"Grey Matter Press has established itself as one of the premiere purveyors of horror fiction currently in existence via both a series of killer anthologies -- SPLATTERLANDS, OMINOUS REALITIES and EQUILIBRIUM OVERTURNED -- and John F.D. Taff's harrowing novella collection THE END IN ALL BEGINNINGS." -- FANGORIA Magazine
DREAD:
A Head Full of Bad Dreams
There are some nightmares from which you can never wake.
DREAD: A Head Full of Bad Dreams is a terrifying volume of the darkest hallucinatory revelations from the minds of the most accomplished award-winning authors of our time.
Travel dark passageways and experience the alarming visions of twenty masters from the horror, fantasy, science fiction, thriller, transgressive and speculative fiction genres as they bare their souls and fill your head with a lifetime of bad dreams.
FEATURING:
"Amnion" - John Everson
"Angie" - John F.D. Taff
"City Song" – Trent Zelazny and Edward Morris
"Heirloom" - Michael Laimo
"Housesitting" – Ray Garton
"How to Make a Human" – Martin Rose
"Martial Law" – JG Faherty
"Mister Pockets" – Jonathan Maberry
"Mister White" – John C. Foster
"Moonlighting" – Chad McKee
"On the Threshold" - William Meikle
"Pure Blood and Evergreen" – Bracken MacLeod
"Release" – Jane Brooks and Peter Whitley
"Second Opinion" – Ray Garton
"Show Me" – John F.D. Taff
"The Last Elf" – T. Fox Dunham
"The Troll" – Jonathan Balog
"This is Not a Horror Story" – Tim Waggoner
"Through the Ghostlands" – Rose Blackthorn
"Wormhole" – J. Daniel Stone
MISTER WHITE:
A Dark Thriller
by John C. Foster
In the shadowy world of international espionage and governmental black ops, when a group of American spies go bad and inadvertently unleash an ancient malevolent force that feeds on the fears of mankind, a young family finds themselves in the crosshairs of a frantic supernatural mystery of global proportions with only one man to turn to for their salvation.
Combine the intricate, plot-driven stylings of suspense masters Tom Clancy and Robert Ludlum, add a healthy dose of Clive Barker’s dark and brooding occult horror themes, and you get a glimpse into the supernatural world of international espionage that the chilling new horror novel MISTER WHITE is about to reveal.
John C. Foster’s MISTER WHITE is a terrifying genre-busting suspense shocker that, once and for all, answer the question you dare not ask: “Who is Mister White?”
REVIEWS:
“Mister White is a potent and hypnotic brew that blends horror, espionage and mystery. Foster has written the kind of book that keeps the genre fresh and alive and will make fans cheer. Books like this are the reason I love horror fiction.” – RAY GARTON, Grand Master of Horror and Bram Stoker Award®-nominated author of Live Girls and Scissors
“Mister White is like Stephen King’s The Stand meets Ian Fleming’s James Bond with Graham Masterton’s The Manitou thrown in for good measure. It’s frenetically paced, spectacularly gory and eerie as hell. Highly recommended!” – JOHN F.D. TAFF, Bram Stoker Award®-nominated author of The End in All Beginnings
SAVAGE BEASTS:
A Nightmare of Supernatural, Science and Sound
SAVAGE BEASTS is a volume of contemporary dark fiction inspired by some of the greatest artists in musical history. SAVAGE BEASTS is a thrilling and thought-provoking nightmare of horrifying supernatural experiences exploring darkly introspective science fiction, terrifying horrors and fantastical alternative realities, each accompanied by the sound of the music that defines your life.
Written by some of the most talented authors in genre fiction, the short stories in SAVAGE BEASTS shine a light on eleven dark worlds with fictional work inspired by rock icons Nine Inch Nails, Pink Floyd, The Cranberries, Genesis, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, Danish death metal band Pestilence, new wave and dancehall diva Grace Jones, Portuguese electronic house duo Underground Sound of Lisbon, indie rockers School of Seven Bells, classical composers Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Johann Sebastian Bach and many more.
