Book picks similar to
Inventing a Tinker: Short story prequel by J.S. Morin
steampunk
fantasy
short-stories
j-s-morin
Tethers
Jack Croxall - 2013
The journal soon draws them into a covert and sinister conspiracy, a conspiracy centred around an otherworldly artefact with the power to change everything …Karl and Esther have spent almost every day of their thirteen years in the quiet market town of Shraye. Stifled by their rural surroundings and frustrated by their unfulfilled ambitions, they find the allure of the journal’s mysterious pages impossible to ignore. The book seems to be beckoning them away from Shraye, away from their homes and towards the coast where an unsolved disappearance has set a dark chain of events in motion.The voyage Karl and Esther soon find themselves undertaking is one of desperate importance and true peril. It will change the way they see the world, and each other, forever.Tethers is the first book of the Tethers trilogy.
Dragon Web Online: Inception
S.R. Witt - 2016
Play games, get rich. It seemed like the perfect way to make the cash my family needed to keep us off the streets. It seemed too good to be true.It was.I made a terrible mistake and stumbled into the truth behind the world’s most popular Virtual Reality game. Now I’m marked for death and the most powerful people in the world want to hang their crimes around my neck.They call me a thief. A murderer. The killer of worlds.The people who know the truth call me the Saint of Shadows.I didn’t set out to destroy the world, but somebody had to do it.Somebody had to set you free.
Dragon Web Online: Inception kicks off the Electric Shadows LitRPG Adventure series. Meet the Saint of Shadows as he begins his journey into a virtual reality that threatens to consume the world as we know it.
Echoes to Ashes
Ainsley Shay - 2018
But, I was wrong. And it could cost me my life.
When I’m sent to finish my last semester of high school in the peculiar town of Veil Rock, I thought that would be punishment enough. But when mysterious vampires, shifters, and witches come to seek me out, there’s no escaping the clutches of this new hell.They believe I am powerful enough to be their ultimate sacrifice to break a binding curse, and they will stop at nothing until they claim me as their own.I laughed at the absurd idea until unexplained and magical things began to happen to me. Now, unable to gain control of my newfound powers, I’m forced to rely on the very ones who plan to sacrifice me to keep their immortality.As my world breaks apart into a thousand pieces, it’s flight or fight. Since I’m not one to run away, the only thing left to do is decide who I can trust and who is manipulating me as I try to unearth ancient secrets that may save my life.My name is Everly Shade, and I’m not ready to die.
*Echoes to Ashes is the first in this YA paranormal mystery series. Expect romance, magic, and twisting plots that will have you guessing to the very last book.*Scroll up and one click to enter the mysterious world of Veil Rock.
The Dawn: Omnibus edition
Michelle Muckley - 2014
He has been stuck inside his tower since the bombs destroyed the world he knew, causing near total extinction. The reason for the war is still a mystery, but ever since that day the world stands still, trapped by the nuclear winter and the Guardians who patrol the exits. Zachary should feel lucky to be alive, but he is haunted by past mistakes which he never got a chance to put right. The only way out is the New Omega Lottery. The prize is a place in Omega, a giant glass tower in the center of their barren world where the new government, The Conservators, rule. Nobody from Delta has ever won. But when Zachary meets Emily he knows she is not from Delta. Convinced there must be another way out, he vows that he will find it. But he doesn't realise that The Conservators have already found him, and they have their own agenda. CALL OF OMEGA (book 2) With the roads destroyed and the bridges near collapse, Zack cannot believe what he has learned about The Barrens. He has a job to do, and so he must try to put things right. But there are those in the shadows who want him to fail, and when Zack learns of a mysterious group who The Conservators refer to as Drifters, he must decide if he is courageous enough to withstand their test. Will he be brave enough to follow his heart, or will he fall under the spell of The Republic of New Omega? EVERYBODY IS SOMEBODY (book 3) Life in Omega Tower is not what Zack expected, especially now he understands the relationship between the Conservators and the Drifters. He had his chance to make a choice, and now Zack feels a long way from home. But with the help of his new friend Serena he takes his first Renunciation Pledge and vows to become a good citizen of the Republic. But tensions are rising and rebellions are forming in the Republic of New Omega. Desperate