Book picks similar to
Arcane Synthesis: A Blended-Genre Anthology by Bob Whitely


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The Culling


Peter Meredith - 2020
    It’s time to tear down and start again. And what better way to eradicate humanity than by unleashing the monsters inside each of us? Destroying mankind is simple compared to perfecting a new version of mankind. Just as evil resides within all of us, the hero does as well. It’s just much harder to bring out. The Chosen are those few who survive the process. They become greater in every regard. The other 98% however, become the stuff of nightmares. Wickedly cunning and ferociously strong, they are insatiable demons that make the average zombie look like it's made of sticks and string.Into this cataclysm Bryce Carter is thrown wearing nothing but a hospital gown. He dared to defy Magnus, who felt injecting him with the serum just wasn’t punishment enough. Barefoot and bleeding, Bryce has to fight his way out of a city overrun with zombies.Led by the demons, the dead sweep across the streets like a grey river, forcing him to crawl through sewers and down into the dark tunnels beneath the blood-soaked streets. He’s hounded relentlessly and growing desperate as he only has so much time. Nuclear weapons are being readied and soon the city will be nothing but dust and ash.

Articles on Novels By George R. R. Martin


Hephaestus Books - 2011
    This book contains articles available free on Wikipedia and other free sources.

Shade King: An Urban Fantasy Military Adventure (The Awakened World Book 2


William Stacey - 2020
    Seven days ago, I was struggling to survive without my magic. Now I’m on the run with a family of werewolf super-soldiers. Not gonna lie. I’m in trouble—a lot of trouble: a cult of dragon-worshipping fanatics wants to cut my heart out, vampire assassins hunt me, and even my own countrymen want to hang me for treason.Oh, and a dark empire plots to conquer the entire West Coast. It may be led by a pair of dragons, honest-to-god dragons.Did I mention I’m possessed by an ancient entity of unimaginable power?Last week was hell on Earth, literally. I think this week is gonna be worse.At least my magic’s back—wow, is it ever back!Warning: Contains scenes of sexual situations, realistic violence, and soldiers talking like soldiers.If you like Myke Cole, Michael Anderle, K.F. Breene, and Shayne Silvers, you’ll love this exciting new series.

Cole Blooded


Blaise Corvin - 2019
    He was on a tropical vacation with a diverse group of strangers, classmates, and friends when disaster struck. The next thing he knew, he was standing before a huge, floating man introducing himself as the god Dolos, and being given a second chance at life. There was a catch, though. There is always a catch. Now Cole will need to convince all the people he's trapped with that violence is not the answer, suggesting that they all to work together to endure their death game. If he fails, he'll have to figure out how to survive on a deadly island with a shrinking, burning energy dome overhead. Cole's MMA training and video game knowledge doesn't seem like much to rely on against mutated monsters and psychopaths with supernatural powers. If the island becomes a war of survival like he fears, he's going to have several very serious problems to deal with...fast. *** *Cole Blooded is not classified as LitRPG, but is Battle Royale GameLit*

Hellspawn


Ricky Fleet - 2015
    Portsmouth, England. A global particle physics experiment releases a pulse of unknown energy with catastrophic results. Scientists in their laboratories search desperately for a solution to the broken fabric of existence, but they are already too late, the sanctity of the grave has been sundered. There is no virus or bacteria to combat, just chaos and horror as a million graveyards expel their tenants from eternal slumber. The world is unaware of the impending apocalypse, realisation only dawns with the appearance of the mouldering corpses who devour everything they encounter. Governments crumble and armies are scattered to the wind. Kurt Taylor, a self-employed plumber, witnesses the start of the horrifying outbreak. Desperate to reach his family before they fall victim to the ever growing horde of shambling corruption, he flees the scene, watching the unfolding cannibalism and destruction in his rear view mirror. In a society with few guns, how can people hope to survive the endless waves of zombies that seek to consume every living thing? With ingenuity, planning and everyday materials, the group forge their way and strike back at the Hellspawn legions. Rescues are mounted, but not all survivors are benevolent. The evil that is in all men has been given free rein in this new, dead world. With both the living and dead to contend with, is there any hope for the Taylor family?

The Hazel Wood: Chapter Sampler


Melissa Albert - 2017
    This excerpt from The Hazel Wood—Melissa Albert's fiercely stunning contemporary fantasy perfect for fans of The Magicians—contains the first six chapters.Everyone is talking about The Hazel Wood!“Thoroughly, creepily captivating.” —Kristin Cashore, author of Graceling and Jane, Unlimited “This book is pure imagination candy.” —Stephanie Garber, author of Caraval “Destined to be a classic.” —Kami Garcia, author of The Lovely Reckless “Absolutely breathtaking.” —Seanan McGuire, author of Every Heart a Doorway “Terrifying, magical, and surprisingly funny.” —Jennifer Niven, author of All the Bright Places “Unlike anything else I’ve ever read before.” —Evelyn Skye, author of The Crown’s Game “A part of me will never leave The Hazel Wood.” —Heidi Heilig, author of The Girl from Everywhere “An elegant dark fairy tale, full of the power of story.” —Kat Howard, author of Roses and Rot

West Pacific Supers: Rising Tide


K.M. Johnson-Weider - 2011
    Would the superheroes change the world or would the world change the superheroes? It's 2013 and West Pacific Supers is the professional superhero team for the city of West Pacific in northern California. It's hard to know what's more dangerous for the members of West Pacific Supers: the supervillains out to destroy the city or the superazzi determined to uncover all of their dirty secrets. If juggling heroics and public relations weren't hard enough, the 2013 Season begins with a shocking death. Now new team members must be recruited to counter two major threats: a scientist with an insane plan that threatens California and an enemy from within West Pacific Supers itself. The team will succeed only after taming their massive egos and getting help from unlikely sources. Unfortunately, just like winning fame and fortune, beating the bad guys always comes at a heavy price.

