But Eli is a legacy human, preserved and cherished for his unaltered genetic code, just like the rainforest he paints. When a fugue state possesses him and creates great art, Eli miraculously lands a sponsor for the creative Olympics. If he could just master the fugue, he could take the gold and win the right to ascend, bringing everything he’s yearned for within reach… including his beautiful ascender patron. But once Eli arrives at the Games, he finds the ascenders are playing games of their own. Everything he knows about the ascenders and the legacies they keep starts to unravel… until he’s running for his life and wondering who he truly is. The Legacy Human is the first in a philosophical HopePunk sci-fi series that explores the intersection of mind, body, and soul in a post-Singularity world.

    2120. American has been decimated, wiped out from the second Civil War. In this post-apocalyptic world, survivors are far and few between. And most of those who do survive are members of the violent gangs, predators who live in the big cities. They patrol the countryside looking for slaves, for fresh victims to bring back into the city for their favorite death sport: Arena One. The death stadium where opponents are made to fight to the death, in the most barbaric of ways. There is only one rule to the arena: no one survives. Ever. Deep in the wilderness, high up in the Catskill Mountains, 17 year old Brooke Moore manages to survive, hiding out with her younger sister, Bree. They are careful to avoid the gangs of slaverunners who patrol the countryside. But one day, Brooke is not as careful as she can be, and Bree is captured. The slaverunners take her away, heading to the city, and to what will be a certain death. Brooke, a Marine’s daughter, was raised to be tough, to never back down from a fight. When her sister is taken, Brooke mobilizes, uses everything at her disposal to chase down the slaverunners and get her sister back. Along the way she runs into Ben, 17, another survivor like her, whose brother was taken. Together, they team up on their rescue mission. What follows is a post-apocalyptic, action-packed thriller, as the two of them pursue the slaverunners on the most dangerous ride of their lives, following them deep into the heart of New York. Along the way, if they are to survive, they will have to make some of the hardest choices and sacrifices of their lives, encountering obstacles neither of them had expected—including their unexpected feelings for each other. Will they rescue their siblings? Will they make it back? And will they, themselves, have to fight in the arena?

    It’s her chance to make a difference and make up for horrible past mistakes…despite the fact that its battle-hardened commander never wanted her on his team. When Hell Squad is tasked with destroying a strategic alien facility, Elle knows they need her skills in the field. But first she must go head to head with Marcus Steele and convince him she won’t be a liability. Marcus Steele is a warrior through and through. He fights to protect the innocent and give the human race a chance to survive. And that includes the beautiful, gutsy Elle who twists him up inside with a single look. The last thing he wants is to take her into a warzone, but soon they are thrown together battling both the alien invaders and their overwhelming attraction. And Marcus will learn just how much he’ll sacrifice to keep her safe.

    In a span of mere hours, the entire adult population is decimated, leaving their children behind to fend for themselves and deal with the horrific aftermath of the freak occurrence. As one of the newly made elders in his small town, Shane finds himself taking on the role of caretaker for a large group of juvenile survivors. One who just happens to be Kelly Douglas—an out-of-his-league classmate—who, on any other day, would have never given Shane a second glance. Together, they begin their quest to find out why all of the adults were slaughtered. What they find is even more horrifying than anything they could have expected—the annihilation of the adults was only the beginning. Shane and his friends are not the unlucky survivors left to inherit this new, messed-up planet. No, they are its next victims. There is an unknown power out there, and it won’t stop until every person in the world is dead. A spine-tingling adventure that will have you gasping for breath all the way until the last page, The Last Orphans is the first book in an all-new apocalyptic series.

    In the small town of Moline, Virginia, folks struggle to survive, relying on hybrid seed sent by the faraway Departmet of Reintroduction and Agriculture and their own faith in God and hard work. But when a mated pair of dragons starts hunting the countryside, stealing sheep, and attacking children, the townsfolk quickly learn that they don't have the weapons or the skills to fight off such predators.David Anderson is a farmer's son who has explored the world through books. When he meets the new healer in town, Callan Landers, he doesn't quite know what to make of the strange warmth stealing over him. It's not until he surprises Callan with another man-and both men are promptly arrested for sodomy-that David finally realizes the truth about his own feelings.When David and Callan stumble over a secret in a nearby abandoned town, their personal problems fade before government politics and corruption that threaten lives. It seems the dragons aren't the worst dangers facing Moline.

    Millie 942B has spent her entire life locked away with her criminal parents and countless other inmates. She believes in the Nation, in its strict laws and harsh punishments. But when Millie is released on her eighteenth birthday, she finds things are nothing as she was taught. People vanish, never to be seen again. Lies cover every word. Trust is as fragile as ice.And then there is Reed. Born and raised outside the Prison walls, his dreams and thoughts cause Millie to doubt everything she has ever believed. What is truly worth fighting for? If she pushes too hard, she could lose her freedom. If she stays silent, she could lose herself. The clock is ticking, and Millie must find the truth before it is too late.

