This collection gathers a diverse range of fantasy short stories and novellas from acclaimed authors. Explore tales of curses, political intrigue, and magical encounters. With contributions from literary giants like Isaac Asimov, Stephen King, and Ray Bradbury, this anthology offers a varied reading experience for fantasy enthusiasts.
Asimov was born sometime between October 4, 1919 and January 2, 1920 in Petrovichi in Smolensk Oblast, RSFSR (now Russia), the son of a Jewish family of millers. Although his exact date of birth is uncertain, Asimov himself celebrated it on January 2. His family emigrated to Brooklyn, New York and opened a candy store when he was three years old. He taught himself to read at the age of five. He began reading the science fiction pulp magazines that his family's store carried. Around the age of...
Martin Harry Greenberg (March 1, 1941 – June 25, 2011) was an American academic and anthologist in many genres, including mysteries and horror, but especially in speculative fiction. In all, he compiled 1,298 anthologies and commissioned over 8,200 original short stories. He founded Tekno Books, a packager of more than 2000 published books. He was also a co-founder of the Sci-Fi Channel. Greenberg was also an expert in terrorism and the Middle East. He was a longtime friend, colleague and busine...
Charles G. Waugh is the editor of The Best Horror and Supernatural of the 19th Century. He has a keen eye for classic tales of the eerie and unexplained.
Frank R. Stockton was a writer whose work often brought a smile. He's best remembered for collections like "A Subtreasury of American Humor," which showcases his knack for wit and clever storytelling. If you enjoy a good laugh and sharp observations, you'll likely appreciate his contributions to American literature.
Fritz Reuter Leiber Jr. (December 24, 1910 – September 5, 1992) was an American writer of fantasy, horror, and science fiction. He was also a poet, actor in theater and films, playwright and chess expert. With writers such as Robert E. Howard and Michael Moorcock, Leiber can be regarded as one of the fathers of sword and sorcery fantasy, having coined the term.
Source: [Fritz Leiber](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritz_Leiber) on Wikipedia.
Ray Bradbury is one of those rare individuals whose writing has changed the way people think. His more than five hundred published works -- short stories, novels, plays, screenplays, television scripts, and verse -- exemplify the American imagination at its most creative.
Once read, his words are never forgotten. His best-known and most beloved books, The Martian Chronicles, The Illustrated Man, Fahrenheit 451 and Something Wicked This Way Comes, are masterworks that readers carry wi...
Andre Norton was born Alice Mary Norton in Cleveland, Ohio, the daughter of rug company owner and his wife. She began writing while she was in high school, and she was the editor of a literary page in the school's paper. She also wrote her first novel, Ralestone Luck, which was published in 1938. Her first published novel was The Prince Commands (1934). She graduated from high school in 1930 and began studying teaching at Flora Stone Mather College of Western Reserve University. In 1932 she...
Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle KStJ, DL (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a Scottish writer and physician, most noted for creating the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes and writing stories about him which are generally considered milestones in the field of crime fiction.
He is also known for writing the fictional adventures of a second character he invented, Professor Challenger, and for popularising the mystery of the Mary Celeste. He was a prolific writer whose other works include fantasy...
Longtime mystery writer and editor Edward Dentinger Hoch was practically an institution in the field. Born in 1930, he published over eight hundred mystery stories including one in every issue of Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine from 1973 to 1981. His TV writing credits include episodes of "MacMillan and Wife", "Night Gallery", the "Alfred Hitchcock Show", and "Tales of the Unexpected". Mr. Hoch served as president of the Mystery Writers of America. He also wrote mysteries under the pseudonyms...
John Holbrook "Jack" Vance was an American mystery, fantasy, and science fiction writer. Though most of his work has been published under the name Jack Vance, he also wrote 11 mystery novels using his full name John Holbrook Vance, three under the pseudonym Ellery Queen, and one each using the pseudonyms Alan Wade, Peter Held, John van See, and Jay Kavanse.
