Books like 'Quicksilver & Shadow, Volume 2: Collected Early Stories: Contemporary, Dark Fantasy, and Science Fiction Stories'
Readers who enjoyed Quicksilver & Shadow, Volume 2: Collected Early Stories: Contemporary, Dark Fantasy, and Science Fiction Stories by Charles de Lint also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary fantasy urban fantasy horror magic dark literary-fiction
-
The Empire Witch by Chandelle LaVaun
Rated: 4.58 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsNew year, new magic?A witch can make resolutions, too…right?Psh. First I have to get to the new year. Just when I thought everything was going perfect BOOM. Problems. And not just any problems…missing children problems. One of them is my soulmate’s little cousin, which is bad enough for my anxiety, but the other is a young cousin of the shifter King... -
![The Foul Mouth and the Mancy Martial Artist by Richard Raley]()
The Foul Mouth and the Mancy Martial Artist by Richard Raley
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsMy name is King Henry Price. Yes, really. You'd think you'd be over that one by now. I'm the only freelance Artificer in the Western Hemisphere, crafting and experimenting to make objects of unique magical power. I'm also a geomancer, means I'm good at breaking metal, glass, and all the other important parts that keeps that box-like house over your head and not crashing down on it... -
![The Foul Mouth and the Headless Hunny by Richard Raley]()
The Foul Mouth and the Headless Hunny by Richard Raley
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsMy name is King Henry Price. Yes, really. Still here. Still alive. Still running my Artificer shop. Got me a girlfriend now. Got a decent life for maybe the first time during my stay on this messed up little planet we call Earth. Better Earth than one of the other Realms I suppose . . . but that was last time around, wasn't it? This time around . . . well, got me kidnapped again... -
![The Foul Mouth and the Troubled Boomworm by Richard Raley]()
The Foul Mouth and the Troubled Boomworm by Richard Raley
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsMy name is King Henry Price. Yes, really. I never been one for love. Don't think I've said the word but a handful of times and was probably lying when it crossed my lips anyway. Or said it cuz that's what you're SUPPOSED to say. Not one for love, also not a SUPPOSED TO SAY kind of guy either. Say what's on my mind, no matter the consequences, no matter how much trouble it usually gets me into... -
-
![The Astonishing Strande Brothers by Kathryn Ann Kingsley]()
The Astonishing Strande Brothers by Kathryn Ann Kingsley
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSome bonds are too strong to be broken. Even by death.“The Astonishing Strande Brothers” is a short story/extended epilogue that tells the tale of the reunion between Julian Strande and his long-lost brother Louis on a snowy holiday at the Strande Estate.It combines characters from both my Harrow Faire and Impossible Julian Strande series... -
![The Twisted Path: A Twenty Palaces Novella by Harry Connolly]()
The Twisted Path: A Twenty Palaces Novella by Harry Connolly
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsRay Lilly has been summoned to the headquarters of the Twenty Palace Society to answer one question: How has he managed to survive mission after mission fighting alongside his boss, Annalise? He doesn't have the power of a full peer of the society. He's a wooden man. An assistant. A diversion. The other peers want to know what's going on, so it's off to Europe for a trip to the First Palace... -
![Wicked Potion by Megan Montero]()
Wicked Potion by Megan Montero
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsRelease date is temporary In the war for my power only one will win… After I made the ultimate sacrifice nothing will ever be the same... -
![The Foul Mouth and the Cat Killing Coyotes by Richard Raley]()
The Foul Mouth and the Cat Killing Coyotes by Richard Raley
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsKing Henry Price, honored and learned graduate of the Institution of Elements, has settled back into his normal life, running his Artificer shop, creating new designs, selling old ones, and ignoring the occasional explosion when testing goes haywire. He's been minding his own business.. -
![The Neil Gaiman Reader: Selected Fiction by Neil Gaiman, Marlon James]()
The Neil Gaiman Reader: Selected Fiction by Neil Gaiman, Marlon James
