The Warlord Chronicles series includes The Winter King, Enemy of God and Excalibur. 'Spellbinding realism' The Times 'Of all the books I have written these three are my favourites' Bernard Cornwell

    First, she has no soul. Second, she's a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a vampire, breaking all standards of social etiquette. Where to go from there? From bad to worse apparently, for Alexia accidentally kills the vampire -- and then the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous, and werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate. With unexpected vampires appearing and expected vampires disappearing, everyone seems to believe Alexia responsible. Can she figure out what is actually happening to London's high society? Will her soulless ability to negate supernatural powers prove useful or just plain embarrassing? Finally, who is the real enemy, and do they have treacle tart?SOULLESS is a comedy of manners set in Victorian London: full of werewolves, vampires, dirigibles, and tea-drinking.Book 2: CHANGELESSAlexia Tarabotti, the Lady Woolsey, awakens in the wee hours of the mid-afternoon to find her husband, who should be decently asleep like any normal werewolf, yelling at the top of his lungs. Then he disappears - leaving her to deal with a regiment of supernatural soldiers encamped on her doorstep, a plethora of exorcised ghosts, and an angry Queen Victoria.But Alexia is armed with her trusty parasol, the latest fashions, and an arsenal of biting civility. Even when her investigations take her to Scotland, the backwater of ugly waistcoats, she is prepared: upending werewolf pack dynamics as only the soulless can.She might even find time to track down her wayward husband, if she feels like it.Book 3: BLAMELESSQuitting her husband's house and moving back in with her horrible family, Lady Maccon becomes the scandal of the London season.Queen Victoria dismisses her from the Shadow Council, and the only person who can explain anything, Lord Akeldama, unexpectedly leaves town. To top it all off, Alexia is attacked by homicidal mechanical ladybugs, indicating, as only ladybugs can, the fact that all of London's vampires are now very much interested in seeing Alexia quite thoroughly dead.While Lord Maccon elects to get progressively more inebriated and Professor Lyall desperately tries to hold the Woolsey werewolf pack together, Alexia flees England for Italy in search of the mysterious Templars. Only they know enough about the preternatural to explain her increasingly inconvenient condition, but they may be worse than the vampires -- and they're armed with pesto.

    The direct sequel to Ender's Game! Thirteen year-old Ender Wiggin has saved mankind from an alien threat. His reward? Exile. Branded a monster by those who feel threatened by his military genius, Ender is suddenly a hero without a home.

    Look at most of your relatives or coworkers. How lovable are they? Really? Yet most have mates and children. The vast majority are still invited to family gatherings and their relatives will speak to them. Many have pets to which they are devoted. Some even call them their fur-babies. Is your dog or cat or parakeet property or family? Not in law but in your heart? Can a pet really love you back? Or is it a different affection? Are you not kind to those who feed and shelter you? But what if your dog could talk back? Would your cat speak to you kindly? How much more complicated might it be if we meet really intelligent species not human? How would we treat these 'people' in feathers or fur? Perhaps a more difficult question is: How would they treat us? Are we that lovable? When society and the law decide these sort of questions must be answered it is usually because someone disapproves of your choices. Today it may be a cat named in a will or a contest for custody of a dog. People are usually happy living the way they want until conflict is forced upon them. What if the furry fellow in question has his own law? And is quite articulate in explaining his choices. Can a Human adopt such an alien? Can such an intelligent alien adopt a human? Should they? Of course if the furry alien in question is smart enough to fly spaceships, and happens to be similar in size and disposition to a mature Grizzly bear, wisdom calls for a certain delicacy in telling him no...

    Burdened with guilt, he wrote Speaker for the Dead and created a pseudo-religion that spanned the known worlds. Now an adult, Ender is called to investigate a murder committed by a new alien species with a seemingly gruesome nature. Can he uncover the truth before another species and more human lives are lost? Based on the award-winning novel by bestselling author and science fiction legend Orson Scott Card. Collecting ORSON SCOTT CARD'S SPEAKER FOR THE DEAD #1-5.

    In Spring 2011, Tor put the next two Vlad books, Dragon and Issola, into print as a trade paperback entitled The Book of Dragon. Now we continue with the next two, collecting the New York Times-bestselling Dzur and Jhegaala into The Book of Dzur.In Dzur, Vlad is back in the great city of Adrilankha, with a price on his head. The rackets he used to run are now under the control of the mysterious Left Hand of the Jhereg--a cabal of women who report to no man. His ex-wife needs his help. His old enemies aren't sure whether they want to kill him, or talk to him and then kill him. A goddess appears to be playing tricks with his memory. And the Great Weapon he's carrying appears to have plans of its own....In Jhegaala, Vlad decides to hide out among his relatives in faraway Fenario, in a papermaking town called Burz. At first it's not such a bad place, though the mill reeks to high heaven. But the longer he stays there, the stranger it becomes. Then a grisly murder takes place. And in its wake, far from Dragaera, without his usual organization working for him, Vlad has to do his sleuthing amidst an alien people...his own.

    

    Louisa is nervous about being sent away to a boarding school -- but she's excited, too. And she has her best friend, Maddie, to keep her company. The girls have to pretend to be twin sisters, which Louisa thinks just adds to the adventure! Country Manor School isn't all excitement, though. Louisa isn't sure how she feels about her new roommates: athletic but snobby Rosie and everything's-a-conspiracy Evelyn. Even Maddie seems different away from home, quiet and worried all the time. Still, Louisa loves CMS -- the survival skills classes, the fresh air. She doesn't even miss not having a TV, or the internet, or any contact with home. It's for their own safety, after all. Or is it?

    In "Countdown," the prequel to "Patient Zero," meet Joe Ledger, Baltimore PD, attached to a Homeland Security task force who's about to get a serious promotion. "Zero Tolerance" picks up a few weeks after the close of "Patient Zero." Fans of the series will finally get closure on a few loose ends. In "Deep, Dark," the prequel to "The Dragon Factory," Joe Ledger must battle another foe experimenting with human test subjects. "Material Witness" takes Joe Ledger into the mysterious, troubled town of Pine Deep, Pennsylvania, the setting for Maberry's chilling Pine Deep Trilogy. In "Dog Days"--the sequel to "The Dragon Factory"--Joe Ledger and his new canine partner hunt the world's deadliest assassin.

    My six-foot-two frame has an assortment of scars and marks that readily attest to that. It’s the main reason I’ve never been offered a higher position on a big-draft. But, when things really go to hell, I’m always the first one to get the call. They trust me with their lives, but not their jobs.” --Adrian Tarn, Chief Security Officer, Starship Electra

    Thor and Captain America hit the big screen this summer, but their adventures don't end there! Enjoy two whole new stories starring Thor, Cap, and all your favorite characters from the films!

    In Pine Deep, nothing is what it seems. Takes place several weeks after the events in PATIENT ZERO.

    This chilling short story is the prequel to The Dragon Factory, the second installment in Maberry's action-packed Joe Ledger novels.Before Baltimore cop Joe Ledger goes up against two competing groups of geneticists looking to continue the master-race program in The Dragon Factory, he must battle another foe using human test subjects for his sinister plans.

    

    One day after his usual hour of detention he comes home to find an enigmatic woman named Ceinwyn Dale sitting in his kitchen, telling his parents lies about a special reform school. What she tells King Henry is different, she tells him he’s a mancer, a Geomancer to be exact, that he’s special, one in million maybe. She sure ain’t a fairy giant and King Henry sure as hell ain’t Harry Potter, but why not? Got to be better than the life he’s already got.King Henry Price is twenty-two, a recent graduate of the Asylum as an Artificer. With the special ability to create lasting items of the Mancy, he’s spurned the Artificer’s Guild and struck out on his own to found an Artificer workshop looking to do things his way. One night, a vampire baroness claiming she’s named Anne Boleyn walks into his shop, telling King Henry he’s going to help her, and she’s not taking 'no' for an answer. King Henry is pretty sure the whole name thing is just a joke, but only pretty sure…

    The earl is a powerful Lord of the Marches, the dark Welsh borderlands.Then a plague that has swept Europe overtakes England and as life descends into chaos and civil disorder, Maeb is about to discover that the horrors she survived at Pengraic Castle were but a prelude to the terrifying maelstrom which now envelops her and all of her countryfolk.Hell has come to desecrate England, and the only thing that can possibly foil its plans are the wits of one lonely, isolated and terrified woman.

