Other outlandish tales include John Wayne battling cancer using a highly alternative therapy, a gene for integrity being harvested from the brain of an unwilling donor, and the landing of Christopher Columbus in modern-day Manhattan. Included are the Locus and Nebula Award-nominated novelette Auspicious Eggs and several previously unpublished pieces.ContentsIntroduction by Michael Swanwick“Auspicious Eggs”“Come Back, Dr. Sarcophagus”“Director’s Cut”“Fucking Justice”“Isabella of Castile Answers Her Mail”“Martyrs of the Upshot Knothole”“The Cat’s Pajamas”“The Eye That Never Blinks”“The Fate of Nations”“The War of the Worldviews”“The Wisdom of the Skin”“The Zombies of Montrose”

    Thankfully not. Super Dave is dumpster fire of regret and disappointment for anyone who relies on him. Colonel Ekaterina Varatchevsky of the Russian GRU doesn't want to rely on him. A deep cover agent operating in the US as Karen Warat, a successful New York art dealer, Karin is gifted with superpowers courtesy of killing a Threshrend Daemonum which attacks her gallery and eats rather a large number of Manhattan's 1%. Now she doesn't have to rely on Dave any more. She has to target him. This is her story. Not told by Dave. Because you can't trust that guy.

    A cynical, wise-cracking vampire charged with protecting the Balance between vampires and humans, he is part cop, part spy, and part commando -- James Bond with fangs. Lawson mixes shrewd cunning with unmatched lethality to get his job done. He tries his best to dismantle conspiracies, dispatch bad guys, and live long enough to get home.

    To Tim Robertson, they're his worst nightmare From the Queen of Scream comes a novel that will raise the hair on the back of your neck. Not every grandmotherly type bakes cookies.What's more frightening than finding out that the kindly old ladies living across the street from you are anything but?As a child, Tim Robertson is selling cookies with his best friend Damien when they knock on the door of the house across the street from him. Two old ladies open the door and Tim never sees his best friend again.Twenty years later, Tim has tried to move on and forget what happened back then. He is married, has a son, and just bought the house of his dreams in small town Cocoa Beach. When the house across the street from them is sold, they are all looking forward to getting new neighbors, until Tim realizes the old ladies are back to haunt him and the rest of the town. To Hell in a Handbasket is Willow Rose, when she is at her most horrifying. Every page of this book is oozing with dread, and this novel stands shoulder to shoulder with the very best of Koontz and King. Anyone who has read a Willow Rose book knows it's harder to put the book down than to just finish it.

     But Peter Miller, an analyst at the headquarters of the Office of Strategic Services in Washington D.C., learns of a secret Nazi weapons project that may pose a far greater threat: the Black Gate. Sent alone on a perilous mission into the heart of Germany in the guise of an SS officer, Peter discovers that Nazi scientists have recreated an ancient machine that opens a portal to another universe, a gate they believe literally leads to Hell. With the help of Mina Hass, a beautiful woman who is also the lover and confidant of the madman leading the project, Peter must find a way to close the gate forever before the Nazis unwittingly unleash Armageddon…

