"Another recent volume of the Gothic Fantasy series is Haunted House Short Stories, which offers another selection of excellent fiction." - Kirkus Following the great success of our Gothic Fantasy deluxe edition short story compilations, Supernatural Horror, Murder Mayhem, Lost Souls and many others, this latest title takes housebound trapped spirits and creepy gothic mansions as its chilling subject. Contains a potent mix of classic and brand new writing, with authors from the US, Canada, and the UK. Oh, what is that sound within the walls? The creaking floorboards, the children hiding in the mirror, the spirits that rake across the flesh of the mind - all find a home in this anthology of spine-tingling tales. Classic authors include: E.F. Benson, Ambrose Bierce, Mary Elizabeth Braddon, Rhoda Broughton, Edward Bulwer-Lytton, Bernard Capes, Ralph Adams Cram, B.M. Croker, Joseph Sheridan le Fanu, Mary E. Wilkins Freeman, Elizabeth Gaskell, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, O. Henry, William Hope Hodgson, W.W. Jacobs, M.R. James, Rudyard Kipling, H.P. Lovecraft, Guy de Maupassant, Edith Nesbit, Vincent O'Sullivan, Margaret Oliphant, Edgar Allan Poe, Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch, Charlotte Riddell, Mark Twain, Hugh Walpole, Edith Wharton.

Alternate history. Apocalyptic. Biopunk. Cyberpunk. Dystopia. Ecological. Far future. Feminist. Gaslight. Lost world. Marxist. Military. Parallel world. Planetary romance. Space opera. Space western. Steampunk. Superhero. Time travel. Utopia. As a genre, science fiction is difficult to define. So, perhaps the best definition is also the broadest: science fiction as a genre deals with imaginary, but plausible and logically constructed, worlds in which the implications and consequences of cultural, environmental, and scientific change and innovation are explored. With its limitless potential for world-building -- and real world influence -- science fiction is also a genre rich in possibility for Pagan authors and readers alike, but one which has been sadly neglected. With The Shining Cities, we add one more to that short list of works. In these pages you will find tales that run the gamut from humorous to ecological to anthropological to time travel to space fantasy to space opera to steampunk. It is our hope that The Shining Cities will be only the most recent addition to an ever-growing catalogue of Pagan science fiction. Enjoy

Metalsmith. Fire-Tamer. Forge-Master. Bronzeworker. Weaponsmaster of the Gods. The Lame One. The Ugly God. Friend of Humanity. He is Hephaestus, the Divine Craftsman. Patient, stout-hearted, and clever, he is the Master of all Metals, the Holy Engineer. Celebrated for his wondrous creations, he is also pitied and teased for his lameness, his unsightly appearance, his estrangement from his family, and his marriage to lovely Aphrodite. But Hephaestus is not a God to be underestimated or ill-used -- a reality understood by his modern devotees. In the pages of this anthology you will find poems, prayers, essays, artwork, and rituals glorifying the Divine Mechanic. Some of his devotees see his hand in the engineering marvels of the Industrial Age and the hardware of the Information Age. Others see his handiwork in the heavens or hear his rumblings deep in the earth. Still others see lessons to be learned in his reconciliation with his mother, Hera, and his very nature as a "disabled" God. And so we sing: Hail Hephaestus Flame-Hearted Soot-Faced Ever-Resourceful God

He was Creation's First Storyteller. To soothe a wrathful Goddess, ibis-headed Thoth spun tales of honor and greed, love and treachery, Gods and princes and pirates. Entranced, charmed, Her rage cooled, the Goddess returned to heaven. Order was restored. And so it is in His name that we dedicate this collection. Here, modern Pagans and polytheists continue that ancient tradition, weaving stories of creation and loss, death and rebirth, humor and courage, transformation and destruction. From the banks of the Nile to the icy north, from modern-day Kansas to far future alien worlds, these tales sing of the grace and glory of the Gods, and Their place in our lives. Additionally, nonfiction essays explore the place of Thoth in ancient Egyptian theology and literature; the contemporary Pagan romance publishing scene; and the use of the Green Man and the Fool as archetypes in modern fiction. A select timeline lists important polytheist and Pagan works of fiction, from ancient times through the modern era. In His name: Thoth, Thout, Tetu, Techu, Zehuti, Tehuti, Djehuty. The Scribe of Ma'at. The Lunar Librarian. Lord of Divine Words. Creation's First Storyteller.