Super


Karen Diem - 2016
    As a result, the second-to-last thing she expected was to wake from a spontaneous coma, quarantined, and with super powers she has to hide from everyone, including her family. Now Zita must master her new abilities while dodging kidnappers, evading government inquiries, and finding her missing brother. The only thing weirder would have been if the blind date had gone well. Super is the first in the Arca superhero urban fantasy series, and as a movie, would be rated "R" for immoderate language, lame sexual innuendo, comic book violence, and sheer length (approximately 110,500 words).

The Wraith's Story


Natalie K. French - 2015
     THIS BOOK CONTAINS ADULT CONTENT DANGEROUS BEAUTY... This first novella in an exciting new series will take you to a future unlike anything you’ve ever seen. The world of BRIGAND is as beautiful as it is cruel - a landscape of sharp edges and sharper characters. Sometimes it's funny, sometimes harsh, always sexy, it's a world filled with people who play power games that span multiple planets and the life of a scut can be bought for a few ounces of fresh water. Genetically modified and cybernetically augmented before she even left the womb, Subject 11 was to be one of the Mandate of St. Nicolo's most potent tools of statecraft. With her contract bid out to one of the great families of Marajo Lift, she would become a crucial wheel within the many thousands of wheels that formed the Mandate's legendary engine of intrigue. But 11 had other plans... NOTE: The cover illustration for this novella has been changed to more accurately reflect the main character. DO NOT buy it if you have already purchased The Wraith's Story. ~22,000 words

Unfiction


Gene Doucette - 2017
     But when Wilson takes an intense interest in Oliver's writing and his genre stories of dragons, aliens, and spies, things get weird. Oliver’s stories don’t just need to be finished: they insist on it. With the help of Minerva, Wilson’s girlfriend, Oliver has to find the connection between reality, fiction, the mythical Cydonian Kingdom, and the non-mythical nightclub called M Pallas. That is, if he can survive the alien invasion, the ghosts, and the fact that he thinks he might be in love with Minerva. Unfiction is a wild ride through the collision of science fiction, fantasy, thriller, horror and romance. It's what happens when one writer's fiction interferes with everyone's reality. Unfiction is the latest novel from Gene Doucette, the bestselling author of The Spaceship Next Door.

We Are Not Prey


Taki Drake - 2016
    This science fiction adventure blends magic and technology with the adventures of Ruth, a normal human, pushed into extraordinary situations. Ruth’s transformation takes her from Earth to worlds and situations of which she never dreamed.

Raven, Red


Connie Suttle - 2019
     Arianne Leone, a mountain lion shapeshifter, owns an art gallery in Deep Ellum, a popular tourist attraction and haven for musicians for decades. Together, they are charged with guarding the one who bears the Hermit's Stone, an ancient artifact that has held worlds together—and kept them separate—for eons. Possession of the stone falls to Ari's friend and art student, nineteen-year-old Nico Garcia. When Nico's parents are killed in an attempt to destroy him, Ari and Mac must set aside their differences and work together, protecting Nico at all costs…

Weird Tales: 101 Weird, Strange, and Supernatural Stories (Civitas Library Classics)


Various - 2012
    May of these stories are from the pages of Weird Tales and other classic magazines which brought the work of masters like H.P. Lovecraft, Seabury Quinn, Clark Ashton Smith, August Derleth, Robert E. Howard, and many others to the public. Includes an active table of contents.

Chorrier's Rise


Petros Asteriou Malousis - 2017
    Follow his adventures as he faces ruffians, dragons, the wrath of the Clergy, the intrigue of the nobles and fends off invading armies as he tries to win the heart of a girl he never had the courage to speak to.

Whose Reality Is This Anyway?


David Luddington - 2016
     Retired stage magician turned professional mystic debunker, John Barker, finds his sceptical beliefs under fire when he encounters a strange man who claims to be Merlin. After several unsuccessful attempts to rid himself of his increasingly unpredictable companion, John finally relents and agrees to assist in the man’s crazy mission, to find the true grave of the mythical King Arthur. Following a hidden code contained within the text of a soft porn novel, they gather a growing entourage of hippies, mystic seekers and alien hunters as they leave a trail of chaos across the south west of England. When the group comes to the attention of a TV Reality Show producer looking to make a fast profit out of harmless eccentrics and fading celebrities, John decides it’s time to take charge and prove one way or the other, the identity of this mysterious person who claims to be a fictional wizard. “Whose reality is this anyway?” is a warm-hearted tale of what it means to be an individual and to follow one’s dreams. With his trademark cast of oddball characters and absurd situations, David Luddington once more transports us into a world where who you are is more important than what you are. “David Luddington epitomizes the elusive quality of writing that he perpetuates - the British Comedy.” – Grady Harp