Once again, multi-award-winning editors Stephen Jones and David Sutton take you on a terrifying journey into the dark heart of modern horror fiction. Firmly established as the world's premier horror anthology series, this latest volume is twice the size, presenting almost a quarter of a million words of new fiction by some of the hottest names and most talented newcomers in the field. Contributors to Dark Terrors 5 include Peter Straub, Poppy Z. Brite, Ramsey Campbell, Mick Garris — Stephen King's director of choice — Gwyneth Jones, Michael Marshall Smith, Kim Newman, Gahan Wilson, Christopher Fowler and many, many more

Najnowszy almanach fantastyki Kroki w nieznane prezentuje szesnaście różnorodnych opowiadań autorów z Australii, Argentyny, Rosji, Stanów Zjednoczonych, Ukrainy i Wielkiej Brytanii. Wśród nich nowa krew, niedawne debiutantki (McCarron, Swirsky) oraz autorzy rozwijający skrzydła (Bacigalupi, Kosmatka, Ostapenko). Są też stare wygi, z niemałym dorobkiem, których tekstów nie było nam dane posmakować dotychczas (Brown, Kaługin) lub spotykaliśmy się z ich twórczością okazjonalnie (Kessel, szczególnie Waldrop). Oczywiście są także wielkie nazwiska (Egan, Kress, Silverberg, czy Willis), a oprócz tego pisarze wyjątkowi, za sprawą wyobraźni (Ballantyne), poetyckiego stylu (McDonald), czy prozy o niesamowitym klimacie (Nielsen)…

Najnowszy almanach fantastyki Kroki w nieznane prezentuje szesnaście różnorodnych opowiadań autorów z Australii, Argentyny, Rosji, Stanów Zjednoczonych, Ukrainy i Wielkiej Brytanii. Wśród nich nowa krew, niedawne debiutantki (McCarron, Swirsky) oraz autorzy rozwijający skrzydła (Bacigalupi, Kosmatka, Ostapenko). Są też stare wygi, z niemałym dorobkiem, których tekstów nie było nam dane posmakować dotychczas (Brown, Kaługin) lub spotykaliśmy się z ich twórczością okazjonalnie (Kessel, szczególnie Waldrop). Oczywiście są także wielkie nazwiska (Egan, Kress, Silverberg, czy Willis), a oprócz tego pisarze wyjątkowi, za sprawą wyobraźni (Ballantyne), poetyckiego stylu (McDonald), czy prozy o niesamowitym klimacie (Nielsen)…

An alien race known as the Kéthani come to Earth bearing a dubious but amazing gift: immortality. Each chapter is an episode that deals with human emotions in the face of the vast consequences of the alien arrival, and how the lives of a group of friends are changed

When a young tug pilot’s career is ruined by a collision in Earth orbit he has no choice but to accept a commission to fly an eccentric ship builder to planet far from the trade routes. When they discover alien ruins on the planet and the hulk of a missing generation ship they are thrown into the center of a conspiracy that reaches back centuries. Meanwhile on earth a young Indian police officer is trying to track down a serial killer little suspecting that the killer is linked to what is happening on a planet light years away and that her own past holds the key to everything that is happening. Eric Brown has written a novel that brings together an extraordinary imagination, rare sensitivity to character and a love of Eastern philosophy. This is a key addition to the career of one of the UK’s favorite SF writers

Rites of Passage gathers four long stories, one of which is original to the collection. “Bartholomew Burns and the Brain Invaders” features a Victorian London facing the threat of alien invasion and the mysterious ‘Guardian’ who saves the day. “Guardians of the Phoenix” is set in a near-future, post-apocalyptic world where water is in short supply and roaming bands will do anything to obtain it, while “Sunworld” is about a strange world where the sun is fixed eternally overhead and Yarrek Merwell makes a discovery that will change everything. The longest story in the collection, “Beneath the Ancient Sun” has never appeared before and is set on a far-future Earth where giant crabs and a swollen sun threaten humanity’s very existence. Eric Brown’s stories combine memorable characters, fascinating settings, and a passionate concern for story-telling that has made this BSFA award-winning author one of the leaders of the field