    But of course, she’d never admit such a thing.Just like she’d never admit to teasing her mom’s ex-boyfriend, gorgeous billionaire Drake, for all the years she did. They’re close though, very close, and he’s even paying for her to go to college, so she feels indebted enough to him to tolerate most anything he asks. One day, when she’s on the way to her boyfriend’s house, Drake calls and demands she come to a birthday party he’s throwing for her. When she arrives though, and Drake reveals his dangerous, primal, secret feelings, it turns out to be just what Julie’s always wanted.Warning: This 10,000 word erotic story is intended for adults only. Excerpt:Staring at me a moment longer, Drake massaged my arms and stared into my eyes. His bright blue, sapphire irises seemed to pierce all the way to my soul, if that was possible.“Are you sure that’s all you want?” His voice rolled into a low, almost menacing whisper. “A Sprite?”“Yeah... yeah, I mean, what else would I want?” I stammered, trying to keep myself from panicking, or from going wobbly in the knees with desire, which was the more pressing and present concern. “I thought I was coming here for a birthday party, I –”Drake smiled and narrowed his eyes to slits, nodding. “You did.”“But then where –”“Is everyone?” he interrupted, finishing the sentence for me. “Well, I thought maybe you’d want to do this in private at least once before having an audience, but if you’d like, I could call everyone in?”“What are you talking about?” Fear burned in my mind, or at least that’s what I thought it was. Moments later, the tingling between my legs came back and I knew it wasn’t fear, it was desire. Primal, awful, wonderful desire that I shouldn’t feel but couldn’t bury.He smiled again and tossed his beautiful, wavy black hair back before running his hand through it and leaning heavily on the table beside me. “You’re going to pay me back.”

    She isn't sure of much else… only that the wallscreen shows an outside view that is barren and swirling with toxic clouds. Most of the others seem content—except for the ones who jump to their death from the hundred-level spiral staircase. And the ones that are pushed. After the doctor prescribes a special liquid and tells her to avoid tap water, Karma begins to remember a very different world. Despite the fog in her mind, she is convinced that something came before. Such memories are dangerous to talk about, or even to know. She must figure out who can be trusted. The doctor… her husband… or no one at all.

    Left to fend for herself with only a dog as her companion, she sets out on a journey to find others, leaving notes everywhere she goes…hoping that one day someone will come looking for her. When Riley meets the handsome yet mysterious Connor on the streets of Downtown San Diego, they form a bond unlike either has experienced before. When the things that go bump in the night turn out to be more than nightmares, the trio sets off for the mountains in search of an isolated resort where they can hunker down, away from the ominous shadows of the dead city streets. The peace and tranquility of the woods isn’t enough to keep the darkness away for long though and soon Riley and Connor are forced to accept that the World and the few people left alive in it will never be the same. The shadows of their past may haunt them forever…threatening to destroy what little dreams they have left of a future unless they fight to stay in the light and never lose their hope. 1/9 Family and Friends: The dog and I have left to find my Mom. Most of you know where her place is, the corner of 9th and F. I’ll leave a note there before I move on. Everyone here is…gone. I can’t stay. I’m not sure when or if I will come back here but leave a message anyway. I hope you find me. – Riley

    alternate cover edition of ASIN B00563HRPMSeventeen-year old princess, Clara Williamson, lives an old-fashioned existence in a biosphere of the future.When her sadistic mother, Queen Ada, betroths her to an abusive prince of a neighboring sphere, Clara determines to escape Outside, where savages roam free.Clara escapes tyranny only to discover the savages are not the only people who survived the cataclysmic events of one hundred forty years prior.Once Outside, Clara finds herself trapped, unable to return to the abusive life of the sphere while facing certain danger Outside.Can Clara find love and freedom with the peril that threatens to consume her?Cover art by Phatpuppyart.com

    Medical science and governments around the world scramble in an effort to solve the problem, but twenty-five years later there is no cure, and an entire generation grows up with a population of fewer than a thousand women.Zoey and some of the surviving young women are housed in a scientific research compound dedicated to determining the cause. For two decades, she’s been isolated from her family, treated as a test subject, and locked away—told only that the virus has wiped out the rest of the world’s population.Captivity is the only life Zoey has ever known, and escaping her heavily armed captors is no easy task, but she’s determined to leave before she is subjected to the next round of tests…a program that no other woman has ever returned from. Even if she’s successful, Zoey has no idea what she’ll encounter in the strange new world beyond the facility’s walls. Winning her freedom will take brutality she never imagined she possessed, as well as all her strength and cunning—but Zoey is ready for war.

