What he finds is a squabbling bunch of states, the consequence of the colonies having grown up on their own after European civilization collapsed from plague in the 1670s, and they are poised on the brink of war. For a socially awkward young man, who takes refuge in online games, this is a bad situation. He has no knowledge or experience that is useful in this world. He does, however, have one skill of value in a world where the rifle is a new invention – he is a competitive fencer.What do you do when the world is strange and you have no way to control your own fate? Can Hal grow up fast enough to survive in this world and can he find a way home?

    First the routine destruction of some ancient automatic defence batteries became a disaster when his ship’s screens failed and he had no choice to abandon ship. Then he had to rescue two left behind crew people which meant he missed the main shuttle evacuation leaving him and his two companions in a shuttle on their own at the rear. Then the shuttle was hit by enemy fire just as they traversed the jump point, of course! This sent the shuttle through something to somewhere but not the safe system the rest of the crew had jumped to! The damage to the shuttle meant they would need a dockyard or failing that they would have to land on a planet to affect repairs which seemed likely as the system had no electronic signature, so space docks looked unlikely. The third planet was in fact inhabited, but by primitives armed with swords and spears, probably an old Imperial colony that had been cut off and regressed tech-wise. They should be able to land and repair their shuttle somewhere out of the way except of course the engines decided to fail halfway down! This led to a close encounter with the side of a mountain, followed by a crash landing into a lake. And then his day got really bad!

    Ten-year-old Hiroki Tanaka grew up in a fishing village on an island just off the coast of Honshu, Japan. While he helps his father fishing, a large earthquake hits his island. Hiroki falls from the boat as the waters become choppy and he is pulled under water. He is desperate to get back to his father. When he surfaces, his father and the boat are gone. When Hiroki swims to shore, he realizes that he has been swept back in time to an era of violence and the samurai. Amy Ohara is celebrating her twenty-first birthday by going on a cruise, off the coast of Honshu, Japan. She had grown up in Tokyo and is well acquainted with Japan's rich traditions and ancient history. Betrayed by the man she had been dating, Amy is now awaiting transport as human cargo. As her life swings in the balance, Amy has a choice, dive into the black waters and perhaps drown or be taken by the human traffickers. When the yacht blows up, Amy feel lucky to be alive and swims for shore. Yet she has arrived at the shore of distant past. Amy has been washed back in time nearly 700 years, 300 years before Europeans stepped foot in Asia. With her red hair and green eyes, she stands out.

    As she leaves her luxurious lifestyle behind to join him in exile, she must learn to cope with the everyday struggles of the working class, all while keeping her true identity a secret. Facing new hardships and the looming threat of execution, Elizabeth will need to toughen up if she has any chance of surviving outside the palace walls.Prince Gregory spent his entire life trying to prove himself worthy of the crown until his banishment releases him of all the pressures and obligations that have chained him down. Although he has no intention of raising an army to defend his birthright, he soon learns that not everyone is content to let him walk away from the throne. With his sister's safety and well-being to consider, Gregory must make a decision that will change both their lives forever.

    The new capital of the legitimate government of Russia, once a trading post in the far east, is now a fast-growing boom town. Into this maelstrom come peddlers and exotic dancers, criminals and craftsmen, nobles and assassins. Crime is running rampant and the city guards that passes for policemen don't have a clue how to handle it—and wouldn’t know a clue if they stumbled right over it. They can manage to walk a beat, at least in broad daylight. But solve a crime?         Not a chance. And Czar Michael Romanov and his officials aren’t any help, since they’re pre-occupied with building a nation out of spit and bailing wire.          But the bargirl who was murdered had friends who cared. And thosefriends call in Vasilii Lyapuno, an engineer working at the newly-founded Dacha in Ufa and loves up-timer murder mysteries.          Can Vasilii track down the killer? Luckily for him, he has the assistance of another bargirl named Miroslava, who has a unique way of seeing the world. Together they might figure out who did what to whom and who was responsible for the crime.         Crimes, rather. Murder starts adding up.

