The stories collected in this volume are in honor of Weird Tales, a magazine that for generations of fantasy readers held a special magic. It not only succeeded in capturing the interests of its audience--it also has been the most influential magazine in the history of fantasy and horror publishing. These particular stories were taken from the last years of the magazine, beginning in the late 1980s, and will appeal to the mature reader with eclectic taste. Some stories are horror and some are fantasy; some have modern settings and some are set in alternate worlds; some take place in the future and others in the distant past. But all of them have two things in common: great writing and classic storytelling. Includes contributions from F. Paul Wilson, Brian Lumley, Tanith Lee, Tad Williams, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Robert Bloch and Henry Kuttner, William F. Nolan, & Morgan Llywelyn.
<a></a>CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION by John Gregory Betancourt
M  IDNIGHT MASS by F. Paul Wilson
W  as evil victorious because men doubted the power of God?
F  RUITING BODIES by Brian Lumley
D  eath came to Easingham silently, from the sea.
N  ONSTOP by Tad Williams
F  ear of flying is just another superstition. Isn't it?
S  NICKERDOODLES by Nancy Springer
S  ometimes cookies are good for you. and sometimes not.
D  EATH DANCES by Tanith Lee
D  eath came at suns' rise. She had appointments to keep.
L  ITTLE ONCE by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
I  t didn't cry much. it just refused to die.
E  MMA'S DAUGHTER by Alan Rodgers
S  he wouldn't let her child go.
S  TALIN'S TEARDROPS by Ian Watson
T  he secret was exquisitely hidden in an egg.
A  VATAR by Lois Tilton
W  ho can replace a god?
T  HE GRAB BAG by Robert Bloch and Henry Kuttner
"  I have in this bag a ghost."
1  /72nd SCALE by Ian R. MacLeod
H  e could never take the place of the boy who had died.
M  OTHRASAURUS by A.R. Morlan
S  he cannot escape such. Things.
S  WAN'S LAKE by Susan Shwartz
The Prince had drowned but the swan-maiden still lingered  .
N  IGHT BLOOMER by David J. Schow
S  ome seeds bring a bitter harvest.
A  T DIAMOND LAKE by William F. Nolan
W  hat guilty secret lurked beneath the waters?
T  HE PRONOUNCED EFFECT by John Brunner
H  ow do you say "Cthulhu?"
T  HE SAME IN ANY LANGUAGE by Ramsey Campbell
S  omething still lingered in the old leper colony.
S  OFT by Darrell Schweitzer
T  he screaming was over. and the horror had just begun.
P  RINCESS by Morgan Llywelyn
T  hey all loved her, even the smallest among them.
W  ELL-CONNECTED by T.E.D. Klein
I  nevitably, it was time to meet Mr. Hagendorn.
K  NOX'S 'NGA by Avram Davidson
I  t was warm, cuddly-and sometimes it killed.
C  OURTING DISASTERS by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
A  tree, a car, and a man-and a truly fateful curve.
A  FTER THE LAST ELF IS DEAD by Harry Turtledove
. <a></a>what hope remains?
T  HE LOST ART OF TWILIGHT by Thomas Ligotti
o  r, Portrait of the Vampire as a Young Man
M  AGICIAN IN THE DARK by Robert Sampson
E  veryone knows magic is mere trickery. Isn't it?
T  HE OTHER DEAD MAN by Gene Wolfe
A  weird tale of interplanetary doom!
A  T FIRST JUST GHOSTLY by Karl Edward Wagner
W  hat horrors stalked London?
ABOUT THE AUTHORS