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An outstanding collection of legendary cover stories from the Golden Age of the horror pulps—with the original magazine covers in full color!

In this unique anthology, readers will find such delectable fictions and celebrated masters as: "The Wolf-Girl of Josselin" by Arlton Eadie, a heartbreaking tale of lycanthropy and romance; "Strange Orchids" by Dorothy Quick, a disquieting story of a young woman's horrifying transformation; "Death Is an Elephant" by Robert Bloch, a strange and shocking Circus revenge; "Stragella" by Hugh B. Cave, a ship of death found floating free at sea and the doom that followed; and "Incense of Abomination" by Seabury Quinn, devil worshipers, drugs and Jules de Grandin.

The Occult Cases of Police Commissioner Ethredge and Detective-Lieutenant Peters, Vol. 1!

A compulsively readable and innovative terror novel from the golden age of the legendary Weird Tales, the supreme shudder pulp of all time.

All the New York newspapers blare the headlines when the city's leading jeweler is found dead in his office and his vault looted of all its best jewelry and most valuable gems—but there are no signs of forced entry or tampering with the locks. Because of the eminence of the victim, Police Commissioner Ethredge is immediately called to the crime scene, accompanied by his able assistant, Detective-Lieutenant Peters. After a brief examination, the coroner states that the jeweler has died of massive, sudden blood loss...although there is no blood at the scene, nor any needle marks or stab wounds on the body to explain it.

Ethredge is baffled, but when they are alone on the ride back to police headquarters, Detective-Lieutenant Peters, who is widely read, offers a possible theory that would explain the crime—but it is so outré and horrifying in its implications that Commissioner Ethredge dismisses it out of hand. But that night when he and his fiancée, the brilliant Mary Roberts, attend a society party, Ethredge begins to change his mind when he meets Count Woerz, a powerful hypnotist and prognosticator, and master of the super-smooth veiled threat.

Commissioner Ethredge and Detective-Lieutenant Peters' investigations of Woerz, assisted by Mary Roberts, lead to chilling discoveries...and finally a desperate chase by aeroplane and a final murderous confrontation aboard a yacht far out to sea.

As a special bonus this rare reprinting of Loot of the Vampire, horrormeister Thorp McClusky's classic two-part serial from Weird Tales, is accompanied by its sequel, The Woman in Room 607, the second Commissioner Ethredge and Detective-Lieutenant Peters occult adventure.

The classic battles of Union Sergeant Jaeger against the forces of darkness—gripping tales of a visitation of supernatural evil during and after the American Civil War.

Features a complete story told in two novellas: "Fearful Rock"—the story that made Wellman's reputation—and its sequel, "Coven".

Winner of the World Fantasy, Edgar Allan Poe, Ellery Queen, Locus and British Fantasy Awards, Manly Wade Wellman is considered one of the greatest fantasy writers who ever lived and is one of the creators of the great Weird Tales tradition.

An eerie tale of the American Civil War, the uncanny evil being who called himself Persil Mandifer, and his lovely daughter, Enid—a tale of dark powers and weird happenings. The year is 1862, the place the Deep South. Enid Mandifer has been sent hypnotized by her stepfather, Persil Mandifer, to be a sacrifice to the Nameless One, a demonic presence who haunts an ancient house under the shadow of a natural pillar called Fearful Rock. Kane Lanark, a Lieutenant in the Union cavalry, who has been ordered to scout for Quantrill's infamous raiders, discovers Enid in a half-dazed condition on the trail to Fearful Rock. Kane is puzzled and repelled when he learns of her stepfather's strange worship. Sergeant Jager, a religious fanatic known as "Bible" Jager to the other soldiers in their troop, and Kane's assistant, finds a horned image in the cellar of the house at Fearful Rock and destroys it, earning Persil Mandifer's undying hatred and his curse. After the Civil war, cosmic forces reunite all four at the foot of Fearful Rock, where the dead rise and events reach an eerie, shattering climax!

In the sequel, "Coven," set several years later, Cole Wickett, a former Southern officer, who has lost everything in the war and become a homeless drifter, makes his way toward a small community he has heard of called now called Welcome Rock, where a minister named Jager preaches to all who seek refuge. There Wickett and Jager battle a coven of evil witches pledged to the devil, and find themselves opposed to dark beings wielding unimaginable powers. Forces only the spells from a strange book called "Long Lost Friend" (which actually existed at the time...leave it to Wellman to own a copy) can possibly defeat—if Wickett and Jager can survive long enough to use it!

Inside this collection of fantasy author Joe Vadalma's best short stories about strong, independent women, you'll find:

"Viking Princess"
Alvida was a real person; the things she does in this story may be true...or simply a legend.

"The Countess and the Emperor"
The countess was a real person who saved her country from a foreign invader. This is a fictional account of her story.