    

    Meanwhile, back in 1944 a mysterious man and his Jewish fiancée are fleeing across Nazi-occupied Europe.Redolfo tries to keep a low profile on his new world whilst earning his fare home, but unwittingly gets involved with a shady gang of alien criminals, inadvertently bringing the planet to the brink of catastrophe.As the link between the timelines becomes clear, Redolfo must discover secrets from the past that may hold the key to saving the planet.If you like The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse 5, and Frank Herbert's Dune, you'll love this gripping and entertaining sci-fi mystery thriller.What others are saying about Space Taxis:★★★★★ 'A triumph of high adventure.' Readers' Favorite★★★★★ 'VERY highly recommended.' Goodreads★★★★★ 'This is a fun SciFi read.' Netgalley★★★★★ 'An entertaining sci-fi adventure in the tradition of Douglas Adams.' Amazon reviewer★★★★★ 'What a gripping, unputdownable story.' Amazon reviewer★★★★★ 'I loved every minute of this book, it's just the sort of sci-fi I really enjoy, good storyline, quirky characters and so much humour. If you're a fan of Hitchhikers, Chronicles of St Mary's and Red Dwarf this will definitely be right up your alley!' Goodreads★★★★★ 'Don't hesitate in buying Space Taxis. You won't regret it - in fact, you'll probably be reading it again and again, AND recommending it to all your friends and relatives.' Jude Gwynaire, Author of Aliens in My Garden Space Taxis has been awarded the 5-star seal by Readers' Favorite.Don't miss out. Review"This anti-gravity rollercoaster of a book is a real page-turner for me. It's a genuine original full of interesting characters and enthralling storylines. If you're looking for something new and exciting to get into I would highly recommend." Goodreads"Space Taxis is a goddam crazy ride...I want a proximity klaxon on my Ford!" Chris Malone, author of Zade and #StoptheGlitch'If Space Taxis does not sound like a story that sprang out of the minds of two wildly imaginative storytellers, no story ever will... Adam and Harriet Frosh have written a novel that is a triumph of high adventure. This can even translate to an entertaining film adaptation that would have an appeal-like Total Recall or The Fifth Element. Redolfo's abduction, his time spent on another planet, and how it changes him are what give the story life, depth, and humanity. Reading it is a good form of cerebral entertainment.' Readers' Favorite'I absolutely loved Redolfo's story.' Netgalley'Fans of both science fiction and historical fiction will love Space Taxis - five stars.' Eric Balch, Author of Assault on Devil's DenSpace Taxis has been awarded the 5-star seal by Readers' Favorite.

    At what cost victory?Milo Volkohne, orphan, criminal, conscript, and unwilling warlock could tell you but you might not like the answer.It is 1936 and the Great War still rages on, with no armistice in 1918 when the Russian Empire crumbled in the fire and blood of stillborn revolution.The hellish no man's land has spread like a blight over Europe as grim, unyielding leaders promise a resolve of iron and no mercy, no peace, no hope.It would take a miracle to save humanity, but as Milo would tell you: be careful what you wish for.Plunging into a world of sorcery, treachery, and madness the world’s first wizard will bargain with monsters, human or otherwise, fight for his life, and dare to hope that he’s selling his soul for something worthwhile.But is any price too high to end the War to end all Wars?

    

