The world needs a hero nastier than the fiends that plague it …. The fate of humanity rests on a pair of unlikely champions, Venir and Melegal. Determined to destroy the insidious race of fiends, the underlings, Venir sets out on a one-man crusade. Wielding an alien-crafted war axe, he ventures deep into the wasteland’s jungles, uncovering a heartbreaking catastrophe. A village destroyed by the underlings awaits him. The women and children are gone, snatched by the dangerous menace. Now, the bloodiest rescue missions of all time calls for the ultimate weapon of power that requires a will of iron, brawn, and courage. With time running out, it’s up to Venir to defeat the perilous brood of pillaging murderers and save the innocents before it’s too late. Dive into this short introduction to the bestselling Darkslayer series that is barbaric thrill ride longer than the Lord of the Rings over 1 million words long This series has everything dungeon and dragons lovers could ever hope for in an EPIC ONE-OF-A-KIND SWORD AND SORCERY FEAST that you will never forget! This short is only a small sample of the tumultuous action that offers bold heroes, villainous sorcery, deadly dwarves, orcs, brute ogres, gnolls, underlings, giants and dragons battle in this fast-paced, action-packed fantasy fest.  SCROLL UP AND GRAB YOUR COPY TODAY! Content Advisor: This series does not include explicit language or sexual content. A galloping ride for teenagers and up.  What Reviewers are saying about The Darkslayer Series: ★★★★★ Awesome intro to the series. Never a dull moment in Bish! If you like classic heroes doing what heroes do, start this series. Reading the Darkslayer series has been the most fun reading I’ve ever had. Y.E., Amazon Reviewer ★★★★★ The Darkslayer is a badass of few words. – Ron Baker, Amazon Reviewer ★★★★★ This book was a fun old school barbarian tale. The main character is not a barbarian specifically, but essentially he is the classic warrior that overcomes his enemies with giant muscles, iron will, and pure rage. – Nicolas Amazon Reviewer ★★★★★ Exceptional Read.If you’re a fan of the Drizzt novels or tales told in The Forgotten Realms, then this book series is definitely for you. – Matthew Kirkton, Amazon Reviewer ★★★★★ Everything a guy wants in a book. My girlfriend just got me back into reading and she kept trying to get me to read Twilight, 50 Shades Of Grey, etc. Needless to say I didn’t make it pass the first chapter of either. I thought reading just want for me, but now I know I just needed to find the right kind of book. The Darkslayer is that book. If you enjoy fantasy & action movies like Lord of the Rings you’ll feel right at home. The pacing is spot on, I couldn’t put it down. It’s full of action, and has comedic moments to break up the mayhem. The characters are colorful, and the author does a good job portraying how warfare takes its toll on a warrior both physically and mentally. I can’t wait to get into the rest of the series.– Josh Rock, Amazon Reviewer

A SAMPLER OF ALAN BAXTER’S DARK FICTION Horror, crime, and dark fantasy. Four complete stories and the opening chapters of six longer books from Alan Baxter’s extensive back catalogue. Featuring one full novella (“Out On A Rim” from The Gulp), three entire short stories (“Crow Shine” from Crow Shine, “Simulacrum of Hope” from Served Cold, and “The Normandy Curse”), plus the opening chapters of six longer books: Devouring Dark, Hidden City, Bound, Manifest Recall, Primordial, and Blood Codex. “Alan Baxter is Australia’s master of literary darkness.” – This Is Horror “Alan Baxter can take horror from gonzo to heartbreaking in an instant. Good stuff… Alan Baxter can write like a m***********.” – Gail Simone, best-selling author of DC’s Birds of Prey, Wonder Woman, and more “Alan Baxter is an accomplished storyteller who ably evokes magic and menace.” – Laird Barron, author of Swift to Chase “Baxter delivers the horror goods.” – Paul Tremblay, author of A Head Full of Ghosts and The Cabin at the End of the World “Alan Baxter is one of the best horror writers in the business.” – Kealan Patrick Burke, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of The Turtle Boy, Kin, and Sour Candy “Step into the ring with Alan Baxter, I dare you. He writes with the grace, precision, and swift brutality of a prizefighter.” – Christopher Golden, New York Times bestselling author of Ararat and The Pandora Room “Alan Baxter’s thrillers have complete anatomy—muscles, brains, guts, and heart.” – World Fantasy Award-nominated author, Anna Tambour “Alan Baxter delivers a heady mix of magic, monsters and bloody fights to the death. Nobody does kick-ass brutality like Baxter.” – Greig Beck, Internationally bestselling author “Alan Baxter’s fiction is dark, disturbing, hard-hitting and heart-breakingly honest. He reflects on worlds known and unknown with compassion, and demonstrates an almost second-sight into human behaviour.” — Kaaron Warren, Shirley Jackson Award-winner and author of The Grief Hole “…fantastic storytelling in the vein of Neil Gaiman or Alan Moore, but with a merciless black streak…” – Spooktapes “…if Stephen King and Jim Butcher ever had a love child then it would be Alan Baxter.” – Smash Dragons “Alan’s work is reminiscent of that of Clive Barker and Jim C. Hines, but with a unique flavour all of its own.” – Angela Slatter, World Fantasy, British Fantasy and Aurealis Award winner “Baxter draws you along a knife’s edge of tension from the first page to the last, leaving your heart thumping and sweat on your brow.” – Midwest Book Review