Rated: 4.49 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsAn outstanding array—52 pieces in all—of selected fiction from the multiple-award-winning, #1 New York Times bestselling author Neil Gaiman, curated by his readers around the world, and introduced with a foreword by Booker Prize-winning author Marlon JamesSpanning Gaiman’s career to date, The Neil Gaiman Reader: Selected Fiction is a captivating collection from one of the world’s most beloved...Categorized as:
dark literary-fiction magic 21st-century action-adventure anthologies audiobook contemporary -
![Ransom by R.K. Ryals]()
Ransom by R.K. Ryals
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsVengeance is the path of the Damned. It is not a path taken lightly. For a Naphil, it could mean ransoming his soul.~Bezaliel~Dayton Blainey is caught between two worlds: Heaven and Hell. Bound to a Demon she's beginning to care about, she is thrown into an adventure she may not survive. But she will try... -
![The Only One by Christine Feehan, Susan Grant]()
The Only One by Christine Feehan, Susan Grant
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsFOR EACH, THERE COULD BE ONLY ONE This book contains three short stories:1. Dark Descent by Christine Feehan (11 in her Dark Series) an aggressive, multi-talented professional body guard/secret service agent who never lets danger or the unknown stop her becomes the lifemate of a powerful immortal embroiled in a battle with the vampires. 2... -
![Bad Seed by Debra Dunbar]()
Bad Seed by Debra Dunbar
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsTupper Mills is a genetic disaster, a monster who has been kicked out of every pack she's belonged to. The Swift River Pack is the end of the line for her. If she can't figure out how to get along and submit to the Alpha, she'll be put down. Jake Linton is risking his entire pack by bringing a ticking time-bomb into their midst, but he of all werewolves knows what has made Tupper the way she is... -
![Curse of Shadows and Light by Penelope King]()
Curse of Shadows and Light by Penelope King
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsBook #3 in the Demonblood Series. A new town. New friends. And old enemies. It's time for the ultimate battle. Read the first book, "A Demon Made Me Do It" (it's free). Then read the second, "Fire with Fire"... -
![The Iron Gate by Harry Connolly]()
The Iron Gate by Harry Connolly
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsStormy Bay is a dying town nestled against an eerily placid ocean, and Ray Lilly is trapped in it. He can barely remember his name let alone his mission for the Twenty Palace society. Worse, he realizes that for some time now he’s been living as a puppet, his body and mind under the complete domination of an unknown power, and the townsfolk think this puppet is his real identity... -
-
![Bottle Demon by Stephen Blackmoore]()
Bottle Demon by Stephen Blackmoore
Rated: 4.47 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsThe sixth book of this dark urban fantasy series follows necromancer Eric Carter through a world of vengeful gods and goddesses, mysterious murders, and restless ghosts.The Necromancer is dead. Long live the Necromancer... -
![Dead Stare by M.R. Forbes]()
Dead Stare by M.R. Forbes
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsConor Night, the world’s only necromancer, is starting to think that his life is finally coming together. His last job not only left him funded but also helped him fall off the radar of the world’s two most powerful wizards... -
![Apex Academy Book 1: Role of Conflict by Ethan Shaw]()
Apex Academy Book 1: Role of Conflict by Ethan Shaw
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA primal call. Fate undeniable. A new Prime Alpha awakens.I used to think my life would be common, boring even. My online guildies and my friends sure thought so. Yet everything I knew to be true in this world all changed drastically one fateful night... or should I say, it shifted.As it turns out, my father passed on more than his name to me... -
![Fire with Fire by Penelope King]()
Fire with Fire by Penelope King
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIt's been over two months since Lucky and Liora decided their fate outside the cave. Over two months since Kieron left to finish his mission. So why hasn't he returned?Crushed and confused, Liora finds comfort with a mysterious stranger, a guy whose motives include more than just healing Liora's broken heart. Meanwhile, Lucky finds herself in the arms of an old friend.. -
![A Broken Contract by Vanessa Nelson]()
A Broken Contract by Vanessa Nelson
