This is the Quickest Way Down is a bumper collection of 13 sci-fi, urban and dark fantasy short stories set in the present day or very near future that give everyday existence a nudge into the realms of the fantastic, the weird, the supernatural, the horrific and the surreal.

​Available only as an ebook on Amazon Kindle:
www.amazon.co.uk/This-Quickest-Way-Down-Fantasy-ebook/dp/B00PCWBI0C/

These are stories where a casual sexual encounter can embroil a person in dangerous liaisons with ghosts, aliens or even vengeful gods. Yet also where the bizarre can be found lurking just around the corner, across a cup of cooling mocha in a coffee shop, over a glass of chilled rose wine in a beach side cafe in the Cote d’Azur or in the next message on your mobile phone.

In a review, best-seller horror author Wayne Simmons said... "The devil is in the detail, they also say, and this is true of Christian's writing. He's a man who likes to theme, certain little quirks and tropes presenting themselves time after time. There's a lot of Mocha in this book, for one thing. There's a lot of sex, too: alien sex, demon sex, and, least believable of all, sex with sci-fi fans.

"But what I found most was heart.

"You'll smile as you read these stories, not least the first and last entries, a two-parter end of the world tale which sets the tone perfectly for what's to come, as well as what's been, leaving the reader surprisingly uplifted at the book's conclusion."

Some of these stories were previously published in print only by Salt Publishing in 2011. This new collection has been completely re-edited and also includes two new stories.

This is a little departure from the norm: it is not a book, ebook or website but an app! We had some great content but it just didn’t lend itself to either a print book or ebook format. And, we also wanted some way of unlocking fresh content each day over the holiday season. Going the app route ticked all the boxes. And it lets me combine my passions for tech, folklore and the weird.
 
Fed up with the traditional sugary festivities and the tweeness of Advent calendars and The 12 Days of Christmas? Well now there is a darkly humorous and quirky alternative – and it is available as a FREE Apple iOS app for iPhones and iPads.

Called The 13 Days of Christmas and published by Urban Fantasist (yes, us) each day over the 13 days following the 26 December, the app unlocks a new comic book style illustration, a fresh rhyme and a description of the macabre, darker side of the holiday season – everything from wizards, witches and ghosts to dragons, unicorns and dark satanic rites. Forget cute elves and rosy cheeked Santa, after this, Christmas may never seem the same again. 

But wait! ’Tis the season of giving so every few days you will find a surprise bonus free gift waiting for you to open. It might be a horror story, it might be a folklore or fantasy tale but it certainly won’t be socks!

Initial reactions to the app include “this is the coolest thing” – "awesome" – “looks amazing”.

Both the app and the content of The 13 Days of Christmas are completely free with no in-app purchases or hidden extras after download. The app is available for immediate download from the Apple App Store however apart from the introductory page, the content remains locked until Boxing Day.

Here is the link to the app’s microsite 
http://appealsoftware.co.uk/13-days-of-christmas

and the download page on the Apple App Store
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/the-13-days-of-christmas/id1053222819?mt=8

If you like weird fiction - if you like mythos fiction - if you like Lovecraftian and Cthulhu fiction - check out this new collection of 22 stories (plus artwork) World War Cthulhu: A Collection of Lovecraftian War Stories. See Dark Regions Press for full details. It includes a previously unpublished short story - Long Island Weird - by Charles Christian about weird happenings and lost Nazi U-boats along the banks of the Long Island Sound during World War Two. (The trade paperback edition is $15.95.)

Tomorrow's Ghosts and Rip and Burn - a paranormal novelette/ghost story and a modern-day horror/witchcraft short story in one book.

​Available in paperback and as an ebook on Amazon Kindle:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tomorrows-Ghosts-Charles-Christian-ebook/dp/B00JZTP55W/
 
Tomorrow’s Ghosts is a tale that blends the supernatural with everyday existence in a quiet corner of eastern England.....

Alexis Byter’s job is never dull. After all, he is an expert on the paranormal but a routine visit from the local lady vicar starts a relationship, and a sequence of events, that takes the modern-day ghost hunter to almost the end of the world.

The past is interchangeable with the present and both might predict the future and avert disaster if Alexis can read the clues. Its just that the clues involve a sailor from Biblical times washed up on England’s East coast, mysterious leylines, visions of the Apocalypse, Punch and Judy puppets and a lascivious ghost. Oh, and a VW Beetle.

The book also includes a new free short story called Rip and Burn which is a horror story for the digital-savvy generation. If you think you know all about the dangers that lurk on the internet, think again. A hyperlink to hell could be just one click away from you.

And there's more... here's what the early reviews say...
 
"Charles Christian is a superb writer, grab his latest ebook"

"A haunted window and a haunting tale with just the right amount of the unexpected"

"...keeps you turning those pages to find out what happens and when you do, you are not disappointed"

"put me in mind of a modern Wicker Man"

"Never a boring moment... Christian has a wonderful way with short stories"

Here are the latest Amazon reviews in full...

5.0 out of 5 stars - Last night I dreamt I went to... East Anglia again - 23 May 2014

By billpage

Christian knows this area well. Shares some special places with interesting history with the reader. The scene setting leads you cordially by the hand into a land where the every day, suddenly becomes a little less ordinary. A haunted window and a haunting tale with just the right amount of the unexpected.

Rip and Burn (the second short story) is quite different, but nonetheless, keeps you turning those pages to find out what happens and when you do, you are not disappointed.

4.0 out of 5 stars - Ghost hunter Alexis Byter - more please - 30 June 2014

By Neil B (Amazon Canada)

This is my first encounter with Christian's writing, and I found it very entertaining.

The main story, featuring ghost hunter Alexis Byter, maintains a great undercurrent of menace beneath the British quaintness of its veneer, and ambles along at a fair old lick which may be a problem with the novella format. This is a character that welcomes more revelation, and I hope to see more of Byter in the future.

The second, bonus story is again supremely British, to the point of copious use of Hob Nobs which might baffle the Yanks, but it put me in mind of a modern Wicker Man, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Recommended.

5.0 out of 5 stars - Thing That Go Bump In The Night - 4 July 2014

By Rae Gee

Tomorrow's Ghosts is a book containing two short stories with deal with ghosts, paranormal, the apocalypse, witches, Goths, strange music, the Devil, Nibiru, and a myriad of other strange and wonderful subjects and beings.

Charles Christian has a wonderful way with short stories. He can take a subject that many people would probably make a bit of a hash of and turn it into something amazing and interesting. His quick wit and punchy dialogue make his work easy and pleasurable to read. With Tomorrow's Ghosts it's also obvious that he's turned to some of the internet's stranger places for some of his subject matter, which makes me feel all the more better for going to those places myself! There's never a boring moment with this (sadly too) short book.

Everything flows and gels together perfectly before Christian throws a wrench in the works and forces you to do a double take. The twists and turns are perfectly plotted out and his skill at creating imagery with words is second to none. Absolutely perfect! If you like short stories, give these ones a go. And then go and sign the petition to get the author to write a full length novel!


3.0 out of 5 stars - Tomorrow's Ghosts - 22 February 2015


By Brother B.

This is a very edgy story. Too much so for my tastes religiously speaking. Of course as is said, fact is sometimes stranger than fiction, and following along with that thought, I suppose a few parts of this story could be taken as true, and all or some may reconsidered sci-fi or Monte Python ish as well. Other than that the writing and editing were superb. So readers into edgy UK / no rule religious parody paranormal mysteries will enjoy this book.