"Paddy's New Girl Friend"
Although she is cisgender and female, strictly speaking, Paddy's girl friend is not a woman in the usual sense.

"Lucia Malachi, Android Seductress"
In the far future, a female android is sent on a secret mission to spy on humans.

"Olympias"
Olympias was the mother of a famous conqueror—but this is not his story, it is hers.

"Rose Petal and the Hunter"
Rose Petal is of the fairy race. She must give up much to obtain the man she desires.

"Olivia VanGrimm"
Olivia is one of the undead. A vampire's life is not an easy one.

"Abandoned Mansion"
Mandy was a woman with wanderlust. She entered the abandoned mansion to escape a summer storm, not knowing what dangers lie within.

They saved the world—but could they save themselves?

"Chalfy’s tender rendering of characters sets this novel a notch above its peers." —Publishers Weekly

Gaia has become a worldwide religion of love for the Earth, global warming and pollution have been overcome and the greening of the earth has begun. But the challenges of human selfishness continue to confront those who have been guiding Gaia. Jorge Alvarado, The Director and creator of Rejuvenation City, pursues his dreams of immortality and tries to inveigle Harrison, one of Gaia’s longtime leaders, to join him. Jorge’s race of diminutive women, specially bred for star travel, the Jorgenauts, who will literally spread his seed across the galaxy, remain a dangerous ambition. The weight of the long years they have spent building and protecting the Gaian movement begin to tell on Harrison and Helene and the grinding weight of dealing with fanatics opposed to Gaia drags at the bodies and psyches of Lucas and Maeve. A virologist who wants to destroy the world, and pirates attacking the floating cities, complicate the hand-over of power and responsibility to the next generation of Gaians, creating a looming concern. The question of humanity's survival is placed squarely on the table.

"I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the near future, especially anyone who is concerned about humanity's impact on the Earth." —Joe Vadalma, author, The Retslu Chronicles.

“I love the positive outlook, the cooperation and the utopianism of the book. It's got some surprising new plot additions, and it's very creative.” —Tina Tessina, PhD, “Dr. Romance”

Gaia, the revival of an ancient sect that worships the Earth itself, has become the fastest growing religion in history. Already, seeing the planet as a sacred deity has led people high and low to mitigate business and governmental practices that harm the environment. Pollution is abating and steps are being taken to heal Earth’s damaged ecology.

But in the megacities, the women and men who benefit their existence, the rich and the powerful politicians who prosper from their patronage, have become aware of the expanding Gaian religion and are determined to stamp out the movement before its spreads any further. Already, clandestine military forces have been sent to break up Gaian services wherever they can be found, arresting or killing the congregations.

To preserve the planet from further pollution and help reverse the damage that has been done. Lucas, a former government operative, and Maeve, the Gaians’ new High Priestess, spread and foster the worship of the Earth goddess. And they succeed, their ecology-based movement growing and extending its influence throughout the world. But they must do all this while staying one step ahead of the hit squads and fanatics seeking to destroy them—and they both know their luck can’t last forever.

Meanwhile, Lucas’ uncle Harrison and his G partner Helene, in Brazil for a rejuvenation treatment, meet the clinics’ sociopathic billionaire founder, and learn of his plan to build starships and seed humankind among the stars—no matter what the consequences to those who remain behind on Earth. But there is just one catch: He plans to go along as an immortal God and the only seed he plans to spread is his own!

Praise for Gaia, Book 1 of the Gaia Trilogy:

“The lead characters, as well as a number of people they connect with along the way, are well drawn and likable. This is a book about how cooperation, science and ethical motivation are used by a group who not only want to survive, but to thrive in the new conditions, and to create a foundation for future generations to live well for millennia to come. The relationships depicted are warm, loving and sensual, and they involve people of different generations, so there's something for everyone. A philosophy of growth is expressed by several characters, and furthers the plot. There's conflict, but it remains on a human, believable scale. Personally, I'm weary of overdone and over exaggerated plots about war, evil and violence. I like the thoughtfulness and hopefulness of this book. A most enjoyable read.” —Tina Tessina, PhD, “Dr. Romance”

“Interesting SF novel …well written and suspenseful. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the near future, especially anyone who is concerned about humanity's impact on the Earth.” —Joe Vadalma, author, The Retslu Chronicles.

“Espionage, intrigue, narrow escapes; love, both young and mature. What more could you want out of a world, or a book?” —Herman Bartleby, Amazon review

A futuristic novel, a mystery, an adventure, a love story, and a profound ecological meditation.