Soothe your desire for exceptional music-inspired fiction in SAVAGE BEASTS: A Nightmare of Supernatural, Science and Sound with dark tales curated by Bram Stoker Award®-nominated editors Anthony Rivera and Sharon Lawson.
FEATURING:
"To Soothe the Savage Beast" - Edward Morris
"Going Home" - Karen Runge
"That Song You Can't Get Out of Your Head" - John F.D. Taff
"Pestilence by Beemahr" – Shawn Macomber
"Killing Noise" – Konstantine Paradias
"When Death Walks the Field of Battle" – J.C. Michael
"An American Ghost in Zurich" – Daniel Braum
"Poor Mal" – Maxwell Price
"Eidolon" – E. Michael Lewis
"Crawling Back to You" – Paul Michael Anderson
"Die Musik des Teufels" – T. Fox Dunham
REVIEWS:
"Few ever get into the territory as Grey Matter Press' SAVAGE BEASTS, which derives its scary stories under the guiding light of macabre music. And luckily, SAVAGE BEASTS has the talent behind it to rock into your nightmares." – FANGORIA
"The tales in SAVAGE BEASTS are as varied as their inspirations. Many of the contributors don't just use music as their muse, they place it front and centre in their narratives. Here, music has the power to save and to kill, and nothing buried in the past stays buried forever, regardless of how frightening it is." – MONICA S. KUEBLER, RUE MORGUE
DEATH'S REALM:
Where the Here and the Hereafter Collide
There is something that awaits you on the road ahead. It's there, lurking in the darkness at the intersection between the Here and the Hereafter.
Whether we choose to admit it or not, just ahead of each and every one of us on the road of life is a dangerous place where we will all, one day, arrive. It's here, at the intersection of this existence and the next, where the forces of the Living and the Dead converge in the terrifying location known as Death's Realm. And it's here that those from either side of the veil meet to wage their everlasting battle in the struggle for control. Both sides have their agenda. And both will do anything to win the war.
DEATH'S REALM: Where the Here and the Hereafter Collide is the next volume of terror from Bram Stoker Award®-nominated editorial team of Anthony Rivera and Sharon Lawson of Grey Matter Press.
DEATH'S REALM: Where the Here and the Hereafter Collide features sixteen tales of dark, speculative horror fiction from modern masters of the genre, including the two-time Bram Stoker Award-winning author and World Fantasy Award nominee Hank Schwaeble; the award-winning, Bram Stoker Award-nominated and Shirley Jackson Award-finalist Stephen Graham Jones; the Bram Stoker Award and Thriller nominated JG Faherty; editor-in-chief of the highly respected Jamais Vu magazine Paul Michael Anderson; critically-acclaimed authors Jay Caselberg and John F.D. Taff; emerging masters of modern horror Aaron Polson, Gregory L. Norris and Martin Rose; co-authors known for their extremely disturbing horror fiction, Simon Dewar and Karen Runge; critic favorites Brian Fatah Steele, John C. Foster and Jane Brooks; the twisted, Lovecraft-influenced Rhoads Brazos; and recognized authors of literary fiction Jay O'Shea and Matthew Pegg.
DEATH'S REALM: Where the Here and the Hereafter Collide is edited by Bram Stoker Award®-nominated editors Anthony Rivera and Sharon Lawson.
