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by John F. D. Taff


  "Zombie" - Music by The Cranberries. Written by Dolores O'Riordan. Appearing on the album No Need to Argue, released October 3, 1994 from Island Records. Copyright Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.

  "Slave to the Rhythm" - Music by Grace Jones. Written by Bruce Woolley, Simon Darlow, Steve Lipson and Trevor Charles Horn. Appearing on the album Slave to the Rhythm, released October 28, 1985 from Island Records. Copyright Universal Music Publishing Group; Downtown Music Publishing, LLC.

  "Watcher of the Skies" - Music by Genesis. Written by Peter Gabriel, Anthony Banks, Phil Collins, Steven Hackett and Michael Rutherford. Appearing on the album Foxtrot, released on October 6, 1972 from Charisma Records. Copyright Sony/ATV Music Publishing, LLC; Carlin America Inc.; BMG Rights Management US, LLC.

  "Crawling Back to You" - Music by Tom Petty. Written by Tom Petty. Appearing on the album Wildflowers, released November 1, 1994 from Warner Bros. Records. Copyright Warner/Chapell Music, Inc; BMG Rights Management US, LLC.

  "Grey Matter Press has managed to establish 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

  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

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  Start Reading

  DEATH'S REALM:

  Where the Here and the Hereafter Collide

  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

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  Start Reading

  THE END IN ALL BEGINNINGS

  by John F.D. Taff

  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 th
e 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

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  Start Reading

  DARK VISIONS:

  A Collection of Modern Horror - Volume One

  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

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  Start Reading

  DARK VISIONS:

  A Collection of Modern Horror - Volume Two

  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." – HORROR NEWS NETWORK

  "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 NETWORK

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/>   Start Reading

  SPLATTERLANDS:

  Reawakening the Splatterpunk Revolution

  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 mutli-national 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

 

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