    A shrewdly written tale with a robust cast of characters and a frightening intifada in the U.S." KIRKUS REVIEWS (Starred Review)"Thriller fans with a taste for politics will devour this exciting investigation into dangerous government overreach and the mangling of civil liberties in a time of crisis." BOOKLIFE by PUBLISHERS WEEKLY (Editor’s Pick)"Preston Fleming has crafted a brilliant novel…that delves into the question of human rights in the face of governments overstepping their bounds." PACIFIC BOOK REVIEW (Starred Review)"ROOT AND BRANCH is a powerful book evoking memories of post 9/11… A book to be read and deeply pondered." SAN FRANCISCO BOOK REVIEW (Star Rating 5/5)"A relentlessly entertaining, sophisticated and intelligent political thriller that is a must-read for fans of Ken Follett, Robert Harris and Daniel Silva." BESTTHRILLERS.COM ROOT AND BRANCH is a realistic thriller set in a near-future America where an Islamist-inspired intifada triggers emergency security measures that go terribly wrong. Roger Zorn, owner of a French private security company, is delighted at having won a lucrative contract with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as part of the government’s new program of emergency security measures. The measures are launched when the U.S. military response to sneak attacks by Iran and Pakistan on America’s electrical grid provokes a wave of Jihadist-inspired violence across the U.S.A. Zorn’s work for DHS requires him to apply his company’s Triage risk assessment technology to evaluate terrorist suspects captured in the U.S. and sort out the jihadists from nonviolent Muslim residents. But when Zorn’s inquiries lead him to discover that DHS and its lead contractor have been manipulating Triage scores to deport massive numbers of Muslims and is ‘disappearing’ the most violent ones, Zorn faces a choice. Will he say nothing and sell his company to DHS’s prime contractor before scandal breaks, or will Zorn step up to expose the abuses and risk bringing the full wrath of America’s national security establishment down on his head?

    

    

    Despite Riley’s warnings, politicians on both sides of the Atlantic make radical alterations to events. The first temporal alteration saves Princess Diana, the next saves the Twin Towers, but ripples travel far ahead and disturb Earth's future civilisation. The Timestream must be realigned, but at what cost?

    NOT WITHOUT USE OF FORCE.California, 2020. After a severe injury, ace mecha designer and pilot Reiko Morikawa is recruited to a secret organization plotting a revolt against the corrupt governor (and Nazi sympathizer) of the United States of Japan. When their plan to save the USJ from itself goes awry, the mission is only saved from failure because the governor is killed by an assassin known as Bloody Mary. But the assassin isn't satisfied with just the governor.Bishop Wakana used to be a cop. Now he's an agent of the Tokko, the secret police. Following the trail of a Nazi scientist, Bishop discovers a web of weapons smuggling, black market mecha parts--and a mysterious assassin. This killer once hunted Nazis but now seems to be targeting the USJ itself. As the leaders of the United States of Japan come to realize the devil's bargain they made in their uneasy alliance with the Nazis, Bishop and Reiko are hot on the trail of Bloody Mary, trying to stop her before it's too late.

    For Charlaine and Ludwig, it's the result of a love that can never be!Charlaine deShandria has never questioned what her future holds. For years, she's been training to take over her father's smithy, spending her every waking hour toiling at the forge.Ludwig Altenburg loathes his role as the baron's son. Always dreaming of fighting battles, he must now surrender himself to the inevitability of his future.Duty is all they've known, but when they meet, they begin to question if there is more to life. Before they can even make a choice, they find themselves surrounded by those who are determined to tear them apart.Lives are changed forever when family secrets are revealed in this clash of classes that propels two people towards their destiny!Travel back to the origins of two people who are destined to become mighty warriors in Tempered Steel, the prequel of Paul J Bennett's newest epic fantasy series, Power Ascending.Seize your copy of Tempered Steel today and learn Charlaine's story today!

    

    In Britain Defeated follow the stories of different individuals as they live through Operation Seelowe and its aftermath. Experience the fighting through the eyes of a young Home Guard soldier, an American flying for the RAF and a German officer as they try and survive the invasion. What will be the fate of England and how will the battle affect the ongoing conduct of the largest conflict in human history?

