Showing results by author "Aaron Hollingsworth" in All Categories

This is the story of a drug deal gone bad. Having committed the crime of selling a potent poison to a desperate youth, a destitute apothecary must decide how to spend his ill-gained fortune. Resolving to start his career afresh, he flees to the city of Verona to set up a new shop of medicinal healing and alchemical discovery. Plans go awry when he finds himself in the middle of a woeful tragedy he had unwittingly helped to cause.

Every city has its dangers. But in the city of Embrenil, the thieves steal eyesight as well as coin. No one knows why its citizens are being mystically blinded. Is it merely a way to make victims easier to rob? Or are these blindings part of a greater conspiracy? With no leads and options limited, the Embrenil Civic Police enlist the aid of four supernatural individuals to solve the case and combat the dark powers of the Mystic Mafia.

Twisted Steel deals grievous wounds in this calamitous collection of weird fantasy and cosmic horror. These stories ooze and bubble with grim tales of wizards, witches, ghouls, vampires, necromancers, and pre-socratic philosophers! These tales of weirdness and woe will chew up your heart and spit the pieces back into your face!

When the only child of Hephaestus and Aphrodite is born as the spiritual embodiment of Temperance and Tact, Zeus commands that the new god be raised in turn by each Olympian for the fulfillment of his secret destiny. However, not all of the gods are content with this new addition to the family, as Cytherus repeatedly finds himself the target of Ares. To what lengths will the Instigator of Strife and War go to destroy this Last Son of Olympus? How can the holy power of Self-Restraint hope to win out against divine retribution?

Every town has a ghost legend. But within the borders of Wraith County, all the legends are true. No one knows why the spirits of the dead remain. Did centuries of evil deeds bring a curse upon the land? Or does the cursed land have a way of preserving that evil? A team of first-rate warriors and third-rate investigators called Four Winds-One Storm intend to find out. Standing in their way is a drug-running death cult biker gang, spiteful spastic spirits, and a power mad wraith.

What secrets lie beneath the many layers of Folded Steel? What impurities remain like ink on pages to tell tales of miseries endured and hardships faced? What cruel ironies can be fashioned from crude iron torn from a scorched earth? The answers are sheathed within this horrid collection of demented fantasy! 1. The New Madrid Horror 2. Altar of Alternative 3. The Laws of Sýnkrousi 4. For the Hand of Kimbra 5. Young Goat and Wise Walrus 6. The General and the Spy.

Laid out upon these frail leaves is a banquet of delectable misfortunes and savory tragedies. Partake of these melancholy morsels of bile and brine, of wrath and regret. Sample vintages of fermented tears and distilled blood. Lick the sharp edges of cursed blades, and nibble frail hopes set on platters of tarnished silver. Strange sorrows warp the palette of perception and bring about subtle ruin and uncanny vigor. Indulge in the filling robustness of Tainted Steel.

Based on the Mythos of H.P. Lovecraft, Black Hole Constellation tells the tale of two brothers and their horrific discovery in the Cosmos. One brother is a man of science, an astronomer working at the Miskatonic University Observatory. The other brother is an astrologer, a fanciful historian on star-inspired mysticism. When a newly-invented telescope reveals the locations of several black holes, they soon learn the secret of these hungry giants. They are not holes at all; they are Gates.

Drawn from the myths and histories of the American Midwest, Piasa: Rite of Talons combines the legend of the Piasa dragon-bird with the Cahokia Mound City. A dark pact is made between the royal line of Ouatoga and the man-eating monster. What horrible price must be paid to ensure the prosperity of the Mound City? Who is the true enemy of the progress of mankind?

Based on the mythos of H.P. Lovecraft and true historical events, The New Madrid Horror details the dastardly deeds which triggered a massive earthquake that devastated the state of Missouri along the Mississippi River. This is a story of family-gone-wrong, a tale of piracy, murder, and cannibalism. Worst of all, it reveals the cosmic horror derived from numerology. What is the true number of that great river? What happens when that number, that name, is called out?

Three Brides, all alike in tragedy, from death's embrace make bold return. One driven quite mad, One sorrowfully sad, and One set aside and spurned. Imbued with weird powers, these transplanted flowers into a new world bloom. With virtue and charm they come fully armed to bring evil unmerciful doom! If you thirst for adventure, this book is a quencher. Let doubtful hearts abide, suspend disbelief for the heroic mischief of the beautiful Broken Brides. If you crave mystery in a fanciful history, then turn to the very first minute!

When the wife of Napoleon Bonaparte is kidnapped by the mysterious Man in the Iron Mask, who can he trust to get her back? The Broken Bards of Paris! What three men, despite deformity and unrequited love, will unite to become a trio of heroic troubadours? The Broken Bards of Paris! When France is in peril, who will sing the songs, fight the throngs, and right the wrongs? The Broken Bards of Paris! Join Cyrano De Bergerac, Quasimodo the Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Erik the Opera Ghost in their first daring ensemble adventure! With special appearances by Voltaire, and Napoleon himself!

A weird assortment of religion-based short stories spanning genres of fantasy, horror, satire, and folklore. Set in an alternate version of our solar system, this collection of tales will entertain believer and skeptic alike. From the author of the Four Winds - One Storm series, herein lay tales of vampires becoming saints, a succubi visiting the Nativity, the anecdotal origin of the Easter Bunny, and many other strange stories.

Every forest has its perils. But in the Wilds of Chume, the perils are manifold! Inside every plant hides a beast to protect it. The air echoes with the melodies of the Chuma—whimsical natives who live in harmony with this mad wildness. Countless weird wonders and pernicious preators fill this fey forest that has not changed since time immemorial.