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA promise broken. Her future torn up. But she still has a job to do.Betrayed by her blood family, all Hallie's plans for her future are in ruins. She has no time to lick her wounds as Special Investigator Girard wants her help looking for some members of the elite who have gone missing in Hallie's territory... -
![Tales from the Nightside: A Nightside Book by Simon R. Green]()
Tales from the Nightside: A Nightside Book by Simon R. Green
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsNew York Times bestselling author Simon R. Green returns to the “bizarre and gleefully dangerous backdrop” (Jim Butcher, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Dresden Files) of the Nightside with this landmark collection of short fiction. Welcome to the Nightside...Categorized as:
dark literary-fiction magic action-adventure adult anthologies audiobook contemporary -
![Dying with Her Cheer Pants On by Seanan McGuire]()
Dying with Her Cheer Pants On by Seanan McGuire
Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsDespite its humble origins, there is no more challenging or physically dangerous teen sport in the world than cheerleading. Cheerleaders are seriously injured and even killed at a higher rate than other high school sports. Their stunts are performed in skimpy uniforms without the benefit of proper safety equipment…and yet they love them, glittery eyeshadow, spirit bows, and all... -
![The Eye of the Moon by Anonymous]()
The Eye of the Moon by Anonymous
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsFollowing a massive rampage that left the streets of Santa Mondega soaked with blood, the elusive supernatural serial killer known only as the Bourbon Kid is now himself being haunted. Hot on his heels are several vampire gangs, the Secret Service, a couple of werewolves, corrupt cops, and the Dark Lord himself, and none will rest until he is dead... -
![Figment by Cameron Jace]()
Figment by Cameron Jace
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsAfter her encounter with the Cheshire Cat, Alice Wonder can hardly tell reality from imagination. But when kids have their head chopped off and stuffed in watermelons all over the city, it's clear that another Wonderland Monster has arrived, possibly scarier than the Cheshire... -
![Sky Hammer by Jonathan Moeller]()
Sky Hammer by Jonathan Moeller
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAll my life I've carried out the Elven archmage Morvilind's dangerous missions. But now the game has spun out of Morvilind's control. Because the Rebel warlord Nicholas Connor has seized the Sky Hammer nuclear doomsday weapon, and he's going to burn Earth and rebuild human civilization in his own twisted image... -
-
![The Wonderful Adventures of Geoffrey Scrutinous by Derek Landy]()
The Wonderful Adventures of Geoffrey Scrutinous by Derek Landy
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA short story written by Derek Landy dedicated to the winner of the character competition, Charlie Smith, containing the winning entry of "Geoffrey Scrutinous"... -
![Redwood by Mark Z. Danielewski]()
Redwood by Mark Z. Danielewski
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe Season One finale of this riveting multisensory masterpiece from the visionary author of House of Leaves... -
![Royal Blood by Debra Dunbar]()
Royal Blood by Debra Dunbar
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWinter weather can spell death for the homeless, but the bodies found on Baltimore’s streets aren’t homeless and they didn’t die from the cold... -
![Matt Archer: Legend by Kendra C. Highley]()
Matt Archer: Legend by Kendra C. Highley
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWhen Matt Archer was fourteen, he was chosen—by a magic, spirit-inhabited knife—to hunt monsters with a special paranormal division of the Army. When he was fifteen, he was thrown into a global war the rest of the world didn’t know existed.Now Matt’s sixteen and the war has cost him more than he ever thought it would... -
![Tempting the Moon: A Sensor Short Story by Susan Illene]()
Tempting the Moon: A Sensor Short Story by Susan Illene
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThis short story previously appeared in The Stroke of Midnight anthology, but has since been revised and re-released as a new edition. It takes place between books 2.5 and 3 in the Sensor Series. It’s New Year’s Eve and Melena Sanders is hoping she can survive the night without any more trouble in her life. But then her adopted teenage daughter, Emily, confesses to a prank gone wrong... -
![Rise of the Stone Court by Jayne Faith]()
Rise of the Stone Court by Jayne Faith
