"A perfect snapshot of modern horror fiction . . . Dark Stars is to this generation what Kirby McCauley's seminal Dark Forces was to mine." -Brian Keene, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of The Rising

Within these pages you'll find tales of dead men walking, an insidious secret summer fling, an island harboring unspeakable power, and a dark hallway that beckons. You'll encounter terrible monsters-both human and supernatural-and be forever changed. The stories in Dark Stars run the gamut from traditional to modern, from dark fantasy to neo-noir, from explorations of beloved horror tropes to the unknown-possibly unknowable-threats.

Dark Stars features all-new stories from the following award-winning authors and up-and-coming voices: Chesya Burke, Ramsey Campbell, Gemma Files, Stephen Graham Jones, Alma Katsu, Caroline Kepnes, John Langan, Livia Llewellyn, Josh Malerman, Usman T. Malik, Priya Sharma, and John F.D. Taff. Created as an homage to the 1980 classic horror anthology Dark Forces, edited by Kirby McCauley, Dark Stars features an afterword from original contributor Ramsey Campbell-a poignant finale to this bone-chilling collection.

"A fabulous collection of heady, inventive, and scary-as-hell novelettes written by many of my favorite horror writers. They'll become your favorites too, if they aren't already." -Paul Tremblay, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of A Head Full of Ghosts

"[A] gripping, thought-provoking collection." -Indrapramit Das, LAMBDA Literary Award-winning author of The Devourers

Edited by John F.D. Taff

Dark Stars, edited by John F.D. Taff, is a tribute to horror's longstanding short fiction legacy, featuring 12 terrifying original stories from today's most noteworthy authors, with an introduction by bestselling author Josh Malerman and an afterword by Ramsey Campbell.

Within these pages you'll find tales of dead men walking, an insidious secret summer fling, an island harboring unspeakable power, and a dark hallway that beckons. You'll encounter terrible monsters-both human and supernatural-and be forever changed. The stories in Dark Stars run the gamut from traditional to modern, from dark fantasy to neo-noir, from explorations of beloved horror tropes to the unknown-possibly unknowable-threats.

It's all in here because it's all out there, now, in horror.

Dark Stars features all-new stories from award-winning authors and up-and-coming voices like Stephen Graham Jones, Priya Sharma, Usman T. Malik, Caroline Kepnes, John Langan, and more. Created as an homage to the 1980 classic horror anthology Dark Forces, edited by Kirby McCauley, Dark Stars features an afterword from original contributor Ramsey Campbell-a poignant finale to this bone-chilling collection.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Foreword by Josh Malerman
Introduction by John F.D. Taff
The Attentionist by Caroline Kepnes
A Life in Nightmares by Ramsey Campbell
Papa Eye by Priya Sharma
Volcano by Livia Llewellyn
All the Things He Called Memories by Stephen Graham Jones
Trinity River's Blues by Chesya Burke
The Familiar's Assistant by Alma Katsu
Swim in the Blood of a Curious Dream by John F.D. Taff
The Sanguintalist by Gemma Files
Mrs. Addison's Nest by Josh Malerman
Story Title TK by Usman T. Malik
Enough for Hunger and Enough for Hate by John Langan
Afterword TK by Ramsey Campbell
Story Notes & Author Bios
Acknowledgements