Well Worth a Read: FUGUE DEVIL: RESURGENCE Review

"This is one of the best collections I have read this year. If you love dark fiction in short story form as much as I do, you need to add this to your shelf."

"In 'Fugue Devil,' the new kid in town is told the local legend about a musician who summoned a demon that now reappears every 17 years. If you know about it, it knows about you! This is the year it is supposed to return. Is it real or just a myth? Two curious teens aim to find out...

"In its chilling sequel, 'The Devil's Eye,' a filmmaker has nefarious reasons for wanting to produce a movie about the Fugue Devil with the brother of one of the possible victims..."

A lovely review of Fugue Devil: Resurgence by Irene Cole at "Well Worth a Read." Read the whole review here.

THE HORROR COLLECTION: FEAR EDITION Now Available

KJK Publishing's The Horror Collection: Fear Edition, edited by Kevin J. Kennedy is now in the wild! This volume includes my story, "Awakening," along with 18 other fearsome tales. The list of authors whose work graces this one tells me I'll be in some damned fine literary company. Despite the fact I've overcome the arachnophobia that has afflicted me for most off my life, this cover image pretty much gives the creeps. I like that.

I'll have stories in other upcoming editions of The Horror Collection series, and yes, these will surely make you shake and quake (or least squirm a little). So, keep your eyes open!

---

TABLE OF CONTENTS: 

• "The Nipples in Dad's Toolbox" by Ronald Kelly

• "Intruder Alert" by Devin Cabrera

• "Prey Drive" by Andreas Hort

• "Just a Spider" by Anthony Leibs

• "Grillfingers" by Bray Mattheson

• "Like A Good Family Should" by Josh Davis

• "Hunting in the Badlands" by A.M. Symes

• "J is for Jesusphobia" by William Meikle

• "Anniversary" by John Everson

• "Wailing Mona" by Tom Deady

• "Flagellum Dei" by Nenad Mitrović

• "Lost and Found" by Mark Morris

• "Voices" by Željko Obrenović

• "Awakening" by Stephen Mark Rainey

• "Pluck A Silken String" by Matthew R. Davis

• "Before It Comes Again" by Graham Masterton & Karolina Mogielska

• "Let the Sego Lilies Bleed" by Bryan Stubbles

• "Lost in Shinjuku Station" by Ryan Colley

• "Our Turn Too Will One Day Come" by Brian Hodge

---

Order The Horror Collection:
Fear Edition from Amazon.com

---

Another Horror Collection — Obsidian Edition

KJK Publishing has announced another in its long-running The Horror Collection series, and this time, it's the Obsidian Edition, to be released later this year, most likely in the fall (ebook and trade paperback editions). This one will feature my story, "Willow Bend," along with 16 other tales of stone-cold terror (see the table of contents below).

"Willow Bend" was originally slated to appear in 2018, in an anthology titled Voices in the Darkness from Ulthar Press, but following the sad, untimely passing of Ulthar's owner, Sam Gafford, the book never happened. So, I'm mighty pleased that the story will at last see the light of day in an awesome new anthology. As always, I will post additional details and ordering information when those become available.

I still have more fiction forthcoming from KJK Publishing, so... beware the future, my friends!

---

TABLE OF CONTENTS:
• "The Pale Mother" by Mladen Stanisavljević
• "A Demon in Bed" by Tom Blicq
• "Lips Beneath the Ice" by Nenad Mitrović
• "The Reunion" by J. Rocky Colavito
• "984" by Željko Obrenović
• "Buried at Sea" by C L Raven
• "Purity Ball" by Cody Goodfellow
• "The Gauntlet" by Mark Towse
• "Fix the Problem, Doctor" by Viggy Parr Hampton
• "Servile" by Jeffrey Thomas
• "Gashapon" by Ryan Colley
• "Willow Bend" by Stephen Mark Rainey
• "At the Water’s Edge" by Richard Clive
• "Offspring" by Brian Moreland
• "Appetite for Life" by David O’Mahony
• "Heartsick" by Brian Hodge
• "The Confression" by Shaun Hutson

---

IN THE MEANTIME, The Horror Collection: Crystal Edition, which includes my story, "Magic Eye," is currently available, and you can pick it up here.

