The Silver Empire is in ruins. War is in the wind. Kagen and his allies are on the run from the Witch-king. Wild magic is running rampant everywhere. Spies and secret cabals plot from the shadows of golden thrones. Kagen Vale is the most wanted man in the world, with a death sentence on his head and a reward for him -dead or alive-that would tempt a saint. The Witch-king has new allies who bring a terrible weapon - a cursed disease that drives people into a murderous rage. If the disease is allowed to spread, the whole of the West will tear itself apart. In order to build an army of resistance fighters and unearth magical weapons of his own, Kagen and his friends have to survive attacks and storms at sea, brave the haunted wastelands of the snowy north, fight their way across the deadly Cathedral Mountains, and rediscover a lost city filled with cannibal warriors, old ghosts, and monsters from other worlds. Along with his reckless adventurer brothers, Kagen races against time to save more than the old empire. if he fails the world will be drenched in a tsunami of bloodshed and horror. Son of the Poison Rose weaves politics and espionage, sorcery and swordplay, treachery and heroism as the damned outcast Kagen fights against the forces of ultimate darkness.

JOE LEDGER's world has been torn apart. The people closest to him have been savagely murdered and Ledger is on the hunt for the killers. His already fragile psyche has cracked apart, allowing a dangerous darkness to overwhelm him. His hunt takes him deep into the world of the deadly black market weapons sales, and standing in his way are a new generation of private military contractors. These mercenaries have been enhanced with cutting-edge cybernetics and chemical enhancements, transforming them into real-world super soldiers. Stronger, faster, harder to hurt, and fitted with built-in weapons. They are beyond anything Joe has ever faced. But he is not the Joe Ledger they expected to fight. He is defined by the Darkness now. The attempt to destroy him - to break him - has backfired. Instead his enemies have turned him into a far more fearsome weapon. Everyone is out for blood.

Are you laid off, downsized, undersized? Call us. We employ. 1-800-555-0606 How lucky do you feel? So reads the business card from LIMBUS, INC., a shadowy employment agency that operates at the edge of the normal world. LIMBUS's employees are just as suspicious and ephemeral as the motives of the company, if indeed it could be called a company in the ordinary sense of the word. In this shared-world anthology, five heavy hitters from the dark worlds of horror, fantasy, and scifi pool their warped takes on the shadow organization that offers employment of the most unusual kind to those on the fringes of society. One thing's for sure - you'll never think the same way again about the fine print on your next employment application

All new Fiction by: Gary A. Braunbeck, Hank Schwaeble, David Liss, Norman Partridge and Gemma Files. Interviews with: David Liss, Chelsie Aryn, Joe Bob Briggs and Quentin Tarantino Articles on: The Strange and Bizarre Alejandro Jodorowsky, Stephen King in the Old West - Rocky Wood, The Bloody Spaghetti Western turns 50 Columns from Jonathan Maberry, Yvonne Navarro, Richard Dansky, Robert Morrish and so much more Table of Contents Fiction Fever Springs by Norman Partridge Ungrateful Places by Gary A. Braunbeck Dead Man's Pecker by David Liss Phantom Hill by Hank Schwaeble Satan's Jewel Crown by Gemma Files Interviews A Conversation with David Liss by Joel B. Kirkpatrick Leah Jung presents: The Dark Side of Beauties with Chelsie Aryn by Joel B. Kirkpatrick Joe Bob Briggs: King of the Drive-Ins by Steve Holetz Quentin Tarantino on "Django Unchained" by Nick Freeman Features The Strange and Bizarre Alejandro Jodorowsky by Aaron J. French Stephen King in the Old West by Rocky Wood The Bloody Spaghetti Western turns 50 by James R. Beach Gaming in the Weird West: A Run through the Deadlands by Richard Dansky I Hear Voices in my Head by Yvonne Navarro What the hell ever happened to ... Mark Clements by Robert Morrish Once upon a Nightmare YA Horror: Western Horror by Amy Shane New Column by By Jonathan Maberry and David F. Kramer Literature, Genre, Horror ... and Mormons-What? by Michael R. Collings Hellnotes Reviews Book Reviews Movie Reviews

