The Fifty-First Dragon


Heywood Broun - 1921
    A young knight is a failure in everything except the slaying of dragons, an activity in which he succeeds because of a certain "magic" word.

Entriss Online (Watson's Worlds, #1)


David J. Pedersen - 2021
    The game was his life — by day, as one of their lead developers; by night, gaming as the accomplished Mandorf the Wizard. After years of leveling up, both professionally and personally, everything he had worked for was going to end. His goggles-and-gloves virtual reality MMORPG was being replaced with Everyworld Online, a next-gen game that provided full immersion so players could experience a world that looks and feels real.After stumbling on an unknown quest that kills anyone who approaches, Ian discovers an enormous amount of orphaned code that had never made it into the game. Moments before being fired, he checks in the code, enabling The Left Hand of God quest chain, an unexpected world event, and the frightening reality of a fully immersive Entriss Online.

It Was You Who Made My Blue Eyes Blue


Scott Alexander - 2015
    This plant is used exclusively to comply with the extremely complicated ritual laws set down in the Tablets of Enku.

Shudderville


Mia Zabriskie - 2011
    After losing her husband and child in a traffic accident, she spends her evenings alone with a bottle of Stoli, eavesdropping on her feuding neighbors.Then one day, the strange man next door makes a startling offer - he will bring her daughter back from the dead. All she has to do is make a wish.

The Whispering Dwapara : The Rise of Maharathis


Rishi Shrivastava - 2019
    Kudos to the writer.” ~Rajeev Patel, an Amazon top 1000 reviewerSummary:Vedgarh, an ancient home of purebred Aryans, is a secret world in modern times where the chants of Vedic Mantras mingle with Acoustics and Applied Physics, the Maharathi warriors fight alongside Indian Army Veterans, and Ancient Daivi Astras join hands with modern Sonic Weapons. Gurukul, Vedgarh’s school, is the sole protector and preacher of sacred Vedic scriptures and Celestial powers. It is due to these powers that Vedgarh is the only corner of the universe where Dwapara Yuga persists even today. Vedgarh is in a continuous state of war with the rising dark powers of Kaliyuga: The Asuras. If Vedgarh falls, the Universe will drown in the darkness of Kaliyuga forever. Sitting on the verge of yet another war with Asuras, Vedgarh is suffering from a lack of warriors. Seeing no promising talents in the Gurukul, Vedgarh opens its gates for modern science and selects a few from the contemporary world to work on a grand mission: a mission to harmonize ancient Vedic powers with modern scientific miracles, to prepare an army of warriors equipped with ancient and modern techniques of fighting, and to invoke Daivi Astras (celestial weapons of Gods) using light and compact modern Sonic weapons. Get ready to witness Vedic Scholars, Physicists, Professors, Sacred Gurus, Ancient warriors, and Indian Army soldiers preparing for the greatest upcoming war of Daivi Astras in the history of mankind.

Willow Brown, Christmas Fairy


John Osborne - 2012
    Noah has always contended that living with a fairy can be brutal. Now Willow has the chance to tell her side of things, as she picks up her pen and relates the story of her best Christmas ever.Willow is skeptical when Noah asks her to accompany him to his parent’s Wisconsin dairy farm.“Meet his parents?! I wish he hadn’t put it that way. Say “I want you to see the farm” or “Let’s spend some time with the cows” or something like that. When a guy says “I want my parents to meet you” … well, there are implications. I know, I know, I’m much older than his parents are and I’m a big girl, but still. I was a basket case by the time we got to Wisconsin.”Things go well at first despite Willow’s misgivings, but soon she begins to suspect Noah isn't telling her everything. Secret chores to do, boxes being moved about and a mysterious farm building no one wants to talk about add to her suspicions. When it becomes clear that Noah’s parents are up to something as well, and the word marriage comes up, Willow plans her own surprise.Another sweet, sexy little romance from the author of 'An Ordinary Fairy' and 'Willow Brown, American Fairy'.Watch for a new Willow Brown short story, 'A Houseful of Fairies', available on May 17th, exclusively for the Kindle.

The Very Best of Charles de Lint


Charles de Lint - 2010
    Compiling favored stories suggested by the author and his fans, this delightful treasury contains the most esteemed and beloved selections that de Lint has to offer. Innovative characters in unexpected places are the key to each plot: playful Crow Girls who sneak into the homes of their sleeping neighbors; a graffiti artist who risks everything to expose a long-standing conspiracy; a half-human girl who must choose between her village and her strange birthright; and an unrepentant trickster who throws one last party to reveal a folkloric tradition. Showcasing some of the finest offerings within the realms of urban fantasy and magical realism, this essential compendium of timeless tales will charm and inspire.Contents IntroductionIn Which We Meet Jilly Coppercorn Coyote Stories Laughter in the Leaves The Badger in the Bag And the Rafters Were Ringing Merlin Dreams in the Mondream Wood The Stone Drum Timeskip Freewheeling A Wish Named Arnold Into the Green The Graceless Child Winter Was Hard The Conjure Man We Are Dead Together Mr. Truepenny's Book Emporium and Gallery In the House of My Enemy The Moon Is Drowning While I Sleep Crow Girls Birds Held Safe by Moonlight and Vines In the Pines Pixel Pixies Many Worlds Are Born Tonight Sisters Pal o' Mine That Was Radio Clash Old Man Crow The Fields Beyond the Fields