This short novel first appeared in an anthology released by Cemetery Dance publications. Kealan Patrick Burke edited. The main character was to have a brief encounter with a wise old man named Johnny Divine, who lived in a town called “Brimstone Turnpike,” the title of the anthology. That character would then to be given one object that would impact the outcome of the story. The writers were free to invent everything else. In award-winning author Harry Shannon’s entry, Sam Kenzie is an LAPD cop who can’t escape his obsession with a serial killer due to demons of his own. Shannon played by the rules, but his ending is both stunning and disturbing. “Behold the Child”, by Harry Shannon, is the perfect mix of classic Noir and the supernatural. A maverick, burned-out cop haunted by his last city case ignores advice and a “wrong” turn en route to his retirement gig in the isolated desert town of his youth. It’s dark, brooding, and reminds us that unfortunately, not everyone takes advantage of divine second chances.”-Shroud Magazine “This eerie collection includes five chilling tales with a common motif—a deserted highway with a ruined gas station where an old black man gives a traveler a special gift that could change his or her destiny. From Thomas F. Monteleone’s story of a reporter’s collision with the truth (“The Prime Time of Spenser Golding”) to Harry Shannon’s depiction of a detective’s journey into darkness (“Behold the Child”), these tales delve into the realm of nightmare and wish fulfillment.”-Library Journal “Master craftsmanship.”-Cemetery Dance “Shannon is a writer who is never afraid to walk into the shadows and drag the things living there kicking and screaming into the light.”-Brian Keene “Harry Shannon takes age-old themes and gives them a new and fearsome bite. Vividly realized, his writing is controlled, assured, and filled with the kind of spooky atmosphere that used to make you hide your head under the bedcovers on wind-wracked nights.” – Tom Piccirilli

Mercenaries vs the Living Dead! In the early morning hours of Day Zero, an urgent phone call comes in to Theo Atkinson, head of the QXR Mercenary Group. In mere hours, the country will be at war with the undead, giving Theo and his men precious little time to secure the island of Hilton Head before they are overrun by zombies. This prequel to the ongoing Dead America – Lowcountry series is fast paced, action packed, and is full of zombie warfare.

Deep beneath the earth of a North Cumbrian wood lies the germinating mass of a fungus-like organism. How long it has occupied the fibrous soil of that place is uncertain, but Dr Jim Alburton estimates it is close to ten million years. Then again, this is not his sphere of expertise. He would normally consult Jane Milner, the county’s only resident fungus expert. But Jane is dead, along with her partner — victim of a rare, acute brain disease. Alburton found her on the floor of a laboratory, sticky orange fluid oozing from her ears. This was disturbing enough, however her partner’s face was mutilated beyond recognition, an apparent result of his girlfriend’s killing frenzy.Alburton comes to know of the fungus because of Jane’s notebook, which describes its discovery but gives little scientific detail or where it is located. He can’t help thinking the discovery is bound up with her sudden death and that of her partner.The police are moving too slow for Alburton’s liking and don’t accept there’s a connection between this incident and an increasing number of horrific deaths rapidly blooming in the area. A woman walking her dogs along a popular pathway is savagely attacked, a local student inexplicably kills the school nurse, a care-worker suffers a psychotic episode and attacks an elderly man in his home. The news bulletins deliver more reports by the hour.As the number of incidents mounts, Alburton becomes convinced the county is quickly becoming the epicentre of a fungal disease epidemic that could spread nationwide. He concludes the fungus must be acting on its host’s nervous system, causing them to become depraved killing machines. Yet few believe him as he has little evidence for his theory. Now he faces the responsibility of tracking down the source of the disease, persuading the authorities and somehow preventing a cascade of bloody murders. With the newly christened phenomenon known as Mycophoria accelerating in its impact, there are only days or perhaps hours to accomplish this before the disease goes pandemic.