    Facing dangerous odds, prejudice, and violence, Nexa finds strength in those around her and, ultimately, love.

    Dropping back into the world of former Baltimore cop Joe Ledger, the Department of Military Sciences, and flesh-eating zombies, fans of the series will finally see the tying up of a few loose ends.

    He is living in rural Sitra Falls, Oregon trying to deal with hyper-vigilance and ease back into civilian life.When an unusual looking young woman enters his favorite breakfast place he befriends her. Little does he know he'll kill for her before lunch and start an adventure that will take him around the world and off planet.When you have every sort of alphabet agency human and alien hunting for you survival is the hard part. But you might as well get rich too.

    But Sahara has recurring dreams of riding astride on magnificent animals that run like the wind. At the Gardener's Camp, she discovers a valuable book and learns that her visions are real. But how can she persuade others of the ancient bond between horses and humans, when she is labeled just a foolish girl? When Sahara discovers a helpless young horse, she must use both her courage and inborn knowledge to keep the animal safe, convince others of the true worth of horses, and learn the secret of her real identity.

    He falls through an old World War II tunnel, which is half flooded with both water and chemicals from long forgotten scientific experiments. Jeremy is rescued, but his body is forever altered. Soon he discovers that he can gather energy from living things. But his new abilities come with a price...

    Given a second chance at redemption he has walked the earth for over seven-hundred years.Dominicus Bureau, a renegade priest, torn between his vows and the secret he pursues, a secret protected by an immortal. He carries a silenced pistol and uses it. Often.Alex Donovan, a modern day warrior thrust into an ages old war, a war between good and evil, heaven and hell. Armed with an ancient chronicle of the life of Gaspar, Alex searches for the immortal and perhaps his own destiny.All three men, passengers on a Slow Boat To Purgatory.

    The technological gulf between humanity and the alien species is measured in terms of millions of years. The only way to communicate is using science, but not everyone is so patient. Humanity's first contact with an alien intelligence is far more radical than anyone has ever dared imagine. With a technological gap of millions of years, mankind is barely able to recognize the arrival of an alien space craft outside the gates of the United Nations in New York. Thank you for supporting independent writing.

    When his first one-night-stand, Caroline, turns out to be a true vampire on the run, he jumps at the chance to leave his ordinary life and join her as a "child of the night." The honeymoon ends, however, when Caroline's brutal Creator Sebastian enslaves them on his island estate and Avery must confront the dehumanizing reality behind his dreams. In order to survive, Caroline and Avery take their place as servants in Sebastian's household during a gathering of the most powerful vampires on Earth, the Hegemony, and soon find themselves involved in the myriad schemes, plots, and revenges that form the night-to-night existence of The Order. A society of wealth, power, and inhuman decadence whose existence is protected by human complicity and disbelief, The Order is the immortal aristocracy hidden behind the giant corporations and political leaders of the world. Sebastian, however, has a plan that will change The Order forever and shatter human civilization. A fast-paced thriller that both re-imagines and pays tribute to the traditional vampire, Ancient Blood is a story of love, ambition, sacrifice, and betrayal that is frighteningly human.

    Now Commander Vatta is backlocked and loaded and ready to win the fight against the marauding forces of ruthless space pirate Gammis Turek. For Ky, its not just about liberating the star systems subjugated by Turek and defending the rest of the galaxys freedom. Theres also a score to be settled and payback to be meted out for the obliteration of the Vatta Transport dynasty . . . and the slaughter of Kys family. But the enemy have their own escalation efforts under wayincluding the placement of covert agents among the allies with whom Ky and the surviving Vattas are collaborating in the war effort. And when a spy ring linked to a wealthy businessman is exposed, a cracked pirate code reveals a galaxywide conspiracy fueling the proliferation of Tureks warship fleet. Matching the invaders swelling firepower will mean marshaling an armada of battle-ready ships for Ky to lead into combat. But a violent skirmish leaves Ky reelingand presumed dead by her enemies. Now, as Turek readies an all-out attack on the Nexus systema key conquest that could seal the rest of the galaxys doomKy must rally to the challenge, draw upon every last reserve of her strategic skills, and reach deep if she is to tear from the ashes of tragedy her most decisive victory.

    Luckily, violence is what Leo knows best.

    Hephaestus Books represents a new publishing paradigm, allowing disparate content sources to be curated into cohesive, relevant, and informative books. To date, this content has been curated from Wikipedia articles and images under Creative Commons licensing, although as Hephaestus Books continues to increase in scope and dimension, more licensed and public domain content is being added. We believe books such as this represent a new and exciting lexicon in the sharing of human knowledge. This particular book contains chapters focused on The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant books, and The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant locations. More info: The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever is a trilogy of fantasy novels by Stephen R. Donaldson. It was followed by The Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, also a trilogy, and The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, a planned tetralogy.

    The next chapter in the bestselling Ender saga is here! Ender Wiggin was 12 years old when he destroyed an alien race. Burdened with guilt, he wrote Speaker for the Dead and created a pseudo-religion that spanned the known worlds. Now an adult, Ender is called to investigate a murder committed by a new alien species with a seemingly gruesome nature. Can he uncover the truth before another species and more human lives are lost? Based on the award-winning novel by bestselling author and science fiction legend Orson Scott Card.

    He survives slavery and the fighting pits of Mogadishu, eventually becoming a merchant adventurer whose extraordinary skills and determination makes his a legend. From the Swahili merchant cities of Mombasa and Sofala to the magnificent Middle Kingdom, Changa and his crew experience adventures beyond the imagination. Despite his reputation, Changa will not rest until he has fulfilled his promise to his people. The anchors are lifted and the sails are dropped. Let the safari begin

    From the jungles of Kled to the surface of the moon, Carter's quest takes him ever closer to the secret of the marvellous sunset city…and the terror of Nyarlathotep and Azathoth, the monstrous Other Gods who stand in his way. This limited edition oversize 184-page hardcover includes a full comic adaptation of the novel by H.P. Lovecraft, as well as the related stories "The White Ship," "Celephais" and "The Strange High House in the Mist." It also features a B&W map of the dream world, as well as, an art gallery section with concept sketches and additional drawings.

    Stitched together from the remains of the villagers’ dead children—whose memories still live in her flesh—the patchwork girl is a spell as yet unfinished, held together by nothing more than a ring made of moonbeams. She can never be what her parents want her to be: a replacement for the children they’ve lost. So when the poppet grows up, and grows tired of being a disappointment, she decides to embark upon a journey through the Everwood Forest in search of her real name.In the forest she meets Faolin, a newly made wereman (a man trapped as a wolf except during the full moon) running from the beasts who made him. Wanting nothing more than to become human again, and to return to his fiancée, the patchwork girl promises to help him in his quest is he will help in hers. Together they face the dangers of the forest, forming an unlikely bond as their paths wind together: Faolin running from his destiny, the patchwork girl in search of her own, and both of them bound by moonlight.But Faolin, afraid of the beast he has become, has known all along what he must do in order to lift the curse and return to his fiancée-in fact, it is the very reason he sought out the patchwork girl to begin with. But now, his cure has become the very reason why he must leave her: to protect her from himself.

    Michael discovers Danny has a special gift—he knows what happens after a person dies—and now others want to know too. The brothers must outwit and outrun Samuel Herrington, a lethal biophysicist, the FBI, and even fellow Americans in a harrowing cross-country chase, because whoever gets to Danny first will have the power to rule the world.

    It's hot and sticky. The locusts are droning in the trees, and Robin Sherwood and her brother, Andy, are in trouble. Their parents have disappeared, and their crazy uncle Conrad with the silver claw where his hand used to be has shown up. Unfortunately for them, he's planning on killing them so he can inherit the Sherwood Fortune.They've run away to the bayou and the Voodoo Swamp in order to escape his crazy game. Robin would rather take the chance on becoming alligator bait than to face what's waiting for her in the cellar.This is a YA thriller that will keep both boys and girls turning the pages.

