Horror lovers everywhere, get ready for... ONE BAD NIGHT. In “Two Observers of the Slaughter Rites on Gannet Island," an anthropologist and his wife travel to the remote Gannet Island to observe a mysterious yearly ritual. In “My Lithopedia," a woman learns that she had an unborn twin sister, extracted as a stone baby during her late mother’s autopsy and decides to keep it. In “Lady Jawbone," Lilou is trapped inside a nightmarish phosphorous match factory, when a strange new arrival offers her a way out. In “A Necromancer’s Guide to Reconnecting with Your Ex," the ghost of Roxanne's rock-and-roll ex asks her to resurrect him, forcing her to confront what it means to truly let go. In “Red Tide," a woman running from her past finds work at a small-town aquarium, where she encounters the "spectre fish," a carnivorous mer-creature of local lore. In “47 Pineview Way," an anxious mother drops off her son at his first sleepover—but the next morning, the house where she left him has disappeared. In “A Meditation on the Existence of Certain Cutlery (There is No Spoon)," Commander Janna Field is on a covert mission to the lunar south pole—or is she? In “One Bad Night," Steck, an aging, lonely man becomes fixated on a sinister green parrot after it seems to predicts the death of his beloved dog.

An alternate 1970s science fiction romance blending first contact and queer counterculture in the Los Angeles disco scene, perfect for readers of Vajra Chandraseker and Victor Manibo. In 1977 — a world where America launched its space program shortly after WWII — Mitch Ward is a grunt in the US Spaceguard. Stationed in a backwater base on the Moon, his only friend is Gloria, who performs "Lady Moondust" for fellow soldiers, until he's briefly reunited with Flynn, a love from his youth who has never been far from his heart. Following a visit from an unseen, terrifying but also maybe euphoric being, Mitch and Gloria find themselves quickly discharged from the Guard, and sent back to Earth. Moving to Los Angeles to chase their dreams, the duo scrape by, dancing between joy and defiance at the discos in a rapidly changing city that's unwelcoming to those who don't fit the Golden Age of Hollywood standard. But when Flynn crashes back into their lives, he comes with a warning. He claims to be the host for a traveler and emissary of a utopian civilization, who has caught notice of Earth. This civilization is either the source of humanity's salvation - or its destruction. And they're on the way. With the strange new powers blooming in Mitch and Gloria and Flynn's motives perhaps as hazy as those fog-filled LA dancefloors, it's up to this community of disco-loving misfits to stand up for what is beautiful and right. And save those who maybe wouldn't do the same for them. They're not going down without a fight - and one hell of a party.

Hache Pueyo returns after But Not Too Bold with her new novella Cabaret in Flames, where Interview with the Vampire meets Certain Dark Things in an alternate-Brazil where brutal flesh-hungering Guls stalk the night streets and manipulate the government from their glittering cabaretGuls can be brutal. Few know this better than Ariadne, who lost half her body to their appetites, but their brutality is a predictable constant amid Brazil’s political chaos. Now, she treats them in the specialized clinic she inherited from Erik Yurkov—the mentor who rescued her as a child, trained her in medicine, built her prostheses, and disappeared without a trace.Ariadne’s routine is disturbed when Quaint knocks on her door: a charming, tattooed gul claiming to be Erik’s oldest friend. Quaint suspects foul play in Erik’s disappearance, and they soon discover Erik sought asylum at Cabaré, an infamous club in Rio de Janeiro frequented by the gul elite.Together, Ariadne and Quaint will unravel the conspiracy behind their friend’s disappearance, navigate the labyrinthine world of Ariadne’s memories, and discover what Erik means to them—and what they are starting to mean to each other.At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

The Spellshop is Sarah Beth Durst’s romantasy debut–a lush cottagecore tale full of stolen spellbooks, unexpected friendships, sweet jams, and even sweeter love. Kiela has always had trouble dealing with people. Thankfully, as a librarian at the Great Library of Alyssium, she and her assistant, Caz—a magically sentient spider plant—have spent the last decade sequestered among the empire’s most precious spellbooks, preserving their magic for the city’s elite. When a revolution begins and the library goes up in flames, she and Caz flee with all the spellbooks they can carry and head to a remote island Kiela never thought she’d see again: her childhood home. Taking refuge there, Kiela discovers, much to her dismay, a nosy—and very handsome—neighbor who can’t take a hint and keeps showing up day after day to make sure she’s fed and to help fix up her new home. In need of income, Kiela identifies something that even the bakery in town doesn’t have: jam. With the help of an old recipe book her parents left her and a bit of illegal magic, her cottage garden is soon covered in ripe berries. But magic can do more than make life a little sweeter, so Kiela risks the consequences of using unsanctioned spells and opens the island’s first-ever and much needed secret spellshop. Like a Hallmark rom-com full of mythical creatures and fueled by cinnamon rolls and magic, The Spellshop will heal your heart and feed your soul.