to protect Leonard, Serena promises Zack that she will get a message to him. But when she comes to him begging for help he is faced with another dilemma. He turns to Emily, swearing to do whatever it takes to help Serena. But there are others who have invested in Zack, and they have other plans. MAN IN THE MIDDLE (book 4) With new alliances forming in the Republic of New Omega, Zack is forced to question what he has learned so far. Who can he really trust? But when he learns of a plan to try to save those trapped by the regime he must put his concerns aside. With Emily stuck inside Omega Tower under the threat of denunciation, he is willing to risk everything to save her. Even his life. But a mysterious transmission changes everything. Whose voice is it? Could it possibly be real? The walls are closing in on President Grayson, and control is getting harder to maintain. But if the regime should fall, who and what are waiting to take its place? RISE OF A HERO (book five) Europe is at war, and with ChemWeap attacks and the transmissions from the north fast approaching the borders of New Omega, President Grayson is forced to take a drastic decision. But when Emily learns of her father’s plans she only has one question on her mind; where is Zack? President Grayson thinks he has her on a tight enough lead, especially since the shock result of the Denunciation Ceremony.
Recreance
H.G. Chambers - 2017
What is left of humankind now live out their lives in New Arcadia, under the ever watchful eye of the Ministry.Seventeen-year-old Oren Hart is on the run. Ministry authorities have shattered his once unremarkable life, forcing him to flee into the deadly Miralaja desert. With sharp-taloned predators soaring overhead, and Ministry assassins close behind, can Oren survive long enough to discover the disturbing truth behind his exile?Clementine has gotten over Oren's disappearance...or so she tells herself. A born survivor, she relies on her ingenuity and cunning to carve out a life on the unforgiving streets of New Arcadia. When she reluctantly agrees to infiltrate a Ministry defense building, she too must flee with a dark secret too big to ignore.As Ministry forces quietly converge, Oren and Clementine find themselves caught up in a centuries-long battle for the survival of humanity itself.
Bugs in the Arroyo
Steven Gould - 2009
When Kimball comes upon twelve-year-old Thayet, she's been stuck on a rock in a river of bugs for two days, no food, no water, and no way back.This is an excerpt from 7th Sigma.
The First Book of Demons
Raquel Dove - 2012
A series of strange encounters, and her relentlessly curious nature, lead her into the woods where she meets a destiny that has been chasing her since birth. She is unknowingly brought into a world of demons that is fraught with turmoil and deadly power struggles. Lord Balthazar, a demon prince trying to hold his new kingdom together, seizes on the opportunity and takes her hostage. Alexandra’s strong willed, defiant personality not only gets her into heaps of trouble, but also manages to gain the unlikely affections of the demon lord that holds her captive. As time begins to run out for both of them, sacrifices must be made that are to neither one’s liking, and by the time they realize what they truly want, it may be too late.
Flashback: Siren Song
James A. Hunter - 2015
Yancy Lazarus—bluesman, gambler, future world-class mage and fix-it man—is just a dumb, unlucky kid serving with the 3rd Battalion 3rd Marines in Vietnam. With just a few weeks left to go until Yancy gets shipped back to the States, he’s just trying to keep his head down and avoid a body bag—no mean feat in Nam. But when his squad is tasked with conducting a routine patrol deep in enemy territory, everything goes to nine kinds of hell, and he quickly sees his chances at survival slipping away. When the radio operators start to pick up some funky, dirty ol’ blues all the way out in the backcountry, it’s a nice change of pace. At least until the men in Yancy’s squad start losing their minds, turning on each other with murderous intent as the music works its deadly power within them. Convinced it’s some kind of new psychological warfare initiative, the squad leader forces the men to push deeper and deeper into the Vietnamese jungle, obsessed with locating the music’s source. What they find, however, isn’t some new technology, but an ancient spirit awoken by the terrible war. Even worse, the music is changing Yancy too, awakening something buried inside of him. Only one thing is certain, nothing is ever going to be the same. See how it all began … Authors Note: Siren Song is a novella-length story (26,000 words) and is not a full novel. Though it is the first installment in the Yancy Lazarus Flashback series (and can be read as a standalone short story) chronological it is Episode 2.5 of the Yancy Lazarus series.