FEATURING:
"Omniscopic" - Rhoads Brazos
"Some Other Day" - John F.D. Taff
"Haunter" - Hank Schwaeble
"Burial Suit" – John C. Foster
"Nine" – Aaron Polson
"Penumbra" – Jay Caselberg
"Foxhole" – JG Faherty
"Drowning" – Gregory L. Norris
"The Weight" – Jane Brooks
"Harder You Fall" – Brian Fatah Steele
"Mirrorworld" – Martin Rose
"March Hays" – Matthew Pegg
"High Art" – Karen Runge and Simon Dewar
"A Pirate's Ransom" – Jay O'Shea
"To Touch the Dead" – Paul Michael Anderson
"You Only Die Once" – Stephen Graham Jones
REVIEWS:
"DEATH'S REALM is a triumph, pressing a universal experience through a refracting prism and revealing to us bold colors and nuanced hues of form and experience we had not hitherto dreamed existed. It is provocative and challenging without ever succumbing to the temptation to deliver a narrative kick to the head." – FANGORIA
"Grey Matter Press continues to publish high quality horror/speculative fiction with their anthology DEATH'S REALM. An eclectic collection of stories that showcases a wide range of moods, themes, and styles, and yet they all ingeniously highlight the cracks and fissures that occur when the world of the living and the world of the deceased overlap." – HORROR NEWS NETWORK
"This is a brilliant anthology, one of the best I've read in a very long time. Each tale is rock solid. The writing is intense, intelligent and interesting. The authors produce magic on the page and the editors are the alchemists. – GINGER NUTS OF HORROR
THE END IN ALL BEGINNINGS
by John F.D. Taff
THE END IN ALL BEGINNINGS is the Bram Stoker Award®-nominated volume of horror that is a tour de force through the emotional pain and personal anguish of the human condition. Hailed as one of the best collections of heartfelt and gut-wrenching horror written in recent history, it's a disturbing trip through the ages exploring the painful tragedies of life, love and loss.
Each of the five masterfully written novellas examine complex themes running the gamut from the loss of childhood innocence, to the dreadful reality of survival after everything we hold dear is gone, to some of the most profound aspects of human tragedy.
As one of the best storytellers of the modern age, John F.D. Taff takes readers on a skillfully balanced emotional journey into nostalgia, through personal pain and beyond the everyday terrors that are uncomfortably real during the course of the human lifetime. His straight-forward, nuanced writing style is at times darkly comedic, often deeply poetic and always accurate in the most terrifying of ways.
FEATURING:
"What Becomes God"
"Object Permanence"
"Love in the Time of Zombies"
"The Long, Long Breakdown"
"Visitation"
REVIEWS:
"THE END IN ALL BEGINNINGS is accomplished stuff, complex and heartfelt. It's one of the best novella collections I've read in years!" – JACK KETCHUM, Bram Stoker Award®-winning author of The Box, Closing Time and Peaceable Kingdom
"Taff brings the pain in five damaged and disturbing tales of love gone horribly wrong. This collection is like a knife in the heart. Highly recommended!" – JONATHAN MABERRY, New York Times bestselling author of Code Zero and Fall of Night
"Taff's deceptively simplistic prose offers deep emotional and dramatic insights into how human beings live with the tremendous burdens of the past and the inevitability of death. "What Becomes God" is a slice of Stephen King/Ramsey Campbell. "Object Permanence" is a slowly revealing Twilight Zone-like story. The setting of "The Long, Long Breakdown" is reminiscent of J.G. Ballard. "Visitation" follows in the footsteps of the mind-expanding works of Philip K. Dick. THE END IN ALL BEGINNINGS offers the more adventurous genre readers much to appreciate." – HORROR NEWS NETWORK
DARK VISIONS:
A Collection of Modern Horror - Volume One
The Bram Stoker Award®-nominated DARK VISIONS: A Collection of Modern Horror - Volume One takes readers beyond the veil of human perception where there lies a darkened plane inhabited by very evil things. Weaving their horrifying visions, they pull the strings on our lives and lure us into a comfortable reality. But it's all just a web of lies.
Nominated for the prestigious Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in an Anthology, DARK VISIONS: A Collection of Modern Horror - Volume One includes thirteen disturbing tales of dread from some of the most visionary minds writing horror, SciFi and speculative fiction today.
From twisted accounts of the false understanding of our own existence to the harsh psychological torture that inherent evil forces us to endure, DARK VISIONS: A Collection of Modern Horror - Volume One uncovers the truth behind our own misguided concepts of reality.
