A dying alien brings a dire warning, information, and aid. Will it be enough? The group is informed that the Essence Wave of the Daemon invasion is coming. The friendly aliens have modified the incoming Daemon attack to give mankind a chance by turning it into an augmented reality game system, but their warning may be too late. Along with the warning, the aliens leave a final, inconceivable gift—magical nanotech armor that may just be the key to saving the world.

    Through the mysterious powers of a cherished book of stories, they leave their world behind and find themselves in a foreign land full of wonder and magic where they come face-to-face with the fairy tale characters they grew up reading about.But after a series of encounters with witches, wolves, goblins, and trolls alike, getting back home is going to be harder than they thought.

    

    Many play for power and fame; others play to escape the pain and loneliness of real life. One boy, paralyzed at birth, knows no other world. For Ben Shepherd, Verdia is home. The Shepherd is Verdia’s most famous and mysterious blacksmith, constructing armor and weapons for elite and wealthy players while hiding from public view. Players ponder the Shepherd’s true identity, and Ben creates his masterpieces in isolation. Ben discovers friendship in the form of an enormous white wolf - a creature unique in all of Verdia. As news of the boy and his wolf spreads, Ben becomes the target of greed, envy, and fear; Ben’s tranquil life is shattered. A band of strangers, united by compassion, will battle a perilous landscape and unrelenting enemies to deliver the Shepherd and his wolf to a new home. To succeed, they must enlist the help of an enemy - a player who is as powerful as he is hated. They will discover that a small group of friends can face impossible odds, and that a hero can hide beneath a villain’s mask.

    The Goddess raised us, sheltered us, and defended us from the Demon Lord and their horrifying minions that roamed the wasteland. The sacred aurora that surrounded The City was the ultimate sign of her benevolent protection, keeping us safe.My name is Mal, and ever since I was a boy I've been treated as an outcast, a freak, and a malcontent because of my ability to see magic. For the other citizens, magic was the invisible manifestation of Goddess’s love, but to me, it was just a colorful spread of enchantments, cantrips, blessings, and hexes. And once I’ve seen a spell, I can understand it, and then I can break it apart.When I graduated from school, I had expected to be given the job of a ditch-digger. Instead, I was shocked when I was dubbed the next hero.Heroes are sent out in the wasteland, to slay monsters and to challenge the Demon Lord. It’s a suicide mission. But once I was shoved out of the aurora, I found out that the outside world was drastically different than what I had been told. The demons, dragons, and orcs might be my best shot for surviving the insanity I’ve been thrown into.Warning: This novel contains descriptions of violence, graphic sex, unconventional relationships (M/FF+ harem), and limitless adventure.

    The waltzing dead.A town of corpses happy in their homestead.But darkness crept in, drawn by venom and spite,Corrupting the island for its twisted delight.A plague of decay sweeps over the land,Reducing its victims to grains of sand.To protect her people, the Corpse Queen must rise,And gather what’s left of her crumbling allies.Can the queen save them all from their grisly plight?Or will she be hunted when her past comes to light?

    But Raven has a spark of rebelliousness in her heart and she knows one thing for sure-evil is so not her style. Read all about her getting ready to return to Ever After High in this excerpt from the upcoming book The Storybook of Legends.

    Many of them have rules and laws that are utterly alien to the world that we know. Most never leave the world they were born into, never even know or suspect that other worlds even exist. Their souls simply go through the cycle of reincarnation again and again, always forgetting their past lives, and living as they please. But some few are given the gift of Transfering after death, to live their next life in a different world, with memories of their past lives to enrich the world they go to with new concepts and new ideas, and bringing back those same from the world they visited when it is time for their next cycle in their old world. A young woman suffers a tragic fate, and is granted the ability to Transfer. She is reincarnated into a new world, full of monsters and magic, things that would be mere myths and legends to her in her old life. This time, she promises, will be different. She doesn't have to be weak here. She doesn't have to be a victim. She can be strong, and no one will ever control her again!

    Will Dipper and Mabel's summer be ruined? Find out in this fan novel as well as Mystery #1, The Axolotl, a demon who wants to revive Bill Cipher!