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSomeone will not survive . . . Caught in a tug-of-war between three rulers—one of whom wants her dead—Petra made grave sacrifices to keep herself and her twin sister Nicole alive. But just surviving isn’t enough. The Unseelie are making their move on Faerie, and Seelie High King Oberon is still missing... -
![Veiled Enchantments by Deborah Blake]()
Veiled Enchantments by Deborah Blake
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIn this exciting novel in the Veiled Magic series, Witch and police officer Donata Santori travels to Maine to help solve a deadly mystery, where her magical abilities are tested like never before... -
![Lesser Known Monsters by Rory Michaelson]()
Lesser Known Monsters by Rory Michaelson
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsBeing the chosen one isn’t always a good thing...Oscar Tundale is not a hero. Anxious, indecisive, and awkward, he can barely get through a normal day. Now he’s about to find out monsters are real. Oscar’s friends: brave, stubborn Zara, and hyperactive, paranoid Marcus, might help discover what hunts him, and unravel the truth about the handsome doctor he pines for... -
![Wolf, Willow, Witch by Freydís Moon]()
Wolf, Willow, Witch by Freydís Moon
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsA vicious romance imbued with magic, thievery, and necromancy…When Tehlor Nilsen stumbles upon an abandoned corpse hidden in her friend’s empty house, she can’t ignore the energy lingering around the broken albeit familiar body. Entranced by the promise of ritualistic power, she seizes her chance to secure a vorðr. Miraculously, Hel, the goddess of death, grants Tehlor an audience... -
![Your Blood, My Bones by Kelly Andrew]()
Your Blood, My Bones by Kelly Andrew
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsA seductively twisted romance about loyalty, fate, the lengths we go to hide the darkest parts of ourselves . . . and the people who love those parts most of all.Wyatt Westlock has one plan for the farmhouse she's just inherited -- to burn it to the ground... -
-
![Carousel Seas by Sharon Lee]()
Carousel Seas by Sharon Lee
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsSequel to National Bestseller Carousel Sun. A gripping contemporary fantasy thriller from master storyteller Sharon Lee, award-winning cocreator of the highly popular Liaden Universe® saga... -
![Bare Bones by Debra Dunbar]()
Bare Bones by Debra Dunbar
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsSkinned bodies are turning up in broom closets and garages, but when these bodies are identified, the ‘victims’ are found to be very much alive... -
![Never Have I Ever by Isabel Yap]()
Never Have I Ever by Isabel Yap
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratings“Am I dead?”Mebuyen sighs. She was hoping the girl would not ask.Spells and stories, urban legends and immigrant tales: the magic in Isabel Yap’s debut collection jumps right off the page, from the joy in her new novella, 'A Spell for Foolish Hearts' to the terrifying tension of the urban legend 'Have You Heard the One About Anamaria Marquez'...Categorized as:
dark literary-fiction magic adult anthologies contemporary dark-fantasy female-author -
![The Reluctant Goddess (The Montgomery Chronicles) by Karen Ranney]()
The Reluctant Goddess (The Montgomery Chronicles) by Karen Ranney
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsLife was getting stranger instead of easier. Not only was Marcie Montgomery still craving tacos - and any kind of cheesecake - now she was lusting after her knight in confusing armor. Plus, she knew her dog wasn’t exactly a dog... -
![The Girl Who Brings the Dead by Alessa Winters]()
The Girl Who Brings the Dead by Alessa Winters
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsMother told her to never use her powers. But she couldn’t just let her brother die.◆◆◆A Necromancer hasn’t been seen in over a generation, and nobody knows why. Lyra just wanted a quiet life and for her brother to grow up healthy. But ever since she raised him from the dead, she’s been stalked by a Demon of immense power.He wants to kill her. He needs to kill her. Instead, he introduces himself... -
![imPerfect Magic by C.N. Rowan]()
imPerfect Magic by C.N. Rowan
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAfter hundreds of years of dying, you'd think I would've perfected it by now... One moment I'm a heretical priest in the twelfth century, hunted, hated...The next, I'm waking up in the nearest corpse. Stuck in a cycle of instant reincarnation, popping back up like a tarnished penny.Fast forward eight hundred years, and you might think I’ve learned a thing or two. Nope...Categorized as:
magic dark fantasy urban-fantasy contemporary paranormal historical-fiction audiobook -