Coming Soon — The Horror Collection: Fear Edition

I reckon this is something to look forward to in the new few weeks: the release of KJK Publishing's The Horror Collection: Fear Edition, edited by Kevin J. Kennedy. New entries in The Horror Collection series hit the streets about once a month, and this one includes my story, "Awakening," along with 18 other fearsome tales. The list of authors with stories in this one tells me I'll be in damned fine literary company. I will, of course, post any additional relevant details, as well as ordering links, when the book is available. In the meantime, you can shrink from this cover in fear and awe. Despite the fact I've overcome the arachnophobia that has afflicted me for most off my life, this thing pretty much gives the creeps. I like that.

I'll have stories in other upcoming editions of The Horror Collection series, and yes, these will surely make you shake and quake (or least squirm a little). Keep your eyes open!

---

TABLE OF CONTENTS: 

• "The Nipples in Dad's Toolbox" by Ronald Kelly

• "Intruder Alert" by Devin Cabrera

• "Prey Drive" by Andreas Hort

• "Just a Spider" by Anthony Leibs

• "Grillfingers" by Bray Mattheson

• "Like A Good Family Should" by Josh Davis

• "Hunting in the Badlands" by A.M. Symes

• "J is for Jesusphobia" by William Meikle

• "Anniversary" by John Everson

• "Wailing Mona" by Tom Deady

• "Flagellum Dei" by Nenad Mitrović

• "Lost and Found" by Mark Morris

• "Voices" by Željko Obrenović

• "Awakening" by Stephen Mark Rainey

• "Pluck A Silken String" by Matthew R. Davis

• "Before It Comes Again" by Graham Masterton & Karolina Mogielska

• "Let the Sego Lilies Bleed" by Bryan Stubbles

• "Lost in Shinjuku Station" by Ryan Colley

• "Our Turn Too Will One Day Come" by Brian Hodge

---

New Edition of FUGUE DEVIL: RESURGENCE

In a new agreement with Black Raven Books, the original publisher of my short fiction collection, Fugue Devil: Resurgence, I have reacquired the rights to it and created a brand-new edition of the book, both paperback and ebook. It's the same collection, with essentially the same packaging, apart from minor decorative changes and a slightly smaller font for the interior (plus a few typo corrections). The price for both the paperback and ebook remains the same ($15.99 and $7.99, respectively).

ABOUT
FUGUE DEVIL: RESURGENCE...

If you know about the Fugue Devil, it knows about you.
If you see the Fugue Devil, it will come for you.

Many decades ago, summoned by the power of music, the Fugue Devil — a dreadful, malevolent entity from another place — entered our world. Every seventeen years, it reappears to satiate its hunger for unsuspecting souls.

Author Stephen Mark Rainey’s terrifying novelette, “Fugue Devil,” originally appeared in his first fiction collection, Fugue Devil & Other Weird Horrors, in 1992. Now, Fugue Devil: Resurgence features the original novelette; its sequel, “The Devil’s Eye,” and ten more tales of horror and mind-bending terror.

“The Fugue Devil”: A thrilling midnight adventure turns into a dawning horror for two boys.
“Threnody”: A dirge for the dead; if you hear it, it’s too late.
“Night Crier”: A terror in the night that echoes through the years.
“Hell’s Hollow:” Hell is just a stone’s throw away.
“Masque of the Queen”: To read the play brings on madness, to perform the play…
“Somewhere, My Love”: Her music cast a spell because, of course, she was a witch.
“When Jarly Calls”: In this wine lies the darkest truth.
“Messages From a Dark Deity”: When the stars are right, the sky will fall.
“Short Wave”: Voices from the static hint at horrors to come.
“Escalation”: “I am John, your host. I have much to look forward to,” he said with a grotesque smile.
“Pons Devana”: Something inhuman from the future lurks in the shadows of the past…
“The Devil’s Eye”: Will capturing the image of a devilish horror render it powerless? Or simply draw its inescapable gaze to you?

---

Order FUGUE DEVIL: RESURGENCE from Amazon.com

---

Have You Found the Yellow Sign?

A FREEBIE! Submitted for your approval: a sampling from my short story collection, Fugue Devil: Resurgence... a tale of eldritch horror titled “Masque of the Queen.” This one originally appeared in In the Court of the Yellow King (Celaeno Press, 2014), a volume of stories inspired by Robert W. Chambers’ “The King in Yellow” — a play that brings madness, despair... or death... to anyone who reads it.