    Sawyer takes us back in time to revisit history…with a twist.While J. Robert Oppenheimer and his Manhattan Project team struggle to develop the A-bomb, Edward Teller wants something even more devastating: a bomb based on nuclear fusion—the mechanism that powers the sun.Teller’s research leads to a terrifying discovery: by the year 2030, the sun will eject its outermost layer, destroying the entire inner solar system—including Earth.As the war ends with the use of fission bombs against Japan, Oppenheimer's team, plus Albert Einstein and Wernher von Braun, stay together—the greatest scientific geniuses from the last century racing against time to save our future.Meticulously researched and replete with real-life characters and events, The Oppenheimer Alternative is a breathtaking adventure through both real and alternate history.

    The perfect series for anyone who likes their Victorian mysteries with a heaping teaspoon of magic, adventure and romance! Includes The Daemoniac, The Thirteenth Gate, A Bad Breed, The Necromancer’s Bride and Dead Ringer. Praise for the Gaslamp Gothic books “Beautiful landscapes, beasts with more to them than meets the eye, women who fight the darkness, and men seeking redemption. This book was amazing.” –The Caffeinated Reader "Greatly entertaining, fun, thrilling, at times chilling and with a light hint of romance. I have no word left to say, only 'perfect'." -Field of Bookish Dreams “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde combined with Sherlock Holmes . . . If you like historical books that also have mystery, suspense, action and all the other ingredients for a page-turning stay-up-all-night experience, Dead Ringer is a must read!” –Books+Coffee=Happiness “You just can’t help but fall for the male interest. Everything about this book just screams darkness. If you want a page-turning, plot-twisting, soul-burning story, this is it!” –Treestand Book Reviews “Mystery. Paranormal creatures and myths. Intelligent, brave and daring characters. Love and hate. History. What else can you possibly want?” –Dena Garson’s Book Blog Book #1: It’s August 1888 and a bizarre killer is stalking the gas-lit streets of New York. His handiwork bears all the hallmarks of a demonic possession. But are the murders a case of black magic—or simple blackmail? From the gambling dens of the Tenderloin to the glittering mansions of Fifth Avenue, consulting detective Harrison Fearing Pell and her best friend, medical student John Weston, follow a twisted trail of lies, treachery and madness that ends closer to home than they imagined. Book #2: At an asylum in the English countryside, a man suspected of being Jack the Ripper kills an orderly and escapes into the rain-soaked night. Occult investigator Lady Vivienne pursues him across the Atlantic to New York, where a powerful Egyptian amulet has been stolen from the Museum of Natural History. With the bodies mounting, Lady Vivienne joins Harry and John to confront an ancient evil. The key to stopping it is something called the Thirteenth Gate. But where is it? And more importantly, who will find it first? Book #3: After a Romanian village suffers a series of brutal attacks, Lady Vivienne’s ward Anne Lawrence is dispatched to hunt the killer – only to find herself herself at the mercy of a mysterious captor with a beast inside and a memory as old as the ancient legends. As the weeks pass, Anne slowly uncovers a complex and deeply passionate man. But is she willing to pay the price for falling under his spell? Book #4: Forgiveness is not Gabriel D’Ange’s strong suit. A ruthless self-appointed soldier of God, he vanished after Anne stabbed him with his own dagger. The smart thing would be to let him go. But Anne’s world isn’t just lonely without Gabriel. It’s insufferably boring. When she’s drawn into one of his tangled plots, Anne learns just how far she’ll go to save the man she loves. Book #5: Back in New York, Harry and John face off with sewer beasts, doppelgängers and the city’s most devious criminal mastermind to solve one of the strangest

    

    

    Now it turns its attention to the New World, where the English have ceded their colonial claims to France. There are vast lands and rich resources across the Atlantic for any nations powerful enough to rule and control them—and equal incentive for other nations to block their path.The time-displaced Americans know about the future path that led to their own United States in North America, in the other universe they came from. But do they want to repeat that history as it was? Yes, they had democracy—but they are helping to create that in Europe. And they have learned the bitter prices paid for chattel slavery and the near-extermination of the native populations.Knowledge is power. Perhaps a new course can be taken. Accordingly, an expedition is sent to the New World to see just what might be happening there and what might be done. They are armed with their technology, among which are a radio and an airship. More importantly, they are armed with the knowledge of future history and their determination not to repeat the errors of their past.What could possibly go wrong?