    As the nephew of Darius Reinier, he thought he knew his place in the world, rich, eligible, he had his whole future mapped out. And then he finds out he is one of them. A shifter. Does he still have a choice? Can’t he just hide from who he really is? Carry on as if the moon doesn’t call to him, doesn’t make him want to rip the flesh from his body and turn into … what? What is he? She has the answers. Amara. Beautiful, curvy, dangerous. She will turn his world upside down, and also make it whole. If he can only find the strength to let go of his past and embrace his future. To become who he is supposed to be. After a bitter war, the world is split, shifters live on one side of the border, humans on the other. Any shifter who enters the human world must where a collar, silver threaded with copper, to stop the chemical reaction triggering the change. They can own no property, and can never be treated as equals. This is the world Amara finds herself in when she has to pay off her father’s debt. Despite having to wear the collar that keeps her lioness a shadow in her mind, she counts herself lucky, when her contract is bought by Darius Reinier. Her job working in his mansion is easy enough … until the moon beckons and she is thrust into the life of Kane Reinier. But as she learns about Kane, she knows she has to help him, not least because it means she will be able to go back home to Shifters Prime, but because he happens to be her mate. Although he has no idea. Can these two strangers learn to live together, will Kane master the beast that lives within him, and can he find the strength to avenge his past? Find out in Living a Lion. Freeing a Lion Despite a past she has been hiding from for two years, curvy girl Lottie joins an animal rights group to help the animals kept in appalling conditions in a nearby circus. But when she lifts the tarp, and takes a photo of the caged lion, what she sees will change her life forever. Or should that be shift her life forever! Tricked into being a circus lion by a sadistic lion tamer, Daniel is trapped, with no end to his suffering in sight. They have exactly the right kind of leverage over him to keep him under control. But he longs to be free, to go across the border to Shifters Prime, and live like a normal shifter. However, Daniel is about to find out that fate moves in very mysterious ways, and when a stranger looks into is cage, he knows she is his mate. Can she help him escape? Can she help him achieve the impossible, and return to Shifters Prime? When her past catches up with Lottie, it seems the rescuer will be the one in need of rescue, and who better to do so than a handsome hunk of lion flesh. The only problem; you can only enter Shifters Prime with a visa, which she doesn’t have … unless you are a shifter … which she isn’t …yet! Fighting a Lion Misty has been released from her contract early, something she doesn’t question, until she glimpses the other side of Darius. In that moment, she understands he is a shifter too, stuck on the wrong side of the border. Only when she is kidnapped, does she realise the lengths other people will go to to discover the secret of the man who has kept her safe for the last two years. Kieran is a cage fighter. And he’s good at it.

    What was thought to be a new beginning for Julia soon devolves into an endless nightmare of hidden secrets and a troubled past best left unturned.The Haunting of Abram MansionA riveting new haunted house mystery that will keep you guessing until the end!When Peyton and Benjamin Fletcher inherit a dilapidated house in the quiet town of Falconwood, Connecticut from Peyton’s grandfather, all they want to do is get rid of it. Unfortunately, the will stipulates that the couple must live in the house for a minimum of six months before they sell it. As Peyton and Ben try to make the best of the situation, Peyton discovers the house is inhabited by ghosts, and they aren’t happy with the mansion’s new occupants.

    This collection will whisk you from Christmas season in steampunk London to Yule celebrations with the coven to Hanukkah celebrations with a supernatural twist. Battle Krampus, ghosts, vampires, demons, and a hell of an eggnog hangover in this special collection of paranormal, horror, urban fantasy, and steampunk holiday tales.PEPPERMINT AND PENTACLES: A Steampunk Christmas Fairy Tale by Melanie KarsakHELL'S SILVER BELLS by Margo Bond CollinsA HARKER CHRISTMAS by Erin HayesPOINSETTIAS and POLTERGEISTS: A Southern Stones Short by Blaire EdensHEARTLESS IN NEW ORLEANS by Pauline CreedenALL IS BRIGHT by Jayne FuryMISTLETOE AND MONSTERS by Katie HayozTHAT OLD FAMILIAR FEELING by S. K. Gregory'TWAS THE NIGHT by Evan WintersHOLIDAY MAGIC by Carrie L. WellsFESTIVAL OF GASLIGHTS by Bokerah BrumleyTHE GHOST OF CHRISTMAS PAST by Anna AlbergucciDAWN by T.K. BradleyTHE TOWN IN THE MOUNTAIN by Angelique Archer & J. MillsEGGNOG & EXORCISM by Deb Christie & Margo Bond CollinsHIGH TIDE HOLIDAY by Ella Malone

    This free anthology will give you an exciting taste of the fierceness of these authors’ debut novels.This anthology contains the following stories:Legacy Lost by Anna BanksThe Witch of Duva by Leigh BardugoProphet by Jennifer BosworthDress Your Marines in White by Emmy LaybourneGlitches by Marissa Meyer

