Book picks similar to
Against the Beast by R.J. Batla
fantasy
christian-military
supernatural
christian-inspirational
Sour Candy
Kealan Patrick Burke - 2015
They take walks in the park together, visit county fairs, museums, and zoos, and eat together overlooking the lake. Some might say the father is a little too accommodating given the lack of discipline when the child loses his temper in public. Some might say he spoils his son by allowing him to set his own bedtimes and eat candy whenever he wants. Some might say that such leniency is starting to take its toll on the father, given how his health has declined.What no one knows is that Phil is a prisoner, and that up until a few weeks ago and a chance encounter at a grocery store, he had never seen the child before in his life.
The Map
William Ritter - 2015
Abigail hopes that her birthday will slip by unnoticed and uncelebrated, but her employer, detective of the supernatural R. F. Jackaby, has other plans. Using magical party crackers that teleport the pair to unknown destinations in time and space and a cryptic map that may lead to a forgotten treasure, Jackaby intends to give Abigail what he considers to be the best gift of all--adventure. Abigail and Jackaby must tame an enormous (and carnivorous) rabbit, defend a castle, and master a dirigible if they want to find the treasure and get back to New Fiddleham alive.
The Watchmaker's Daughter
C.J. Archer - 2016
Her father is dead, her fiancé took her inheritance, and no one will employ her, despite years working for her watchmaker father. Indeed, the other London watchmakers seem frightened of her. Alone, poor, and at the end of her tether, India takes employment with the only person who'll accept her - an enigmatic and mysterious man from America. A man who possesses a strange watch that rejuvenates him when he's ill. Matthew Glass must find a particular watchmaker, but he won't tell India why any old one won't do. Nor will he tell her what he does back home, and how he can afford to stay in a house in one of London's best streets. So when she reads about an American outlaw known as the Dark Rider arriving in England, she suspects Mr. Glass is the fugitive. When danger comes to their door, she's certain of it. But if she notifies the authorities, she'll find herself unemployed and homeless again - and she will have betrayed the man who saved her life. With a cast of quirky characters, an intriguing mystery, and a dash of romance, THE WATCHMAKER'S DAUGHTER is the start of a thrilling new historical fantasy series from the author of the bestselling Ministry of Curiosities, Freak House, and Emily Chambers Spirit Medium books.
The Haunting of Gillespie House
Darcy Coates - 2015
Hidden near the edge of the woods and an hour's drive from the nearest town, its dark rooms and rich furniture entice her to explore its secrets. There's even a graveyard hidden behind the house, filled with tombstones that bear an identical year of death.If only the scratching in the walls would be quiet… The house’s dark and deadly history quickly becomes tangled with Elle’s life. At the center of it is Jonathan Gillespie, the tyrannical cult leader and original owner of the house. As Elle soon learns -- just because he’s dead, doesn’t mean he’s gone.
The Secrets of Lost Stones
Melissa Payne - 2019
Haunted by memories and grief, Jess packs what’s left and heads for the small mountain town of Pine Lake, where she takes a position as caregiver to an eccentric old woman.A rumored clairvoyant, Lucy is strange but welcoming and immediately intuits Jess as a “loose end” in need of closure. But Jess isn’t the only guest in Lucy’s large Victorian home. There’s also Star, a teenage runaway with a secret too painful to share. And the little boy with heart-shaped stones, who comes with a hope for reconciliation—and a warning.Soon Jess learns that she’s not the only lost soul running from the ghosts of the past. She and Star have been brought together for a reason: to be saved by the very thing that destroyed them.
Paranormals
Christopher Andrews - 2006
Five years ago, a celestial event, dubbed the White Flash, bathed the Earth in its awesome glow. Almost immediately, some people began changing ... and the Paranormal Effect had no discernable pattern. Age, race, gender ... none of it mattered. Anyone can change ... At any time ... In any way ... Now, the world is trying desperately to adjust. The United States government has formed the Paranormal Control Agency to deal with the new breed of paranormal criminals - rogues - but with precious few paranormal agents of their own ... At the heart of the maelstrom stand four people: Vortex, a young man with a vision; Ensign Michael Takayasu and Shockwave, two agents of the PCA; Powerhouse, a new paranormal desperate to protect his family. Paranormals The world will never be the same.