    51 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more – everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of Treasure. This detailed literature summary also contains Topics for Discussion and a Free Quiz on Treasure by Clive Cussler.

    It seemed like such a simple task at first, for a powerful elemental wizard. Just go to the mountain, send in his elemental servants, and have them tap on a an ancient wizard's tomb. Such a very simple, if somewhat dangerous task. But then he never expected to awaken an entire family of ancient wizards, or after that thousands more. He never expected to have to battle armies of the undead. And above all else, he never expected for the dragons to get involved.

    With war escalating around him, these may be beyond his reach. Instead, survival becomes his only goal as he flees civilization to pursue the chance at a better life by following a fox wildling into the mountains, far from the war's conflicts.The war might still be raging elsewhere, but Estin will find the mountains are far from safe. Estin must decide what he is willing to do and become, as well as who to trust if he is to survive, no matter where he lives.

    A vampire has stolen his soul and if he doesn't get it back soon, his next step will be into Hell. Only the naïvely mysterious Rose can help him retrieve it. Without her, he really will become the devil himself.Rose Walters has been sent back from the dead to complete one task—save Gabriel Caine. She's drawn to Gabriel on the most basic level, but restoring his soul may cost Rose her life.Rose has touched the whole of Gabriel, making him yearn for a love he believes he can never have. Her willingness to put her human life on the line for him forces him to bring all three parts of himself—demon, human, and Feri bloodlines, and the strengths of each—into harmony and into the fight that decides their fate.

    

    Alone in a cold dark dungeon, all hope is gone… until Madrick, the disgraced royal wizard, is thrown into the dungeon with him.Madrick reveals an incredible secret about a legendary spell, a spell which helps them escape their prison cell, and eventually their century.As strangers lost in today’s modern world, the great spell is the only thing that keeps them alive. They think they are finally safe, until the fateful day when they meet Michael, a computer hacker who plans to destroy the world’s largest bank.What happens when ancient magic meets the internet, and what if the horrors from a thousand years ago are waiting for the time-travellers in the present day? One thing is certain, with ancient magic brought from the past, modern life will never be the same again.Grab a copy and laugh your heart out with this spellbinding book that will surely tickle your funny bone while keeping you perched on the edge of your seat.

    No one said what you're supposed to do when it kicks it. All Rebecca MacDonnell wants to do is get through high school with grades good enough to win a prestigious scholarship so that she can finally leave her miserable life behind. One evening, after a particularly bad day, she finds out that people other than her aging grandmother need her help, and desperately so. Well, not "people," exactly. Vampires, werewolves, demons, ghosts, goblins, and other things thought only imaginary all need help sometime, and Rebecca was born with the unique ability to heal ethereal beings. She is about to turn seventeen, the age at which her talent will manifest in its entirety, and become a true Healer...if she lives through the event. A war between various ethereal factions is brewing, and Healers are a valuable commodity to any side. Those who wish to harness Rebecca's manifesting healing powers for their own purposes must get to her before her seventeenth birthday. Only two vampires and a rogue werewolf stand between Rebecca and those determined to make her serve them, and the fact that Rebecca has no clue what she's doing doesn't exactly help matters. Neither does being seriously attracted to more than one of those just trying to protect her. For a soon-to-be seventeen-year-old Healer-in-training, that's a lot to handle. Especially on top of her homework.

    Constantly bullied by Aiko, he eventually takes refuge with the village priest in the Kadek Temple where he studies medicinal and culinary arts, calligraphy, and ultimately, the art of Ki sword. Under the tutelage of the priest he comes to know the grim truth about his father, and is prepared to face the horrific assault of the armies of the Atlantean Empire upon his humble world.And this is just the beginning . . .

    Just not a particularly good one. He's blown up a factory, lost his job, and there's a chance that he's not really a Third Grade wizard after all. So it's off to New Ottosland to be the new Court Wizard for King Lional. It's a shame that King Lional isn't the vain, self-centered young man he appeared to be. With a Princess in danger, a talking bird who can't stay out of trouble, and a kingdom to save, Gerald soon suspects that he might be out of his depth. And if he can't keep this job, how will he ever become the wizard he was destined to be...BOOK 2: WITCHES INCORPORATEDIt's a case of espionage, skullduggery and serious unpleasantnessAnd it's also Gerald's first official government assignment. He's hunting down a deadly saboteur, and time is quickly running out. Old enemies and new combine forces to thwart him. Once again, innocent lives are on the line. He needs his friends. He can't do this alone. But Princess Melissande and Reg have troubles of their own. With the help of Monk Markham's brilliant, beautiful sister, they've opened a one-stop-shop witching locum agency, where magical problems are solved for a price. Problem is, the girls are struggling to keep the business afloat. Things are looking grim for Witches Incorporated - and that's before they accidentally cross paths with Gerald's saboteur. Suddenly everybody's lives are on the line and Gerald realizes, too late, that there's a reason government agents aren't supposed to have friends...BOOK 3: Wizard SquaredWhen the staff of Witches Incorporated receive a visitor from an alternate reality, they are shocked to learn that life in the parallel world next door is anything but a bed of roses... and it's all because of Gerald Dunwoody. At a crucial moment in time, their Gerald turned left... but the alternate reality Gerald turned right. Now the parallel world next door is in the grip of terror, staring down the barrel of a thaumaturgical war -- a war that threatens to spill across the dimensions and plunge every reality into a nightmare. The only person who can stop a rogue wizard gone mad is another rogue wizard. But what do you do when another rogue wizard can't be found?

    Far beyond its lands and seas, sister worlds revolve around the same sun, their residents connected by magical portals or ships of terrifying magic and technology. Now take your game off-planet and explore these weird new worlds for yourself!This book offers a detailed introduction to the science-fantasy worlds of Golarion’s solar system, each complete with its own mysterious locations and cultures. Discover how your swords and spells match up against the trench dwellers of the Red Planet or the angelic Sarcesians who soar between asteroids. Research the mysterious origins of the sealed world-ship of Apostae, or hunt vortex sharks in the freezing seas of Kalo-Mahoi. Though strange and new, each of these worlds uses the same Pathfinder Roleplaying Game rules as Golarion itself.Within this 64-page book, you’ll find:- Gazetteers of every planet and major moon in Golarion’s system, from the steamy jungles of Castrovel and the machine-ruled rock of Aballon to post-apocalyptic Eox and divided Verces, where one side is always day and the other night. Plus, uncover information on the residents of the sun, Golarion’s moon, the asteroid belt called the - Diaspora, the dark regions beyond mysterious Aucturn, and more!- Introductions to the major cultures inhabiting the system. Will you join Castrovel’s beautiful Lashunta, fight beside the four-armed giants of Akiton, study with the hyper-evolved Contemplatives of Ashok, petition the undead Bone Sages of Eox, or face down the insectile legions of the Forever Queen?- Easy new rules for adventuring on other planets, including discussions on gravity, temperature, time, vacuum, and traveling between worlds.- Adventure hooks for every world, tailored for GMs currently playing on Golarion.- Six brand-new alien monsters, from intelligent dragonkin who bond with humanoids to the great oma space-whales and amorphous, blimplike Brethedans.Cover art by Kerem Beyit

    No hope, no friends, no future. But when Simon the Healer appears everything begins to miraculously transform. The lake, the land and even the villagers themselves blossom into what they should have been all along: beautiful, strong, vital. All Jacob's dreams seem to be within his reach.Dreams, however, are powerful things and often deliver a future in ways unexpected. For every rise there is a fall, and for every fall the path rises to meet us once again.