Mort Chalfy's books are "A nifty mix...tender...a notch above his peers." —Publishers Weekly

“Well written and suspenseful. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the near future, especially anyone who is concerned about humanity's impact on the Earth.” —Joe Valdama, author, The Books of Retslu

“It's sure to please seasoned sci-fi fanatics, utopians who dream of a better world, and those who love the earth and try to save it. But readers who love a good love story (or two, or three) will also get what they crave. If you dip in a toe, you'll soon find it's a page turner that also yields interesting food for thought.” —Elgy Gillespie, journalist, The Irish Times

In the near future, global warming has made much of the Earth a wasteland and driven most people into “cubes”—self-supporting, city-sized megabuildings. There, inhabitants can regain their health and live far longer than they would outside, but that life is strictly regulated, monitored and controlled. A few “wild” bands of humans still live outside, practicing sustainable farming techniques in relative freedom.

Lucas Barnes, an analyst in a government intelligence bureau, is unnerved by the developing governmental support for universal “chipping”, embedding a readable chip in every citizen containing their entire personal, legal and medical history. Lucas decides to flee with a stolen device that renders a chip invisible to chip-readers. Uncle Harrison, a liberal college professor, helps him escape to the home of the Gaia movement.

The Gaians are a community whose sole mission is to foster the survival and sustainability of all life on Earth. But, once there, Lucas is unsure that the Gaians’ solution is a better one. From the outside looking in, the Gaians seem a cult-like group bent on saving the earth by teaching everyone to worship it. They seek to spread the ancient worship of the goddess Gaia, a personification of the Earth itself—and in the process make the planet a holy object, too sacrosanct to harm or exploit. Wary though he may be of the Gaians, however, Lucas falls immediately in love with Maeve, their High Priestess in Training.

When a mysterious group makes the first move against the Gaians, Lucas is maneuvered into supporting them far sooner than he would have liked. Escape is just the beginning of the adventure, which leads Lucas, Maeve and the Gaians across the heartland of the U.S. to an unexpected and moving conclusion.

In Gaia, Mort Chalfy investigates the role of religion in securing cooperation around a shared spiritual ideal. The book also considers where society may be headed, socially and economically, and suggests innovative ideas on urban planning and construction, food production, and what is done with, and by, society’s dissenters. Advance readers have likened the book to a feminist Stranger in a Strange Land.

“Espionage, intrigue, and narrow escapes; and there is love, both young and mature. What more could you want out of a world, or a book? I enjoyed visiting, and I want to live there.” —Herman Bartleby, Amazon review

“The lead characters are well drawn and likable. The relationships depicted are warm and loving. This is a book about how cooperation, science and ethical motivation are used by a group who not only want to survive, but to thrive in the new conditions, and to create a foundation for future generations to live well for millennia to come. A most enjoyable read.” —Tina Tessina, “Dr. Romance”

Morton Chalfy is a writer living in Alameda, CA. He is the author of two prehistory romances, The Antler’s Point and The Cave of Lost Love.

Ships that take us on journeys to other solar systems and people who develop powers and abilities beyond the usual have been inseparable in science fiction since its dawn as a literary genre. The most mind-bending of early space operas, the Lensmen series by the Homer of the spaceways, Edward E. Smith Ph.D., combined ships that galloped up parsecs by the second with extraordinary scenes of transcendence. In this megabundle you will find five early pulp science fiction novels that focus on starship travel or transcending the state of humanity—and in a few cases, both. Here you'll find work by:

Dwight V. Swain (1915 – 1992), one of the most popular of the "new" post-war crop of science fiction writers in the pulps during the early fifties. Fans of the Star Wars movie series will thrill to The Weapon from Eternity, his offering here, which can best be described as a ring-a-ding space opera with style.

Chester S. Geier (1921-1990) was one of the Chicago writers who began writing science fiction for Ray Palmer when he became editor Amazing Stories and Fantastic Adventures for the Ziff-Davis (located in the Windy City) chain of pulp magazines. At the time of the first publication of Forever is Too Long, then fan Robert Silverberg, now a multi-winning Hugo and Nebula author, hailed it as “a wonderful story” and said, “almost any other immortality story would be inferior.”

Berkeley Livingston (1909-1975) was another of Palmer’s circle of writers who contributed much to the shaping of Amazing and Fantastic during their 1940s heyday. According to Richard Simms, who made a close study of Livingston’s work, he was “a talented and versatile writer” whose work was “action-packed,” “fast-moving,” “colorful” and “thought-provoking.” Dimensions Unlimited displays all those literary virtues, as well as taking place, in part, in the universe of the famed and controversial Shaver Mystery.

Geoff St. Reynard was a pseudonym of historical novelist Robert W. Krepps (1919-1980) famed outside the science fiction world for such bestsellers as The Court of the Lion, Baboon Rock and Tell It on the Drums. As a science fiction novelist, he is best known as the author a number of fine alien invasion tales written in the midst of the Cold War wave of flying saucer sightings. The Deadly Saucers (also published as Don’t Panic) is one of the best of these.

