"Enjoy short stories by Mace Styx:
More tendrils wrapped around Pearl and lifted her bodily into the air. She shrieked, but the sound was drowned out by the screaming of the gulls and the deep rumbling from the creature. It held her high up in the air, above that glowing amber eye, which seemed to drink in the sight of the squirming creature in its grip, easily stripping away her defenses. In fact, there almost seemed to be something wise in its lone eye, like it could understand her suffering. Perhaps it was unfair to assign malice to the creature – at the end of the day, wasn’t it simply an animal fulfilling its basic need to hunt?
Although hunting implied that she’d ever had a chance to escape.
Then, it spoke.
“I know who you are.”
Pearl’s entire body jerked in the leviathan’s grip, shocked. But how was it speaking?
“I can reach into your mind, Pearl. You do not need to be afraid.”
Pearl’s gaze searched that huge, unblinking eye, which stared calmly back at her.
“Then…you’re not going to eat me?”
“No. I am not.”
Another, smaller tentacle, rose up and brushed over the wounds on her ankles. Something cold touched her and Pearl jolted before glancing down, sticking out a foot and seeing seaweed wrapped around her ankle, the slimy surface of the leaves surprisingly soothing on her chafed-raw flesh. The tingling indicated that it had some kind of antiseptic properties, too – she couldn’t believe she had never thought of that before.
“But the villagers leave people here for you to eat,” she said. “People they want to sacrifice. If you don’t eat them, what happens to them?”
“That is up to you.” Replied the Leviathan."
"Enjoy short stories by Mace Styx:
Most often were those inner thoughts that were full of hate. And just like any other ordinary bloke who obtained such remarkable skill, I used it to gain some practical advantage for my daily needs and leisure. With an ability to hear thoughts, winning on a poker game was a breeze. It was quite handy for picking up women as well, and it was easy to impress other people by presenting it as some kind of magic or a trick. But there was no trick whatsoever. Even if I didn’t want to, I would keep on hearing their thoughts as long as they were in a close perimeter.
I decided to quit my day job and relied mainly on gambling for money. I thought that there was no point in keeping it when I could earn my monthly pay on a single night pretty easily. Nothing could be more addicting than to gamble while knowing that you would always win. I lived a fancy life for a few days before I got banned from the casinos because of my suspicious winning streak. I ended up playing in underground houses. Unfortunately, constantly winning in every sessions have brought serious troubles for me."
"Short stories by Mace Styx
While the image of Boris Karloff slowly shuffling across the screen with wraps of what looked like toilet paper wound around him may not have frightened me. The less well lit corners of esoteric magic did.
As a scholar of history and particularly folklore, I had occasion to research the origins and uses of ritual magic within the middle ages. I was stunned by how much of what we think of as ‘medieval’ magic actually finds its roots with the Ancient Egyptians. While the common image of the alchemist or sorcerer is some wizened bearded man in a long robe, tracing sacred geometries on to the floor in chalk. Filling chafing dishes with salt and feathers or mixing chemicals in exact proportions while taking measurements about the movement of the moon. Much of what was actually performed has far older origins.
The books and grimoires in which these esoteric rites were scribbled were based on texts lost to the west for many centuries. But which had originally found a home in the library or Alexandria or had been inscribed centuries and even millennia earlier. While many have at least a superficial knowledge of Egyptian religion and beliefs. Any Eyptologist will tell you that closer examination reveals an incredibly complex fabric of beliefs and superstitions woven together from a mix of tribal deities, syncretism with influences from foreign religions and older traditions that predate even the first dynasties.
Included within these belief systems and of particular interest to me was a strong emphasis on black magic, and what we would now refer to as ‘occult’ wisdom. It was an interest in these aspects of ancient Egyptian studies that led me to take a greater interest in the dorm room shocker story known as the Candeston Mummy."
"Short stories by Mace Styx:
I had no choice but to lift up the bed, and Becca aggressively grabbed our daughter to stop her from behaving wildly. She struggled to get out of her arms, and she succeeded when she sank her teeth into her mother’s shoulder. I ran immediately to the medicine cabinet. My wife was crying as she tried to lull our little Matthew back to sleep. He was awakened because of the loud ruckus in the house. With my youngest child and my wife in tears as I was patching up the wound on her shoulder, my heart was crushed while I was looking at the bite mark of my daughter. The puncture wounds were deep, and it was obvious that she actually tried to rip off her flesh. I began to question my fate and wondered why this was happening to my family. I called for help immediately. The emergency doctors were on their way when my wife and I dozed off out of exhaustion. It has been a long and stressful night. Our bodies simply gave up and needed a short rest.
