Boston, MA – August 17, 2026
Ruadán Books announces the full Table of Contents (TOC) for Summer in the City, the third installment for the In the City anthology series of themed short stories from writers from around the world.
The anthology is due to be released on December 1st, 2026.
“With an introduction from multi-Stoker Award winner and Oscar-nominated director Jamal Hodge, we are continuing our mission to blend new talent and seasoned voices in all our anthologies,” said Ruadán CEO and anthology co-editor R. B. Wood. “Anna Koon [co-editor] and I love these passion projects and it is so fulfilling to see interest in our authors increasing with each release!”
About Summer in the City:
The scorching sun heats concrete, glass, and steel nearly beyond human tolerance.
The oppressive heat of Summer sits like a woolen shroud over the city, while the overextended air conditioners groan as they struggle to provide any small relief to the inhabitants. In the halls and on the streets, windows tremble with the heat and the silence feels thick.
Hydrants are opened for neighborhood children to cool off, while lucky families escape to the beaches and countryside looking for an occasional breeze. Some walk the shaded avenues, others lean against brick walls waiting for dusk, hoping the heat will break.
But heat is not the only thing impacting humanity’s comfort.
- The Las Vegas heat is on for a soul purchaser who can find a seller in the city of sin…
- Sentient ammonium nitrate considers a change of state during the long sunny days in Beirut…
- Two American social media influencers travel to Tokyo and find more than summer humidity…
- A young man in Liverpool befriends a potential lover who is not the man he expects…
Summer in the City: A Collection of Dark Speculative Fiction is the next anthology in Ruadán Books’ In the City series, full of stories set in various metropolises around the world during the hot, hazy, and lazy days of summer.
The heat can bring out the worst in all of us.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
“Beirut” by Gemma Church
“Las Vegas” by Karl Dandenell
“Liverpool” by Die Booth
“Honolulu” by Lyssa Reese
“Toronto” by Michael R. Colangelo
“Tokyo” by Benjamin Adams
“Washington, D.C.” by John Leahy
“London” by Hannah Catrin Shearer
“Houston” by Andrew Kozma
“Dubai” by Edward Barnfield
“Philadelphia” by Mia Dalia
“Plymouth” by Derek Des Anges
“Venice” by F.E. Choe
“Melbourne” by Tracie McBride
“Denver” by Kevin Raines
“Jo’burg” by Xan van Rooyen
“Jersey City” by Jeff Somers
“Barcelona” by NM Whitley
About Ruadán Books
Ruadán (pronounced ROO-ah-dawn) Books derives its name from the Irish god of mystery and espionage. Ruadán Books’ mission is to welcome new authors, and inspire and tell unique stories from authors worldwide.
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About R.B. Wood
Former technologist, entrepreneur, world traveler, author, and editorR. B. Wood is an MFA graduate from Emerson College and the founder of Ruadán Books. As a dark speculative storyteller, Wood has had novels and short stories published online and traditionally. His thriller Bayou Whispers blends the horrors of everyday life with that of the supernatural through the story of no-nonsense New Orleans native and Katrina survivor Jeannine LaRue, with plenty of plot twists and dark mystery. R.B. and his wife Tina adore animals and are self-professed “crazy cat people.”
Find him on the Internet:
Website | Twitter (X) | Facebook | Instagram | BlueSky | Amazon’s R.B. Wood page
About Anna Koon
Boston-based artist and writer Anna Koon has published articles for a variety of periodicals, one poem, two screenplays, and a children’s book entitled Willamina, Queen of the Worms. She is the founder and director of an educational series presented to various arts organizations throughout Massachusetts. Additionally, she works as a creative coach and editor. Anna lives at the top of what was once the women’s quarters of a Victorian mental institution with her husband and two whippets, Zeta Puppis and Nimble Nimbus. Learn more about her @ www.a2n2.net.
