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Sinister Societies

Six Novellas of Secrets and Horrors

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Pub Date 9 Dec 2025 | Archive Date 14 Jan 2026

Ruadán Books | Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles


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Description

This original anthology of six novellas from a cadre of acclaimed horror authors dares readers to be captivated and entertained by their confrontations of secret orders, survival, and horror.

“We are as a people inherently and historically opposed to secret societies, to secret oaths and to secret proceedings.”

—President John F. Kennedy

Are you one of us?

From the esoteric to the pragmatic, history is built on secret societies made as much of myth and rumor as blood and bone. Some societies are real organizations with documented histories. Some are patchwork figments of speculation, malevolence, conspiracy theory, and perhaps even the delicious specter of world domination.

It’s no secret these societies change lives.

Six of today’s best horror writers explore those changes for better or worse alongside the darker implications and motivations of such Sinister Societies–the existence of which has never been proven.

  • A foster kid finally feels as though she’s a part of something much bigger than the hellish life she was living, when a new home brings her old life into fractious focus.
  • A secret agent—a dancer, singer, assassin—investigates a series of mysterious murders in Europe that point to an invisible killer with inhuman characteristics.
  • In a dark, dreamy town, a line of otherworldly women is tasked with keeping the carnivorous landscape at bay.
  • An accidental murder in a Cleveland, Ohio alleyway during the height of Prohibition—and the discovery of a mysterious book—sparks a series of events that threaten to engulf the entire world.
  • In a late-1800s mining town, the Molly Maguires arrive to help workers fight for better working conditions—but even they can’t save the ones sent to work in Tunnel 17.
  • The Rat King controls the underground, and the Coin King controls the overstreets, but when a pickpocket proves that power can be stolen, chaos reigns.

Join Mercedes M. Yardley, Tom Deady, Sarah Read, Errick Nunnally, Cindy O’Quinn, and Michael Burke as they uncover the darkness that infests the hidden corners of the mind and the soul.

With a foreword by John Skipp. Edited by Linda Hartley.

This original anthology of six novellas from a cadre of acclaimed horror authors dares readers to be captivated and entertained by their confrontations of secret orders, survival, and horror.

“We are...


A Note From the Publisher
Illustrated by Kip Ayers

Foreword by John Skipp

eBook: 9781968143039

Illustrated by Kip Ayers

Foreword by John Skipp

eBook: 9781968143039


Advance Praise

“What happens when six extraordinary storytellers, each with their own distinct voice and style, create their vision of secret societies? You get six incredible stories, each taking you on an entirely different journey to reveal the cost of secrets. Shh!”

—Linda D. Addison, award-winning author, HWA Lifetime Achievement Award recipient and SFPA Grand Master

“It’s no conspiracy that Sinister Societies assembles a disquieting sextet of novellas that’ll have you looking over your shoulder after every tale. The cabal of awe-inspiring writers gathered in this ominous omnibus are to be feared and revered.”

—Clay McLeod Chapman, author of Wake Up and Open Your Eyes

“This book, a deep dive into the world of secret societies, will keep you up all night and probably infest your dreams with darkness. Holding secrets, tragedy, comedy and justice in almost equal measure, Sinister Societies should be on every horror/fantasy lover’s bookshelf.”

—E.E. King, award-winning writer, artist & naturalist 

“What happens when six extraordinary storytellers, each with their own distinct voice and style, create their vision of secret societies? You get six incredible stories, each taking you on an...


Available Editions

EDITION Paperback
ISBN 9781968143022
PRICE US$24.99 (USD)
PAGES 493

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