You’d think that would be a good thing, but in truth, not so much. You see, a Protected World is a sentry world. One located along the edge of human space, there to sound the alarm if there’s an alien invasion. A world that is marginally habitable, so unlikely to be a target, yet well connected to the rest of humanity, so able to sound the alarm.And that’s the real problem. Marginally habitable worlds can’t support a significant population. And for the few of us that live here, it’s difficult to scrape out a living.You might ask why anyone would want to live in such a place. I ask that question all the time. The short answer is that these worlds were given away to anyone that had the means to claim and settle them. A lot of adventurers couldn’t resist the opportunity. My grandfather, six generations back, was one of those people.There are many stories about my ancestral grandfather. He was apparently quite a character, eccentric as well. Many of his sayings are built deeply into our culture, and most involve the number six. Spend a day in town and you’re likely to hear them. ‘Better to do one thing well than six things poorly.’ Or ‘better to have six good days than one good week.’Of his many sayings, there’s the one my mother quotes all the time. ‘The sixth son of the sixth generation will stand above them all.’Well, it turns out that I’m the sixth son of the sixth generation. My father, and all his forefathers, were first sons of first sons down the line from the great Jared Daan. I was my father’s sixth son. Sixth son of the sixth most direct connection to our founder. My parents gave me the name of my ancestor, Jared Daan. I’m the first to bear that name since the great man passed. My mother says I’m destined for greatness. I think that’s crazy talk. But my five brothers hate me for it.

    Going around will take years, but there is rumor of a path through. A path known only to those who live at Star CityBut Star City is interdicted, its outer reaches patrolled by Orion ships. Though Misha knows of a hidden FTL route that can get a ship close enough to the city, using it assumes the city’s inhabitants are friendly.Jessica and Trevor risk the pathway, travelling to Star City where they find something far more amazing than they ever expected—only to learn they must make a sacrifice unlike any they had ever dreamed.The Toll Road Between the StarsNo one ever said that travelling ten thousand light years would be easy...Sabrina and her crew are nearly through the Stillwater Nebula. But before they pass through into the open space beyond, they have to get through the Perry Strait. A stretch of space where no FTL is possible, with the Perry System at its center.There they learn that an old enemy has leapfrogged them and laid a trap. A trap they're going to have to spring if they want to get through to the other side.The Final Stroll on Perseus's ArmAn old foe from Finaeus's past reveals a secret that will save the crew.It has been eight long years since the crew of Sabrina passed beyond the Stillwater Nebula. They are now deep within the Orion Freedom Alliance, taking a short respite on the planet Ferra, roughly five-hundred light years from the inner edge of Orion space--only a year from the relative safety of the Inner Stars.But when Cheeky is abducted, everything is turned on its head once more, and the crew learns of secrets the Orion government had tried to keep under wraps for millennia.Now they're in a race to save Cheeky, and take advantage of an opportunity they thought never to see again.

    That was always going to be complicated since he was a Prince of the Realm. Complicated turned into almost impossible when the Empress is attacked. What is a simple lieutenant supposed to do with his mother in a coma, a seemingly invincible enemy on the offensive, a darkness from the past stirring and his paranoid older brother trying to assassinate him. The lieutenant remembers his oath and with a former spy, a handful of Marines, his uncle and most importantly, his father, decides to defend the Empire from all enemies whether foreign or domestic.

    Over a thousand pages of heart-pounding sci-fi action. One great price. With over a hundred thousand books sold and borrowed, the Argonauts series has been one of the best-selling sagas published on Amazon over the past year. For fans of military science fiction and space opera alike, this bundle contains the first three novels: Bug Hunt, You Are Prey, and Alien Empress. In this compelling set, Rade Galaal and his elite team of mercenaries enter the fray to deal with an alien infestation, infiltrate a stone-age civilization, and defend an extraterrestrial homeworld. Download this unique bundle today, because there's never been a better time to hunt some bugs.