    Or try to.In that respect, the characters we meet in Impossibilia are like any of us. They have things inside them too. Only their things are a little... different.A dead wife that won't leave. A wolf. The secret to being the luckiest man alive.Impossibilia was Doug's first collection of short fiction and includes the following novelettes:"Bouquet of Flowers in a Vase, by van Gogh" (Aurora Award Finalist)"Spirit Dance" (Aurora Award WINNER)"Going Down to Lucky Town" (Aurora Award Finalist)In "Bouquet of Flowers in a Vase, by van Gogh," remote viewing drives a search through the past for lost masterpieces. An ex-CIA agent, haunted by the presence of his dead wife, falls in love with a beautiful remote viewer with her own secret. But can viewing the past change the present?Cree legends, a love triangle, a covert government agency, and shape shifters collide in the award-winning "Spirit Dance," described in Challenging Destiny as "...a vivid and wonderfully written tale about Native Canadian spirits, in the vein of Thomas King." In "Going Down to Lucky Town," an itinerant gambler chases a streak of luck across the country, while trying to win back the love of his daughter. The secret he finds forces him into an ultimate gamble for the highest stakes of all: his daughter's life.And through all the stories, these characters share one more thing beyond what they hold inside. In the decisions they face, in the choices they make, they do what they do out of love. Lost love, found love, the love of a child. But love. So maybe they aren't that different from us after all..."Highly, highly recommended." —Fantasy Book Critic"The writing is superb. Douglas Smith is an artisan and his stories beautifully crafted. ... In my search for the perfect short story, the three in this volume certainly qualify." —SF Crowsnest Book Reviews"Rarely have I seen such an apt title to any book! Douglas Smith has given us three amazing stories that are so unusual and beautiful that no other name than Impossibilia could possibly describe this collection. Each tale was rapture and ecstasy, magical and mysterious, perfect and implausible. In short, I loved them all from the first word to the last. ... I don’t know what else to say without spoiling things for you so I won’t say anything else, except READ THIS BOOK!!!" —Mass Movement Magazine

    A journey which sees him taking an increasingly pivotal role in the battle between the rival forces of the king and the master, and takes him from being a young soldier in his home of Edesfield to being a fast-rising hero in the dense and rotten city of Dunthruik.Under the watchful eye of Lord Cathair, in the loving arms of Lady Alessia Turnholt, and torn between enemy forces, Eamon’s experiences lead him to question the nature and true meaning of some of the most important things in life - love and friendship, loyalty and honour, and who he really is. But will the answers he finds lead him to become true to himself and true to his name? Will they lead him to become a good man?

    Those with the means to take Communion are immune to the diseases and risks that ravage those who live outside the city walls. While life is a struggle for the less affluent, their existence is subsidized by the rich. Food and medicine are cheap, transportation is free-and for those with needed skills-indentured servitude to the wealthy or to the government can buy your own expanded longevity. They are two different worlds, and those above and those below share little in common except for one thing: A love for the Professional Seeder matches, where immortal combatants fight until only one is left standing. With two weeks left before her sixteenth birthday, Punk Jordan lives out the last days of her mortal existence by competing in underground Seeder matches where only the best martial artists excel and the rules stop the moment the match begins. The daughter of William Jordan, founder of the company that makes the Communion drug, Punk's elevation to immortality is guaranteed and a life of fame and wealth on the professional circuit awaits. But when those closest to her-including her own mentally ill mother-turn out to be part of a heretical anti-government movement, her comfortable life is shattered. To protect those she loves the most, Punk flees the only home she's ever known and is forced to make choices that weigh family against compassion, privilege against promises and love against immortality itself.

    For Trevor Stone, however, what began as a straightforward battle for survival has grown into a complex campaign against both external and internal adversaries. While his forces confront a human/alien alliance, Trevor finds that his most dangerous enemy is much closer to home. Schism is the fourth installment in the five-part Beyond Armageddon series and features massive battles over the skies of California, a conspiracy that will shake the foundation of humanity's empire, and a conversation with the gods. Get Ready. Hold on. Choose your side.

    The Seventh Volume of the Complete Technic Civilization Saga.             Sir Dominic Flandry is now an Admiral, but takes little joy in his new rank. He sees the rot in the Terran Empire on every hand and knows that the Long Night will inevitably fall upon the galaxy. His consolation is that measures he has taken while doing what he can to postpone the Empire’s final collapse may shorten the coming galactic dark age and hasten the rise of a new interstellar civilization. In the meantime, he’ll enjoy the comforts of a decadent civilization—and he’ll always be ready for one more battle against the Empire’s enemies.             This concluding volume of the Technic Civilization saga, one of the milestones of modern science fiction includes two full-length novels: A Stone in Heaven—When the daughter of Flandry’s mentor asks for help, he intervenes, and finds he must thwart a would-be dictator’s plans to seize control of the Empire.The Game of Empire—The Merseians, alien enemies of the Empire, have put into motion an insidious plan to bring the Terran Empire down. Flandry’s daughter, Diana, and her feline-like alien friend have discovered the conspiracy, but can they stop it in time?            Plus three novellas and a novelette set in the time of the Long Night and the renaissance of civilization which followed it, concluding one of the grandest adventure sagas in science fiction.

    Once risen as a vampire, he takes his betrothed into the dark with him, but something goes wrong and Antoinette perishes. Thus, Damien begins a solitary walk down the corridors of time in search of Antoinette’s replacement.Beginning with Konstancza in 15th century Romania where Damien and his garde de nuit serve Voivoide Vlad Drakula, his search extends into the far future to a fateful meeting in a snow-filled Chicago. Until then, Damien meets, loves, and loses each person he thinks may be the one to replace his Antoinette—Kate in Colonial America, who avenges herself against her rapist but prefers to hang rather than become an Undead; Bess, a 21st century Goth, wanting both an Undead lover and a living one and dying for the wrong choice; Michel, a concentration camp guard where Damien and his kind are imprisoned in the human answer to the Vampire Problem; Alyss – descendant of his beloved Konstancza –lost to a rival vampire’s seduction.All could be his but all perish, for when the Night Man Cometh, can Death be behind…?

    The house takes them, flies in the web, and won't let them go. The house is beautiful and silent as a tomb. There are children at play, pretending to live as their souls are sucked out of them. There is no way out. The doors are locked and the windows hammered shut. Some have been there for years, their minds warped into insanity by the fear and pain. Curt is new and can't understand why no one speaks and why the only sounds come from the night. He wonders what it is that comes out of the basement when the sun goes down. There is no way out until you are cold and stiff. What the readers say about The Punished: "I did not expect the chilling supernatural story that is The Punished." "...and I will never forget this one. Five stars, 100%, I give it the highest praise I have to offer." "...and it left me spinning in my chair. There’s more to it than horror; there’s mystery and nail-biting suspense."

    Strange, Nick Fury, Iron Man, Thor, Spider-Man, Daredevil, the X-Men, the Avengers and the Defenders! And witness the unlikely solo breakouts of the Human Torch, Red Wolf, Dr. Doom, the Silver Surfer, the Black Widow and more! Collecting RAWHIDE KID (1955) #17; material from AMAZING ADVENTURES (1961) #1; FANTASTIC FOUR (1961) #1; material from TALES TO ASTONISH (1959) #27, #51 and #70; INCREDIBLE HULK (1962) #1; material from AMAZING FANTASY #15; material from JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY #83; material from STRANGE TALES (1951) #101, #110 and #135; TWO-GUN KID #60; material from TALES OF SUSPENSE (1959) #39, #49 and #59; SGT. FURY AND HIS HOWLING COMMANDOS #1; AVENGERS (1963) #1; X-MEN (1963) #1; DAREDEVIL (1964) #1; GHOST RIDER (1967) #1; MARVEL SUPER-HEROES (1967) #12 and #19-20, CAPTAIN SAVAGE #1; and material from SILVER SURFER (1968) #1.

    Charlemagne, Constantine, Otto the Barbarian, The Knights Templar and Adolf Hitler all owned it... and believed it gave them the power to rule the world. What if they were right? The first time Dr. Cait Monahan ever heard of the Spear of Longinus was the night her husband was murdered because of it. That was when the terror began. ...right before the U.S. Government, the CIA, Neo Nazis, the Vatican and a secret cabal of 13 powerful global manipulators sent their assassins after her and her 9 year old. ...just before a lethal secret propelled her across Europe following a riddle that hadn't been solved since the Holocaust. ...just before Cait Monahan became entrapped in an interdimensional labyrinth that her own husband may have helped design. Now she's a player in a game that has led to mystery, magic, mayhem and murder for over 2000 years, and only the help of a tribunal of long dead men may be able to save her. Vibrant and cerebral, filled with intrigue, Conspiracy Theory and more ancient secrets than the Dead Sea Scrolls, Lark's Labyrinth pits characters you'll care about against a mystery you'll want to solve. Inside Lark's Labyrinth is a secret men have killed for ...now a woman, her sister, her child and their small band of friends are all that stand between us and the dark, insidious power that's a hairsbreadth away from ruling the world.

