NEW FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION STORIES WITH A HARDBOILED NOIR TWIST--FOCUSING ON THE MEAN STREETS OF THE CITY "Down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished nor afraid." --Raymond Chandler Humans have always been fascinated by darkness. Especially the darkness of a city at night, when the black sky is made ever more inky by the pools of illumination dropped under streetlights. We harken to the sound of streetcars in the distance. We are drawn to the garish flash of club signs and marquees. We love the danger of shadowed alleyways, of wealth and poverty living side by side. We love the city. It's a part of us. Whether the mean streets be in an alternate past charmed with dark magic or the dirty alleyways of futuristic crowded space stations, the city--and its darkened streets--will always fascinate us. Here then, an anthology of all new stories of science fiction and fantasy with a hardboiled noir twist that acknowledge that the city is a living, breathing entity...and it isn't always on our side. Stories by: Laurell K. Hamilton, Larry Correia, Kacey Ezell, Mike Massa, Steve Diamond, Robert E. Hampson, Chris Kennedy, Marisa Wolf, Griffin Barber, Robert Buettner, Hinkley Correia, Casey Moores, Patrick M. Tracy, and Dan Willis.

STORIES OF SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY WITH A HARDBOILED NOIR TWIST BY BEST-SELLING AUTHORS LARRY CORREIA, LAURELL K. HAMILTON, AND MORE! "Knights had no meaning in this game. It wasn't a game for knights." --Raymond Chandler In a world of criminals, thugs, con artists, cheats, and swindlers, there must be a man to stand against the powers of darkness and corruption. A man not afraid to walk the mean streets--whether they be those of 1930s Los Angeles, an ancient fantasy realm, or some far-flung planet of a future star empire. He is a man who knows that a "good man" is not always a "nice guy." But when the chips are down, he understands that a hero does the right thing, even if it means losing everything. He's a hard man, sure. But an honorable one. He's a truth-seeker, a score-evener. He is Sam Spade. He is Philip Marlowe. He is Rick Deckard. He is Harry Dresden. He is all these men and more. Now, join Larry Correia and Kacey Ezell as they present all-new stories of fantasy and science fiction with a hardboiled detective bent by today's top authors. Grab the bottle of Scotch from your bottom desk drawer. Light a cigarette. Tilt your fedora back on your head. But don't forget to watch your back. This is No Game for Knights. Stories by: Laurell K. Hamilton, Larry Correia, Christopher Ruocchio, Michael Haspil, D.J. Butler, Kacey Ezell, Griffin Barber, Robert Buettner, Sharon Shinn, Craig Martelle, Chris Kennedy, S.A. Bailey, G. Scott Huggins, Nicole Givens Kurtz, and Rob Howell. Praise for No Game for Knights: "The authors successfully create a fantasy pastiche of Chandleresque hardboiled fiction." --Tangent Online About Noir Fatale, edited by Correia and Ezell: "Marvelous is a good word to describe all of the stories in the book. . . . Noir Fatale is a book that will charm both noir fans, and general science fiction and fantasy readers. Correia and Ezell have created a captivating mix of stories." --The Galveston County Daily News "[A] wonderfully diverse collection of stories from a broad range of authors and it delivers in spades . . . It is a diverse and exciting slice of Noir and Fatale and a great read." --SFRevu About Larry Correia and the Monster Hunter International series: "[E]verything I like in fantasy: intense action scenes, evil in horrifying array, good struggling against the darkness, and most of all people--gorgeously flawed human beings faced with horrible moral choices that force them to question and change and grow." --Jim Butcher "[A] no-holds-barred all-out page turner that is part science fiction, part horror, and an absolute blast to read." --Bookreporter.com "If you love monsters and action, you'll love this book. If you love guns, you'll love this book. If you love fantasy, and especially horror fantasy, you'll love this book." --Knotclan.com "A gun person who likes science fiction--or, heck, anyone who likes science fiction--will enjoy [these books] . . . The plotting is excellent, and Correia makes you care about the characters . . . I read both books without putting them down except for work . . . so whaddaya waitin' for? Go and buy some . . . for yourself and for stocking stuffers." --Massad Ayoob "This lighthearted, testosterone-soaked sequel to 2009's Monster Hunter International will delight fans of action horror with elaborate weaponry, hand-to-hand combat, disgusting monsters, and an endless stream of blood and body parts." --Publishers Weekly on Monster Hunter Vendetta About the work of Kacey Ezell: "Gritty, dark and damp. Much like the war itself." --Michael Z. Williamson, best-selling author of A Long Time Until Now "I loved Minds of Men." --D.J. Butler, best-selling author of Witchy Eye "A lot of good scifi writers write war, but sometimes forget that it is fought by actual people, and even in the midst of war, you don't stop being people while you fight. If you want a good read that dares you to think about what it is like to go to war when you can't hide behind the masks you learn to wear, check it out." --John T. Mainer

Mankind's history is bound up in the fabric of fate, a strong cloth, tough and closely woven. It is the beginning of 1918, the last year of the greatest war in human history to date. All the belligerents stagger on their feet. Starvation is an ever-pre