    Beam Piper with active table of contents.Works include:The AnswerThe Cosmic ComputerCrossroads of DestinyDay of the MoronDearestThe Edge of the KnifeFlight From TomorrowFour-Day PlanetGenesisGraveyard of DreamsHe Walked Around the HorsesThe KeeperLast EnemyLittle FuzzyThe MercenariesMinistry of DisturbanceMurder in the GunroomNaudsonceNull-ABCOomphel in the SkyOmnilingualOperation R.S.V.P.PatrolPolice OperationRebel RaiderThe ReturnA Slave is a SlaveSpace VikingTemple TroubleTime and Time AgainTime CrimeUllr Uprising

    Chapters: Harrison Bergeron, Epicac, 2br02b, Welcome to the Monkey House, Miss Temptation, Report on the Barnhouse Effect, All the King's Horses, Who Am I This Time?, Deer in the Works. Source: Wikipedia. Free updates online. Not illustrated. Excerpt: "Harrison Bergeron" is a satirical, dystopian science fiction short story written by Kurt Vonnegut and first published in October 1961. Originally published in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, the story was re-published in the author's collection, Welcome to the Monkey House in 1968. In the story, social equality has been achieved by handicapping the more intelligent, athletic or beautiful members of society. For example, strength is handicapped by the requirement to carry weight, beauty by the requirement to wear a mask and so on. This is due to the 211th, 212th, and 213th amendments to the United States Constitution. This process is central to the society, designed so that no one will feel inferior to anyone else. Handicapping is overseen by the United States Handicapper General, Diana Moon-Glampers. Harrison Bergeron, the protagonist of the story, has exceptional intelligence, strength, and beauty, and thus has to bear enormous handicaps. These include headphones that play distracting noises, three hundred pounds of weight strapped to his body, eyeglasses designed to give him headaches, a rubber ball on his nose, black caps on his teeth, and shaven eyebrows. Despite these societal handicaps, he is able to invade a TV station, declare himself Emperor, strip himself of his handicaps, then dance with a ballerina whose handicaps he has also discarded. Both are shot dead by the brutal and relentless Handicapper General. The story is framed by an additional perspective from Bergeron's parents, who are w...More: http: //booksllc.net/?id=18941

    Howard in 1934-1936. In this book contains 20 stories of Conan The Cimmerian. 1.The Hyborian Age, first published in The Phantagraph, February-November 1936.2.Shadows In the Moonlight, first published in Weird Tales, April 1934.3.Queen Of the Black Coast, first published in Weird Tales, May 1934.4.The Devil In Iron, first published in Weird Tales, August 1934.5.The People Of the Black Circle, first published in Weird Tales, September, October and November 1934.6.A Witch Shall Be Born, first published in Weird Tales in 1934.7.The Jewels Of Gwahlur, first published in Weird Tales, March 1935.8.Beyond the Black River, first published in Weird Tales magazine circa 1935.9.Shadows In Zamboula, first published in Weird Tales, November 1935.10.The Hour Of the Dragon, first published in Weird Tales, December 1935-April 1936.11.Gods Of the North, first published in Fantasy Fan, March 193412.Red Nails, First Published in Weird Tales, July, August-September, October 193613. The Shadow of the Vulture, First published in the pulp magazine Magic Carpet Magazine, January 1934.14.The Phoenix on the Sword, First published in 1932.15.The Scarlet Citadel, First published in 1933.16.The Tower of the Elephant, First published in 1933.17.Black Colossus, First published in 1934.18.The Slithering Shadow, First published in 1934.19.The Pool of the Black One, First published in 1934.20.Rogues in the House, First published in 1935.