    As a soul eater, he cannot kiss without killing.He crosses paths with Aine while being hunted by the Phoenician priest Gregori, and soon discovers Aine is also on the hit list. Falling for her fast, while trying to discover why she’s also marked for death, the ultimate soul eater’s Armageddon is about to happen.

    Dessa is intent on solving the mystery. Instead, caught in the swirling mist that surrounds the cabin, she finds herself in 1890, in a shootout between the Faraday Gang and a US Marshal. Marshal Cole Jeffers doesn't believe Miss Wade is a time traveler. He admits she's innocent of being an outlaw but thinks she knows more about the gang than she's telling. When she's kidnapped by Zeke Faraday, Cole is determined to rescue her. He's longed for a woman of his own, and Dessa Wade just might be the one'if she'll commit to the past.

    In "Escape from Beckyville: Tales of Race, Hair and Rage," go inside a futuristic Los Angeles where female wraiths prey on black women for their hair, southern maids possess superpowers and black women live in fear of being stopped by the Rage Patrol. Ten dysfunctional divas – all named Jones – struggle to survive among the chaos, as they deal with their own insecurities and their relationship to "Becky." In these ten twisted and provocative tales, Nicole D. Sconiers tackles issues of race, hair and rage in witty, haunting and terrifying ways.

    He’s joined by the genetically engineered assassin, Shasti Rainhell, whose cold perfection masks her dark past. Both are blackmailed by government spymaster, Mandela, into a suicidal mission to the doomed planet Enshar. Leading a team of scientists and soldiers, they must unravel the mystery of that planet’s death before an ancient force reaches out to claim their lives.The classic Planet Stories of S/F have suffered abandonment, without a rescuer, until now. Edward McKeown's "Was Once A Hero" combines adventure and romance with the dark humor and human complexities absent from a more black-and-white age. Robert Fenaday and Shasti Rainhell are real people. They make mistakes, they hurt, they stumble in the dark emotionally, and they save the world. They are flawed, wounded heroes, and they make you realize, as you hungrily turn each page, that the best fiction contains excitement and passion; and the best aspect of life is the possibility of personal redemption. Was Once a Hero provides both." Tim McLoughlin, author of "Heart of the Old Country" (Movie Title: The Narrows) and Editor of "Brooklyn Noir"

    After she’s rescued by a wizard, Sydney is forced to accept that magic—long outlawed throughout the Kingdom of Thanumor—still exists, and the Tuatha, a powerful faery folk, are much more than ancient myth and legend. When the wizard offers a chance to fight the Guild and bring Willem, bastard prince and champion of the Tuatha, to the throne, Sydney embraces the cause as a way to find her own redemption.But Sydney’s fear of the Guild, distrust of authority, and surprising connection to the Tuatha threaten Willem's success. Can she untangle the strange threads that entwine her life not only to the fate of the kingdom, but also to Willem himself?

    It now appears here in ebook format for the first time. Lior is the Rodmistress of a small north-coast fishing village in Darthen. Her work brings her up against the Sea on a daily basis. But one day a desperate challenge that Lior issues to the Sea itself in the face of a deadly ocean storm produces a change in the relationship that not even a Rodmistress can easily cope with. Soon Lior must choose between the safety and security of the life she's always known and the terrifying power and possibility offered her by what was once just a force of nature, but has now become something much more personal... Reader's advisory: This story contains mature themes and situations.

    What he never imagined in his craziest dreams was that he'd find himself dodging bullets and crashing cars off mountainsides, let alone that he'd ever be expected to break the ancient werewolf curse which hangs over his family.Even worse, his parents are determined to fight him tooth and nail to keep the Curse intact, his friends are not much help, and he's not quite sure his girlfriend isn't secretly trying to kill him.And that's just for starters.But Zach is the last of the werewolf hunters, the long-foretold Curse-Breaker who can wipe out the wolves forever, and he's not the type to give up just because of a few minor setbacks. . .No matter what the cost, Zach must somehow find the courage and the faith in God to make an end.

    Old soldier Wes Stauer is dying inside, from sheer lack of purpose.And then comes the knock on the door: "Our leader's son and heir has been kidnapped. We don't know where he is. We need you to get him back for us. The people who have him are numerous, warlike, and well armed. But money is no object."And then old soldiers - sailor and airmen, too - stop fading away and come back into sharp focus.

    Being an immortal isn’t what Zavier only hides. His bad boy charms and smouldering handsome face, has everyone wanting to dive into a romance of passion with him. His passionate soul, longs to be loved with intense desire. Rick, Miki and CJ attend Lakeview High and live their teen lives with their secret loves and school hassles…evil is arriving and their lives are never going to be the same! Who cries? Who wins? Be warned it’s a wicked run of passion, hope, tears, strength, power, love and dangerous choices, filled with deception, betrayal and tenderness.Lakeview is a humble pleasant place to live…but amongst its scenic surrounds immortals are dwelling! Some are evil enough to haunt and horrify you for eternity and others are loving and full of heroic actions. Would you befriend them? How would you know who’s who? WICKED LOVE…

    Constantly bullied by Aiko, he eventually takes refuge with the village priest in the Kadek Temple where he studies medicinal and culinary arts, calligraphy, and ultimately, the art of Ki sword. Under the tutelage of the priest he comes to know the grim truth about his father, and is prepared to face the horrific assault of the armies of the Atlantean Empire upon his humble world.And this is just the beginning . . .

    Where the guardian spirits known as kami stand against the ravages of evil oni. Where the martial artists of a shattered empire strive to maintain their traditions against rising chaos. A land of jade and tea, of pride and treachery, of reincarnation and vengeful ghosts. These are the lands of the Dragon Empires.Dragon Empires Gazetteer presents the first exploration of the continent of Tian Xia, a vast realm found on the opposite side of the world of Golarion from the Inner Sea region. Inspired by the fascinating myths and rich histories of numerous Asian cultures and traditions, the Dragon Empires can be either an exotic destination for world-traveling heroes from the far side of the world, or they can be the foundation of an entirely new campaign.Inside this 64-page book, you will find:- Details on over two dozen nations and regions of the vast continent of Tian Xia, including Minkai (a land under the rule of the notorious Jade Regent), Quain (a realm of martial artists and strange spirits), the Wall of Heaven (the world’s largest and most dangerous mountain range), and Xa Hoi (an ancient empire ruled by a dragon king).- Rules for five new player character races (the foxlike kitsune, the reptilian nagaji, the spiritual samsarans, the crafty tengus, and the shadowy wayangs).- Details on the core 20 deities of the Dragon Empires.- A timeline of Tian Xia’s long and eventful history.- Information about Dragon Empires society, factions and philosophies, the zodiac, languages, and more!Cover art by Wayne Reynolds

    But overnight, her peaceful high-rise turns bonkers, and a series of grisly murders leaves Millie frightened and more helpless than ever. Millie must accept her lead role in rescuing Nightingale from its descent into anarchy, or risk all Hell breaking loose.

    Forced to integrate the creatures of fantasy into real life, humanity struggles against its disillusionment, prejudice and an inevitable feeling of inadequacy.Once an agent for the embassy that mediates between the worlds, Elizabeth Larson has abandoned her past and slipped into a world of nostalgic addiction to fairy revels, dancing, and the dark lure of her own memories. But when Lockland Sheen, her former partner and lover, goes missing, she is pulled reluctantly back into service. She must venture once more across the borders, into the land that haunts her, facing a string of gruesome murders, the imposing Sidhe rulers and her own addiction in the process.While the Embassy’s agents attempt to soothe tensions between the races, Liz and her new partner search the fairy realm for Lockland. Fighting the constant temptation of the revels, they piece together the trail of an unknown enemy. But the longer they follow it, the more it appears that the man they came to rescue is more villain than victim. And the more they rely on Elizabeth’s ties to the fairies, the closer she inches toward the madness that lurks behind her fantasies.

