Autopilot

Written by Reddit user Skarjo

In day to day life as we carry out our normal routines, we don't think about the actions we are completing. Can you distinguish this mornings routine from most other mornings? There's a great chance you can't. You were most likely thinking about other things (like plans for the weekend or that new show you just started watching) while you completed the actions as you do every morning. You were on autopilot. This short story explores this concept, and what could happen when there's a slight forgotten change in the routine.

This story comes from a internet-based genre called creepypasta. These stories are short, and as suggested by the name can be pretty creepy. If you aren't looking for anything horror related, do not click below...

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What is creepypasta?

Classics Mutilated

Edited by Jeff Conner
Published in San Diego by Idea and Design Works Publishing, 2010.


So we all know the classics, but how many of you have actually read them? While you might know of Huckleberry Finn and Captain Ahab, do you know their stories? You may have never found anything of interest in these stories for you. But what if we mixed things up a little bit and threw Eldritch horrors into the very same Mississippi River that Huck and Jim fled down? Or what if Anne of Green Gables was a robot? This book explores the Monster Lit and mash up movements combining some of the best stories the genres have to offer.

Notable story: Twilight of the Gods by Chris Ryall is probably one of the strangest but most interesting and definitely humorous mash ups in the menagerie. Just think Twilight, but Bella is recast as Loki. Enough said.

More information: 
Goodreads

Unnatural Creatures

Edited by Neil Gaiman.
Published in New York by Harper Collins Publishers, 2013.

The imagination is a wondrous place where all sorts of beasts and beings that have never existed before roam free. This anthology features a whole range of fantastical creatures, so whether a believer or not you should definitely find something to tickle your fancy within its pages. Werewolves, manticores, wasps, bees and Lady Death herself all make appearances. But remember while you read, that everything isn't always as it first appears.

Notable story: The first story in the book written by Gahan Wilson which does not really have a name, other than a line of scribble will keep you on your feet and very interested as it combines art and writing in a very entertaining way.

More information:
Goodreads
Editors website

Koyasan

Written by Darren Shan.
Published in Great Britain by HarperCollins Children's Books, 2006.

Have you ever played in a graveyard with the spirits? All the children in the village Koyasan lives in do, but Koyasan has always been too afraid to. When her sister's soul is stolen by the spirits, she is forced to liaise with them in order to keep her sister alive. This story combines ghosts and confronting your worst fears with sibling love and protection, staying creepy all the way through. Koyasan's love for her sister makes her incredibly relatable to all older siblings, as we have all gone above and beyond at some point to protect the younger ones we love. It is an overall suspenseful story with a warm lesson.

More information:
Goodreads
Authors website

Skin

Written by Roald Dahl
Published in London by Puffin Books, 2002.

We all know Roald Dahl from his classic stories such as Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, The BFG, and Matilda. With these stories having a "lighter" and more child-like tone, people often forget that Roald Dahl was a pretty dark person. From a man who finds out his tattoo is worth a great deal more than he bargained for, to a cruise ship betting pool, this collection showcases some of his best, more "grown up" works with twists and turns abound.

Notable story: Lamb to the Slaughter is a classic crime thriller with a bit of a difference. It poses the great question of what do you do with the murder weapon after the murder?

More information:
Goodreads