Book picks similar to
The Rainbow Annals by Grania Davis


fantastical-fiction
fantasy-sci-fi
fantasy-sf
speculative-fiction

The Deep


John Crowley - 1975
    In this world the Protectors own the land and are constantly feuding with the Just, who wish to return the land to the Folk. The Protectors, however, are divided within themselves, the Reds against the Blacks, as bitterly opposed to each other as united they are opposed to the Just. After a typical skirmish between the Reds and Blacks, two Endwives, whose job it is to come after battles to nurse the wounded and bury the dead, find a strange being, a Visitor from the sky, nameless, sexless, with a purpose to fulfill unknown even to himself. It is the Visitor who one day will make the unthinkable journey to the Outward -- to the very margin of the Deep.

The Howling Man


Charles Beaumont - 1992
    Beaumont's talents also helped bring to life such cinematic terrors as 'The Premature Burial' and 'The Masque of the Red Death'. As a writer of short stories, his contribution to the landscape of our nightmares is unequalled. The Howling Man is the definitive collection of Beaumont's most haunting work. Here are the classics - "The Hunger," "Miss Gentilbelle," "Free Dirt," along with five never-before-published stories. The Howling Man features introductions by Robert Bloch, Dennis Etchison, Ray Bradbury, Harlan Ellison, Roger Corman, Richard Matheson and many other masters of horror and dark fantasy. They offer illuminating tributes to Beaumont - as a friend, a colleague, and a man whose dark magic left an indelible stamp on modern horror fiction, and on their own imaginations.

The Obsidian Chronicles, Book One: Ender Rain (The Unofficial Minecraft Adventure Short Stories)


Mark Mulle - 2014
    When his friend, Austin, a crafter, joins him for the first time in search of the vast amounts of ore and treasure in the Underground, a climactic series of events is set into motion. There is something below the Underground though, and Austin is sure that the world’s strongest materials are there for the taking. But so too are some of the world’s most dangerous creatures, legendary items, and magical secrets. Cave-ins, explosive detonations, massive spiders, and the undead—these are all common problems for Vincent and his team of miners and crafters. Join them as they strategically battle new threats, enchant their gear with new power, and explore caves flowing with lava and teeming with darkness incarnate. Author's Note: This short story is for your reading pleasure. The characters in this "Minecraft Adventure Series" such as Steve, Endermen, Herobrine or Obsidian...etc are based on the Minecraft Game. Minecraft Adventure Series *Book 2* http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00K7ZT7WA/ *Book 3* http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00K804RL0/

Oliver's Wishes


Cory Gaffner - 2018
     Last week I had an IQ so low that I sometimes forgot how to get home, and could barely stumble through sentences. This week I am the owner of the most advanced space station in the known universe and I wield powers that can alter reality itself. If I have the energy that my power is dependent upon... You see I get more energy every day, it's a set amount. I can stockpile it or burn it all up on one giant "upgrade" as I like to call it. This power comes from one of the wishes I made, yes, on a magical genie's lamp. I know that sounds crazy. So what do a Viking woman from 800AD, a U.S. Army combat veteran, and a fat gaming nerd have in common? Well, they're my team, and if I can save up enough energy I can use my new power to give them superpowers of their own. That's the plan at least. The problem with my plan is that I have some shadow organization looking for me. They'll kill me, my family, my friends, and everyone I have ever loved to get the lamp. What do they want? As far as I can tell they want to rewrite our universe into some kind of communist paradise where freewill comes second to safety and the government. I have to find some way to keep the lamp from the organization going after it that involves more than just hiding up in my space station. I refuse to be a hermit coward. I also have an ingrained need to help people, and now I have the power to do that. I have more resources at my disposal than any law enforcement agency on earth, and a team of people willing to help me. I want to be a hero, but I have no idea what I'm doing. Did I mention I was a barely functioning idiot last week? Content Warning: This book contains foul language, mild gore, and fictional politics.