    On a freezing night in 1778, General George Washington vanishes. Walking away from the Valley Forge encampment, he takes a fall and is knocked unconscious, only to reappear at a dog park on San Francisco Bay—in the summer of 2014.Washington befriends two Berkeley twenty-somethings who help him cope with the astonishing—and often comical—surprises of the twenty-first century.Washington’s absence from Valley Forge, however, is not without serious consequences. As the world rapidly devolves around them—and their beloved Giants fight to salvage a disappointing season—George, Tim, and Matt are catapulted on a race across America to find a way to get George back to 1778.Equal parts time travel tale, thriller, and baseball saga, Finding George Washington is a gripping, humorous, and entertaining look at what happens when past and present collide in the 9th inning, with the bases loaded and no one warming up in the bullpen.

    A wild ride!”--Dennis E. Taylor, bestselling author of We Are Legion (We Are Bob)The year is 1961. The Cold War is in full swing and the space race is on. Russia aims to send humanity to space. But what if space comes to humanity instead?Soviet Yuri Gagarin’s historic first manned-spaceflight is disrupted when an alien Mothership jumps into orbit, causing a cosmic car crash that defies all odds.Everything changes. The US and USSR must quickly put aside their differences. In exchange for the Earth’s help in the rebuilding of their Mothership, the mysterious aliens know as Vulbathi offer promises of technology beyond humanity's wildest dreams. All the while, the world asks whether the Vulbathi are saviors or conquerors.When an alien tech counterfeiter's mistake sets off a chain reaction, the fragile peace is threatened. Connor McCoy didn't mean to upset Earth's new intergalactic neighbors. He only wanted to make some cash.Now, Connor is the only person who can stop the doomsday clock from striking midnight. That is if his estranged brother, an agent in the new Department of Alien Relations, doesn't get to him first.If you're a fan of District 9, The Expanse, Destiny's Crucible, or Andy Weir's Artemis, you'll love this first contact alternate history romp across Earth and space.

    His plans are drastically altered, however, when his great-grandfather Walter has to move in due to failing health. Appalled by Scott’s gruesome video games, Walter voices his extreme displeasure:“WAR ISN’T A GAME…”He should know… he witnessed the horrors of battle firsthand as a young paratrooper during World War II. Scott only dismisses the bothersome old man, until he finds a long-forgotten Nazi relic hidden away in a box of his war memorabilia. Tinkering with it, Scott is horrified to find himself suddenly transported to 1944 France… right at the beginning of D-Day! There he learns the true nature of war by not only having to fight to survive, but by having to try and help win the war after accidentally giving the Germans the keys to victory–and the word.* * *"From its cinematic opening in World War II to the intimate scenes between our characters in the present day, this manuscript has a clear idea of its themes and goals, and tells a complicated and thrilling story anchored by a fantastic sci-fi premise. The writer’s gift for creating vivid action scenes and complex characters helps elevate this alternate history story above others of the same ilk. The best thing this manuscript does however, even beyond its well-executed twists and turns, is providing intelligent meditations on generational differences and the way that we communicate with those we love."--The Tracking Board.

    

    As a grown man, he is committed to doing his best as an officer of the Guard, as a Lord of the land, and as a father. Living up to his oaths is easy. Being a good husband is much more of a challenge.Alysoun has done everything expected of a woman in her position. She has married well and had two clever, healthy children. That's not enough. Richard is kind, but increasingly distant. Alysoun herself has pain and fatigue magic can't fix. In truth, she is isolated and more than a little bored.When Alysoun visits a new museum exhibit, she sees something odd in one of the stained glass pieces. Investigating could bring her closer to Richard or at least give them something to talk about. But it might threaten his position or even his life.Join Richard and Alysoun in 1906 as they explore a mystery, take on new oaths, and discover each other after years of marriage.Pastiche is set in the Edwardian era of Albion, the magical community of England, Wales, and Scotland. It is a standalone story of an arranged marriage turning into a true love match.