The Stolen Empire Boxed Set
Sherry D. Ficklin - 2015
Ficklin. This complete set includes Queen of Someday, Queen of Tomorrow, and Queen of Always. No cliffhangers, no waiting, read the whole story together! Don’t miss the series dubbed a “must-read romance” by the USA Today and “An entertaining and racy read” by School Library Journal. Fans of the hit TV show REIGN will devour this scandalous glimpse into the life of one of the most vibrant women in history. The Stolen Empire series is a decedent look at one of history's most scandalous queens, Catherine the Great of Russia. Beginning with her humble origins and culminating with her coronation, this series offers a fanciful glimpse inside the life of the dynamic, strong young woman who won the hand of a king, the heart of a nation, and, ultimately, sacrificed her own innocence on the throne of an empire. The trials and tribulations of court life left their scars on young Sophie—the girl who would be Catherine, but she faced down every obstacle with the courage and grace of a queen.
The Mirror & the Maze
Renée Ahdieh - 2016
With smoke billowing, fires blazing and his people fleeing, Khalid races back to defend his city, and protect his queen. But Khalid is too late to do either. He and his men arrive to find the city in ruins, nothing but a maze of destruction, and Shahrzad is gone. But who could have wrought such devastation? Khalid fears he may already know the answer, the price of choosing love over the people of Rey all too evident.
Six-Gun Snow White
Catherynne M. Valente - 2013
Picture instead a masterfully evoked Old West where you are more likely to find coyotes as the seven dwarves. Insert into this scene a plain-spoken, appealing narrator who relates the history of our heroine’s parents—a Nevada silver baron who forced the Crow people to give up one of their most beautiful daughters, Gun That Sings, in marriage to him. Although her mother’s life ended as hers began, so begins a remarkable tale: equal parts heartbreak and strength. This girl has been born into a world with no place for a half-native, half-white child. After being hidden for years, a very wicked stepmother finally gifts her with the name Snow White, referring to the pale skin she will never have. Filled with fascinating glimpses through the fabled looking glass and a close-up look at hard living in the gritty gun-slinging West, this is an utterly enchanting story…at once familiar and entirely new.
Thomas’s First Memory of the Flare
James Dashner - 2011
Short flashback that occurs between "The Scorch Trials" and "The Death Cure."
The City on the Sea
Heather Carson - 2020
Everyone in the city outside the wall does. If you never cause any trouble, you never disappear.Even after her father's mysterious death, she's always known she'll do whatever it takes to live a good life and earn her place on the land one day.But when the watchmen suddenly start following her every move, it doesn't matter if she's done anything wrong. Now she needs to find out why they are watching before she vanishes without a trace.The City on the Sea, book one in the City on the Sea Series, is the thrilling first installment to this futuristic dystopian story. Climate change and rising sea levels have forced humanity to live on the ocean in order to protect the precious bit of land remaining. In the midst of this cli-fi adventure, a strong female lead character discovers that her world isn’t what it seems and learns to fight for the truth no matter the cost.
Weeping Willow - Part Two
Sandra Madera - 2011
Jailed as an abomination to the Elven race due to her unnatural creation, Willow struggles to understand the dynamics of this new world and wonders who she can trust in order to gain her freedom once more. However, the prophecy of her kind is clear... She must put an end to the race wars, uniting two kingdoms, but only if she can survive the wrath of a powerful king.