    It's up to Pepper Reign to reclaim it.When Blake Calhoun sets out to steal the heart fire, the object that makes the town of Magnolia Cove, Alabama, magical, his plan backfires. The heart isn't stolen, instead it breaks into four pieces and scatters across the state. Now, newly married Pepper and Axel Reign must work to track down each piece. Lucky for them, when a person finds a piece, they are bestowed with strange abilities.Pepper's search will take her to Haunted Hollow, where she will reunite with Blissful Breneaux. But Blissful has her own problems. She's trying to stop a demon from taking possession of folks in her small town. Meanwhile, a man has arrived, one who has an uncanny ability to turn objects into gold. Has he found a piece of the lost magic? If so, will Blissful and Pepper be able to claim it, or will Blake Calhoun beat them to it?The series Lost Southern Magic is a four book, four series crossover. Over the span of these books, Pepper Reign with unite with ghosthunter Blissful Breneaux (of Southern Ghost Wranglers), witchy matchmaker Charming Calhoun (of Southern Belles and Spells Matchmakers) and Dylan Bane (of Bless Your Witch). These books will have witchy meet-ups and pit grandmother against grandmother. Each book will show Pepper's perspective as well as surprise perspectives from Axel and even Betty.Can't wait to dig in? Find out what happens now!

    Gilly wouldn't call herself wicked, exactly...but when you have five little brothers and sisters and live in a run-down boot, you have to get creative to make ends meet. Gilly's a pretty good thief (if she does say so herself).Until she gets caught.Gilly's sentenced to three months at Fairy Tale Reform School where all of the teachers are former (super-scary) villains like the Big Bad Wolf, the Evil Queen, and Cinderella's Wicked Stepmother. Harsh. But when she meets fellow students Jax and Kayla, she learns there's more to this school than its heroic mission. There's a battle brewing and Gilly has to wonder just how good these bad guys really are?

    Strictly speaking, I'm not supposed to keep a diary. No fairytale characters are. It's the unwritten rule of the land. And now I know why: because life here is so unlike anything people in the real world have been led to believe. Once it's finished, I'll have to find a hiding place for it. But if you're holding it now, it means it's been found, and the truth about my life can finally be revealed…

    

    Throughout the realm, magic lies dormant, sleeping, almost forgotten until Zollin discovers that he is a wizard. While he revels in his new powers and the realization that his life has purpose, malevolent wizards from the Torr, led by the scheming Branock, tirelessly seek him out. When at last they discover Zollin, a confrontation will ensue that will change the five kingdoms forever. Zollin is forced to flee his home and, with a small group of friends, find a way to survive until he can learn to use his powers to protect the people he cares about. Wizard Rising is a coming of age story that dives headfirst into a realm where magic is about to reawaken. So buckle up and hang on; the action comes fast and you won’t be able to put it down. Magic Awakening Power always comes at a price. In the Realm of the Five Kingdoms magic has been strictly controlled for centuries. Only a small group of wizards, known as the Torr, exercise the greatest magical powers, but their quest for control has pushed magic in the Five Kingdoms to the brink of extinction. When a young wizard named Zollin refused to submit his power to the Torr, he started more than just a desperate race for survival, his defiance sparked a magical awakening. As Zollin wrestles to understand and control his amazing powers, the world will change forever. Fantastic creatures will once again roam the Five Kingdoms, prompting a frenzied struggle from the people who seek to exploit Zollin’s power for their own gain. As nations clash and the powerful maneuver for supremacy, no one is safe, especially those closest to Zollin. Will the people he cares for the most be lost? Or can a young wizard, only just beginning to comprehend his purpose, risk everything to save what has become most precious to him? Hidden Fire What does it take to face a dragon? When a young wizard named Zollin begins to awaken the magical world, he also sets events in motion that will change the Five Kingdoms forever. In the north a dragon ravages villages and towns. The King's armies are powerless to stop the beast. Refugees begin fleeing to the larger cities in hope of finding safety. In the south, the Council of Kings plot an invasion. Under the influence of the Torr, a group of wizards who have held the Five Kingdoms in their power for three centuries, they turn their attention to bringing Zollin into their fold. They will stop at nothing to control his power, even if it means the assassination of the Crown Prince. As Zollin and his friends strive to bring peace to the Kingdom of Yelsia, they are faced with harrowing dangers and heart wrenching decisions that threaten to tear them apart.

    I was ready for the uplink. There was just one thing I had to do first. I had to die. Ripcord was a revolutionary new product that launched people into a virtual reality world just moments before death, sparing them their painful end-of-life memories and allowing them to live in a video game utopia for all time. At least, that’s how it was advertised. No one ever came back to say whether Ripcord lived up to its promise. It was a one-way ticket for those lucky enough to get in. Well, maybe “lucky” isn’t the right word for it. My wife had been in Ripcord for two years. I was finally ready to go find her. When I got there though, it was nothing like I had expected and she was nowhere to be found. Oh, and did I mention something is killing everyone off? “Griefing” players that were already grieving. If I ever wanted to see my wife again, I’d have to get a lot stronger, learn how to level up in this strange new world, and hope she found a way to survive this long…