    

    

    A Jewish golem woman created in 1920 spends 100 years on a journey to reveal her soul through her relationships with other women and theatre.

    That's the only conclusion Bren can make when a fire destroys everything they own, and his only answer is to take a job in the uncivilized Coalition Colonial Region on the other side of the ocean. 
Then disaster strikes again. Her father is lost at sea, and Bren is left with nothing but the clothes on her back, the things in her father's satchel, and the discovery that he has been lying about his reasons for leaving. When more of her father's secrets are revealed, it becomes clear that someone powerful is killing innocent people to keep those secrets hidden - and they are hunting for Bren. 
As the only person alive who can figure out what her father knew, Bren winds up forming an alliance with two very different men. The first has been tasked with keeping her safe, and will do anything it takes to bring down the organization stalking her, no matter the cost. The other is a brilliant but icy Naval hero who has been branded a wanted man by the enemy. 
With time running out and danger rising on every side, Bren must solve the trail of coded messages her father left for her and find the last piece of the puzzle before it falls into the wrong hands. The only rule of this game: do not get caught.

    Some of those changes were big, others were huge—and some were more modest in scale. Modest, at the least, to the universe, if not necessarily to those immediately affected.Count Ludwig Guenther of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt builds a Lutheran church on his own land, not far from Grantville, and calls in a Saxon pastor of a Phillipist bent to serve the Lutheran refugee population of the area. Shortly thereafter, in April 1634, the pastor's older daughter meets and elopes with a Catholic up-timer, which prompts Kastenmayer to get Lutheran girls to marry unchurched up-timers and thereby recruit them into the parish.In the years that follow, Pastor Kastenmeyer copes with both existing ecclesio-political strands of down-time religion (from Stiefelite Lutheran heretics to Flacian Lutheran ultra-orthodox) and the strange new up-time world of shorts, blue jeans, and unknown religious denominations. His struggles and travails have a surprisingly revolutionary impact on seventeenth-century Lutheranism—perhaps to no one’s greater surprise than the pastor himself.

    Instead, she's pushed into helping an army buddy on an illegal job for the scariest vampire in town. Her magic tells her the vampire is lying but it's too late to walk away. Things go sideways, and her first date in years ends when she finds her friend's dead body. The body disappears from the morgue, and a deadly, magical, necklace winds up in her lap all before she gets to her birthday cake. Now a sexy master vampire will kill her if she doesn't use magic to find the woman he loves, and the police refuse to investigate the murder. It's up to Elisabeth to protect her family, solve the mystery, and survive long enough to go on a second date.Content Warning: This urban fantasy includes explicit romantic scenes between consenting adults, vampires, and witches. Sizzling sexual tension is resolved through detailed on page erotic descriptions. Intended for mature audiences. Do not purchase if you are offended by suggestive language, cuss words, or erotic writing. Perfect for fans of Anita Blake.

    To show solidarity, underground American cartoonists made their own Octobriana comic book. Robot Stalin's got a new doomsday bomb! Can the Devil-Woman stop him before he destroys us all? Siberian labor camps, PPP secret orgies, motorcycle gunship train chases - this one has it all! Samizdat gone wild - a cross between 70s psychedelia and Soviet constructivism!?! You've NEVER seen a comic book that looks like this! Revolution forever, bitch.The world's first fluorescent blacklight comic book!

    Then one rainy day he suddenly finds himself fighting for his life aboard a pirate ship in the early 18th century. Book 1 of the “Displacers” series for Teens / Young Adults.Author's note -This tale was my first attempt at serious writing. It started life as a short story, written for the son of a friend and simply named after him. It was first published as the novella "The Pirate's Diamond" some years after that. As my writing style developed so too did the book and in time it became the novel "The Pirate's Challenge". "The Pirate's Heir" is the result of expansion and improvement, and it is finally the book it should be.