Winner of the Bram Stoker Award for Best First Novel From a new master of horror comes an apocalyptic showdown between the residents of a secluded, rural town and the deadly evil that confronts them wherever they turn . . . Evil Doesn't Die The cozy little town of Pine Deep buried the horrors of its past a long time ago. Thirty years have gone by since the darkness descended and the Black Harvest began, a time when a serial killer sheared a bloody swath through the quiet Pennsylvania village. The evil that once coursed through Pine Deep has been replaced by cheerful tourists getting ready to enjoy the country's largest Halloween celebration in what is now called "The Spookiest Town in America." It Just Grows Stronger But then--a month before Halloween--it begins. Unspeakably desecrated bodies. Inexplicable insanity. And an ancient evil walking the streets, drawing in those who would fall to their own demons and seeking to shred the very soul of this rapidly fracturing community. Yes, the residents of Pine Deep have drawn together and faced a killer before. But this time, evil has many faces--and the lust and will to rule the earth. This struggle will be epic. "Serves up scares like pancakes at a church social."--Gregory Frost "Without a doubt this prolific author is the next Stephen King. Maberry deserves more then a Bram Stoker Award for this; he deserves Bram Stoker to rise from his grave and shake his hand." --Chad Wendell, "New World Reviews" "If I were asked to select only one new voice in horror fiction to read today, it would be Jonathan Maberry."--Katherine Ramsland "A fun, fun read and creepy as hell."--Gregory Frost "If you think small town horror has nothing new to offer, you have a surprise in store. "Ghost Road Blues" demonstrates that even the most haunted town in America is unprepared for the full depth of evil, either human or inhuman."--Don D'Ammassa "Reminiscent of Stephen King. . .Maberry supplies plenty of chills in this atmospheric novel. . .This is horror on a grand scale." -"Publishers Weekly"

Joe Ledger and Rogue Team International plunge into mortal peril as this new and deadly arms race threatens to ignite new wars throughout the Middle East. After years of searching, a new cave filled with Dead Sea Scrolls is found, and among them are bizarre books of actual magic. Terrorist groups and multinational corporations scramble to acquire these treasures in the hopes that magic is the true WMD of the 21st Century. But everyone who goes near those scrolls goes insane. The fabric of reality is shredding. Is this the result of ancient magic, or is it a new bioweapon that fractures the mind of anyone exposed? Cave 13 pits Joe Ledger against warring factions of ideological terrorism, corporate greed, and massive international crime syndicates in what might well become a new Age of Miracles.

In the zombie-infested, post-apocalyptic America where Benny Imura lives, every teenager must find a job by the time they turn fifteen or get their rations cut in half. Benny doesn't want to apprentice as a zombie hunter with his boring older brother Tom, but he has no choice. He expects a tedious job whacking zoms for cash, but what he gets is a vocation that will teach him what it means to be human.

Villains have all the fun-everyone knows that-and this anthology takes you on a wild ride through the dark side! The top villains from seventeen urban fantasy series get their own stories-including the baddies of New York Times bestselling authors Jim Butcher, Kevin Hearne, Kelley Armstrong, Seanan McGuire, and Jonathan Maberry. For every hero trying to save the world, there's a villain trying to tear it all down. In this can't-miss anthology edited by Joseph Nassise (The Templar Chronicles), you get to plot world domination with the best of the evildoers we love to hate! This outstanding collection brings you stories told from the villains' point of view, imparting a fresh and unique take on the evil masterminds, wicked witches, and infernal personalities that skulk in the pages of today's most popular series. The full anthology features stories by Jim Butcher (the Dresden Files), Kelley Armstrong (Cainsville), Seanan McGuire (October Daye), Kevin Hearne (The Iron Druid Chronicles), Jonathan Maberry (Joe Ledger), Lilith Saintcrow (Jill Kismet), Carrie Vaughn (Kitty Norville), Joseph Nassise (Templar Chronicles), Domino Finn (Black Magic Outlaw), Steven Savile (Glasstown), Caitlin Kittredge (Hellhound Chronicles), Jeffrey Somers (The Ustari Cycle), Sam Witt (Pitchfork County), Craig Schaefer (Daniel Faust), Jon F. Merz (Lawson Vampire), Faith Hunter (Jane Yellowrock), and Diana Pharaoh Francis (Horngate Witches).

When you have to kill the same terrorist twice in one week there's either something wrong with your world or something wrong with your skills... and there's nothing wrong with Joe Ledger's skills. And that's both a good, and a bad thing. It's good because he's a Baltimore detective that has just been secretly recruited by the government to lead a new taskforce created to deal with the problems that Homeland Security can't handle. This rapid response group is called the Department of Military Sciences or the DMS for short. It's bad because his first mission is to help stop a group of terrorists from releasing a dreadful bio-weapon that can turn ordinary people into zombies. The fate of the world hangs in the balance....

Captain Joe Ledger. Former cop. Former Army Ranger. Currently the top-kick of Echo Team, an elite squad of first-class shooters who roll out to face down the world's most dangerous terrorists. Not fanatics with explosive vests or political hostage takers. Joe and his team square off against terrorists who have the most advanced and exotic weapons of mass destruction. Designer bioweapons. Cutting edge transgenics. Real mad scientist stuff. If they have to call Joe Ledger - it's already hit the fan. JOE LEDGER: SPECIAL OPS collects several of the Ledger short stories and presents two brand new tales exclusive to this volume. Bonus features include character profiles and a never-before-published glimpse behind the scenes of the Department of Military Sciences. Join the Hunt