Other Gods

By Stephen Mark Rainey

Twenty Years of Horror, Captured in 16 Tales

Spanning a career of over 20 years, the 16 tales in Stephen Mark Rainey’s Other Gods depict an alluring yet macabre world, rendered by one of the horror genre’s most vivid imaginations. With settings ranging from the remote backwoods of Virginia to the urban wilderness of Chicago, the veneer of Rainey’s world appears familiar, even comforting; yet, beneath its surface, ancient, malignant powers lurk, ready to spring forth and destroy any who discover them—whether intentionally or inadvertently. Laced with humor and recounted by a captivating voice, the tales in Other Gods wait for you with open arms—but beware, for they are also laden with darkness. And in that darkness, danger waits.

Note: Other Gods is out of print but is usually available via third-party vendors at Amazon.com.

Contents

  • Fugue Devil
  • Rapture in Black
  • Sky of Thunder, Island of Blood
  • Other Gods
  • Antidotes
  • Circus Bizarre
  • The Lake of Shadows
  • The Jack-o’-Lantern Memoirs
  • Silhouette
  • The Violet Princess
  • Elegy
  • Epiphany: A Flying Tiger’s Story
  • Signals
  • The Fire Dogs of Balustrade
  • The Transformer of Worlds
  • The Devil’s Eye

Praise for Other Gods

“Stephen Mark Rainey is a master at grounding horror and terror in a time and place. His stories are effective because he understands character, as well as the motivations of both his people and his monsters. And, in a field often tinged with cynicism, Rainey shows us that monsters can also be fun. One of our best contemporary storytellers.”
—Scott Nicholson, author of They Hunger

“Other Gods…is a uniformly good collection with a few stories that stand out a little way, although the general quality is so high that you might not notice. The treatment varies from understated to quite explicit…there’s not a bad story in the collection. A must-read for horror fans.”
—Don D’Ammassa, Critical Mass

“I wouldn’t recommend you read Other Gods before bedtime unless your significant other actually likes being woken up by you telling them you just read a scary story and can’t sleep and did they hear that noise and why are they looking at you like that?”
—BQueen, HorrorWatch

“Other Gods is a testament to Mark Rainey’s love of the genre. This is an author who enjoys putting a scare into you, of painting dark and rich landscapes of terror filled haunts, and creating complex and vibrant characters that you can’t help but become attached to. While some of the tales stand head and shoulders above others, such as the delightfully wicked ‘Fugue Devil’ or the gloriously malefic ‘Lake of Shadows,’ there is not a single story that does not captivate you….”
—Bob Freeman, Occult Detective

When I read a Stephen Mark Rainey story or novel, I am confident I will be entertained, impressed and left wanting more. Sixteen stories spanning twenty years of terrorizing readers are what await between the covers…and once again, my confidence in his skills has been upheld. Other Gods is full of good, strong stories to help unhinge you further. Pick it up and enjoy the ride.
—Ron Dickie, HorrorWorld

“I finished Other Gods feeling as if I had been processed through the kaleidoscopic imagination of a born storyteller. Other Gods is a superb example of what this sort of long-term collection is good for: It plainly highlights the author’s long-running thematic obsessions and shows him circling back to revisit and reshape the concepts, tropes, and emotions that inspire him.”
—Matt Cardin, Dead Reckonings #4

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