One week later, most of the world lay in a deep sleep.But not for long.Reprogrammed with a single purpose, the newly infected awaken and begin migrating across the country like soldiers on a mission, killing anything that crosses their path.For Jimmy, his mundane existence of working at his grandmother's used bookstore is upended by the end of the world. One minute he's reading science fiction and fantasy novels, wishing he were the hero of the story, the next he's traveling as part of a ragtag group of survivors, fighting to stay alive and searching for answers.Why did this happen?Where are the infected going?And what is guiding them?But on these dead highways Jimmy may discover something even greater—his place in the world. Even if everyone else is gone.

    Now, join us as MHI opens their archives for the first time. From experienced Hunters on their toughest cases, to total newbies' initial encounters with the supernatural, The Monster Hunter Files reveals the secret history of the world's most elite monster fighting force.Discover what happened when Agent Franks took on the Nazis in World War Two. Uncover how the Vatican’s Combat Exorcists deal with Old Ones in Mexico. And find out exactly what takes place in a turf war between trailer park elves and gnomes. From the most powerful of mystical beings to MHI’s humble janitor, see the world of professional monster hunting like never before.Featuring seventeen all new tales based on Larry Correia’s bestselling series, from New York Times best-selling authors Jim Butcher, John Ringo, Jessica Day George, Jonathan Maberry, Faith Hunter, and many more.Contributors:Larry CorreiaJim ButcherMike KupariJessica Day GeorgeJohn C. WrightMaurice BroaddusBrad R. TorgersenFaith HunterJody Lynn NyeQuincy J. AllenAlex ShvartsmanKim MaySteve DiamondJohn RingoBryan Thomas Schmidt & Julie C. FrostSarah A. HoytJonathan MaberryAt the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).

    Now he and Lilac reconcile his memories of that night with the truth uncovered after the crash. Short connects first two novels. Includes preview chapter from This Shattered World.

    "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" is just one of many classic horror stories by Richard Matheson that have insinuated themselves into our collective imagination.Here are more than twenty of Matheson's most memorable tales of fear and paranoia, including:"Duel," the nail-biting tale of man versus machines that inspired Steven Spielberg's first film;"Prey," in which a terrified woman is stalked by a malevolent Tiki doll, as chillingly captured in yet another legendary TV moment;"Blood Son," a disturbing portrait of a strange little boy who dreams of being a vampire;"Dress of White Silk," a seductively sinister tale of evil and innocence.Personally selected by Richard Matheson, the bestselling author of I Am Legend and What Dreams May Come, these and many other stories, more than demonstrate why he is rightfully regarded as one of the finest and most influential horror writers of our generation.

    Read how it all begins in this short story, The First.It's been just over a year since Edmund Blithe died, and just over a month since his fiancée, Emily, stopped wearing her engagement ring. Emily has finally begun to move on… Until Edmund mysteriously and inexplicably returns, sending the world—and Emily—into a tailspin.Edmund is only just the beginning. Around the world, people's loved ones are returning from beyond, seeking only to reenter the lives they left behind. As the world dives deep into uncertainty, Emily and Edmund are determined to find their way back to one another…even if it means risking everything.The reappearances continue in The Sparrow, and look for The Returned from Harlequin MIRA, a moving tale of a family given a second chance at life and a world where nothing—not even death—is certain.

    It is thus embarrassing when he is run over by a bus. It is even more embarrassing when he, and atheist, realises there is an afterlife…Resurrected on a huge flat plain, he is forced to play a deadly game. Moved as a pawn to the whim of the Gods in a fight to the death with warriors from all ages of earth’s history. Killed again and again only to be resurrected.The General, the Grim Reaper and Anubis are some of the strange beings who direct this grisly entertainment. Is it real or only in his decaying mind. Who is the Clown? It there anywhere to escape to?To retain his sanity, he must believe there is an end; an escape; a purpose. A thought-provoking story leading to an action filled climax that challenges our accepted beliefs…

    “The Temptation of Eustace Prudence McAllen,” copyright © 2012 by Joseph E. Lake, Jr.“The Last Master of Aeronautical Winters,” copyright © 2012 by Larry D. Sweazy“Lowstone,” copyright © 2012 by Anton Strout“The Flower of Arizona,” copyright © 2012 by Seanan McGuire“The Ghost in the Doctor,” copyright © 2012 by Brenda Cooper“Surveyor of Mars,” copyright © 2012 by Christopher McKitterick“Coyote, Spider, Bat,” copyright © 2012 by Steven Saus“Maybe Another Time,” copyright © 2012 by Dean Wesley Smith“Renn and the Little Men,” copyright © 2012 by Kristine Kathryn Rusch“Showdown at High Moon,” copyright © 2012 by Jennifer Brozek"The Clockwork Cowboy,” copyright © 2012 by J. Steven York“Black Train,” copyright © 2012 by Jeff Mariotte“Lone Wolf,” copyright © 2012 by Jody Lynn Nye

