&SF, Lightspeed, Subterranean, and other top venues, The Year's Best Science Fiction & Fantasy is your guide to magical realms and worlds beyond tomorrow.

If you live near the jungle, you will realize that what is real and what is not real is not always clear. In the forest, there is not a big gap between the two.

A Datin recalls her romance with an orang bunian. A teenage pontianak struggles to balance homework, bossy aunties, first love, and eating people. An earth spirit gets entangled in protracted negotiations with an annoying landlord, and Chang E spins off into outer space, the ultimate metaphor for the Chinese diaspora.

Straddling the worlds of the mundane and the magical, Spirits Abroad collects ten science fiction and fantasy stories with a distinctively Malaysian sensibility.

The Return of Sherlock Holmes is a collection of 13 Sherlock Holmes stories, originally published in 1903-1904, by Arthur Conan Doyle. The stories mark the astonishing return of the brilliant detective, Sherlock Holmes, who reappears to his faithful friend Dr. Watson after being presumed dead for three years. This momentous event takes London by storm as Holmes resumes his exceptional service in solving baffling mysteries.

The collection includes memorable adventures such as:

• The Adventure of the Empty House
• The Adventure of the Norwood Builder
• The Adventure of the Dancing Men
• The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist
• The Adventure of the Priory School
• The Adventure of Black Peter
• The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton
• The Adventure of the Six Napoleons
• The Adventure of the Three Students
• The Adventure of the Golden Pince-Nez
• The Adventure of the Missing Three-Quarter
• The Adventure of the Abbey Grange
• The Adventure of the Second Stain

Sherlock Holmes' remarkable intellect and astute powers of deduction are on full display as he faces a variety of challengers and puzzles in these thrilling stories.

In the deft hands of Neil Gaiman, magic is no mere illusion, and anything is possible. In Smoke and Mirrors, Gaiman's first book of short stories, his imagination and supreme artistry transform a mundane world into a place of terrible wonders. Imagine a place where an old woman can purchase the Holy Grail at a thrift store, where assassins advertise their services in the Yellow Pages under Pest Control, and where a frightened young boy must barter for his life with a mean-spirited troll living beneath a bridge by the railroad tracks.

Explore a new reality, obscured by smoke and darkness, yet brilliantly tangible, in this extraordinary collection of short works by a master prestidigitator. It will dazzle your senses, touch your heart, and haunt your dreams.

A twentieth-century successor to Edgar Allan Poe as the master of "weird fiction," Howard Philips Lovecraft once wrote, "The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown." In the novellas and stories he published in such pulp magazines as Weird Tales and Astounding Stories—and in the work that remained unpublished until after his death, including some of his best writing—H. P. Lovecraft adapted the conventions of horror stories and science fiction to express an intensely personal vision, cosmic in its ramifications and fearsome in its shuddering view of human destiny.

In this Library of America volume, the best-selling novelist Peter Straub brings together the very best of Lovecraft's fiction in a treasury guaranteed to bring fright and delight both to longtime fans and to readers new to his work. Early stories such as The Outsider, The Music of Erich Zann, Herbert West–Reanimator, and The Lurking Fear demonstrate Lovecraft's uncanny ability to blur the distinction between reality and nightmare, sanity and madness, the human and non-human. The Horror at Red Hook and He reveal the fascination and revulsion Lovecraft felt for New York City; Pickman's Model uncovers the frightening secret behind an artist's work; The Rats in the Walls is a terrifying descent into atavistic horror; and The Colour Out of Space explores the eerie impact of a meteorite on a remote Massachusetts valley.

In such later works as The Call of Cthulhu, The Whisperer in Darkness, At the Mountains of Madness, The Shadow Over Innsmouth, and The Shadow Out of Time, Lovecraft developed his own nightmarish mythology in which encounters with ancient, pitiless extraterrestrial intelligences wreak havoc on hapless humans who only gradually begin to glimpse "terrifying vistas of reality, and our frightful position therein." Moving from old New England towns haunted by occult pasts to Antarctic wastes that disclose appalling secrets, Lovecraft's tales continue to exert a dread fascination.