“Masque of the Queen” follows a young actress slated to play Queen Cassilda in an off-Broadway production of “The King in Yellow.” Unaware of the play’s dreadful reputation, she finds herself desperate to escape the clutches of something intent on dragging her into a realm of madness and horror.

It’s downloadable as a PDF or ebook (epub file) from my website.

---

“MASQUE OF THE QUEEN”
PDF or EPUB File

---

New Freebie: "Epiphany: A Flying Tiger's Story"

I've put up a new freebie on my website — "Epiphany: A Flying Tiger's Story," a tale of cosmic horror set in the Pacific during WWII. This one originally appeared in the Dark Tales anthology Dead But Dreaming in 2001. (There are also several other stories on the site you may check out if you wish.) Available as a PDF or ePub file.

 

This story is a companion piece to another WII story, titled "The Children of Burma," which originally appeared in The Spook magazine, also in 2001. I have made it available as a freebie in the past, and I'll no doubt do so again in the upcoming days.

If you enjoy these tales, please let me know. Use the "Contact Me" link at my website — The Realm of Stephen Mark Rainey (www.stephenmarkrainey.com).

---

Grab "Epiphany: A Flying Tiger's Story" here

---

CRYPTIDS... Thar She Blows!

KJK Publications has just released the latest anthology in their "Classic Monsters" series, Cryptids, and it includes my story, "The Devil Flies in Strix," a wicked tale of inhuman goings-on set in the Old West. At the moment, it's available only as an ebook, but the paperback is on the way very soon.

 

From the publisher:

They have always been there. Just beyond the the treeline. Beneath dark water. In the places humans don’t map.

In this chilling eighth installment of the Classic Monsters series, editor/publisher Kevin J. Kennedy turns his attention to the unknown beasts that haunt global folklore as well as current news reports, delivering a collection of relentlessly powerful horror stories.

A hiking expedition becomes a desperate flight from intelligent, pack-hunting predators that move like something almost human. A rancher locked in a brutal war with a blood-drinking creature learns that monsters do not always choose the guilty. In the aftermath of war, a broken soldier is drawn toward ancient beings that may offer salvation — or something far older and more terrible than peace.

In a quiet lake, betrayal awakens a sleeping horror that does not forgive. In isolated corners of the world, grief, guilt, and fear serve as bait for entities that feed on what makes us human.

From shapeshifting killers that predate civilisation, to underground civilisations that blur the line between human and beast, to entities that mimic sound, speech, and emotion with unsettling precision.

Cryptids are not myths. They are warnings. And once you see them, they never stop looking back.

---

Order Cryptids from Amazon.com

---

The Devil Flies in Strix

For reasons I really can't detail here, I'm just going to say that this has been one of the worst weeks of my life, and I'm feeling a little broken. The only reason I'm mentioning this here is because there's a certain catharsis in putting it out there. I'm sure that, given time, I'll be all right, although, in its way, this is a life-changing situation. Physically, I'm completely fine, though for right now, I will not deny that I'm feeling a bit of a wreck.

That said, this week I received a most-welcome acceptance from KJK Publishing for my story, "The Devil Flies in Strix," to appear in their upcoming Cryptids anthology later this year. It'll be my second cryptid-themed story to see publication this year; the first — also a "devil" story — titled "The Devil of Transylvania County," appeared in the recent Myths Reborn anthology from October Nights Press. KJK Publishing previously published my story, "Magic Eye," in their Horror Collection: Crystal Edition, in February 2025.

And in other decent news, I'm getting to the last leg of my sequel to The House at Black Tooth Pond, which I'm pretty sure will be titled Broken Barriers. The cover art has been acquired from artist J. Edward Neill, whose art also appeared on the cover of The House at Black Tooth Pond and Deathrealm: Spirits.

And speaking of spirits, hopefully, next entry, mine will be better.

MYTHS REBORN Is in the House!

Yay! My contributor copy of Myths Reborn: Modern Tales of Cryptids & Dark Folkore has arrived from October Nights Press. Edited by Kelly A. Hearty, this new anthology features my story, "The Devil of Transylvania County," along with 18 other tales of cryptids, critters, long-leggedy beasties, and things that go bump in the night.