The Magelands Epic (Books 5-8) An epic fantasy series


Christopher Mitchell - 2020
    

Strange Doings


R.A. Lafferty - 1972
    276 pages, 1972, SBN 684-12530-7; New York, America and Canada

Talon the Slayer


A.A. Warren - 2019
    But when he makes his final kill, he discovers it was all a lie... Soon he’ll be sold to a new owner, and his blood will forever be registered as a slave to intergalactic scans.A mysterious alien sorceress named Salena holds the key not only to his freedom, but to his past. Amnesia, a byproduct of a life-pod malfunction, has stolen Talon's memories. But Salena has access to dark energy magic, a starship, and a ragtag mercenary crew that might just be skilled enough to make Talon a free man.When an ancient warlord devastates the galaxy with a weapon of terrifying power, Salena’s mission takes Talon into the most dangerous battle he’s ever faced. It will take the secrets locked in Talon’s memories—as well as his trusty plasma axe—to stop the dark forces that threaten the galaxy…Space fantasy fans will love this action-packed series. Featuring epic space battles, alien magic, and a warrior hero with a plasma axe...

Willow: Junior Novel


Joan D. Vinge - 1988
    He farms his land, he cares for his family, and he dreams of being a magician. But a tiny, laughing baby is about to turn Willow's life upside down.Her name is Elora Danan. Only a few months old, she has already escaped great danger before arriving in Willow's backyard. And now an even more desperate journey is beginning for her.Elora Danan was born to fulfill an ancient prophecy—to overthrow the evil sorceress Bavmorda and end her reign as Queen of Nockmaar. Now Bavmorda, her ruthless minions, and her vicious Death Dogs are searching frantically to find and destroy Elora first.Willow must take Elora to safety. Along the way, he is joined by two mischievous brownies, a renegade warrior, and a good sorceress. Through fierce battles and narrow escapes, his perilous quest leads Willow toward a cataclysmic confrontation with the formidable Bavmorda, one that will test his courage—and his emerging magic powers—to the fullest.

Crompton Divided


Robert Sheckley - 1978
    Separated at an early age from two conflicting personalities, Alistair Crompton has decided on a daring scheme to reintegrate himself. But installed in different bodies and despatched to different planets, his two other selves have developed lives of their own: Loomis, who is completely self-indulgent and amoral; and Stack, vicious and impulsive. Both are direct opposites to the original Alistair; and their eventual reunion seems unlikely and highly dangerous....

Bones of the Moon


Jonathan Carroll - 1987
    Now, she has begun to dream dreams set in Rondua, a fantasy world of high adventure, full of tests of her courage and strength. Slowly and quietly, her dream world is spilling over into her New York City reality and beginning to threaten everything she loves in life. Her friends are gathered to help her-but even her newfound courage may not be enough.

The Super Olympian: Mystic Warrior (Shapechanger Tales)


Laer Carroll - 2012
    But Olympic gold medalist Sasha Canaro hides that side of herself. Publicly she is merely a high-paid fashion model and occasional consultant to police, who call her The Bloodhound. Then she meets a billionaire industrialist who may be another immortal shapechanger. Or something even stranger. And the woman has a job for Sasha.

City Come a-Walkin'


John Shirley - 1980
    This amoral superhero leads him on a terrifying journey through the rock and roll demimonde as they struggle to save the city.

Sparks


David Quantick - 2012
    It's a simple plan - he's a simple man - except for the forces of the Random, a man called Joseph Kaye, and a cockroach that doesn't exist. Sci-fi comedy.

Chernobyl


Frederik Pohl - 1987
    This novel adds a human dimension to the familiar story of Chernobyl, site of the world's worst nuclear accident that sent a wave of fear through Europe, forced the evacuation of 135,000 Soviet citizens and left an undetermined number with potentially life-shortening doses of radiation.The story is told through fictitious characters—primarily officials and workers at the ill-fated plant—but closely traces events as documented in the Soviet press and Moscow's unusually candid report to the International Atomic Energy Agency in September, 1986.

I, Judas The 5th Gospel


Bob Mayer
    They have been preparing to implement the Great Commission as designated by Jesus—where everyone on the planet must hear the word of God before the end in order to be saved. They will use advanced technology to send that message directly into the minds of every human on the planet. The question is: will the message kill everyone who gets it or save them?Believing him to be the anti-Christ, they also send a team of assassins up the Amazon to find the Great Betrayer and kill him. Opposing the Brotherhood is the Triumvirate of the Illuminati. They believe they must stop the Great Commission and also they try to stop the assassination team. At the same time they rush to gather nuclear weapons and launch missiles into space to divert the Intruder, as they call the object.Two survivors do finally make it to Judas, and he tells them a story, the true story of what happened over two millennia ago.As the object nears Earth, both sides become locked in a world-wide battle for the future of the human race, as Judas prepares in the jungle for the Second Coming.Which is not at all what anyone expects.You might consider it an alternate version of Arthur C. Clarke’s Childhood’s End.