Familiar Shadows


Taki Drake - 2017
    A couple of thousand feet in the air, hanging from eagle talons and bleeding out. Just a typical bad day for a rebellious cat. Meet Dascha, a perfect example of contrariness and smarts. This young Russian Blue is not interested in following the family business, at all! But a moment of inattention leads to danger and pain, and she is left with some hard decisions to make. Will she survive mage attacks, wolves, and, worst of all, her instructors?

Dunes Over Danvar


Michael Bunker - 2014
    The word is out that the legendary city of Danvar has been found, and every diver, brigand, and pirate with a sarfer is racing to find it. But out in the dunes there's only one inarguable fact... The sand don't care, and it never did. Dunes Over Danvar is a short story set in New York Times Bestselling Author Hugh Howey's world of SAND, and is written and published with the permission of Hugh Howey.

Timeless


Terry Schott - 2013
    Rumors are whispered that powerful beings exist inside the Game.Some of them are good and do their best to help the players from the shadows, while others are evil and cause pain and suffering throughout the simulated Game world.Courtney learns that these beings, referred to collectively as Timeless, are very real.and they have asked her to join them...

The Final Christmas of Robert Burke: A Middle Falls Short Story


Shawn Inmon - 2020
    He is homeless, stuck in a city where he is forgotten.On Thanksgiving, a small miracle happens. An unusual man named Scott McKenzie offers him a ride to a place in Oregon called the Oasis.The Oasis is in Middle Falls. Miracles happen in Middle Falls.The Final Christmas of Robert Burke was originally released to Shawn Inmon's newsletter subscribers. It is now being released in ebook and audiobook form for the first time. Like all Middle Falls stories, it is a standalone story and can be read at any point in the series.

The Once-Dead Girl (Shapechanger Tales)


Laer Carroll - 2013
    She comes back to life with superhuman powers. She remembers that in her brother's comic books superheroes come to be feared and hated no matter what good deeds they do. She tries to lead a normal life.But little by little fate conspires against this course. Bad things happen that only she can make right. Baby step by baby step, then bigger steps, she grows into her responsibilities.To help her do her superhero "job" she creates first one, then another alternate identity. Former soldier now mercenary Yao Ming, unequaled with weapons, able to get unseen into places impossible to enter. Beautiful jet-setter millionaire Sandrine Ascaride. And a star girl with blue skin and purple hair who can fly and wield laser bolts and lightning.She is sometimes desperately lonely, unable to share her secret. Then she finds she is not alone....

The Luckiest Dog in the World


Susan Palmer - 2013
    Discriminated against because of his breed, he is greeted with cruelty from nearly every avenue. Though all he desires is a loving home, he finds himself in the clutches of abusive villains. Despite being broken by hunger and abuse, he takes a second chance at joining a family when a kind musician offers him a helping hand. In a struggle for acceptance, Lucky the pit bull is confronted with his greatest fear and is threatened with losing what he loves the most.Will his heroic efforts secure him the life of simplicity and happiness he’s always wanted? Or will he be turned out of the house because of social bias? Discover what fate lies ahead of our canine narrator in this emotional story filled with struggles and triumphs.

Immortal Stories: Eve


Gene Doucette - 2015
     “…if your next question is, what could that possibly make me, if I’m not an angel or a god? The answer is the same as what I said before: many have considered me a god, and probably a few have thought of me as an angel. I’m neither, if those positions are defined by any kind of supernormal magical power. True magic of that kind doesn’t exist, but I can do things that may appear magic to someone slightly more tethered to their mortality. I’m a woman, and that’s all. What may make me different from the next woman is that it’s possible I’m the very first one…” For most of humankind, the woman calling herself Eve has been nothing more than a shock of red hair glimpsed out of the corner of the eye, in a crowd, or from a great distance. She’s been worshipped, feared, and hunted, but perhaps never understood. Now, she’s trying to reconnect with the world, and finding that more challenging than anticipated. Can the oldest human on Earth rediscover her own humanity? Or will she decide the world isn’t worth it?

Out of the Woods


P.S. Power - 2016
     Willum Baker, a humble boy from deep in the forest, is pulled into a war that no one even knows about. Now, he either learns to become the perfect spy, or everything, everywhere, will have never been at all. He has help from a family he never knew, but in the end, Will is on his own. Fighting to understand hundreds of alien worlds, before it’s too late. If it’s possible, which is far from assured. *Note: This story takes place in the Young Ancients, Infected, Shortcuts and Mr. Hartley universes. If you've ever wanted a really satisfying cross over that moved past the first few minutes of meetings, this series is for you!