    New frontiers discovered. What it means to be human reimagined.Dreams of tomorrow become reality in this third collection of bestselling authors and newly emerging writers from Sci-Fi Bridge. From the inner worlds of unforgettable characters to alien planets at the farthest reaches of our galaxy and beyond, our writers examine the human experience from within and without. They hold up a mirror to the human experience. Who are we as a species? Who do we want to be? How do we achieve that greatest vision of ourselves for us and our children?You'll wonder at the possibilities of what we can accomplish together. You might even come to believe that a better tomorrow can be more than a dream....Foreword by Chris Fox"Centurion" by M.G. Herron"Geospermia" by Patty Jansen"Storming the Norse Wind" by M.D. Cooper"The Far Side of Psyche" by Rhett C. Bruno"Sparkle Ship Shine" by Hall & Beaulieu"Latecomers" by Chris Ward"Fool's Gold" by Zen DiPietro"The Tribe" by Andreas Christensen"The Theta Patient" by Chris Dietzel"The Last Ship" by Chris Pourteau"Taken For a Walk" by Justin Sloan"Playing Doctor" by Robert Jeschonek"Awaken Me, Paper Robot!" by A.K. Meek"Refurbished" by Artie Cabrera"Steel's First Temper" by David VanDyke"Siren Song" by Jon Frater"Digital Commander" by J.S. Morin"Little Blue" by Chris ReherWant to know more about Sci-Fi Bridge? Visit our site at scifibridge.com and subscribe to receive giveaways and great Sci-Fi deals straight to your inbox.

     This box set includes all FOUR books in the Moonburner Cycle (which can be read as stand-alones)! Moonburner-Book One Kai is a Moonburner—a female sorceress reviled by her people and normally killed at birth. Except Kai's parents saved her by disguising her as a boy—a ruse they've kept up for almost seventeen years. But when her village is attacked, Kai’s secret is revealed and she’s sentenced to death. Thankfully, the gods aren’t done with Kai. Despite the odds stacked against her, she escapes her fate, undertaking a harrowing journey to a land where Moonburners are revered and trained as warriors. But her new home has dangers of its own—the ancient war against the male Sunburners has led the Moonburners down a dark path that could destroy all magic. And Kai, armed only with a secret from her past and a handsome but dangerous ally, may be the only one who can prevent the destruction of her people... Sunburner-Book Two Kai, the newly-crowned queen of Miina, finds her reign threatened by a plague of natural disasters that leave death and destruction in their wake. Are the gods truly angry at the peace between the moon and sunburners, or is something more sinister to blame? Kai's throne and her very life may be forfeit unless she can appease the gods' anger and her peoples' superstitions. Determined to find a solution, Kai and the Sunburner Prince Hiro embark on an extraordinary and dangerous journey to discover the true cause of the plagues. What they find is an ancient enemy determined to plunge their world into eternal darkness — and one desperate chance to save it. Starburner-Book Three All Princess Rika wants is to be a moonburner like her mother, but her powers are nowhere to be found. When a fleet of dark ships appears on the horizon, Rika is convinced this is the perfect opportunity to force her magic to manifest. But the ships bring more than Rika bargained for—an invasion of soul-eating monsters intent on consuming all she holds dear. Overwhelmed and outmatched, Rika finds an unlikely ally in Vikal—a dangerous man enslaved to the monsters that killed his family and ravaged his homeland. Thrown together in a desperate attempt to evade the soul-eaters, they begin to realize they have more in common than they ever thought possible. Alone, their lands and people are doomed to fall to the encroaching darkness. But together, they have a prayer of a chance to save their worlds. And to find something more in the process. Burning Fate-Prequel Novella Azura, heir to the throne of Miina, is resigned to her fate. She must marry her mortal enemy in the hopes of ending a centuries-long war. But when a handsome and enticing stranger appears on the horizon, she is swept up in an illicit but undeniable romance.