    With Buckley Township in his sights, Jonathan Healy is finally going home.The trouble is, home for him isn't home for Fran, who grew up in the desert, never lived under a fixed roof for more than a week at a time, and has no idea what to expect. To make matters worse, Jonathan's parents—Enid and Alexander Healy, late of the Covenant of St. George—are right on hand to make things more awkward for everyone.With her future on the line, it's time for Frances Brown to make one of the biggest decisions of her life. Does she stay in Buckley Township and try to make a life with the Healys? Or does she saddle up her horse and ride back into the sunset?

    It's bitter and lingers in your mouth long after the moment has passed. That fear kept me alive during the apocalypse. I never stopped moving, and I never gave up hope. The outbreak is over and vaccinations have been administered, but I'm tasting that fear again. Why? Because the undead have returned, and this time there's no stopping them or the people who control them. But I refuse to give up. The outbreak might be over, but the nightmare is just beginning.

    Things go to hell in a hurry once the team reaches the island and the massive megalodon that attacked their boats is only the beginning of their desperate fight for survival. Nothing could have prepared billionaire explorer Joseph Thornton and washed up archaeologist Christopher "Colt" McKinnon for the terrifying prehistoric creatures that wait for them on JURASSIC ISLAND!

    He’s been hired by a ten-year-old to kill the kid’s stepdad, McKinsey. The man in question is abusive, abrasive, and abominable. He’s also a monster, which makes Persons the perfect thing to hunt him. Over the course of his ancient, arcane existence, he’s hunted gods and demons, and broken them in his teeth.As Persons investigates the horrible McKinsey, he realizes that he carries something far darker. He’s infected with an alien presence, and he’s spreading that monstrosity far and wide. Luckily Persons is no stranger to the occult, being an ancient and magical intelligence himself. The question is whether the private dick can take down the abusive stepdad without releasing the holds on his own horrifying potential.At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

     THE PORTAL IN THE FOREST This neighborhood has a secret - while the adults work multiple jobs to make ends meet, the children trade around strange trinkets and famous books with odd misprints. It seems that, without supervision, they've gotten into something extremely dangerous: another universe. One adult is not working. One adult notices. One adult discovers their secret - a portal a few miles deep in Virginia woodlands; a portal that goes to a new universe each day. It's a fantastic opportunity to explore, certainly, but there are two problems: the destinations are all dead worlds that have suffered unique and terrible apocalypses… and the portal is getting bigger.

    On Monday, they arrive at their high school besieged by men in hazmat suits, escorting infected teenagers to buses. Ralph is forced on one of these quarantine buses and Sarah, along with the remaining healthy student body, gets quarantined at school. This flu however is worse than the 1918 Spanish Flu that killed a hundred million people—much worse. This flu turns its victims into the walking dead. The few not infected are left not only with the grief of their family and friends passing, but also with the horror of their families, friends, and neighbors trying to rip the flesh off them. Ralph—unsure about the real destination of the bus and trapped inside with kids that are getting worse by the minute—may not get to the destination in time before the first one dies. Sarah, trapped at school, deals with a worsening situation that she soon needs to escape from. Will the zombies feast on their young flesh or will they escape?

    Now, in "Overtime," the Laundry is on a skeleton staff for Christmas—leaving one bureaucrat to be all that stands between the world and annihilation by the Thing That Comes Down Chimneys. Written especially for Tor.com's holiday season, Charles Stross's novelette is a finalist for the 2010 Hugo Award. Charles Stross is the Hugo-winning author of some of the most acclaimed novels and stories of the last ten years, including Singularity Sky, Accelerando, Halting State, the "Merchant Princes" series beginning with The Family Trade, and the story collections Toast and Wireless.

    Take old man Donegal, for example. Most of his adult life was spent in digging a hole through space to learn what was on the other side. Would he go out the same way?Play Duration: 00:38:25 Down load file sizes[mp3@64kbps - 18.4MB][mp3@128kbps - 36.8MB]Public Domain stories from Project Gutenberg, that are read by volunteers. First published in Amazing Stories