A few moments later, I was pulled out of my dream by the cry of our youngest child. I jolted awake when I heard the scream of my wife. As I opened my eyes, I saw Becca rushing towards Kelly who was holding little Mathew in her arms. I was horrified to see her mouth wide open from ear to ear, and she was about to take a bite off her own brother. My wife tried to grab our son back from her, but she aggressively shoved her off with one arm and sent her down to the floor with a very unnatural strength. For a second there, I thought that I was just having a very bad nightmare until Becca called me out for help. Kelly turned her attention to Matthew once again, and she was about to sink her teeth into his little shoulder. I immediately grabbed the lamp from the bed table, and I was forced to throw it right into the direction of my own daughter to stop her from biting her little brother."
"Eines Tages taucht der mysteriöse Shai La Tan bei den Callahans auf und behauptet, dass Faith seine Tochter sei. Er nimmt sie mit in sein abgelegenes klosterartiges Domizil in Tibet und erteilt ihr eine harte Ausbildung in verschiedenen Kampftechniken, an der sie fast zu verzweifeln droht. Aber was verbirgt sich wirklich hinter der freundlichen Maske des Lehrmeisters? Als Faith in seine wahren abgründigen Motive eingeweiht wird, scheint es kein Entkommen für sie aus dem Kloster in den verschneiten Bergen zu geben. Ihre Gegner: Eine Hundertschaft mordlustiger Ninja; ihre Chancen: 1:100 ..."
"One of BuzzFeed's best YA books of 2021!
Perfect for fans of the Lady Janies and Stalking Jack the Ripper, the first book in the Jane Austen Murder Mysteries trilogy is a clever retelling of Pride and Prejudice that reimagines the iconic settings, characters, and romances in a thrilling and high-stakes whodunit.
When a scandalous murder shocks London high society, seventeen-year-old aspiring lawyer Lizzie Bennet seizes the opportunity to prove herself, despite the interference of Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, the stern young heir to the prestigious firm Pemberley Associates.
Convinced the authorities have imprisoned the wrong person, Lizzie vows to solve the murder on her own. But as the case—and her feelings for Darcy—become more complicated, Lizzie discovers that her dream job could make her happy, but it might also get her killed.
Three of Jane Austen’s classic novels receive a murder mystery makeover in this romantic and thrilling three-book series that’s perfect for fans of The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy.
Pride and Premeditation is followed by Sense and Second-Degree Murder, in which aspiring scientist Elinor Dashwood and her sister Marianne, a budding detective, work together to solve the mystery of their father’s murder."
"Suspenseful and richly atmospheric, June Hur's The Forest of Stolen Girls is a haunting historical mystery sure to keep readers guessing until the last page.
1426, Joseon (Korea). Hwani's family has never been the same since she and her younger sister went missing and were later found unconscious in the forest near a gruesome crime scene.
Years later, Detective Min-Hwani's father-learns that thirteen girls have recently disappeared from the same forest that nearly stole his daughters. He travels to their hometown on the island of Jeju to investigate… only to vanish as well.
Determined to find her father and solve the case that tore their family apart, Hwani returns home to pick up the trail. As she digs into the secrets of the small village-and collides with her now estranged sister, Maewol-Hwani comes to realize that the answer could lie within her own buried memories of what happened in the forest all those years ago.
Praise for The Forest of Stolen Girls:
Junior Library Guild Selection
'The Forest of Stolen Girls is a haunting, breathtaking tale that will have readers on the edge of their seats. With its lush and atmospheric prose, complex character dynamics, and an immersive mystery I was ravenous to uncover, I could not turn the pages fast enough! Hur is an absolute master of mystery, and I will be reading her gorgeous books for years to come.' -Adalyn Grace, New York Times-bestselling author of All the Stars and Teeth
'Haunting and lyrical. Beware, this tale will draw you deeper into the forest than you want to go.' -Stacey Lee, award-winning author of The Downstairs Girl
'A brilliant historical fiction mystery that is suspenseful, gorgeous and absolutely riveting! Hur brings Jeju Island during the early Joseon period completely to life in a rich, evocative manner that reminds me of watching my favorite historical Kdrama. ... I adored this book from start to finish!" -Ellen Oh, author of the Prophecy series"
"Stories from the world of The Hero and the Crown and other magical places by a New York Times–bestselling Newbery Medal winner.
Robin McKinley returns to the mythical setting of The Hero and the Crown and The Blue Sword in this “thrilling, satisfying, and thought-provoking collection” featuring two stories set in the world of Damar, plus three other fantasy tales featuring adventurous, pragmatic, and heroic young women (Publishers Weekly).