The most powerful warlord in the steppe sends a convoy consisting of his ten best men and his fourth wife, Chi, to escort his newest bride home—an easy journey. At least, it was supposed to be. Since losing her family and her right eye to cursed fire, Chi has been adrift, struggling to find her place within the Champion’s household. Unable to bear children due to her family’s blood curse, she has spent most of her married years training the Champion’s sons in the sword techniques she inherited from her father. When an undead monster attacks the bride’s party, killing all ten of the Champion’s men, Chi’s sword skills barely keep her alive, leaving her as the last line of defense for the young bride, Sangya. After a lifetime cloistered in a remote temple, Sangya is maddeningly inquisitive about everything around her, including Chi. While Chi scrambles to guide the chirpy nun through the wilderness, Sangya slowly pries her way through the walls Chi has built around her soul and wakes something forbidden. With enemies closing in, Chi realizes that the thing she wants most from life might be the one thing she can’t have. And in the dark of foreign woods, she decides that the best thing she can do for the world is die protecting the Champion’s bride. Better that than face a desire so dangerous.

This timely and gorgeously illustrated companion book to a Smithsonian exhibition explores the power of Afrofuturism to reclaim the past and reimagine Black futures A History of Black Futures explores the evolving and exhilarating concept of Afrofuturism, a lens used to imagine a more empowering future for the Black community through music, art, and speculative fiction. Sumptuous, beautifully designed spreads feature 100 gorgeous illustrations of objects and images that reflect Black identity, agency, creativity, and hope, T’Challa’s suit from Black Panther, Octavia Butler’s typewriter, Uhura’s outfit from Star Trek, Sun Ra’s space harp, costumes from Broadway’s The Wiz, handwritten lyrics by Jimi Hendrix, and Janelle Monae’s ArchAndroid dress.Chapters include essays from a diverse group of scholars who reflect on themes such as legacy, alienation, and activism, with profiles on influential people and   Foreword & Introduction: Provides background on Afrofuturism Chapter 1 - Space is the Place: Reflects on space and its defining connection to Afrofuturism and its African cultural legacy Chapter 2 - Speculative Worlds: Explores short stories, Black speculative fiction and sci-fi, comics, and Black superheroes as bastions of Afrofuturist expressionChapter 3 - Visualizing Afrofuturism: Analyzes the vast visual culture of AfrofuturismChapter 4 - Musical Futures: Explores Afrofuturism and musicAfterwordAfrofuturism offers a framework of radical potential to envision Black liberation and alternatives to oppressive structures like white supremacy. Afrofuturism comes at a time of increasing visibility for the concept, both in scholarship and in pop culture, and is a compelling ode to the revolutionary power of Black imagination.CONTRIBUTORS: Reynaldo Anderson, Tiffany E. Barber, Herb Boyd, Ariana Curtis,Eve L. Ewing, Tuliza Fleming, Nona Hendryx, N. K. Jemisin, JohnJennings, Steven Lewis, Mark Anthony Neal, Alondra Nelson, DeNichols, Elaine Nichols, William S. Pretzer, Vernon Reid, MatthewShindell, Kevin M. Strait, Angela Tate, Michelle Wilkinson, Ytasha L.Womack, Alisha B. Wormsley, and Kevin Young

"Communion is about more than truth. It's a holy coming together, an intimate exchange of love.... Communion, it seems, doesn't have to happen in the same space and time. Communion, it seems, is something altogether bigger."—Willie Edward Taylor Carver Jr. Queer Communion is a collection of twelve essays, poems, and stories that follows and fractures the expectations surrounding LGBTQIA+ Appalachians and their religious beliefs. Gathered by Davis Shoulders, the pieces delve into themes of chosen family, loss, congregation, and alternative expressions of faith. Set against the backdrop of Christian cultural mores and a region considered to be deeply pious, these writings offer diverse perspectives on religion, queerness, and growth. Queer Communion explores everything from the joy and excitement of worship to the complexities of navigating one's queerness and spiritual convictions in oppressive environments. The authors highlight their personal journeys, illuminating the ways in which folks find spirituality while confronting bigotry, loneliness, and fear. Queer Communion represents an act of creation, reclaiming and redefining faith in the face of changing beliefs and societal pressures.