FEATURING:
"Mister Pockets: A Pine Deep Story" - Jonathan Maberry
"Collage" - Jay Caselberg
"The Weight of Paradise" - Jeff Hemenway
"Three Minutes" – Sarah L. Johnson
"Second Opinion" – Ray Garton
"The Last Ice Cream Kiss" – Jason S. Ridler
"Scrap" – David A. Riley
"What Do You Need?" – Milo James Fowler
"The Troll" – Jonathan Balog
"Delicate Spaces" – Brian Fatah Steele
"Raining Stones" – Sean Logan
"Show Me" – John F.D. Taff
"Thanatos Park" – Charles Austin Muir
REVIEWS:
"Grey Matter Press certainly knows how to plunge into the darkness. There is a little something for everybody. The important thing is that the quality level is high and consistent throughout, and DARK VISIONS is certainly a cut above your average anthology." – VINCE DARCANGELO, ENSUING CHAPTERS
"Think of The Twilight Zone introduction from the popular TV series and you will get the idea that this compilation is more than just a series of short fictional works. It is touted as a guide book where humanity must survive at all costs, and in these they rarely do. The book caters to both old and new readers who still like to be scared. I recommend DARK VISIONS." – HELLNOTES
"DARK VISIONS – VOLUME ONE contains thirteen horror short stories that immediately grab your attention and refuse to let go. The book delivers on all of the best traits of the format, and a diverse selection of authors creates a must-read collection. An absolute must-read anthology of scary tales." – THE HORROR BOOKSHELF
DARK VISIONS:
A Collection of Modern Horror - Volume Two
DARK VISIONS: A Collection of Modern Horror - Volume Two is the follow up anthology to the Bram Stoker Award-nominated DARK VISIONS: A Collection of Modern Horror - Volume One.
This volume, the second in the series, continues the journey that has already taken thousands of readers on a terrifying roller-coaster ride of psychological horror. Containing yet more exceptional tales written by some of the most visionary authors working in the fields of horror, speculative fiction and fantasy, DARK VISIONS: A Collection of Modern Horror - Volume Two is ready. If you are.
Unable to contain all the visions of dread and mayhem to a single anthology, DARK VISIONS: A Collection of Modern Horror - Volume Two takes you deeper into the twisted psyche of man with more psychological tales of terror. It is a collection of evil from which your will find it difficult to escape. Included are thirteen all-new tales that provide an even more insidious look into the concepts of life, death and how individual choices affect our eternal souls.
DARK VISIONS: A Collection of Modern Horror - Volume Two is edited by Bram Stoker Award®-nominated editors Anthony Rivera and Sharon Lawson.
FEATURING:
"Remember Me" - David Blixt
"Release" - Jane Brooks and Peter Whitley
"Mister White" - John C. Foster
"Variations of Soullessness" – A.A. Garrison
"Last Call" – JC Hemphill
"Dreaming In and Out" – Carol Holland March
"Moonlighting" – Chad McKee
"City Song" – Edward Morris and Trent Zelazny
"Water, Some of it Deep" – David Murphy
"The Elementals and I" – C.M. Saunders
"Chapelston" – Rhesa Sealy
"The First Years" – David Siddall
"Wormhole" – J. Daniel Stone
"Acceptance" – Kenneth Whitfield
REVIEWS:
"There is something for every horror and sci-fi aficionado in this collection of modern and speculative horror. To quote the back cover: 'Open this book and let the icy claw of dread reach into your chest and grab hold of your soul. We dare you…' Well, I took the dare! This reviewer was certainly not disappointed! Fourteen incredibly terrifying stories varying in degrees of horror!" – HELLNOTES
"Excellent collection! Each story begins in a very realistic manner, drawing the reader in with the comfort of the familiar. As you read, however, you just know something terrifying is lurking in the shadows, and the blind journey into each story's dark twist is an exhilarating thrill-ride. Editors Anthony Rivera and Sharon Lawson once again use their uncanny ability to discover engaging stories that have a universal appeal to dark fiction readers." – THE HORROR BOOKSHELF
SPLATTERLANDS:
Reawakening the Splatterpunk Revolution
Almost three decades ago, a literary movement forever changed the landscape of the horror entertainment industry. SPLATTERLANDS: Reawakening the Splatterpunk Revolution is a collection of personal, intelligent and subversive horror with a point. This illustrated volume of dark fiction honors the truly revolutionary efforts of some of the most brilliant writers of all time with an all-new collection of visceral, disturbing and thought-provoking work from a diverse group of modern minds.
