Fantasy & Gothic Blog

Escape into fantastic worlds: from tales of space to mythical islands, underwater realms and alternate realities, our latest anthology Strange Lands is packed with imaginative storytelling. Sitting alongside the likes of Jules Verne, Edith Nesbit, H.G. Wells, George MacDonald and more, a selection of modern authors offer up works dealing with exploration and survival in fascinatingly alien settings. In last week’s Q&A, authors from the book spoke a little about their stories. Get your gift ideas and reading lists ready, as they return here with story recommendations in the genre, plus tips on getting writing ideas down!

Topics: gothic and fantasy, Short Stories, short fiction, Science Fiction, scifi

Strange Lands is one of our latest anthologies to combine new stories and modern authors with classic fiction on the theme. Ranging from tales about space, fantasy lands and lost worlds to underground and underwater homes, this collection brings together all manner of imaginative settings and fantastic voyages. Here to give us a little flavour of what’s in store in the book are the authors themselves, revealing the various inspirations behind their story!

Topics: gothic and fantasy, Short Stories, short fiction, Science Fiction

Today is publication day in the US for our much-anticipated anthology Lovecraft Mythos! As a companion volume to our earlier book on Lovecraft’s works, this collection looks at the broader fictional universe invited by the Mythos, collating stories from Lovecraft’s contemporaries as well as modern authors. The Mythos has a rich legacy of talented horror writers, and we’re excited to include entirely new stories alongside tales by Lovecraft himself, as well as the likes of Robert Bloch, Fritz Leiber, August Derleth, Ramsey Campbell and Victor LaValle. For a taste of what’s included, see below, where authors from the book share with us the various inspirations behind their Lovecraft Mythos contribution!

Topics: gothic and fantasy, H.P. Lovecraft, Short Stories, gothic horror, short fiction, Horror Fiction

Bodies in the Library is available to buy now, and consists of a healthy mix of classic authors and new tales of atmospheric mansions, mysterious deaths and suspicious characters! Among all the intrigue you’ll find amateur detectives, experienced PIs, ghosts, straight-up horror and even a dash of science fiction. The anthology’s modern authors shed light on the inspirations behind their tales in last week’s blog; this week they offer reading recommendations and insight into their own writing processes:

Topics: gothic and fantasy, Gothic Fantasy, Short Stories, gothic horror, short fiction, detective fiction, Detective Mysteries, mystery

We are delighted to announce a new call for submissions which is now open! We are looking for twelve to twenty short stories by black contemporary writers to complement a selection of core classic tales by early black writers of speculative fiction.

*THE SUBMISSION WINDOW FOR THIS ANTHOLOGY IS NOW CLOSED*

Topics: Gothic Fantasy, Short Stories, short fiction, Science Fiction, Call For Submissions, anthologies, scifi

We’re delighted to present the contents list for our upcoming FLAME TREE PRESS Horror anthology, After Sundown, in collaboration with the editor Mark Morris. Available from October 2020 (in time for Halloween!), this new anthology contains 20 original horror stories, 16 of which have been commissioned from some of the top names in the genre, and 4 of which have been selected from the 100s of stories sent to Flame Tree during a 2-week open submissions window. It is the first of what will hopefully become an annual, non-themed horror anthology of entirely original stories, showcasing the very best short fiction that the genre has to offer.

Topics: Short Stories, short fiction, horror, Horror Fiction, anthologies

Published alongside our latest anthology A Dying Planet, Detective Thrillers similarly offers an exciting mix of new and classic short stories. Rife with enigmatic detectives, dark alley chases, and secret operations, this collection promises an edge-of-your-seat journey from a host of modern authors to greats such as Arthur Conan Doyle and writers from the Black Mask magazine era. See below for a taste of its contents, as contemporary authors tell us the stories behind their contributions to the book…

Topics: Gothic Fantasy, Short Stories, short fiction, detective fiction, Detective Mysteries

If you’re searching for reading and writing inspiration during these strange times, then look no further. Authors from our new anthology, A Dying Planet, took part in a Q&A which last week revealed some of the inspirations behind their stories in the book. In this second part of the Q&A you’ll now find some fantastic reading recommendations, as well as an insight into the writing process for any budding authors out there. A Dying Planet – out now in the UK and released this month in the US – contains an exciting mix of modern and classic fiction on a thought-provoking and relevant theme.

Topics: Gothic Fantasy, Short Stories, short fiction, epic fantasy, Science Fiction, scifi

What better way to process these uncertain times than with an escape into science fiction? Out now in the UK, and available later this month in the US, A Dying Planet gathers the very best of apocalyptic – and post-apocalyptic – fiction. Tales from classic authors are complemented by fascinating new and recent stories, probing the concerns and problems of a modern world at risk. With themes like climate change, pandemics, extensive wastelands, alien destruction, overpopulation and dwindling resources, these stories explore, not always without optimism, how these issues could affect worlds and their inhabitants, and what might happen when it’s too late. A fitting anthology for a time of global crisis, authors from the book offer insight below about the inspiration behind their stories:

Topics: Gothic Fantasy, Short Stories, short fiction, Science Fiction, anthologies

We’re very excited to announce the author lists for two new anthologies in our Gothic Fantasy series: Footsteps in the Dark, and Bodies in the Library. Combining contemporary takes on the theme with a range of compelling tales from classic authors, these books are due for publication in June 2020. Yet again, our call for submissions was met with a great response, so we have been kept very busy forming a final selection of excellent stories that best suit these intriguing themes: many thanks to all who submitted and congratulations to the below!

Topics: Gothic Fantasy, Short Stories, short fiction, detective fiction