Sam Knight

Mermaidens 2: Darker Waters The darker the water, the deeper the ocean. The deeper the ocean, the more terrifying the inhabitants. And the ocean is very, very deep. And full of inhabitants. The thing about mermaids is... They're not always pretty. They're not always nice. And there's always a tale. Maybe you'll be okay, if you just dip your toes...14 darker tales about women with tails featuring stories by: Sara K. Anderson, Quiana Chase, Caitlin Barbera, Winona Morris, A. M. Symes, Marella Sands, Cathryn H. Uber, Sam Knight, Morgan J. Muir, Angelique Fawns, Jayrod P. Garrett, D. H. Aire, Paul Lonardo, and Thea HutchesonEditor Jessica GuernseyExecutive Editor Sam KnightCover art by Ruth Nickle

"This is rich, florid, funny history, with undertones of human grief . . . Knight is shrewd and perceptive . . . he] pushes his material into neurobiology, into the nature of placebos and expectations and self-fulfilling prophecies . . . Knight's book is crisp." --Dwight Garner, New York Times " E]legant and eccentric . . . Knight's] prose glides like mercury and he does not waste a word. With deft skill, he explores historical theories of perception, time, death, fear." --New York Times Book Review " A] thought-provoking and deeply researched book . . . Knight probes the space between coincidence and the ineffable mystery of supernatural possibilities." --NPR Books " Knight's] prose delights." --Wall Street Journal "Stunning... An enveloping, unsettling book, gorgeously written and profound." --Patrick Radden Keefe, New York Times bestselling author of Say Nothing and Empire of Pain From a rising star New Yorker staff writer, the incredible and gripping true story of John Barker, a psychiatrist who investigated the power of premonitions--and came to believe he himself was destined for an early death On the morning of October 21, 1966, Kathleen Middleton, a music teacher in suburban London, awoke choking and gasping, convinced disaster was about to strike. An hour later, a mountain of rubble containing waste from a coal mine collapsed above the village of Aberfan, swamping buildings and killing 144 people, many of them children. Among the doctors and emergency workers who arrived on the scene was John Barker, a psychiatrist from Shelton Hospital, in Shrewsbury. At Aberfan, Barker became convinced there had been supernatural warning signs of the disaster, and decided to establish a "premonitions bureau," in conjunction with the Evening Standard newspaper, to collect dreams and forebodings from the public, in the hope of preventing future calamities. Middleton was one of hundreds of seemingly normal people, who would contribute their visions to Barker's research in the years to come, some of them unnervingly accurate. As Barker's work plunged him deeper into the occult, his reputation suffered. But in the face of professional humiliation, Barker only became more determined, ultimately realizing with terrible certainty that catastrophe had been prophesied in his own life. In Sam Knight's crystalline telling, this astonishing true story comes to encompass the secrets of the world. We all know premonitions are impossible--and yet they come true all the time. Our lives are full of collisions and coincidence: the question is how we perceive these implausible events and therefore make meaning in our lives. The Premonitions Bureau is an enthralling account of madness and wonder, of science and the supernatural. With an unforgettable ending, it is a mysterious journey into the most unsettling reaches of the human mind.

New Mexico Territory, 1851 The Grand CanyonSomewhere down there, silver is lying around on the ground, left behind by the Spanish, just waiting to be picked up. At least, that's what Chaddock and the others have been told. Never mind the curse of El Tesoro del Diablo-the reason why it was left behind. A Weird Western Novelette by Sam Knight

Welcome to Dry Gulch, Colorado. The year is 1881 or so, the gold mine has played out, but there's talk some company from back east is supposedly putting in a zinc mine near town. Folks are friendly in Dry Gulch. Don't forget to stop by the bakery for a loaf of sourdough bread from Miss Wendy's secret recipe, then wet your whistle in the saloon next door. Just be sure to tip that piano player. You can get your prospecting supplies from the Dry Goods Store. And you can catch up on Mrs. Duncan's cat in the pages of the Gazette. Keep an eye out for Henry, the town drunk. He likes to tell folks about the ghosts he sees, if you buy him a drink. Dry Gulch is easy to get to. Just saddle up and take a ride out to the weird, weird west.

These ghosts don't stand a chance... From the beginning of time to the distant future, special animals of all species have answered the call to fight evil. From dogs and cats to birds, horses, even dinosaurs, and one unusual fish, these spirited tales of ghost hunting adventures will thrill and delight readers. Sam Knight, Laura Hargis, Carol Hightshoe, J. D. Harrison, Shoshanah Holl, Rebecca McFarland Kyle, Jessica Brawner, Jamie Ferguson, Dana Bell, Boom Baumgartner, J. L. Zenor, and J. A. Campbell have come together in this anthology to contribute to J. A. Campbell's Brown, Ghost Hunting Dog universe.

The intricacies of chess meet the matchless Mythos of H. P. Lovecraft. Stories of doors, of passages, of patterns. Squares and threats, moves and counter-moves. Forbidden knowledge and cosmic horrors. ... Two young lovers and the hand that plays them ... A man trapped with an unwholesome companion uncovers the secret of a cosmic struggle ... A professor and his prot g find themselves pawns on an ancient chessboard ... A young Soviet boy's chess match holds the fate of his nation in the balance ... A battered woman seeks safety in a shelter, only to find there might be no safety anywhere Let these five guides to the grotesque lead you into the dank depths of their imagination ... where the monsters lurk.