In extreme fantasy anything can happen. In Mike Ashley's breathtaking new anthology the only rules are those the writer makes - these are stories to liberate both the writers' and readers' imagination. They will take you to hell and back (literally - two of the stories involve hell in ways never explored before). For too long fantasy fiction has become synonymous with vast heroic-fantasy adventures in imitation of The Lord of the Rings, but the genre has always been far greater than dwarves and elves. Today many writers are rediscovering the wider world of fantasy and creating bold new ideas or magically reworking older arts. Ashley selects 25 stories by the likes of Orson Scott Card, Paul Di Filippo, A. A. Attanasio, Michael Swanwick, Christopher Priest and Peter Crowther, arranged in ascending order of 'extremeness'. The anthology opens with a story that takes us beyond Middle Earth in 'Senator Bilbo' by Andy Duncan - showing what happens when a radical descendant of his famous namesake tries to introduce immigration control - and reaches the ultimate in 'The Dark One' by A. A. Attanasio, a rite of passage story where you, the reader, discover you are being tested to become the successor to Satan. Other stories include: A man with a terminal disease looks for a cure in a world where Edward Lear meets Lewis Carroll. A man decides to banish all language. A tour of Hell by the boatman himself. The great comic stars of Hollywood find themselves seeking their lost world. A magical experiment recreates the Crucifixion. Suddenly all colour drains out of the world. A magical recreation of Chinese fantasy cinema where a magician and his adepts fight the flying dead.

Fantasy can be downright funny! To prove it, editor Mike Ashley has compiled 35 short stories for a second mammoth volume, featuring fantasy's funniest, wackiest writers.

Here comes the new breed! The first full-length anthology of best new manga, by the brightest young talents in the field. Bursting with energy and imagination, this collection features the most exciting new work by western manga-ka Japanese style comics being produced by western artists. Contributors include promising stars like Michiru Morikawa, winner of the Grand Prize of the International Manga and Anime Festival, Selina Dean and Asia Alfasi, as well as established names such as Andi Watson and Craig Conlan. Over 500 pages long, the anthology showcases more than fifteen new stories, complete and unabridged. Many expand on the limited popular conception of 'big-eyed' manga in original and unexpected ways — home-grown stories that speak directly to western audiences. The collection follows the format of the benchmark annual Mammoth anthologies of science fiction and horror, and includes a brief introduction to each contributor.

Widely regarded as the essential book for every science fiction fan, "The Year's Best Science Fiction" collects work by Michael Swanwick, Geoff Ryman, Allen Steele, Nancy Kress, Robert Reed, Michael Cassott, Charles Stross, and many other bright talents.

By identifying similarities in various books, this annual selection guide helps readers to independently choose titles of interest. Arranged by author within six genre sections, entries include such details as; publisher and publication date, description of main characters, and the series name.

An indecent proposal! One-night-only anonymous sex with a stranger? Seems too wanton even for free-spirited Nina. Until she learns that the mystery man might be one of her business partners – two devastatingly handsome guys who she adores. Out comes the blindfold, and Nina has the steamiest night of her life.

A comprehensive bibliography of books and short fiction published in the English language.