Following the great success of the very first Gothic Fantasy, deluxe edition short story compilations, Ghosts, Horror and Science Fiction, this exciting title in the series is packed with bleak and paradisiacal visions in equal measure. Adventures in worlds of boundless imagination from classic authors are cast with previously unpublished stories by exciting budding contemporary writers. Flame Tree Gothic Fantasy, Classic Stories and Epic Tales collections bring together the entire range of myth, folklore and modern short fiction. Highlighting the roots of suspense, supernatural, science fiction and mystery stories, the books in Flame Tree Collections series are beautifully presented, perfect as a gift and offer a lifetime of reading pleasure.

Visitors from other planets have long obsessed us. H.G. Wells' War of Worlds spawned a huge wave of speculative fiction but the roots of such fears run deep in our literature, where the mysteries of other cultures have long threatened the familiar and the comfortable. Did aliens build the ancient pyramids? do they live amongst us today? what happens when they invade? And are they just the people from the next valley? or country? or planet? Would it be an inevitable act of aggression, one of assistance and care, or simply a reminder of our paltry existence in a crowded universe? Flame Tree's successful Gothic Fantasy series brings a brilliant new mix of classic and new writing, in this beautiful edition. These new authors appear alongside the following classic and essential writers: George Tomkyns Chesney, George Allan England, Austin Hall, H.P. Lovecraft, A. Merritt, Robert Potter, Garrett P. Serviss, Jonathan Swift, Voltaire, H.G. Wells; along with text from The Taking of Ireland (retold tales from The Book of Invasions).

Twenty-five dark stories that span a daring breadth of genres - by the author of "Objects of Worship" and "The Door to Lost Pages," which "Publishers' Weekly" calls "intensely memorable" and "insanely imaginative."
In these noir tales that unfold at the edge of realism, mythic nocturnes from impossible pasts, and disquietingly intimate stories of speculative fiction, Claude Lalumiere explores our collective and intertwined obsessions with sex and death.
"In "Nocturnes and Other Nocturnes" Claude Lalumiere plumbs the deep trenches of yearning, fear and the agonies of unfulfilled need." - from the introduction by Garry Kilworth
"Claude Lalumiere's stories are dark, mordant, precisely formed." Lucius Shepard
"Lalumiere's protagonists exhibit the sorts of yearnings and proclivities that our most respected social institutions teach us to mistrust: erotic energy, artistic mania, idiosyncratic mysticism, impassioned empathy with the natural world." James Morrow
"Claude Lalumiere's extravagant imagination is matched by only two other qualities: his compassion for his characters, and his sparkling facility with language." Paul Di Filippo
"Claude Lalumiere has a poet's sensibility. He suggests; never overstates." Richard Calder
"Claude Lalumiere's stories are delicious." Anna Tambour
"Montreal's own master of fantastic fiction." RoverArts.com
"Lalumiere's fiction is indeed fueled by a rich inner psychology ... it is potent, memorable stuff." "The New York Review of Science Fiction""

Thrilling Tales of Canadian superheroes... and villains 75 years ago Canadian cartoonist Joe Shuster co-created the world's premier superhero: Superman. Over the decades the genre has gone from camp to counter-culture, from pop art to postmodern, from noir to new wave. Today's superheroes feature in bestselling novels, hit TV shows, Hollywood blockbusters ... and Masked Mosaic: Canadian Super Stories. Mexican luchadores wrestle primordial evil in Vancouver ... The Intrepids battle Nazis in Nova Scotia ... A mysterious masked man rescues an adventuring heiress in a steampunk Gold Rush-era Yukon ... Zombies and ancient Viking magic are unleashed in downtown Toronto ... A godlike oracle wanders Calgary with her cyborg handler ... The fearsome Iron Shadow stalks the streets of Kingstonia ... The Coachwhip and Cat-Girl fight crime in lurid wartime Montreal ... In these 24 tales Canada's most daring writers reimagine the super genre from its outer limits to its pulp origins, exploring the diverse landscape of Canadian identity and geography. With stories by: Marie Bilodeau Chantal Boudreau Kristi Charish E.L. Chen Michael S. Chong Kevin Cockle Emma Faraday Patrick T. Goddard Alyxandra Harvey David Nickle Silvia Moreno-Garcia D.K. Latta Michael Matheson Derryl Murphy Jonathan Olfert Rhonda & Jonathan Parrish David Perlmutter Lisa Poh Jason S. Ridler Rhea Rose Mike Rimar Jason Sharp Emma Vossen A.C. Wise Featuring an Introduction by Mark Shainblum, creator of Northguard. Editors: Claude Lalumiere & Camille Alexa

More than 20 stories -- half of them original to this volume and the other half recent and classic gems specifically chosen for the timelessness of their satirical bite. Includes celebrate award-winners like Robert Silverberg, Allen Steele, Cory Doctorow, Jeffrey Ford, and Paul Di Filippo; a few brand-new writers making their debut; and acclaimed state-of-the art satirists such as Bradley Denton, Don Webb and others. The stories range in style from dark comedy to laugh-out-loud farce, from surrealistic fancy to cautionary satire.