Dr. Benjamin Schröder's life was as close to perfect as he could ever dream it would be. That is until he has a psychotic episode that results in him having "memories" of a nightmare world that cannot be. A world in which a second world war resulted in millions dead; a world in which nuclear weapons have proliferated around the globe; a world in which the Chinese Communists succeeded; a world in which the Middle East is a festering sore of bloodshed, fanaticism, and terror. But of course none of this is real. Or so Dr. Schröder believes until a man named Raibert Kaminski knocks on his door one afternoon with an impossible and horrifying story about alternate realities, time travel, and temporal knots. Now the fate of the Universe rests on Schröder's shoulders—and billions of lives across multiple dimensions hang in the balance!

From the pulpy pages of Black Mask Magazine in the 1920s and ’30s through the film noir era of the 1940s to today, noir fiction has lured many a reader and movie-goer away from the light and into the dark underbelly of society. And within the dark, one figure stands out: the femme fatale. Here, then, is Noir Fatale, an anthology containing the full spectrum of noir fiction, each incorporating the compelling femme fatale character archetype. From straightforward hardboiled detective story to dark urban fantasy to the dirty secrets of futuristic science fiction.

All new stories by Larry Correia, Laurell K. Hamilton, David Weber, Kacey Ezell, and more!

A crucial moment draws nigh leading to the ultimate showdown between Jame Knorth and Perimal Darkling, the supernatural entity that has pursued Jame’s people, the Kencyr, across multiple universes, destroying all in its wake. But now news arrives from the vast city of Tai-tastigon. The new Pantheon is falling, and the ancient city is in turmoil. It seems many in the vast Lower Town have lost their shadows—not so funny when you realize that a shadow is cast by a soul. Which means something is taking—or destroying—souls in the city. But whatever demon-wrought madness is afoot in Tai-tastigon will have to face the ultimate avatar of god That-Which-Destroys. That would be one Jame Knorth.

The figure known as the femme fatale features heavily in hardboiled and noir fiction, but she's no stranger to the science fiction and fantasy fields, either. In the new anthology Noir Fatale, edited by Larry Correia and Kacey Ezell, the femme fatale plays an integral role in each all-new story. To celebrate the new book, we'd like to know: Who's your favorite femme fatale from literature, film, or television? Tell us why in a short (100 words or fewer) paragraph for a chance to in a copy of Noir Fatale, signed by the editors.

Last month we asked you, how would you prank a monster on April Fool's Day—assuming you had the nerve? Congrats to Lynda Manning-Schwartz. She wins a copy of A Witch in Time, signed by Wm. Mark Simmons.

Read the winning entry here.

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