    Resche is trapped in a land that is not his own, where Players move tiles the size of nations in a vast Game. The magic of the land is topomancy, the power of extra-dimensional knots, fractals, and tessellations. And Resche… Well, he’s an art thief, wth some special skills that border on obsessions. (That’s not his real name, of course, nor is any other that he’s likely to give you.) To get home, he has to pit his skill against the mages.Resche must search for clues to the great Game in an Astromancer’s observatory, a Fractalist temple, and a strange, dimension-straddling castle. The watchmaker and the jeweler might not be who they appear. And the woman who owns the local newspaper might prove an ally, or perhaps more, if small obstacles like the truth don’t get in the way.

    With the largest and most powerful army in the world, they swept through Syria, took Baghdad and Damascus and Aleppo, and turned toward Cairo. The fragmented and leaderless states of the Levant could not stand against them. One man struggled to raise an opposition to them, and the great battle of Ain Jalut changed the course of history.

    It starts out as a boys' adventure tale, and blows up into a bigger and weirder world than you ever imagined.YANKEE REPUBLIC is an old-school adventure series with traditional values and down-to-earth heroes. Escape from the pessimism and propaganda of modern fiction, and take a journey through a mythic America that might have been.

    

    Her life is dictated by a disease she cannot control or understand and medication that barely keeps the horrors at bay.Little does she know, her mother is hiding dark secrets from her past.Secrets that reside within Dani's very blood.As Dani learns to fend for herself in a world she doesn't truly know or understand, something inside her begins to awaken with the help of her best friend, Charlie.But in Knight City, everyone has secrets.When two dark strangers appear in her life, dark pasts collide, and Dani finds herself in a world she never imagined, with powers unknown and an enemy unseen.In this new world, who can she trust beyond herself?Can she even trust that?Introduction to a #FatedMates, #FriendstoLovers, #Reverseharem ( #RH ), #ParanormalRomance, #PNR, and #UrbanFantasy, #Superhero Series. 18+Book contains scenes of a violent nature that some may find distressing and are not intended for readers under the age of 18.

    

    It's also the new front in the Great War. Here, the British spy Lucy Harker—Dracula's daughter—must locate Britain's missing vampire slayer—her own mother. Then she's separated from her lover, the vampire spy Carmilla, and captured by Germany's most brilliant scientist, the sinister Dr Krüger. Now, Agent Harker may discover her most dangerous opponents are on her own side.

    He’s being forced to leave the woman he loves behind and needs to explain why.So he leaves her a handwritten note on the kitchen table (well, more a 300-page letter than a note). In it, Malcolm decides to start from the beginning and tell the whole story of his long life, something he’s never dared do before.Because Malcolm isn’t what he seems: he’s had other names and lived in other places. A lot of other places. As it gathers pace, Malcolm’s story combines tragedy, comedy, mystery, a touch of leprosy, several murders, a massacre, a ritual sacrifice, an insane tyrant, two great romances, a landslide, a fire, and a talking fish.

    Like they’ve already figured out how to survive without us and we’re just here, in the way, until we can figure out how to get our old lives back. But we’re not the same people, and probably never will be.”After being away for over a year, Alfonse Keller has returned from the trenches on Teuton’s western front, fighting in the war that’s broken out against the Steppes. He should feel relieved now that’s he’s back in his own village in the care of his brother Ernst, but he’s not. It seems like nothing has changed except for him, like he’s a traveler from a different world.When Alfonse left to join the army, he was a natural magician making a name for himself, but after a tragic incident resulting in the death of his friend, and his own crippling injury, he no longer has the ability to use magic. Suffering from constant nightmares and revisited trauma, Alfonse can’t get the trenches out of his head. Ernst tries to help, but he doesn’t really understand either. How can he, when Alfonse doesn’t really understand himself? He feels like a phantom, standing on the outskirts of a life he’ll never live again. As Ernst tries to do everything he can for his brother, he can’t help but feel like Alfonse is slipping away, that maybe part of him never left the trenches at all. But how can he save his brother when Alf refuses to let anyone in?