    On the deadly island of Patji, where predators can sense the thoughts of their prey, a lone trapper discovers that the island is not the only thing out to kill him.Mary Robinette Kowal’s “A Fire in the Heavens” is a powerful tale of a refugee seeking to the near-mythical homeland her oppressed people left centuries ago. When Katin discovers the role the “eternal moon” occupies in the Center Kingdom, and the nature of the society under its constant light, she may find enemies and friends in unexpected places.Dan Wells’s “I.E.Demon” features an Afghanistan field test of a piece of technology that is supposed to handle improvised explosive devices. Or so the engineers have told the EOD team that will be testing it; exactly what it does and how it does it are need-to-know, and the grunts don’t need to know. Until suddenly the need arises.Howard Tayler’s “An Honest Death” stars the security team for the CEO of a biotech firm about to release the cure for old age. When an intruder appears and then vanishes from the CEO’s office, the bodyguards must discover why he is lying to them about his reason for pressing the panic button.For years the hosts of Writing Excuses have been offering tips on brainstorming, drafting, workshopping, and revision, and now they offer an exhaustive look at the entire process. Not only does Shadows Beneath have four beautifully illustrated fantastic works of fiction, but it also includes transcripts of brainstorming and workshopping sessions, early drafts of the stories, essays about the stories’ creation, and details of all the edits made between the first and final drafts.Come for the stories by award-winning authors; stay for the peek behind the creative curtain.

    An outstanding array—52 pieces in all—of selected fiction from the multiple-award-winning, #1 New York Times bestselling author Neil Gaiman, curated by his readers around the world, and introduced with a foreword by Booker Prize-winning author Marlon JamesSpanning Gaiman’s career to date, The Neil Gaiman Reader: Selected Fiction is a captivating collection from one of the world’s most beloved writers, chosen by those who know his work best: his devoted readers. A brilliant representation of Gaiman's groundbreaking, entrancing, endlessly imaginative fiction, this captivating volume includes excerpts from each of his five novels for adults —Neverwhere, Stardust, American Gods, Anansi Boys, and The Ocean at the End of the Lane—and nearly fifty of his short stories. Impressive in its depth and range, The Neil Gaiman Reader: Selected Fiction is both an entryway to Gaiman’s oeuvre and a literary trove Gaiman fans old and new will return to many times over.

    It's a case that nobody wants to touch, deeply rooted in old evil—and old evil is Charlie Parker's specialty. He's about to enter a living nightmare, a dreamscape of sorrow haunted by the murderous specter of a hooded woman, by a black car waiting for a passenger that never comes, and by the sinister complicity of both friends and enemies in Larousse's brutal death. Soon, all will face a final reckoning in an unearthly realm where the paths of the living and the dead converge. A place known only as the White Road. THE BLACK ANGELWhen a young woman disappears from the streets of New York City, ties of friendship and blood inevitably draw ingenious, tortured detective Charlie Parker into the search. Soon he discovers links to a church of bones in Eastern Europe, a 1944 slaughter at a French monastery, and to the myth of an object known as the Black Angel—considered by evil men to be beyond priceless. But the Black Angel is not a legend. It is real. It lives. It dreams. And the mystery of its existence may contain the secret of Parker's own origins. THE UNQUIETDaniel Clay, a once-respected psychiatrist, has gone missing. His daughter insists that he killed himself after allegations surfaced surrounding the harm done to patients in his care. Now, a killer obsessed with finding the truth about his own daughter’s disappearance is seeking revenge—and private investigator Charlie Parker finds himself trapped between those who want the truth about Clay’s disappearance to be revealed, and those who will go to any length—no matter the cost—to keep a deep, dark secret about a local town hidden.

    Hidden deep beneath Manhattan lies a warren of tunnels, sewers, and galleries, mostly forgotten by those who walk the streets above. There lies the ultimate secret of the Museum Beat.Relic — Just days before a massive exhibition opens at the popular New York Museum of Natural History, visitors are being savagely murdered in the museum's dark hallways and secret rooms. Autopsies indicate that the killer cannot be human...Reliquary —When two grotesquely deformed skeletons are found deep in the mud off the Manhattan shoreline, museum curator Margo Green is called in to aid the investigation. Margo must once again team up with police lieutenant D'Agosta and FBI agent Pendergast, as well as the brilliant Dr. Frock, to try and solve the puzzle. Books by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child The Pendergast Series Relic Reliquary Other books Mount Dragon Books by Douglas Preston The Kraken Project Impact Blasphemy The Monster of Florence The Codex Jennie At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.