![The Essential Clive Barker: Selected Fiction by Clive Barker, Armistead Maupin]()
The Essential Clive Barker: Selected Fiction by Clive Barker, Armistead Maupin
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratings"I wonder if the reverse is not also in some way true. That the artist is constantly working on anelaborate and fantasticated self-portrait, but at the end has drawn, unbeknownst, a picture of the world... -
![Twenty Palaces by Harry Connolly]()
Twenty Palaces by Harry Connolly
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWhen Ray Lilly was 13 years old, a handgun accident landed his best friend, Jon Burrows, in a wheelchair and turned Ray into a runaway and petty criminal. Fifteen years later, Ray returns home after a stint in prison; he’s determined to go straight, but he knows he can’t do that without making peace with his old friend... -
![Black Heart, Ivory Bones by Ellen Datlow, Brian M. Stableford]()
Black Heart, Ivory Bones by Ellen Datlow, Brian M. Stableford
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsHair bright as gold...Lips red as blood...Heart black as sin...Truth sharp as bone..Categorized as:
dark magic anthologies contemporary dark-fantasy fairy-tale fiction historical-fiction -
![Chasing the Shadows by Keri Arthur]()
Chasing the Shadows by Keri Arthur
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsNikki James is in San Francisco at the request of her partner and best friend, Jake. The wife of an old friend is missing, and Jake intends to find her—whatever the cost. The authorities believe the kidnappings to be the work of a sick mind, but Nikki knows that the truth is something much worse—especially since she seems to have an unexpected psychic link to the killer... -
-
![The Cure by Teyla Branton]()
The Cure by Teyla Branton
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsEven When You CHANGE, Some Things Remain the Same . . . Erin Radkey’s life has altered completely since her Change made her one of the Unbounded. Yet she has learned the hard way that some things never change. Greed...Categorized as:
dark magic action-adventure alternate-history book contemporary fiction genetic-engineering -
![Wicked by Addison Moore]()
Wicked by Addison Moore
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsSeventeen year-old, Skyla Messenger is wishing people would just stay dead. With Chloe back, Skyla finds it difficult to live under her tyranny and threats. A seemingly innocent misstep in Skyla’s past comes back to haunt her and could end up costing her relationship with Gage... -
![Vex by Addison Moore]()
Vex by Addison Moore
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsSeventeen year-old, Skyla Messenger finds herself lying on an altar as a sacrifice to the enemy. Being an angel of the highest Nephilim order hasn’t been easy. Her first love has cast his allegiance to the Countenance, the Sectors and the Fems see her as nothing more than a celestial pawn, and the dead girl she helped bring back to life has blackmailed her into relinquishing her boyfriend... -
![Medusa by Alessa Thorn]()
Medusa by Alessa Thorn
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsThe most beautiful gorgon in legend. A blind thief with everything to lose...It's going to be a heist to remember.MEDUSA is book 2 of The Court of the Underworld, a new paranormal romance series, based in a dark dystopian future where Hades rules a court of gods and monsters in modern day Greece. In the city of Styx, Medusa rules her media empire from behind the safety of a thousand screens... -
![Touch of the Demon by Diana Rowland]()
Touch of the Demon by Diana Rowland
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsKara Gillian is in some seriously deep trouble.She’s used to summoning supernatural creatures from the demon realm to our world, but now the tables have been turned and she’s the one who’s been summoned. Kara is the prisoner of yet another demonic lord, but she quickly discovers that she’s far more than a mere hostage... -
![Much Ado About Vampires by Katie MacAlister]()
Much Ado About Vampires by Katie MacAlister
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsBitter at first bite…Corazon Ferreira is one heck of a jaded woman. Not only did her husband dump her for a pretty, vivacious blonde, but her sister has lost her mind and married a vampire. Worse, it turns out that Cora herself was a vampire’s mate in a past life…the very same vampire she witnessed killing someone...
Or - use our amazing romance book finder to get recommendations based on your favorite content tropes and themes. Mix and match at will.