    Rome’s envoy to England, the papal legate Hildebrand, refuses to recognize Harold’s right to the island kingdom’s throne.Harold didn’t back down from William, and he’s not going to back down now. He brings to England a Scottish monk, Colum-cille, setting underway a renaissance of the Celtic Church that hasn’t been seen since the Synod of Whitby.As Colum-cille creates in England a church with a decreased importance for clergy and an increase emphasis on monasteries, Harold must deal with a Grand Alliance put together by the Papacy. The English earls and clergy are split between those who support Harold and those who are unhappy with his decision—and far from the island, Harold tries to form his own alliances with the Moors in Spain and the Byzantine Empire.What next? It would have been so much simpler if William had won at Hastings like he was supposed to.

    At the same time, Israel and the US launch a big offensive through Sinai, with both operations aimed at opening the Suez Canal and restoring the vital maritime passage from the Med to the Arabian Sea. These moves are a prelude to a much bigger overall plan dubbed “Able Sentry,” the defense of Saudi Arabia and liberation of Kuwait from the combined forces of Iraq and Iran. Brigadier Kinlan is also given a surprising new mission that will take him to the root of strange dreams and odd memories that have plagued him of late, a daring raid into the Egyptian desert to a place called Sultan Apache. While Roosevelt and Independence begin operations to open the Gulf of Oman, the Chinese Admiral Wu Jinlong proposes a bold new offensive to give China a victory it so desperately needs, but the USS Enterprise, and Kirov, join forces to meet the challenge. Able Sentry - by John Schettler Part I – Nanchang Part II – Gulf of Aden Part III – Talisman Sabre Part IV – The Best Laid Plans Part V – Chariots of Fire Part VI – Just Resolve Part VII – Sultan Apache Part VIII– Tobruk Part IX – Stormfront Part X – The Gambit Part XI – The Aberration Part XII – Sea Eagles 312 Pages, 36 Chapters, about 100,000 words. Kindle Version: $4.99 ~ Quality Trade Paperback: $19.99

    Karen Evans starts us out with a piece of technology from Grantville in "King Christian's Zipper." Next, Cosimo (who appeared in our previous issues) finds himself summoned to a very high-level meeting in Jack Carroll's "A Long-Awaited Proposal." A. P. Davidson tells the story young managers on a Swedish canal project facing an emergency in "Revealed By Fire."In Michael Lockwood's "A Puritan Voice, Part 3," Nicholas continues his journey toward Grantville, but he is still being tracked. Anne Keener begins a new serial with "Birthing Pains, Part 1," in which an up-time/down-time couple have very different expectations.With all those airships, where is the helium? Iver Cooper explains in "Hunting for Helium in the 1632 Universe."In Notes from the Buffer Zone, Kristine Kathryn Rusch remembers Mike Resnick.Hot Off Ring of Fire Press brings you the latest titles. You have an opportunity to vote for the Grantville Gazette's Best of 2019.We have two Universe stories this issue. "The Final Problem" by Edward M. Lerner is a new case for our favorite qmind. In Shoshana Edwards' "Easy as Pie, Part 2," Harper's Landing really wants a pushy developer to go away.

    A. P. Davidson tells us about "The Army of Sweden," and Iver P. Cooper concludes his series on "Photography in the 1632 Universe." This issue's two Universe Annex stories are "Crazy Horse's Prodigal Granddaughter" by Allan Dyen-Shapiro and "The Meat Interpreter" by Edward M. Lerner.

    Jared Kavanagh edits a collection of short stories set in different Australias.What if what we call Australia had become largely Dutch? Could Australia have led intervention in unexpected African conflicts? What adventures might Napoleon Bonaparte have had as he sought to colonise it before the British? Could a space programme launched Woomera have reached the Moon? How might the Emu War have gone differently?It's time to turn Down Under upside-down.