The Arabian Nights: Tales from a Thousand and One Nights, brings together a cherished collection of fantastic tales full of mischief, valor, ribaldry, and romance. These stories have captivated readers for centuries and recount the clever tactics of Shahrazad, who spun enchanting narratives night after night to postpone her execution by the vengeful King Shahriyar. Her tales, which include the adventures of Aladdin and the Enchanted Lamp, the voyages of Sinbad the Seaman and Sinbad the Landsman, and the cunning Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, have become deeply embedded in the global literary consciousness.

This edition preserves the 1932 Modern Library version selected by Bennett A. Cerf, drawing from Sir Richard F. Burton's comprehensive translation. It also features Burton's extensive, well-regarded explanatory notes. From the epic to the comic, from moral fables such as The Young Woman and her Five Lovers to the sharp social critique of The Tale of the Hunchback, these narratives not only entertain but also provide a detailed portrait of medieval Islamic society.

This volume collects, for the first time, the entire Dream Cycle created by H. P. Lovecraft, the master of twentieth-century horror, including some of his most fantastic tales:

• The Doom that Came to Sarnath - Hate, genocide, and a deadly curse.
• The Nameless City - Death lies beneath the shifting sands, in a story linking the Dream Cycle with the legendary Cthulhu Mythos.
• The Cats of Ulthar - In Ulthar, no man may kill a cat...and woe unto any who tries.
• The Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath - The epic nightmare adventure with tendrils stretching throughout the entire Dream Cycle.

And twenty more tales of surreal terror.

Countless tombstones stand in rows throughout a small community, forming a bizarre tableau. What fate awaits a brother and sister after a traffic accident in this town of the dead? In another tale, a girl falls silent, her tongue transformed into a slug. Can a friend save her? Then, when a young man moves to a new town, he finds the house next door has only a single window. What does his grotesque neighbor want, calling out to him every evening from that lone window?

Fresh nightmares brought to you by horror master Junji Ito.

The fables of Aesop have become one of the most enduring traditions of European culture, ever since they were first written down nearly two millennia ago. Aesop was reputedly a tongue-tied slave who miraculously received the power of speech; from his legendary storytelling came the collections of prose and verse fables scattered throughout Greek and Roman literature.

First published in English by Caxton in 1484, the fables and their morals continue to charm modern readers: who does not know the story of the tortoise and the hare, or the boy who cried wolf?

Howard Phillips Lovecraft forever changed the face of horror, fantasy, and science fiction with a remarkable series of stories as influential as the works of Poe, Tolkien, and Edgar Rice Burroughs. His chilling mythology established a gateway between the known universe and an ancient dimension of otherworldly terror, whose unspeakable denizens and monstrous landscapes - dread Cthulhu, Yog-Sothoth, the Plateau of Leng, the Mountains of Madness - have earned him a permanent place in the history of the macabre.

In Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos, a pantheon of horror and fantasy's finest authors pay tribute to the master of the macabre with a collection of original stories set in the fearsome Lovecraft tradition.

Contents:

• Iä! Iä! Cthulhu Fhtagn! (1990) by Jim Turner
• The Call of Cthulhu (1928) by H.P. Lovecraft
• The Return of the Sorcerer (1931) by Clark Ashton Smith
• Ubbo-Sathla (1933) by Clark Ashton Smith
• The Black Stone (1931) by Robert E. Howard
• The Hounds of Tindalos (1929) by Frank Belknap Long
• The Space-Eaters (1928) by Frank Belknap Long
• The Dweller in Darkness (1944) by August Derleth
• Beyond the Threshold (1941) by August Derleth
• The Shambler from the Stars (1935) by Robert Bloch
• The Haunter of the Dark (1936) by H.P. Lovecraft
• The Shadow from the Steeple (1950) by Robert Bloch
• Notebook Found in a Deserted House (1951) by Robert Bloch
• The Salem Horror (1937) by Henry Kuttner
• The Terror from the Depths (1976) by Fritz Leiber
• Rising with Surtsey (1971) by Brian Lumley
• Cold Print (1969) by Ramsey Campbell
• The Return of the Lloigor (1969) by Colin Wilson
• My Boat (1976) by Joanna Russ
• Sticks (1974) by Karl Edward Wagner
• The Freshman (1979) by Philip Jos� Farmer
• Jerusalem's Lot (1978) by Stephen King
• Discovery of the Ghooric Zone (1977) by Richard A. Lupoff

The Martian Chronicles tells the story of humanity's repeated attempts to colonize the red planet. The first men were few. Most succumbed to a disease they called the Great Loneliness when they saw their home planet dwindle to the size of a fist. They felt they had never been born. Those few that survived found no welcome on Mars. The shape-changing Martians thought they were native lunatics and duly locked them up.