Exploring concepts that include serial murder, betrayal, religious fanaticism, physical abuse, societal corruption, greed, mental instability, sexual assault and more, SPLATTERLANDS: Reawakening the Splatterpunk Revolution delivers on the promise of the original Splatterpunk movement with this collection of honest, intelligent and hyper-intensive horror with a point.
SPLATTERLANDS: Reawakening the Splatterpunk Revolution is edited by Bram Stoker Award®-nominated editors Anthony Rivera and Sharon Lawson.
FEATURING:
"Heirloom" – Michael Laimo
"Housesitting" – Ray Garton
"Dwellers" - Paul M. Collrin
"Amputations in the Key of D" – Jack Maddox
"Devil Rides Shotgun" - Eric Del Carlo
"The Artist" - James S. Dorr
"Dis" – Michele Garber
"Empty" – A.A. Garrison
"Letter to My Ex" – J. Michael Major
"The Viscera of Worship" – Allen Griffin
"The Defiled" – Christine Morgan
"Violence for Fun and Profit" – Gregory L. Norris
"Party Guests" – Chad Stroup
Volume Illustrated by Carrion House/Luke Spooner
REVIEWS:
"The stories in SPLATTERLANDS reinvent splatterpunk by adding the thing it once lacked…meat. Pun intended. These are well written works with interesting characters and PLOTS. A few were tough for me to get through because of the subject matter, but the writing itself kept me reading, even when I wanted to turn my head away in horror." – HORROR NEWS NETWORK
"Screams terror in degrees you've never thought you'd read in print; at least not in a single anthology! These stories take you to the very precipice of your comfort level and without mercy, push you over the edge. For those who love horror most extreme; say in the vein of Jack Ketchum or Edward Lee, by all means, don't pass this collection by! It will satisfy your taste most twisted and quench your thirst most bloody." – HELLNOTES
"Grey Matter Press delivers with a delightfully disturbing anthology that will render you speechless. I can honestly say as a fan of horror for some thirty plus years I have never read anything quite like this anthology and regret not a moment of it. SPLATTERLANDS manages to not only resurrect the dying art form of short story telling but packs a powerful wallop unto a brand new generation of fans. Grey Matter Press has become my latest go-to for creepy all-out horror." – HORROR NEWS
OMINOUS REALITIES:
The Anthology of Dark Speculative Horrors
OMINOUS REALITIES: The Anthology of Dark Speculative Horrors is a collection of sixteen terrifying short tales of chilling science fiction, dark fantasy and speculative horror that takes you on a dark journey through the past, present and future.
This frightening journey isn't restricted by the banal concepts of time or gravitational pull. Instead, prepare to travel through an ever-darkening procession of horrifying alternate realities where you'll explore shocking post-Apocalyptic worlds, become enslaved by greedy multinational corporations that control every aspect of life, participate in societies where humanity is forced to consider perilous decisions about its own survival, experience the effects of an actual Hell on Earth and discover the many other disturbing possibilities that may be in store for our future.
OMINOUS REALITIES: The Anthology of Dark Speculative Horrors is a harbinger for our time, a heart-pounding collection of terrifying speculative scenarios that portend exceedingly dire consequences for the continued existence of mankind.
OMINOUS REALITIES: The Anthology of Dark Speculative Horrors is edited by Bram Stoker Award®-nominated editors Anthony Rivera and Sharon Lawson.