    These are the Savage North Chronicles. Over 2,000 pages of superhuman abilities, harrowing adventures, and heartwarming moments that will give you all the feels. Savage North Chronicles Reading Order:1. THE DARKEST WINTERElle - Haunting shadows are nothing new to Elle St. James, she’s been running from them all her life. But since the outbreak spread from the lower forty-eight, new monsters lurk in the darkness. After Elle wakes from the fever, capable of horrific deeds, she fears she’s one of them.Jackson - After the world goes mad and takes his family with it, Jackson Mitchell tosses aside his badge and decides a bottle of bourbon and the depths of despair are preferable to any semblance of living. All of that changes, however, when a group of young survivors are in dire need of his help and Jackson sacrifices his blissful oblivion in order to keep them safe.Brought together under the worst possible circumstances, Elle and Jackson must face the inexplicable realities of the new world. Their past lives are over, and the arctic isn’t all that’s savage anymore.1.5 THE LONGEST NIGHT, prequel novellaLife seemed complicated for Sophie when she had teen pregnancy and her squeaky-clean reputation as the mayor’s daughter to worry about. Now, everything is changed. Bloodcurdling screams pierce the night air and lurid memories haunt feverish dreams.Alex is the new kid from the wrong side of the tracks, and it’s all he can do to keep his head down until his eighteenth birthday when he can leave his life in foster care behind him. But Alex doesn’t realize he and the quiet girl from class with lonely, blue eyes are fated in the most impossible way imaginable.2. MIDNIGHT SUNThe six of them survived the Alaskan winter after the Virus devastated the North, but summer in the land of the midnight sun is fraught with a brutality of its own—long, grueling days, mosquito-ridden evenings, and woods with lurking shadows more dangerous than grizzlies.2.5. FADING SHADOWSCrazed survivors and Ability-hungry madmen aren’t the only repercussions of the Virus, and when a new, unforeseen danger threatens the townspeople, Kat must embrace her unharnessed Ability she’s been trying for years to avoid.3. UNTAMEDBeau has learned to embrace his Ability, but when he loses his best friend, Beau’s world crumbles all over again. Brokenhearted, he embarks on a transformative journey of self-discovery, fraught with danger and adventure, and most unexpectedly, love. But the scars left in the wake of the Virus run deeper than Beau can possibly imagine.4. UNBROKENThea fears the moment she’ll have to use her telekinesis again. After all, the mere flick of her wrist in the heat of the moment could prove fatal for someone she loves, and she already has enough blood on her hands to last her a lifetime. So, Thea jumps at the chance to shrug off the shadows of her youth and prove to herself she’s unbroken.Hunter and Thea have never gotten along, and three weeks together could be Hunter’s undoing...just not in the way he’s expecting.

    Thousands are dead. A fleet is in ruins. Can a group of criminals the galaxy doesn't want become the heroes the galaxy needs? *SPECIAL NEW RELEASE PRICE FOR A LIMITED TIME.* Book one - HELL’S REJECTS: The most powerful starships ever constructed are missing. Thousands are dead. A fleet is in ruins... Lieutenant Abigail Cage never expected to find herself in Hell. There was a time when she was one of the most respected soldiers in the military. Now she's doing hard labor on the most miserable planet in the universe. Not for long. The Earth Republic is looking for the most dangerous individuals it can control. The best of the worst, and Abbey is one of them. The mission is simple. Find the missing ships and kill the traitors who stole them. It's most likely suicide, but she has nothing to lose. There's only one problem... A new evil is rising in the galaxy. One with a power unlike anything anyone has ever seen. One that's been waiting for this moment for a very, very long time. And they want Abbey too. Book Two - FIRE AND BRIMSTONE: Abbey is pissed. You would be too if you had been blamed for something you didn’t do, given something you didn’t want, and changed into something else. She still isn’t even quite sure what that else is. The one thing she does know? Things are getting messy, and this is only the beginning. Gant is gone, Captain Mann has been captured, her so-called team is ready to make a run for the stars, and she’s pretty sure the gift that saved her life is no gift at all. Even worse? The enemy didn't just steal the two most powerful starships in the galaxy. They’re building a whole fleet of them. Book Three - THE DEVILS DO The devil you know or the one you don’t? For Abbie and the Rejects, things are guaranteed to get ugly whichever they choose. On the plus side: They know where the enemy fleet is being built, they’ve got a killer new ride, a few surprising new allies, and they don’t all hate one another quite as much as they used to. On the minus: The enemy fleet is coming online faster than they hoped, the new ride is running on backup life support, the new allies can barely be trusted, and there isn't anywhere in the galaxy where Thraven can't reach. There’s nowhere to rest. There’s no time to reload. The stakes are higher, the pressure is up, and only one thing is certain: One way or another, there’s going to be hell to pay. The rest of the CHAOS OF THE COVENANT series (not included): 4. Kill the Queen! 5. Damned If You Don’t 6. Good Intentions 7. Queen of Demons Perfect for fans of Star Wars, Guardians of the Galaxy, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, or anyone who enjoys a hearty blend of military science-fiction and space opera spiced with magic. Pick it up today, and then try to put it down.