    These are obvious concepts when spelled out in clear cut settings. Because of this, how one goes about subverting the norm (as a traitor or revolutionary) is based on what the norm is. What is normal in one society can be, and often is, taboo in another society. This allows tales of subversion to be subtle, blatant, personal, communal, and endless in variation. - from the Foreword by Jennifer Brozek

    - Book One: A Princess of Mars- Book Two: The Gods of Mars- Book Three: The Warlord of Mars- Book Four: Thuvia, Maid of Mars- Book Five: The Chessmen of Mars- Bonus Short Story: The Terrible PlanetThis collection includes a new, original artwork and illustrations, and a linked table of contents for Kindles & Kindle apps

    

    He pays his bills on time. He waters his lawn. He treats his neighbors and the folks with whom he does business with kindness and respect. He's good to children and small animals.The tiny exception? He's a vampire.Born in 1920, and "brought over" shortly after D-Day in a little French village, 90-year-old Gifford still looks and feels 24. He has friends, a place in the community, a thriving business, and a big orange tabby cat named Fiddlestring. He knows where all the good restaurants are. He's very tidy about that "tiny exception" and has never killed anybody. All he lacks in his life is the beautiful girl who made him what he is today—and then mysteriously vanished.Now, suddenly, after sixty-five years, she's back and needs his help. But is she his long-lost love or a serial-killing fiend? Only time—and blood—will tell.

    His characters may be neuroscientists, superhero sidekicks, middle-aged heroes of children's stories, or fanatics spreading a virus-borne religion, but they are all convincingly human. Includes two never-before published short stories.Contents:- Daryl Gregory: Facts and Obsessions (2011) by Nancy Kress- Second Person, Present Tense (2005)- Unpossible (2007)- Damascus (2006)- The Illustrated Biography of Lord Grimm (2008)- Gardening at Night (2006)- Petit Mal #1: Glass (2008)- What We Take When We Take What We Need (2010)- Petit Mal #2: Digital (2011)- Message from the Bubblegum Factory (2010)- Free, and Clear (2004)- Dead Horse Point (2007)- In the Wheels (1990)- Petit Mal #3: Persistence (2011)- The Continuing Adventures of Rocket Boy (2004)- Story NotesCover art by Antonello Silverini

    But the Jern's new dream home quickly becomes an icy nightmare, as death stalks them relentlessly. It comes unheralded out of the night, and like all of us, they are dreadfully unprepared. But regardless, William Jern must face terrors beyond imagination in order to save his daughter whose body had become a frozen vessel for The Horror Of The Shade.With the help of his son Will, a boy struggling to find the courage to be a man, and an old woman, who has foreseen the terrifying manner in which she will die, William undergoes the ultimate test to see how far a man will go to save his child.

    There were things he had to sort out, loose ends he had left behind, farewells he had to make. Having his not-quite-human girlfriend Taf possess his mother, however, was not about to make his time at home run smoothly.The warning Taf brings with her doesn't help either. The witch-god Hura is planning on retirement and that is never going to be a good thing. There were too many others ready to fill the power vacuum that was sure to exist after she left, and the lower class races were going to bear the brunt of any conflict that developed. Jorden knew he had to return to the Domain and stop her doing anything stupid and bringing about a race war that was sure to kill thousands.When Hura then vanishes into a void right before Jorden's eyes he knows things are just going to get worse, and finding himself transported to one the darkest tunnels in existence doesn't help either. The only way to save the Domain this time is to find Hura Ghiana and the Dula Kaena cult that appear to have taken her, and learning more means facing his girlfriend's mother, Midnight, who is already more than willing to tear him to shreds. It also means unlocking secrets of a past Jorden isn't sure he wants to know about, including a very dark history of Hura herself and the fall from power of vast empires in a time of myth.Jorden has to travel through pieces of what looks a lot like Heaven and Hell and a few places in between just to find those responsible for all that has happened.And getting home again is going to be a hell of a lot harder...

    Infamous for their unpredictable attacks, catchy raiding songs, and fear of horses, goblins blend mischief and murderousness like no other monsters. But there’s more to goblins than dogslicers and games of killgull. Now you can join in the quirky carnage with everything you need to know about goblins, whether you plan to do battle against their unpredictable tribes, or lead them as a goblin hero!Goblins of Golarion presents a player-friendly overview of the favorite foes of the Pathfinder campaign setting, along with new rules and information to help players customize goblin characters in both flavor and mechanics.Inside this book, you'll find:- The secrets of goblin life, from their strange anatomy and deranged psychology to their baffling culture and hilarious quirks.- An overview of goblin homelands across the Inner Sea Region, along with details on dozens of unique goblin tribes.- New ways to fight like a goblin, with equipment and feats to help goblins skirmish and scavenge like only goblins can.- Revelations on goblin religion, from their unique worship of Lamashtu, the Mother of Monsters, to their race’s infamous hero-god.- Insights into the questionable and grotesque world of goblin arcana, with new goblin-made spells and magic items.- Rules, traits, and advice for playing goblin characters, giving you everything you need to unleash goblin insanity all your own.- New goblin songs, games, and tricks, and even more goblin madness!Cover art by Andrew Hou

    After being stabbed, witnessing a friend’s murder and shooting a man in self-defense, Anne realizes she’s been Fate’s puppet all along. Now she’s chosen Anna Maria Island to try and take back control of her life. Unfortunately—when a murdered girl washes up on the beach—she understands, once again, Fate has chosen this place for her. When Anne’s two eccentric aunts decide it’s time to let her in on the family secret, they tell Anne she is the latest fourth generation woman in her brown-eyed family to be born with green eyes and a paranormal gift. Anne’s gift is being in the wrong place at the right time. The gift of serendipity. But, the gift is also a curse. Each green-eyed woman has died before her twenty-eighth birthday. Anne will turn twenty-eight in three weeks.Can she embrace her gift and help stop this budding serial killer? Or is he the tool Fate will use to fulfill the family curse?

    It is a little known fact of history - or myth, or both, that around the start of the twentieth century there existed a lost year. In this year, a green comet appeared in the sky. As it grew larger, things that would previously have been considered utterly fantastical began to seep into everyday life. By the height of summer, imagination and reality were so seamlessly merged that few recalled a time when the world had been otherwise. Mermaids swam in the Mediterranean. Martians commuted by train from Woking. Greek gods gave lecture tours of the United States. And with this new way of life came a whole set of problems of etiquette and decorum (see reference to mermaids). Fortunately, the solution was at hand. In the depths of the British Museum, intrepid academics Bampton "Bammy" Bromfield and Cyril Clattercut had long been cataloguing accounts of the uncanny from around the world on behalf of the Royal Mythological Society. The arrival of the green comet was about to give them the busiest year of their lives... This selection of Dunsany-esque fantasy vignettes ties in with the Mirabilis - Year of Wonders graphic novel, available in print and on iPad.

    That's how all the trouble begins.Extended DescriptionPersephonice is an overseer--an observer and recorder of information about inhabitants of civilized worlds. Only she's lost her lifemate and cannot be an overseer without one. She's given a second chance if she can prove she's worthy if she can survive an inhospitable planet inhabited by elves and other mythical creatures she's only read about, very little of which is known of them except that they constantly battle amongst themselves and are not civilized enough to safely observe.The shadow elf, Dracolin, a warrior given the task of learning what is blocking their water source, doesn't expect to find the most unusual creature he's ever encountered--a red-haired, green-eyed land-bound mermaid. That's only the beginning. She understands and can speak his language, falls off cliffs without injuring herself, and swims like a mermaid--without the fishtail.Everyone is intrigued with her--except some fear her uniqueness and want to destroy her. That is the problem with observing uncivilized worlds.