FEATURING:
"How to Make a Human" - Martin Rose
"Angie" - John F.D. Taff
"On the Threshold" - William Meikle
"Doyoshota" – Ken Altabef
"Third Offense" – Gregory L. Norris
"Metamorphosis" – J. Daniel Stone
"We Are Hale, We Are Whole" – Eric Del Carlo
"Pure Blood and Evergreen" – Bracken MacLeod
"John, Paul, Xavier, Ironside and George (But Not Vincent)" – Hugh A.D. Spencer
"And the Hunter, Home from the Hill" – Edward Morris
"Born Bad" – Jonathan Balog
"The Last Bastion of Space" – Ewan C. Forbes
"Every Soul is a Grimoire" – Allen Griffin
"From the East" - Alice Goldfuss
"Deciding Identity" - Paul Williams
"The Last Elf" - T. Fox Dunham
REVIEWS:
"OMINOUS REALITIES boasts a formidable array of talented writers. The diversity of voice, style and prose is extraordinary and truly has something for everyone. I can honestly state that OMINOUS REALITIES stands on its own in terms of appeal, allure and integrity. Each author preys upon the subconscious forever moulding and sculpting our primal fears of the unknown. A spectacular edition." – HORROR NEWS
"This anthology brings together two of my great loves: science fiction and horror, with some speculative fiction thrown in for good measure. This is what happens if the works of Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov, H.P. Lovecraft, and Stephen King consummated and had a baby. Another hit for Grey Matter Press. It's got a little bit of everything for everybody within its pages." – HORROR NEWS NETWORK
"Grey Matter Press has done a phenomenal job with OMINOUS REALITIES. They are putting out some of the best anthologies in the genre. There is enough variety here to ensure that you will find something to enjoy and may introduce you to some new and extremely talented authors. This is a must-purchase anthology for any dark fiction fan!" – THE HORROR BOOKSHELF
EQUILIBRIUM OVERTURNED:
The Heart of Darkness Awaits
The end is coming. But how will it arrive?
From alien civilizations bent on human destruction, to demonic incursions from beyond the event horizon, to the dangerous malevolence that lives within us all, EQUILIBRIUM OVERTURNED: The Heart of Darkness Awaits drags you into the heart of darkness to explore brutal personal and worldwide apocalypses and the lives wavering on the brink.
Survive destroyed worlds and terrifying dystopian societies. Experience a prison of the future and the whitewashing of a horrifying past that threatens our very existence. From preventable transgressions, unavoidable doomsdays and personal calamities both near and far, EQUILIBRIUM OVERTURNED: The Heart of Darkness Awaits offers shocking revelations into what life may be like at the end.
EQUILIBRIUM OVERTURNED: The Heart of Darkness Awaits is edited by Bram Stoker Award®-nominated editors Anthony Rivera and Sharon Lawson.
FEATURING:
"The Final Testimony of Molly Ryder" - Jeff Hemenway
"Amnion" - John Everson
"Martial Law" - JG Faherty
"Through the Ghostlands" – Rose Blackthorn
"The Collected Sylvia, Volume 1 to 1388" – Geoffrey W. Cole
"Perfect Soldiers" – S.G. Larner
"Wombie" – Martin Slag
"No-Man's Land" – Roger Jackson
"The Alamo Incident: From the Chronicles of Timaeus Shields" – Sean Eads
"The Butcher of Gad Street" – Stephen T. Vessels
"Queen of Thermodynamic Equilibrium" – Josh Vogt
"Compartmental" – Jay Caselberg
"This is Not a Horror Story" – Tim Waggoner
"Sunrise" – Tony Knighton
REVIEWS:
"EQUILIBRIUM OVERTURNED contains a plethora of inventive and entertaining tales that exist at the intersection of horror, science fiction, and fantasy. This volume is an outstanding collection of horror stories that are bursting with original ideas, startling concepts, and terrifying prose." – HORROR NEWS NETWORK
"The heart of darkness awaits in this brilliant genre-bashing anthology. The stories possess an overly dark and haunting undertone that anxiously keep you turning to the next page. EQUILIBRIUM OVERTURNED is an unforgettable anthology waiting to be picked up and read again and again." – HORROR FICTION REVIEW
"Choosing a favorite from this anthology is almost impossible. I have been raving about Grey Matter Press' books for a while now and that trend will continue with EQUILIBRIUM OVERTURNED. Grey Matter Press is, hands down, one of the best publishers of dark fiction and the quality of their books makes each one of them an absolute must-own." – THE HORROR BOOKSHELF