Features five diverse tales of the living dead from zombie fiction master Eric S. Brown! SEASON OF ROT: Safe from the walking dead that rule the streets, a band of survivors holes up in a hospital. When their supplies run low, they must either migrate or trust a stranger who promises them salvation—except the stranger isn’t who he seems to be, and neither are the dead. THE QUEEN: To escape a plague that has turned most of mankind into ravenous cannibals, a crew of survivors takes refuge at sea. But supplies only last so long, and the crew must face their enemies on land in order to keep themselves alive and afloat. THE WAVE: When a wave of mysterious energy from outer space washes over the earth, electronic devices fail worldwide and communications break down. Worse still, the energy alters human brain waves and turns billions of people into bloodthirsty animals. Only a small pocket of humanity is immune, but their only chance of survival may also be their grave. DEAD WEST: The Civil War is over. The Confederacy is gone. But in the West, a new threat is rising. Accompanied by a regiment of inexperienced soldiers, a journalist ventures into the frontlines of a war against the walking dead, and the truth he finds there is far more frightening than any living corpse. RATS: Rats are everywhere and can get into anything. And now they are swarming mankind. Those bit rise again as undead pawns in the rodents’ onslaught, and no place is safe—no place except one. The problem is getting there before the rats’ next attack

This is the story of David Conway and his new life on Chalcedony, a planet renowned for its Golden Column, an artifact that is mysterious and strange, no one knowing why it is present there. Conway meets some locals in the town of Magenta Bay and buys an old starship from Hawksworth, who runs a scrap yard in the town full of old and disused starships. Conway sets up the ship on his land and uses it as his home, but the presence of what can only be described as an alien ghost starts a string of events that lead to a revelation that will change everything for humanity

While exploring the depths of an oceanic trench, the crew of the research station Platform Alpha One discover a new life form. This life form however isn’t new. It has existed since long before mankind walked the surface of the planet Earth and now that it has been awakened, it plans to take its place at the top of the food chain. Will the crew of Platform Alpha One and the inbound warships be able to stop the monster or now that the Kraken has arisen is it already too late?

Stories of the fall of civilisation, the destruction of the Earth and the end of the Universe itself The last sixty years have been full of stories of one or other possible Armageddon, whether by nuclear war, plague, cosmic catastrophe or, more recently, global warming, terrorism, genetic engineering, AIDS and other pandemics. These stories, both pre- and post-apocalyptic, describe the fall of civilization, the destruction of the entire Earth, or the end of the Universe itself. Many of the stories reflect on humankind’s infinite capacity for self-destruction, but the stories are by no means all downbeat or depressing — one key theme explores what the aftermath of a cataclysm might be and how humans strive to survive

An anthology of stories edited by Mike Ashley Marianne is an important fictional formulation of Sand's thinking on the role of women and the nature of democracy. This edition includes a long biographical preface which quotes extensively from her correspondences

The Serene are an alien race. The Earth in 2025 is an ailing world, and the Serene an end to poverty and violence — but not everyone supports the seemingly benign invasion. There are forces out there who wish to return to the bad old days, and will stop at nothing to oppose the Serene. It’s 2025 and the world is riven by war, terrorist attacks, poverty and increasingly desperate demands for water, oil, and natural resources. The West and China confront each other over an inseperable ideological divide, each desperate to sustain their future. And then the Serene arrive, enigmatic aliens form Delta Pavonis V, and nothing will ever be the same again. The Serene bring peace to an ailing world, an end to poverty and violence — but not everyone supports the seemingly benign invasion. There are forces out there who wish to return to the bad old days, and will stop at nothing to oppose the Serene

What if in a world where the dead walk and the human race faces extinction evolution were to step in and bless a special few with powers far beyond normal man. Could someone who can run as fast as the speed of light or someone who can control energy and channel it through her body truly make a difference at the end of time? Does telepathy work on zombies? Would these powerful few seek to save the world or rule it and how would we normal humans feel about them? Will these super-beings be wiped out by the zombie hordes or save the human race? Plus tales of zombies in space, zombies in the old west, and some very hungry zombie animals- this one has it all