    This time Helen has gone to far in her quest for the ultimate knowledge of the reality of the shard worlds she has found herself within for centuries, and this time with even more tragic results. She will leave Maeruna, this time forever. Jorden too plans to leave it all behind, but thanks to Helen, that is going to be a lot harder than he would like. With his life shattered in more ways than he cares to think about, Jorden is left on a quest not only to find a place where he might live in peace, but also a quest to find even the better part of himself. It is a quest stained with the blood of many, some by his own hand, and in time Jorden knows he will need to face those who will decide his ultimate fate.This is the final journey of Jorden Miles, a journey where he must face even Death herself.

    . . What lady can resist that?After three months of holding out against her Yorkist besiegers, Lady Eleanor deWoodford finally surrenders her Lancastrian castle to Sir Henry de Tracey, only thenrealising he's the man she fell in love with ten years ago. However the once boyish Hal has grown into a powerful, impressive knight, a man used to being obeyed, who's not going to let their past change the fact that he wants her castle, and he wants it now!Although she knows she should hate Henry for betraying the real king and killing her husband, having suffered seven years of marriage to a selfish, sometimes cruel man, Eleanor is desperate for a night of freedom before she's married off again to some old knight in a faraway land. She asks Henry for one night of passion and he, still finding her the most beautiful woman he's ever seen, is happy to oblige. Eleanor has already surrendered her castle. She doesn't realise she's about to surrender her heart as well . . . .

    Think Bruce Willis meets Mel Gibson with a dash of Chow Yun Fat and directed by James Cameron, leading toward a last-page punchline like a kick in the head. Buckle your safety harness for this nonstop, in-your-face ride.Times are tough in the economic downturn of the late 2040s. Angel, an ex-prostitute-turned-assassin, has just killed her ex-boyfriend without making a dime on it. Camaro, a courier, is wanted by the Feds for smuggling coffee and evading pursuit. And Haiwee, once the greatest hacker on the planet, has ruined her body with the drugs used to enhance her reflexes and is destitute with no reputation left to cash in upon. So when a billionaire offers them a big paycheck to retrieve one of three collectible bottles and destroy the other two, the three young mercenaries don’t ask questions. In pursuit of their contract they travel to central Australia to face a local crime lord, to Brazil where they must deal with a pedophile Bishop of the United Catholic Church, to the flooded waterways of London, and even to the King’s palace of Borlovia, all in pursuit of the elusive TIS bottles. Aided by Mikio, a cybernetic ninja, and Tatiana, an artificial intelligence, the heroes risk life and limb for one big fat payday. If they fail, the billionaire will hold them accountable for all their expenses, essentially enslaving them.

    Bartemus, a shy young rabbit, lives with his mother and grandfather in the Hollow. His grandfather is the town healer and mystic. He’s also an incorrigible troublemaker. Except for the occasional problem with their teacher, Bartemus’s only troubles are with the town bully, Simon Muddens, an egomaniacal bullfrog. That changes when a stranger interrupts the annual Hollow Faire. With the help of his friends, a badger named Timblelew, a wolverine named Willoughby, and an owl named Wynstan, Bartemus has to unravel the mystery of how a barrel of salted meat ended up in the Hollow. No critter has eaten another in several hundred years, so Bartemus and his friends are duly frightened by their horrific discovery.When wolves attack the Hollow and take prisoners soon after the stranger and the barrel of meat disappears, it is up to Bartemus and his friends to rescue their families. Their search takes them across the prairie, gathering clues from crazy prairie dogs and an eccentric old goose. They enlist the help of an unlikely ally when they find Simon Muddens cowering in the river. As they journey farther northward, the skills Bartemus inherited from his grandfather, both magical and musical, begin to emerge, testing his own inner strength and the relationships within his circle of friends.Following the clues into the Old Forest, far in the north across the Misery River and over the Lost Hills, Bartemus and his friends battle an insane dire wolf and rescue friends and family, to escape the fate of being turned into slaves. As he battles the dire wolf, Bartemus encounters the evil mercenary Afilius. This black-hearted monster will continue to plague Bartemus and his friends in the next two volumes, as the mystery surrounding his relationship to the young rabbit unfolds.

    Inspector Wilde is a rabid fan of tit-tat, the broadsheet arguments that get printed several times a day; the Chief Inspector thinks he's an idiot, but Wilde's strange reading habits may just crack this case wide open.

    Throughout the Earth, cataclysmic changes devastate nations and terminate technological ways of living. In the British Isles and in Brittany, Gaelic-speaking folk build themselves into new Celtic nations, joined together by common spiritual beliefs and the determination to preserve a culture of love, honor, and respect for the natural world. Ten centuries pass. In the first year of the 40th century, the five nations of the Latter Day Celts endure but are now threatened by an ever-colder climate and powerful, determined enemies.The three volumes of “Saga of the Latter Day Celts” tell the story of a single tumultuous year that tests to the limit the Celts’ courage, determination, unity, and willingness to sacrifice. Yet in the end it is a tale of individual human beings. Like us, Conor and Fethnaid, Mairin and Oran, Padraic and Liadan wish for things they cannot have, make mistakes of omission and commission, and in darker moments ponder why the world is so much crueler than they would like it to be. This is their story.Volume III, “The Blood Upon the Rose,” has been completed and is in the editing process.

    But all of that changes when the time travel organization The Lineage sends her to 1793 Revolutionary France. Used to a "get in, get out," modus operandi, she finds her heart and will tested by local English nobleman Lord Gabriel Huntington, whose reasons for being there are as deceptive as her own. In the midst of revolution and betrayal, can these two learn to take off the disguises and trust each other? Or will the fate of the world and time travel rest on Alex's ability to betray the one man she has come to love?

    Whereas most science fiction stories of "teleportation" such as Heinlein's "Tunnel in the Sky" or the "stepping discs" in Larry Niven's stories focus on the moving of large objects long distances, this one explores the notion that even the ability to open a small portal between nearby locations would give the possessor of such an ability tremendous power. Of course others would like to have Allie's power and try to gain control of it, first by capturing her father and then by kidnapping her family. This takes her away from her new career as a guitar-playing "Rock Goddess". To their dismay, the villains have not considered that the power to make "ports" gives Allie the ability to protect herself and her family.

    Desperate to save her people Talei travels to the main town of Boone but the dragons arrive soon after. She meets Adri and his friends who want a more exciting life than Boone can offer.On the return journey Talei mind melds with a dragon. Before the huge beast dies he asks Talei to help free the dragons from the creatures who are threatening their families. Upon her return to the survivors of the dragon attacks, Talei is unable to convince the majority of the danger to themselves and the dragons.Talei, Adri and a few friends set out for the other continent to discover if the dragons are telling the truth and what they can do to stop the attacks. Will it be possible to save the dragons and achieve a peaceful coexistence with the huge beasts?

    Stephenson (Winner of the 2011 Aurealis Award for Best Science Fiction Short Story) “Maia Blue Is Going Home” by Liz Argall“Memories of Mars” by Chris McMahon“Pink Ice in the Jovian Rings” by C.J. Paget“SIBO” by Penelope Love (Nominated for the 2011 Aurealis Award for Best Science Fiction Short Story)“Beneath the Floating City” by Donna Maree Hanson“Lisse” by Erin E. Stocks“Deuteronomy” by William R.D. Wood“Desert Madonna” by Robert Hood (Nominated for the 2011 Aurealis Award for Best Science Fiction Short Story)“Psi World” by Steve de Beer“Continuity” by Damon Shaw“Alien Tears” by Wendy Waring“Poor Man’s Travel” by Patty Jansen“Eating Gnashdal” by Jason Fischer“By Any Other Name” by Kim Westwood“Space Girl Blues” by Brendan Duffy“Oak with the Left Hand” by T.F. Davenport“Spacebook” by Sean McMullen“Yon Horned Moon” by Margo Lanagan“The Caretaker” by Mark Rossiter“Messiah on the Rock” by Jason Nahrung“Pyaar Kiya” by Angela Ambroz“So Sad, the Lighthouse Keeper” by Steve Cameron

    A hold-up. A murder. A car chase. A very large vodka. A fistfight. An earthquake. A mutant surfer. A lorry heist. A tiny moped. The return of a much loved secondary character - and a gang of killer kangaroos after Tan Girl's scalp.Don't miss Tank Girl's latest twisted action adventure!