     It was supposed to be a place where every child’s favorite characters came to life. And, it was, until those characters went nuts and started killing everyone. Then it wasn’t so happy. Ten years later Jake and his team of robot reclamation specialists are heading to the island theme park to confront the evil machines, discover Kat’s connection to the disaster and boost the flagging ratings on their reality show, Scrappers. Fearless Monkeynauts, overly friendly Bearberry Bears, feuding Presidents, Dinosty Warriors, fairy tale legends and more populate the abandoned park and only the Junkers are brave enough, or dumb enough, to go for a visit. Join Jake, Hailey, Kat, Savant, Mason and, of course, Glitch as they try to uncover the mystery of what they call The Tragic Kingdom.

    Arkham City is closed. As a new day begins, Bruce Wayne finds himself in devastating pain, recovering from his injuries and questioning whether his role as Batman is still necessary to the city’s survival. But as the sun rises in Gotham City, dangerous new threats emerge from the shadows…and the Arkham Knight is just beginning. Don’t miss this in-continuity prequel comic set prior to the events of the brand-new video game Batman: Arkham Knight!

    Elrod's picked 15 of her favorite short works for this multi-genre collection spanning 15 years of publication.Also included is a never before published VAMPIRE FILES story, featuring her urban fantasy vampire PI, Jack Fleming!Each story has been polished afresh for this anthology, with pages of new material added.More information -- and previews of the stories! -- may be found at her website vampwriter-dot-com.Titles:1. A Night at the (Horse) Opera (Vampire Files, Fleming)2. The Breath of Bast (Vampire Files), Ecsott)3. Bossman (Original mystery, no vamps)4. Slaughter (Vampire Files, Fleming & Gordy)5. The Devil's Mark (Original historical vampire)6. You'll Catch Your Death (Vampire Files)7. Izzy's Shoe-In (Historical mystery introducing Izzy DeLeon, fearless girl reporter)8. The Quick Way Down (Vampire Files, Fleming and Gordy)9. The Scottish Ploy (Original romance/mystery)10. Grave-Robbed (Vampire Files, Fleming)11. The Company You Keep (Vampire Files, Gabriel Kroun)12. Death in Dover (Jonathan Barrett before he got vamped, historical mystery)13. Drawing Dead (ALL NEW VAMPIRE FILES, Fleming)14. King of Shreds and Patches (Hamlet from a different point of view, mystery)15. Fugitive (Science fiction/space opera)16. BONUS STORY! The Wind Breathes Cold (Quincey Morris: Vampire)

    Hidden in its vast superstructure is a murderous creature that severs the right hands of its victims. A rebellious young aviatrix and a secretive scavenger boy are about to come face to face with a robotic Stalker that is terrifyingly out of control.

    

     FULLY FEATURED TABLE OF CONTENTS The full Table of Contents appears at the beginning of the book and can be accessed through the MENU or GO TO button. EPUB 3 CHECK The book successfully passes ePub 3 check developed IDPF. The International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF) is the global trade and standards organization dedicated to the development and promotion of electronic publishing and content consumption.