Nisi Shawl

Patrick Lacey

Marlena Frank

Michael Picco

Richard Barber

Betty Rocksteady

Johann Thorsson

Pete Kahle

John Taff

Wednesday Friday

Aaron Worth

Leigh Harlen

B. T. Joy

Shawn Francis

Erin Jendras

Jared Adams

Sallie McDaniel

Logan Noble

Jenny Orosel

Meryl Stenhouse

JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT YOU COULD VENTURE OUT OF YOUR HIDING PLACES, HERE COMES ANOTHER HORDE OF HORRORSSlithering, wriggling, lurking, and creeping. Leaving slick trails of pustulent slime behind them. These aren't your run-of-the-mill monsters populating the pages of this tome. No, these critters feed on the fear that bubbles up inside you when all appears lost and the scent of blood is on the wind. Now is the time to face these demons and read on. NOT YOUR AVERAGE MONSTER, VOL. 2:A MENAGERIE OF VILE BEASTS 19 more creatures gestated in the sick minds of: Jared Oliver AdamsRichard Farren BarberShawn FrancisMarlena FrankWednesday Lee FridayLeigh HarlenErin Michelle JendrasB.T. JoyPatrick LaceySallie McDanielLogan NobleJenny OroselMichael PiccoBetty RocksteadyNisi ShawlMeryl StenhouseJohn F.D. TaffJohann ThorssenAaron Worth THIS NIGHTMARE HAS JUST BEGUN!

A Menagerie of Vile Beasts

Not Your Average Monster, Vol. 2

Jeff Carlson

Jason Parent

Adrian Cole

Richard Dansky

Joshua Rex

Billie Mosiman

Rose Blackthorn

Mark Carroll

Kya Aliana

Christine Morgan

Jeremy Hepler

D. Ballmer

John Bruni

The The Behrg

Adrian Chamberlin

Beau Johnson

Rob Lammle

Marc Lyth

Megan Neumann

NO VAMPIRES... NO WEREWOLVES... NO ZOMBIES... BEEN THERE. DONE THAT. You've heard their stories before and you're screaming for a different breed of horror. Those monsters have had their moments in the moonlight and now it's time for us to bury them in their graves. Let's lock them in their coffins, pierce their hearts with wooden stakes and shoot them between their rotting eyes with silver bullets from an AK-47. You wanted some new monsters. You got 'em. Say "hello" to the ones that are still hidden by the shadows. The ones that peer from behind the gravestones with multi-faceted eyes and crawl from the sewers on slime-covered tentacles. The ones that stain the pages within this tome with the blood of their victims. NOT YOUR AVERAGE MONSTER:A BESTIARY OF HORRORS 22 new monstrosities unleashed upon the world from the deviant minds of: Kya Aliana D. Morgan Ballmer Rose Blackthorn John Bruni The Behrg Jeff Carlson Mark Carroll Adrian Chamberlin Adrian Cole Richard Dansky Jeremy Hepler Beau Johnson Pete Kahle Rob Lammle Esther M. Leiper-Estabrooks Marc Lyth Christine Morgan Billie Sue Mosiman Megan Neumann Jason Parent Joshua Rex Seth Skorkowsky THIS AIN'T YOUR DADDY'S NIGHTMARE!

A Bestiary of Horrors

Not Your Average Monster

From a crater lake on an island off the coast of Bronze Age Estonia... To a crippled Viking warrior's conquest of England... To the bloody temple of an Aztec god of death and resurrection... Their presence has shaped our world. They are the Riders. One month ago, an urban explorer was drawn to an abandoned asylum in the mountains of northern Massachusetts. There he discovered a large specimen jar, containing something organic, unnatural and possibly alive. Now, he and a group of unsuspecting individuals have discovered one of history's most horrific secrets. Whether they want to or not, they are caught in the middle of a millennia-old war and the latest battle is about to begin.

A Novel of Horror

The Specimen

Jeff Strand

Adam Cesare

Jack Bantry

Robert Essig

David James Keaton

Adam Howe

Kristopher Triana

Charles Austin Muir

Scott Emerson

Tony Knighton

The Behrg

George Cotronis

MP Johnson

Lilith Morgan 

Jorge Palacios

Monica J. O'Rourke 

Clare de Lune 

"Not for the faint of heart or weak of stomach, the 19 stories in this new best-of annual anthology feature episodes of graphic gore and violence—including torture, dismemberment, self-mutilation, and home abortion—that are designed to push buttons as well as boundaries...strictly for hardcore horror fans."—Publishers Weekly Excerpt from the Introduction: Editors Randy Chandler and Cheryl Mullenax put the call out to horror writers and editors of extreme stories, the hardcore stuff that breaks boundaries and trashes taboos, the transgressive tales you can't "unread" (as Chuck Palahniuk says). We staked out our territory and nailed this to the wall to guide us: YEAR'S BEST HARDEST HORROR Not your mama's best-of horror annual. This stuff comes from the edge of the abyss, stories you read at your own risk because you feel the abyss looking right back into you through the tainted lens of each twisted tale. Some of the stories you'll find here are loaded with very graphic descriptions of violence, sex and depravities, while others may contain only one shocking moment of brutality. In others, the hardcore aspect may be less graphic and subtler than you might expect. Some of these quieter tales offer the reader some time to recover from the more disturbing ones preceding. Most of the stories collected here are from small and specialty press anthologies, with a few from periodicals, like the prestigious Splatterpunk Zine in the UK and Thuglit here in the US. Bizarro is also represented with a couple of tales from the unlikely anthology Blood For You: A Literary Tribute To GG Allin from Weirdpunk Books. (If you're not familiar with the late GG Allin, you can find snippets from some of his outrageous and obscene punk shows online, which will increase your appreciation of those two tales.) So for now, forget about that neighbor you suspect is a serial killer, don't worry about the drunk driver that could take you out on your next trip to the store, push those troubling news stories to the back of your mind and immerse yourself in the imaginary horrors at hand. But don't be surprised if you sense something dark staring back at you from between the lines. That is to be expected when you enter these forbidding realms. With any luck, you may find something useful to help you survive the approaching Apocalypse. TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction: The Year That Was "Worth the Having" by Michael Paul Gonzalez "Awakening" by Jeff Strand "Readings Off The Charts" by Adam Cesare "Reborn" by The Behrg "What's Worst" by David James Keaton "Dead End" by Kristopher Triana "What You Wish For" by Lilith Morgan "King Shits" by Charles Austin Muir "Cleanup On Aisle 3" by Adam Howe "Bath Salt Fetus" by Jorge Palacios "Bored With Brutality" by MP Johnson "Exposed" by Monica J. O'Rourke "Eleanor" by Jason Parent "The Scavengers" by Tony Knighton "The Most Important Miracle" by Scott Emerson "Hungry For Control" by Clare de Lune "Clarissa" by Robert Essig & Jack Bantry "Where The Sun Don't Shine" by Pete Kahle "Blackbird Lullaby" by George Cotronis

Year's Best Hardcore Horror Volume 1

Pete Kahle

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