Don Wilcox (1905-2000), according to Fancyclopedia 3, was one of Amazing Stories’ “most prolific and popular contributors.” The young Terry Carr, who would become one of the field’s ablest critics and editors, once wrote to Amazing begging, “Give us more Wilcox, please!” We think that after reading the extraordinarily imaginative Desert of the Damned, written during the World War II era, you, too, will be begging, “Give us more Wilcox, please!”

When people think about science fiction, they are likely to picture far-future spaceships hurtling through the interplanetary void, carrying people from world to world or locked in combat, battling each other with iridescent beams of force. Of course, there are other types of science fiction: cyberpunk, steampunk, utopian, dystopian, stories of robots or clones menacing our claim to individuality, near-future projections of current trends, time travel, alien invasion, alternate universes and history—and so on. But what do many people tend to picture first whenever science fiction is mentioned? Spaceships traversing the stars. Warfare of cosmic proportion.

This subgenre of science fiction called “space opera” has long been its most popular—in novels, television series, movies, anime, etc. If you, too, just can’t get enough good space opera—here are five genuine time-tested novels carefully selected from the birthplace of space opera: the pulps of the 1930s, ’40s and ’50s. Each is filled with the wonders of the far future, with ships so fast they literally rip holes in space, with captains and mechanics, courageous women and daring men, conflict on distant planets and cosmic battles with worlds at stake.

Dwight V. Swain was one of the best and most popular authors of space opera in the pulp magazines of the fifties. Swain’s space opera stories were so well loved that his magazine publisher commissioned him to write twelve full space operas over the next six years. In 1955, when at the height of his powers as a master of the field, Swain described his life as “darn close to ideal. Half the time I teach writing at the University of Oklahoma; the other half I freelance. But every once in a while the yen to whack out fiction grows too strong and I come up with such a yarn as [The Weapon from Eternity.]”

For most of his life Edmond Hamilton and space opera were synonymous. He was one of its founders. It was his emphasis on titanic weapons capable of destroying whole planets—and that made the saving of worlds, solar systems and universe one of the defining characteristics of space opera. From Across Space in 1926 to 1968’s World of the Starwolves, science fiction readers knew who to turn to for poetic, deeply-felt space opera. Edmond Hamilton was the Star King.

Hugo finalist Rog Phillips (the writer Robert Silverberg called “the master”) wrote The Cosmic Junkman in 1953. An amazingly off-trail space opera far ahead of his time, The Cosmic Junkman is hailed by The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction as a “pioneering story” that “creatively explored themes and techniques later used … by Philip K Dick.”

Nine Worlds West, Jack of Planets, and The World Burners are just a few of the space operas that Paul W. Fairman was remembered for in the mid 1950s. But Secret of the Martians, which begins in the office of the Chief of Interplanetary Security and ends in a battle royale in the deserts of the red planet, is likely his best.

Noel Loomis was one of the pioneers of the original paperback novel when paperbacks began their rise in the early 1950s. A prolific author of genre fiction of all types, he is best known in science fiction for the two-book sequence City of Glass and The Iron Men, set on a desolate, deserted, far-future Earth. The Man with Absolute Motion is set in a distant time when the energy level of the universe is declining rapidly, and the protagonist is sent on a mission to find a source of power to reinvigorate reality as he knows it. The book has a 4.5-star rating at Goodreads, where D.C. Farmer rated it as “Amazing. One of the first science fiction books I read and still one of my absolute favorites. There's a very Ian Fleming-like air to this story, as well as enough aliens to shake a stick at. I would thoroughly recommend this as a great yarn.”

We invite you now to join the five voyages recorded here. We don’t think you will regret your trips.

In this special megabundle you will find five novels about denizens of our time, and those of the future, who dream of traveling the spacelanes—and of the warriors who defend them. The success of Star Trek, Star Wars, Babylon 5, Farscape, and Battlestar Galactica proves that people who watch science fiction have a soft spot in their hearts for starship soldiers. The same is true of its readers—just look at Heinlein’s perennial bestseller Starship Troopers, the gigantically successful Miles Vorkosigan saga, and the fact that Ann Leckie’s Ancillary Justice won all five top awards in the science fiction field. Perhaps the popularity of this genre of science fiction also suggests a deep-rooted fear that there will never be peace in our time—or any time! Who then will fight for us, and how? If there is to be peace, how will it come about or persist?

And yet we still dream of the stars of future frontiers where every human can seek their own destiny and find planets where humans can set down roots without the need to oppress other sentient beings. We even dream of explorers who will dream of the stars in the future and hunger, as so many do today, to leave Earth behind and experience the far wonders of the universe. This book, and the stories in it, are for all science fiction lovers—dreamers who dream of future dreamers.