From the Publisher: Can a skinwalker become the savior of two terrified young girls? How might the tale of Sasquatch be different when told from his perspective? Could a vampire exist undetected in your city or a Tatzelwurm make its way into the very walls of your home? Within the pages of this anthology, encounter cryptids and folk characters portrayed in novel and frightening ways. Nineteen talented authors breathed new life into traditional tales to create a new collection of reenvisioned, recontextualized myths.

---

Order Myths Reborn from Amazon.com

---

MYTHS REBORN Is in the Wild

NOW AVAILABLE: Myths Reborn, from October Nights Press, edited by Kelly Hearty. This new anthology features my story, "The Devil of Transylvania County," along with 18 other tales of cryptids, critters, long-leggedy beasties, and things that go bump in the night.

"You’ll ask can a skinwalker become the savior of two terrified young girls? How might the tale of Sasquatch be different when told from his perspective? Could a vampire exist undetected in your city or a Tatzelwurm make its way into the very walls of your home?

"In this anthology, you'll encounter cryptids and folk characters portrayed in novel and frightening ways. Nineteen talented authors breathed new life into traditional tales to create a unique collection of re-envisioned, re-contextualized myths."

"The Devil of Transylvania County" is set in the mountains of North Carolina and is based on one of the creepiest legends from the region, which I learned about when I was a kid at summer camp—and I hope this tale will terrify you the way the original legend did me.

As of today, Myths Reborn is available in paperback and ebook. 

---

Order Myths Reborn here.

---

KOLCHAK ERAS Is in the House

My contributor copy of Kolchak Eras has arrived from Monstrous Media. This one features my story, "Up From the Underground," along with a dozen more escapades of the inimitable Carl Kolchak from the classic Night Stalker TV series starring Darren McGavin.

FROM THE PUBLISHER: "Carl Kolchak has faced more than his share of monsters throughout his infamous career. Now, Monstrous Books presents 13 short stories chronicling the intrepid reporter's exploits from his time in World War II until his semi-retirement in the 1990s. Kolchak's luck runs out during World War II. Devils in the outfield stir up trouble in the '50s. A road trip with editor Tony Vincenzo in the '70s takes a turn for the worse. Lovecraftian horrors escape from the beyond in the '80s. A dead cult leader threatens to return in the '90s."

This is fun stuff...and scary!

 

Edited by James Aquilone, Kolchak Eras includes tales by James Chambers, James Aquilone, Bobby Nash, David Avallone, Will McDermott, Natching T. Kassa, Owl Goingback, Jim Beard, Lev Butts, Charles R Rutledge, Lisa Morton, and Simon Bestwick

---

Order Kolchak Eras at Amazon.com here

---

MYTHS REBORN: Author Profile for the Old Dude

Mark Scioneaux, of October Nights Press, is posting author profiles in advance of the release of Myths Reborn, which is now available for pre-order. Here is mine, so read it and weep!

Myths Reborn Author Showcase:

Cryptid: The Wampus Cat

Stephen Mark Rainey is here with a tale that blends supernatural terror with primal fear titled "The Devil of Transylvania County."

In the misty woods of Transylvania County, North Carolina, two men make a gruesome discovery and a mysterious barrier hiding unspeakable horrors. Haunted by a creature from Cherokee folklore known as the Wampus Cat, they confront a nightmare that echoes a tragic encounter from decades past. Stephen Mark Rainey's chilling tale blends supernatural terror with primal fear in a gripping modern monster story.

Stephen Mark Rainey is the author of numerous novels, including (but not limited to) The House at Black Tooth Pond, The Nightmare Frontier, Blue Devil Island, The Lebo Coven, and Dark Shadows: Dreams of the Dark. He has written six short story collections, over 200 works of short fiction, and the scripts to several Dark Shadows audio productions. For ten years, Rainey edited the award-winning Deathrealm magazine. He has also edited various anthologies, notably Shortwave Publishing’s best-selling Deathrealm: Spirits. Rainey lives in Martinsville, Virginia, with his wife, Kimberly, and a passel of precocious housecats.

Myths Reborn, edited by Kelly Hearty, will be available in ebook, paperback, and hardback on 1/23/26.

