The Night Bazaar is a secret marketplace of the rare, strange, occult, and dangerous. Its curious vendors specialize in services or objects which simply cannot be had elsewhere, for any price. This forbidden market has operated throughout history at various locales - but only for one week. It cannot simply be stumbled upon; you must be Invited. But how did it begin? This collection of thirteen eerie, fantastic, and magical works by various authors recounts the origin story of the Bazaar's first appearance, in St. Mark's Square, Venice, in the plague year of 1348. Some take place in those medieval days of fear, witchcraft, and murder. Other, more contemporary tales center on objects from that first bazaar - inherited, found, purchased, or stolen during the dark centuries since by the unsuspecting, foolish, and greedy (though seldom the completely innocent.) Together the linked stories take readers on a fantastical journey into astonishment, dread, and dark delight. Hart invites readers to return to the delightfully inventive setting of the Night Bazaar with this second anthology of fantastical short stories featuring a magical traveling market that visits any given city only once. These 13 linked stories chronicle the Night Bazaar's appearance in Venice during the plague year of 1348. A pious monk's foray into the market leads him to encounter an artist who uses the human body as a canvas in "The Exquisite Hide of Brother Eduard" by Edison McDaniels. "Posione D'Amore" by Dana Miller sees a witch-hunter turn against his calling after a witch offers him a chance at finding true love. David Poyer's "The Thousand Injuries of Fortunato" sets a prequel to Edgar Allan Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado" in the bazaar, revealing the monstrous betrayal that sparks the revenge plot of the original, and Naia Poyer's "Cinnabar and Stone" is a lively story of a modern day PhD student reckoning with the ghosts of the past. Together the tales form a sumptuous carnival, offering a tantalizing glimpse into the mystical underworld of plague-ridden Europe. These dark flights of fancy delight. -- PUBLISHERS WEEKLY (Aug.)