But more rockets arrived from Earth, and more, piercing the hallucinations projected by the Martians. People brought their old prejudices with them – and their desires and fantasies, tainted dreams. These were soon inhabited by the strange native beings, with their caged flowers and birds of flame.

The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas is a thought-provoking short story that poses a powerful ethical question. It explores the concept of a seemingly utopian city, Omelas, where the prosperity and happiness of its citizens are contingent upon the perpetual misery of a single child. The narrative delves into the moral implications of this arrangement and the reaction of the citizens when confronted with the reality of the child's suffering.

Ursula K. Le Guin's masterful storytelling invites readers to ponder the sacrifices made for the greater good and the individual's role in confronting injustices. The tale's enduring relevance and its challenge to societal norms make it a compelling read that continues to inspire philosophical debate and reflection.

Originally titled Children's and Household Tales, The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales contains the essential bedtime stories for children worldwide for the better part of two centuries. The Brothers Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm, were German linguists and cultural researchers who gathered legendary folklore and aimed to collect the stories exactly as they heard them.

2012 marked the 200th anniversary of Grimm's Fairy Tales, and to celebrate, all 211 stories were included in this collection. Featuring all your favorite classics, including "Hansel and Gretel," "Cinderella," "The Frog Prince," "Rapunzel," "Snow White," and "Rumpelstiltskin," among dozens more, this book is a must-have for any personal library collection.

In addition to the beloved tales, this edition is also accompanied by 40 color plates and 60 black and white illustrations from award-winning English illustrator Arthur Rackham, whose books and prints are now highly sought-after collectibles. A selection of stunning color reproductions by the famous illustrator, Arthur Rackham, further enhances the reading experience.

The Illustrated Man is a collection of eighteen science fiction short stories by American writer Ray Bradbury. A recurring theme throughout the stories is the conflict of the cold mechanics of technology and the psychology of people. The book presents itself with an ingenious framework, opening and closing with a nameless narrator who meets the Illustrated Man—a wanderer whose entire body is a living canvas of exotic tattoos.

What's even more remarkable, and increasingly disturbing, is that the illustrations are themselves magically alive, each unfolding its own story. These tales explore a variety of themes, including virtual reality, stranded astronauts, and alien invasions, making the collection a marvelous quilt of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. The stories included in this collection were mostly written in the 1940s and 1950s, showcasing Bradbury's timeless talent for storytelling that will continue to captivate readers for generations to come.

I, Robot is a fixup novel of science fiction short stories or essays by American writer Isaac Asimov. The stories, which originally appeared in the American magazines Super Science Stories and Astounding Science Fiction between 1940 and 1950, are woven together by a framing narrative. In this narrative, the fictional Dr. Susan Calvin tells each story to a reporter in the 21st century.

The stories share a theme of the interaction of humans, robots, and morality. Together, they tell a larger story of Asimov's fictional history of robotics. The collection explores profound questions such as: What is human? And is humanity obsolete?

Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics are central to the narrative:

1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.

2. A robot must obey orders given to it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.

3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

These laws lay the foundation for a bold new era of evolution, opening up enormous possibilities—and unforeseen risks. As humans and robots struggle to coexist on Earth and in space, the future of both hangs in the balance. I, Robot not only changes our perception of robots but also challenges the timeless myth of man's dream to play god—with all its rewards and terrors.

Full of philosophical puzzles and supernatural surprises, these stories contain some of Borges's most fully realized human characters. With uncanny insight, he takes us inside the minds of an unrepentant Nazi, an imprisoned Mayan priest, fanatical Christian theologians, a woman plotting vengeance on her father’s “killer,” and a man awaiting his assassin in a Buenos Aires guest house. This volume also contains the hauntingly brief vignettes about literary imagination and personal identity collected in The Maker, which Borges wrote as failing eyesight and public fame began to undermine his sense of self.