Books like The Year's Best Dark Fantasy And Horror 2012 by Paula Guran

Stephen King’s ‘Nightmares & Dreamscapes’ is a gripping anthology of new and previously published short stories that straddle horror, suspense, and dark humor, weaving tales of vampires, zombies, crime, and the macabre, all set against the backdrop of King’s famed Castle Rock.

"The Weiser Book of the Fantastic and Forgotten features classic stories by masters of occult fiction including Dion Fortune, Edgar Allan Poe, Oscar Wilde, H. P. Lovecraft, Bram Stoker, Marie Corelli, R. W. Chambers, and more--the very authors and tales that inspired modern masters like Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, and Nic Pizzolatto. Edited and introduced by leading occult author and scholar Judika Illes, this selection of timeless tales will thrill and chill readers down to their bones. Illes writes, "These collected stories are each powerfully evocative; forgotten in the manner of long-buried treasure. I hope to remedy this situation, transforming the status of these tales from forgotten to favorite. I confess: there is not a single story in this collection that I do not enjoy, even after repeated readings. While wonderful if read silently, the tales reveal their nuances, humor, and suspense with even more potency, if read aloud. During the dark, eerie hours, when the wind is blowing and the ghosts are roaming outside, the night can be filled with pleasant terror." While not all of the stories are forgotten, they are all fantastic. They make us think. They introduce and explore possibilities: things that perhaps could happen. They encourage our minds to venture beyond the mundane into the realm of the fantastic, to question and redefine reality. Above all, they entertain. "--

A collection of the finest contemporary horror short stories, bringing the UK’s acclaimed Mammoth anthology to US readers.

An anthology of contemporary fantasy stories revolving around wizards, witches, and other magic wielders, edited by Gardner R. Dozois.