    Death. War. Pestilence. These are the harbingers of the biblical apocalypse, of the End of the World. In science fiction, the end is triggered by less figurative means: nuclear holocaust, biological warfare/pandemic, ecological disaster, or cosmological cataclysm.But before any catastrophe, there are people who see it coming. During, there are heroes who fight against it. And after, there are the survivors who persevere and try to rebuild. THE APOCALYPSE TRIPTYCH will tell their stories.Edited by acclaimed anthologist John Joseph Adams and bestselling author Hugh Howey, THE APOCALYPSE TRIPTYCH is a series of three anthologies of apocalyptic fiction. THE END IS NIGH focuses on life before the apocalypse. THE END IS NOW turns its attention to life during the apocalypse. And THE END HAS COME focuses on life after the apocalypse.THE END IS NIGH features all-new, never-before-published works by Hugh Howey, Paolo Bacigalupi, Jamie Ford, Seanan McGuire, Tananarive Due, Jonathan Maberry, Robin Wasserman, Nancy Kress, Charlie Jane Anders, Ken Liu, and many others.

    Here's what you'll find inside: Alien Commander's Bride: Lexi Garcia will do anything to protect her family … even mate with one of the Draconians she hates. If only Commander Nash Or weren't so sweet … and sexy. Alien Warrior's Mate: Loretta Franklin has come to New York looking for a job, but General Mylash Shin has other plans. He's certain she's his mate … but can he convince her to leave her family and her planet for a life among the stars? Alien Fighter's Woman: Tabby Wilson joins the Draconian mating lottery to escape a dangerous threat. Commando Oro Nix is busy defending Earth … but he can't resist his human bride. When Tabby's trouble follows them both, can they survive? Alien General's Wife: Indigo Robertson is too shattered by grief to accept love … even when it's offered by her new mate, Vlosh Torr. When the Draconians' ancient enemies invade Earth, can Indigo and Vlosh join together to defeat them? Alien Architect's Bride: Octavia Reynolds is determined to stop Draconian Grand Architect Joss Noro from turning what's left of her beloved New York City into another Draconian colony - and that's before she discovers he's her mate. Will Joss let a "backward" human persuade him, or will his stubbornness destroy their relationship? Fire Dragon's Baby: Celeste longs for a family of her own. But her Galatonian mate, Fire Prince Salvatt Dorr, is trapped on his planet, fighting off territorial challengers and the looming madness of the mating thrall. Can she reach him in time? Air Dragon's Baby: Space pilot Sophia Castillo takes a huge gamble when she agrees to travel across the galaxies to reach her mate, Galatonian Air Prince Elair Purr. When her ship is attacked by the Mulgor, Elair must risk everything to save her - and their child. Water Dragon's Baby: Schoolteacher Ella Turner stops playing it safe when she enters the mating lottery. Her mate, Galatonian Water Prince Shay Vishak, will die if she doesn't accept him. But the Mulgor are lying in wait for Ella's ship … can Shay rescue her in time, and still defend his kingdom? Earth Dragon's Baby: Cora Brighton and her mate, Earth Prince Magmus Murcul, must work together to reach each other, consummate their fated love, and then defeat the Mulgor once and for all. But will they have a home to return to if they succeed? The Dragon Princes of Endor This four-part completed serial follows the saga of Dani, Conyac, and Trav. Destiny, passion, and danger await as the princes struggle to save their world…and Dani is forced to choose between them. The Event: The sun goes dark, magic returns to the world…and Orion Silverdrake, a dragon-shifter alien, appears in nerdy librarian Lucia Amador's apartment to tell her that not only is she the reincarnation of a powerful witch -- she's his mate. Can Lucia accept her new reality? Alpha Dragon's Virgin Bride: Desdemona Hawthorn takes refuge with other newly-awakened witches, only to find herself wrestling with memories of a previous life, when she had two powerful suitors: -both of whom seek to claim her again, in her present world. But with an evil alliance of vampires and dragons trying to take over the planet, how can she trust either one of them? The White Queen: Ice dragon Joon D'Fray is a genetic biologist. She's searching for a cure to the plague that has left the Draxos race with almost no females. But on her twenty-first birthday, her life changes forever.

    His wife and daughters were at home, stranded on the roof as zombies waited below. He would have to fight through hordes of undead, merciless other survivors, and a series of death defying stunts to get home. However, even if he makes it there, how can he be sure they're safe?Deadlocked puts you into David's head as he struggles to get home. Then a final confrontation occurs that will guarantee his family's survival, but at what cost?

    She also has access to the secret plans of the U.S. government to make the end of the world survivable, for some. The ultimate job benefit is a berth in an ark, safe from the storms as climate change accelerates, and the processes that normalize Earth’s climate sputter and fail. Set in Connecticut, this near-term SF adventure is pre-apocalyptic, where ordinary people choose extraordinary ways to face a climate and world gone haywire.Will Dee be one of the fortunate few to get an ark berth? Or is that even the goal?