There’s mute Lily, in “The Healer,” who has the power to help others, and receives a startling opportunity to find her voice when a mysterious mage stumbles into town. And Queen Ruen, who is at the mercy of a power-hungry uncle until she encounters a shape-changer in “The Stagman.” In “Touk’s House,” a maiden who has grown up with a witch and a troll has a chance to become a princess, but she must decide whether she would really live happily ever after. When a curse follows Coral to her new husband’s farm in “Buttercups,” the pair has a choice: Succumb to defeat or find a way to turn a disastrous enchantment into a fruitful new venture.
Finally, travel to upstate New York with Annabelle. In the title story, her family moves shortly after her sixteenth birthday, and just as she starts to adjust to her new life in a small town, a plan to build a superhighway threatens her new home.
But a strange box hidden in a secret attic in the new house may be the answer.
This is a delightful assortment of tales from an author with “a remarkable talent for melding the real and the magical into a single, believable whole” (Booklist)."
"El mejor libro de relatos de terror de latinoamérica.Su autor, JC. Pozo, nos dice: 'Los fantasmas que me visitaron en mi niñez y los posteriores de mi juventud, me dejaron, me abandonaron, se salieron de mis sueños arrastrados por el llamado de sus historias escritas. El azar me mostró el camino, cuando constaté que mientras más escribía de ellos, más se esfumaban. Me di cuenta afortunadamente que ese era el remedio. El mejor exorcismo. Lo hubiera descubierto antes y me hubiera evitado años de zozobra. Ahora ellos viven en empolvados manuscritos espantando eternamente a pobres y patéticos personajes que aún con una familiaridad aplastante, se siguen horrorizando en cada aparición, con cada vuelta de página. Yo ya no los leo.'
En el ombligo de la luna se habla de todos nosotros. En una época en donde el miedo anda suelto, necesitamos historias que nos permitan lidiar con nuestros temores. Paradójicamente, el miedo nos permite examinarnos y en la historia de horror encontramos el sentido de un mundo sinsentido. Ahí está JCPozo para contarlas.
Cuando terminamos de leer el libro, nos hacemos una última pregunta. ¿En verdad existen los fantasmas o son el resultado de una alucinación colectiva? ¿Se trata de los delirios de una persona trastornada o tal vez con personalidad esquizoide que quiere contarnos un cuento que supone real pero que no lo es? ¿Es acaso la representación del lado oscuro e irracional de un niño atormentado por sus culpas, un demonio renuente a ser exorcizado, una memoria deficiente o un trauma infantil convertido en un monstruo aterrador?"
"Mr. Silver hatte erfahren, dass ein gefährlicher Zauber namens Marbu aus Afrika nach London gekommen sein sollte. Doch was hatte es mit Marbu auf sich? Was verbarg sich hinter dieser afrikanischen Geheimreligion? Marbus Anhänger wollten, dass ein höllisches Buch geschrieben wird, das packend, faszinierend und erschreckend daherkommen solle, jeden in seinen Bann ziehen und zu einem willenlosen Sklaven Marbus machen würde. Ein Buch, das die Macht dieses afrikanischen Gottes über den europäischen Kontinent bringen sollte."
"Blessed by God. Hunted by Satan.
Guardian Angel candidates Allister and Mina share a Kindred Spirit Bond. It makes them powerful.
It also makes them a target.
Satan’s top lieutenants have a new toy to play with: Spirit’s Bane. They seek to use the pendant to control the Kindred Spirit pair. If they succeed, angels will fall, demons will rise, and the battle for human souls will tip toward evil.
Allister and Mina are willing to fight the demons, but what will it cost them? And what happens in Heaven and on Earth if they fail?
***
This duology contains both Spirit’s Bane and Kindred Spirits. They are available as individual audiobooks narrated by Reuben Corbett and will make their way to a combination audio soon. The stories are Christian fantasy written in a style reminiscent of C.S. Lewis’s Screwtape Letters."
![[German] - Faith - The Van Helsing Chronicles, Folge 59: Die Fremde Audiobook](https://covers.audiobooks.com/images/covers/large/4260507165794.jpg)
![[Spanish] - En el ombligo de la luna Audiobook](https://covers.audiobooks.com/images/covers/large/9781662207143.jpg)
![[German] - Tony Ballard, Folge 41: Sklaven der Satansdroge Audiobook](https://covers.audiobooks.com/images/covers/large/4260507164674.jpg)