---

Pre-order Myths Reborn here.

---

Coming Soon—MYTHS REBORN From October Nights Presss

Coming in early 2026—Myths Reborn, from October Nights Press, edited by Kelly Hearty. This new anthology features my story, "The Devil of Transylvania County," along with 18 other tales of cryptids, critters, long-leggedy beasties, and things that go bump in the night.

"You’ll ask can a skinwalker become the savior of two terrified young girls? How might the tale of Sasquatch be different when told from his perspective? Could a vampire exist undetected in your city or a Tatzelwurm make its way into the very walls of your home?

"In this anthology, you'll encounter cryptids and folk characters portrayed in novel and frightening ways. Nineteen talented authors breathed new life into traditional tales to create a unique collection of re-envisioned, re-contextualized myths."

"The Devil of Transylvania County" is set in the mountains of North Carolina and is based on one of the creepiest legends from the region, which I learned about when I was a kid at summer camp—and I hope this tale will terrify you the way the original legend did me.

Myths Reborn is now available for pre-order, and is slated for release on January 23, 2026.

---

Pre-order Myths Reborn here.

---

FREE FICTION! "Sky of Thunder, Island of Blood"

Sad that Halloween is over? We had a really nice one, so I sure am! So, I thought, why not offer up some free, monster-ific fiction? "Sky of Thunder, Island of Blood" is a short story I wrote some years ago, which originally appeared as an Amazon Shorts, which — sadly — no longer exists. This one is a thrilling World War II tale with a touch of the outré. The link below will take you to a Google folder where you can access either Epub or PDF files, whichever is your preference.

For the cover art, I picked up a royalty-free photo of a Messerschmidt Bf109, took a photo of one of my Rodan monster figures, and did a little Photoshopping.

Hope you enjoy the tale!

---

Download "Sky of Thunder, Island of Blood" FREE!

---

Witches & Witchcraft for Halloween!

My contributor copy of the new anthology, Witches and Witchcraft: An Anthology of Stories, Poems, and Essays, from Hippocampus Press, is in the house! Edited by Katherine Kerestman and S.T. Joshi, this lovely volume features my story "Foragers," a frightful tale of the American Revolutionary War, and the horrors that a company of General Cornwallis's men encounter while marching toward the Battle of Guilford Courthouse.

Witches and Witchcraft also features contemporary works by Ramsey Campbell, Debra K. Every, Wade German, Simon MacCulloch, Darrell Schweitzer, John Shirley, and others, plus classic stories and essays by L. Frank Baum, Frank Belknap, Long, Cotton Mather, William Shakespeare, Clark Ashton Smith, and many more.

 

The genesis of "Foragers" comes from a local legend, which I used as the backstory for a few of my geocaches in Greensboro, NC...except that it's not really a legend. It was a quick bit of fiction about a witch named Lillian Gadwick that I came up with to hopefully enrich the experience of hunting geocaches in the woods at night. This faux legend was apparently convincing enough to lead some geocachers to believe it was actually based on local folklore, so when I was invited to contribute a story to Witches and Witchcraft, I decided to re-imagine and embellish the tale.

 

I think it worked.

You can check out the original story of Lillian Gadwick in the cache description at Geocaching.com here.

---

Witches and Witchcraft at Hippocampus Press

---

Coming in January 2026 - KOLCHAK ERAS from Monstrous Books

I cannot wait for this release in January 2026 from editor James Aquilone and Monstrous Books: Kolchak Eras, an anthology of stories starring the legendary reporter Carl Kolchak, of TV's Kolchak - The Night Stalker fame. This one includes my short tale, "Up from the Underground," along with a dozen other stories.

 

These prose tales were originally part of the multi-award-winning Kolchak - The Night Stalker graphic novel deluxe edition that came out in early 2023. They have now been collected in an illustrated anthology of their own.

