After Death

Death. Who has not considered their own mortality and wondered at what awaits, once our frail human shell expires? What occurs after the heart stops beating, after the last breath is drawn, after life as we know it terminates?Does our spirit remain on Earth while the mortal body rots? Do remnants of our soul transcend to a celestial Heaven or sink to Hells torment? Are we offered choices in an individualized afterlife? Can we die again in the hereafter? Is life merely a cosmic joke, or is it an experiment for something greater?Included within this critically acclaimed anthology are answers to these queries alongside tales and suppositions relating from traditional ghosts to the afterlife of e-coli. Explore the afterworld of an Australian cowboy. Discover what the white light really means to the recently departed. Consider the impact of modern, or future, technology on the dead. Follow the karmic path of reincarnation. Travel from the 999th level of Fengdus Hell to the gates of Robot Heaven.Enclosed are thirty-four all-new dark and speculative fiction stories, individually illustrated by Audra Phillips, and exploring the possibilities after death.TABLE OF CONTENTS:Introduction by Eric J. GuignardSomeone to Remember by Andrew S. WilliamsBoy, 7 by Alvaro RodriguezSea of Trees by Edward M. ErdelacThe Last Moments Before Bed by Steve Rasnic TemThe Resurrection Policy by Lisa MortonHigh Places by John M. FloydCircling the Stones at Fulcrums Low by Kelda CrichI Will Remain by David Steffen Tree of Life by Aaron J. FrenchThe Reckless Alternative by Sanford Allen & Josh RountreeThe Thousandth Hell by Brad C. HodsonMall Rats by James S. DorrAfterword by Ray CluleyLike a Bat out of Hell by Jonathan ShipleyThe Overlander by Jacob EdwardsForever by John PalisanoMy Father Knew Douglas MacArthur by Bentley LittleRobot Heaven by Jamie LackeyBeyond the Veil by Robert B. Marcus, Jr.Prisoner of Peace by David TallermanA Feast of Meat and Mead by Christine MorganBe Quiet At The Back by William MeikleCages by Peter GiglioHammerhead by Simon ClarkMarvel at the Face of Forever by Kelly DunnThe Unfinished Lunch by Trevor DenyerI Was The Walrus by Steve CameronThe Devils Backbone by Larry HodgesThe Death of E. Coli by Benjamin Kane EthridgeFinal Testament of a Weapons Engineer by Emily C. SkaftunAcclimation Package by Joe McKinneyHellevator by Josh StrnadIn and Out the Window by Allan Izen With Max Barry in the Nearer Precincts by John Langan