    Instead she finds herself torn between two men: a gorgeous military guard, Colton Briggs, and her devilishly handsome colleague, Drew Costa. To resist temptation, Allie does the only thing she can: she throws herself into her work.But fate has other plans for Allie. Women are going missing all around her, Allie is struck with a series of life-threatening mishaps, and she becomes the obsession of a local deranged psychopath. Thrust into a dark world that she can hardly fathom, Allie must fight for her very survival, open her mind to new realities – and open her heart to the possibility of love. Because both of these men are trouble – but one is a greater danger than she could ever imagine …

    Once they arrive, they find out there's a little more to the assignment than that.Alien worlds and friendly aliens, exploding spaceships and many that don't, a little sex, and the Internal Revenue Service. Oh, and janitorial supplies. Truly there are Wonders Out There.

    But Rotic always knew his place in life and nothing would ever take his position away from him. Ogun was a whore when he was brought to the castle of the High Orc Chieftain as a broken used tribute, named Consort when he met his partner, and lost in a whole new way of life before the sun had set. He had a new position, a growing relationship with his new partner, and the best sex of his life. Nothing could ever ruin this. But with treacherous humans threatening the Orc Nation, magical and cultural land mines to traverse, and the advent of a wife being added to the mix, Ogun and Rotic felt their lives changing faster than they can blink. Now with little time to prepare and several personal issues to overcome, Ogun and Rotic have to learn to adjust and overcome before the differences between them become an insurmountable mountain that can destroy them both.

    In one week's time, she has clear memories of surviving a murderous attack by her dead husband's mistress, teleporting to another Realm, learning her best friend isn't human, and uncovering the existence of trolls, Titans and mythical Gods. If she hadn't gone off her nut, Eve wouldn't be coming to grips with the fact that her mother had an affair with an immortal and she is apparently their love-child.But since she's getting pretty comfortable with it all, she figures she's probably strapped down somewhere cold and antiseptic with drool dribbling down her chin. Except if she's locked in sanitarium, as she must be, why is she so damn scared of the God of War who threatens to send her soul to the Underworld? And why does the mere glance from a gorgeous man, one that she was tasked to find and return to Olympus, set fire racing through her veins?Whether it's reality or lunacy, Eve has no idea, but she is on one hell of a ride. If only she could get that red-headed harlot who tried to kill her the first time to cease and desist on the murder attempts, she could enjoy her psychosis in peace…

    Her true identity known only by her faithful servant woman, Taqla is content with the comfortable, if restrictive, life that keeps her safe from the control of any man. Until she lays eyes on a handsome merchant-traveler. Suddenly her magical disguise doesn’t rest so easily on her shoulders. When long-time widower, Rafiq, hears that the Amir’s beautiful daughter has been kidnapped by a scheming djinni—and that she will be given in marriage to her rescuer—he seeks the help of “Umar the Wise” to ensure he will be that man. Yet as he and the disguised Taqla set off, he senses that his prickly male companion is hiding something. In a moment of dire peril, all of Taqla’s secrets are stripped bare—her fears, her sorcery and, worst of all, her love for Rafiq. Yet the princess’s life hangs in the balance, and there is no running away or turning back. Even though passion may yet betray them all... Warning: Scary monsters and creepy ruins in the desert—check. Pagan gods that demand blood-sacrifices—double check. A handsome hero who looks good in a robe and even better out of it—oh yeah. Check, check and check. That’s worth a heroine dropping a veil or two.

    Acwellen Lex'Magen rules as liege lord of a small country bounded by forbidding mountains and powerful neighbors. When the neighboring baron, allied with a powerful wizard, attempts to take over his land, first by political, then by covert means, Acwellen finds an ally of his own in Enith Roweson, an unassuming blacksmith who possesses powers he's only known of in legends. As he attempts to unravel both the plots against him----including the nature of the monsters sent to assassinate him----and the mysterious powers Enith is only beginning to understand she has, he also finds himself falling in love with the blacksmith's daughter.

    Mysterious invaders have swept over the land, laying waste to everything in their path and leaving ghost towns in their wake. No one knows where they came from and no one knows their purpose.Tasting nothing but defeat after defeat after, the light of hope is fading in the kingdom; but the guerilla forces resisting the invasion have received new information. The news has provided a small glimmer that could possibly spark into something more. Captain Maximus Rex leads a daring rescue mission deep in the Laristan forests to save the lone surviving member of the royal family.Once freed, Prince Alexander Novelle, along with his friends and comrades, face a perilous journey deep behind enemy lines. Their destination is Castle Varanasi. The once proud Laristan capital, gateway to heaven and salvation, lines in ruins under Dolus occupation.Mysterious assassins, underworld savages and renegade Dolus survivors stand between them and the answers they seek. What they find there will shatter their perceptions and lead to unknown perils none of them are ready to face.

    Known as the Shadow Wraith, the evil force was cast from this world and imprisoned in another realm at the end of the war fought to stop it. Once again, the Shadow Wraith is trying to escape its prison to enslave the world and Alex and the Young Sorcerer's Guild are the only ones who can defeat it.

    Anger loses its value when tragedy forces her home to assume ownership of the family's beloved Greco-Roman museum.Placing a foolish, drunken kiss on a Greek statue in the museum's basement, Evangeline unknowingly frees a Spartan prince from an evil oracle's curse. Suddenly, her lonely life is invaded by the rakish man with knowing emerald green eyes who never eats or sleeps, and seems to know her every thought and feeling.Falling in love is dangerous, especially when it's with a man who has already been claimed by the bitter oracle, Demona. From the moment of her kiss, Evangeline is swept into Dorien's world of mystery, danger, and passion. The oracle's fury only mounts as they unravel Demona's darkest secrets, but not before Demona finds out about their unborn half-breed immortal twins.Demona uses her knowledge of the future to manipulate and destroy, but sometimes love has a will, and a heart, of its own.

    Then, in one violent, unexpected moment, he loses it all. Murdered in cold blood, wrongly condemned and enslaved to a sadistic demon, Jason must fight to reclaim not only the life and love he'd once known, but also his soul.

    Chapman"The Pastry Chef, the Nanotechnologist, the Aerobics Instructor, and the Plumber" by Eugene Mirabelli"Free Dog" by Jack Skillingstead"To Live and Die in Gibbontown" by Derek Künsken"A Hundred Hundred Daisies" by Nancy KressPoetry"Being One With Your Broom" by Ruth Berman"Extended Family" by Bruce Boston"The Music of Werewolves" by Bruce Boston"Galileo's Ink Spots Fade Into Twilight" by Geoffrey A. Landis"Vampire Politics" by Ruth BermanDepartments"Editorial: Send in the Right Reviewer" by Sheila Williams"Reflections: A Writer's Diary" by Robert Silverberg"On the Net: Steamed" by James Patrick Kelly"On Books: Inside/Outside" by Norman Spinrad"SF Conventional Calendar" by Erwin S. StraussAsimov's Science Fiction, October/November 2011, Vol. 35, Nos. 10-11 (Whole Nos. 429-30)Sheila Williams, editorCover art by Paul Youll

    The year is 34 AD. While Jesus is taken to Calvary to be crucified, in the desert nearby a spaceship descends from the skies and the occupant approaches Joseph of Arimathaea and gives him a cylinder in which he is to collect and keep the blood of Jesus. Joseph believes that it is an angel of God, and does as he is told. He collects the blood of Jesus and hides the cylinder inside the chalice which Jesus used at the Last Supper. The blood of Jesus... The lineage of Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene. Time passes. 1992: Jesus is born again, now with the name of David. The Illuminati, members of a secret society linked to Satan, begin to pursue the boy. Years later, David is taken into a spaceship whose occupants reveal who he really is, what his mission is on earth and the true origin of mankind. Some time later, David returns to the USA and embarks on his mission: to prepare mankind for the return of the first Jesus Christ and for Armageddon, the Third World War and the final conflict between Jesus Christ and Satan. First however he must prevent Satan from dominating the world through the New World Order set up by the Illuminati in order to enslave mankind again. Get ready to read an exciting story, packed with revelations, which starts with Jesus The Extraterrestrial - Origins.