The deep of the sea, the deep of space, the deep of our souls, our fears ... ourselves.

Fear not the monsters under your bed-but the mermaids under your boat.

Merciless Mermaids: Tails from the Deep features thirty original stories and poems by Mercedes Lackey, Rick Wilber, D.J. Butler, Gama Ray Martinez, Julia Vee, Ken Bebelle, and many others. From Japanese legends to mafia mermen, from carnival freaks to flying aces, from bayou legends to kraken-like behemoths, these tales explore the darker side of merfolk: desire, envy, love unfulfilled, grace ungranted, loneliness turned to rage....

Can you see the shapes in the waters that watch you?

Do you hear the lure of a siren's call?

Can you feel the mermaid's eyes upon you?

Compiled by New York Times bestselling author Kevin J. Anderson and award-winning editor Allyson Longueira and their Publishing graduate students at Western Colorado University.

Deep down you know that the darkness has a tail.