Kolchak - The Night Stalker TV series (or simply The Night Stalker, as it was originally known), as well as the two original TV movies, The Night Stalker and The Night Strangler, back in the early 1970s, were among those TV productions that made a powerful and lasting impression on me, and so contributing to this volume feels right, to put it mildly.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

• "Summer in Rome" - James Chambers

• "The Shot Heard Round the Underworld" - James Aquilone

• "The Devil Level" - Bobby Nash

• "On the Road With Carl" - David Avallone

• "The Black Volga" - Will McDermott
• "Up From the Underground" - Stephen Mark Rainey

• "Devour the Dead" - Naching T. Kassa

• "Blood Witch" - Owl Goingback

• "A View With a Room" - Jim Beard

• "Wolf’s Clothing" - Leverett Butts

• "Bruises on the Flesh of God" - Charles R. Rutledge

• "LA Lizard" - Lisa Morton

• "The Devil’s Chapel" - Simon Bestwick

Stay tuned for more details, ordering info, etc., to come as soon as it's available. Keep holding your breath, if you dare.

Distant Early Warning: The Year of the Fugue Devil

If you know about the Fugue Devil, it knows about you. If you see the Fugue Devil, it will come for you.

My novelette, "The Fugue Devil," is the cornerstone story of my fiction collection Fugue Devil: Resurgence, published in 2022 by Black Raven Books. The novelette (and its sequel, "The Devil's Eye") are built on the premise that many decades ago, summoned by the power of music, the Fugue Devil—a dreadful, malevolent entity from another place—entered our world.

Every seventeen years, in Sylvan County, Virginia, on the Autumn Equinox, the Fugue Devil appears to satiate its hunger for unsuspecting souls. The events of the original tale occur in 1974, those in "The Devil's Eye" in 1991, and in various other of my works, there are suggestions that something terrible happened in the designated area in 2008. Well, guess what. It's 2025, so this is the year the Fugue Devil is set to appear again on the Autumn Equinox, which falls on September 22.

Fugue Devil: Resurgence features the two "Fugue Devil" novelettes, along with seventeen other stories, many of which are set in the same continuity. What a great year to visit (or perhaps even revisit) the Fugue Devil! Not only that, my novels, The Lebo Coven (2004) and The House at Black Tooth Pond (recently released from Macabre Ink/Crossroad Press), as well as numerous other tales of mine, share common themes, settings, and characters with the world of the Fugue Devil, so allow me to invite you to visit legend-haunted Sylvan County and the towns of Aiken Mill ("The Cold Case Capital of the World"), Beckham, and Barren Creek.

It's a dark and chilling place, but I think you will enjoy your visit. You may also read about the genesis of "The Fugue Devil" in an older blog entry, "The Equinox Devil," here.

Click on the book covers to order from Amazon.com.

 

"The Devil of Transylvania County" to Appear in MYTHS REBORN

I'm pleased to announce that my short story, "The Devil of Transylvania County," will be appearing in the upcoming October Nights Press anthology, Myths Reborn: Modern Tales of Cryptids & Dark Folklore. It's a story of wild and wacky things that happen to some unsuspecting fellows on a fishing outing in Transylvania County, NC. More details will follow soon.

 

You can visit the October Nights Press website here, or their Facebook page here. There aren't any additional details about the book posted currently, but I'm sure it shan't be long.

A little excerpt from "The Devil of Transylvania County" for you:

"From a slow, swirling eddy of weblike mist, something was making its way toward him: a dark, loping shape at least as large as a man. No; as it drew nearer, he realized the thing had to be taller and heavier than the largest man that ever walked the earth. A pair of eyes, like emeralds lit by an inner fire, glared back at him..."

Now Available: The Horror Collection: Crystal Edition

KJK Publishing has just released its latest entry in their Horror Collection anthology series—Volume 22, The Crystal Edition. This one features my frightful little tale, "Magic Eye," along with these horrific gems:

• "Chasing the Dragon" by Brian Moreland
• "Frozen in Terror" by Devin Cabrera
• "Headed North" by Sarah Jules
• "Mistral" by Mark Morris
• "Nightmare Channel" by Lee Mountford
• "Dummy" by Jeff Strand
• "Misophonia" by Veronica Smith
• "Gracious Mother" by Stephen Barnard
• "Remembering Falls" by Zachary Ashford
• "In Three Days" by Thomas Stewart
• "The Devereauxs" by Lisa Breanne
• "Unnatural Selection" By Gord Rollo
• "Celebrity Skin" by Harrison Phillips
• "Winter’s Whistle" by Dexter McLeod

---

Order The Horror Collection:
Crystal Collection at Amazon

---