Rolling in the Deep
Mira Grant - 2015
They didn't expect actual mermaids. They certainly didn't expect those mermaids to have teeth. This is the story of the Atargatis, lost at sea with all hands. Some have called it a hoax; others have called it a maritime tragedy. Whatever the truth may be, it will only be found below the bathypelagic zone in the Mariana Trench…and the depths are very good at keeping secrets.
The Clockwork Menace
Bec McMaster - 2014
So just why is this case coming between them? In a Victorian London ruled by the blood-drinking elite, Perry Lowell is a logical and accomplished Nighthawk: a rogue blue blood who tracks murderers and thieves for the Guild. So when she and her charming-but-reckless partner, Garrett, are charged with finding a missing theatre starlet, it should be a simple solve. But with an entire theatre of suspects, including a flirtatious understudy and whispers of a Clockwork Menace haunting the place, tension is brewing between the pair of them. Can they come together to solve the case—or will it be too late, when the murderer turns his gaze on Perry herself? Don’t miss any of the London Steampunk: The Blue Blood Conspiracy books! Book 1: Mission: Improper. Book 2: The Mech Who Loved Me. Book 3: You Only Love Twice. Book 4: To Catch A Rogue. Book 5: Dukes Are Forever What everyone is saying about Bec McMaster: "richly imagined, gritty and dark, and full of hot heroes and hot sex...utterly delicious." - Smart Bitches, Trashy Books for Kiss of Steel 'Dark, intense and sexy... A stunning new series with an intriguing twist on the vampire theme..." - Library Journal for Kiss of Steel The London Steampunk series: - Paranormal Romance - Steampunk Romance - Gaslamp Fantasy - Historical Romance - Victorian Era Romance - Action Adventure Romance - Friends to Lovers
Inherited Magic
Andrew Gordinier - 2014
The things that are hidden inside change his life forever. He is suddenly heir to a barbaric and bloody history of brutal glory as magic slowly dies from the world. Now John is stalked by powerful and petty mages as he struggles to learn the rules of the game, endangering himself and those around him. Then there is the half naked Tribesman, that only John can see, following him around. Confronting his own failings and struggling with the world he has found himself in, John still has to find a way to pay his rent on time. He would also like to not lose the girl of his dreams in the process. This book is NOT Young Adult it contains some language inappropriate for children under 15.
The Untold Tales of Dolly Williamson: An Occult Steampunk Thriller: Prequel to The Guild Chronicles
J.M. Bannon - 2017
The first of six books!
Fredrick “Dolly” Williamson is a young detective in the newly formed special crime detection branch at Scotland Yard. When he is called on to investigate the murder of an investment banker, he is reminded of past encounters with the occult and requests help from Rose Caldwell. Problem is Rose is an outsider whose very presence grates on the Victorian society she protects from the paranormal threats they want to ignore. Sister Rose an expert in the mystical arts uses her ingenuity to craft devices that straddle the latest scientific and metaphysical discoveries to create defenses against the dark arts.As the body count continues to rise and the mystery deepens after the enigmatic Necronist Guild provide clues to the origins of the murderer. The clues from the secretive French death cult are not enough and Rose and Dolly must reach out to a cast of characters that include a young lord that is possessed by a Sufi mystic from the thirteenth century and an up and coming triad gangster.A tightly wound thriller set in an alternative 19th century where powerful guilds use mechanical power, occult rituals and alchemy to vie for influence in the courts of Queen Victoria and the ever-youthful Emperor Napoleon. The untold tales of “Dolly” Williamson is an occult steampunk thriller and the prequel to The Guild Chronicles, a steampunk fantasy book series.This book is what steampunk is all about with the right dose of technology and wizardry to make you wonder what our world today would be like if our past was like this. The story respects the steampunk genre and the intellect of the fans of steampunk.This is the prequel to the Guild ChroniclesBook 1 The AlchemistsBook 2 The NecronistsBook 3 The Mechanists
Have a look inside now and see if the untold tales is the steampunk yarn for you.
FAQs
What other books have you written and what order should they be read?
The AlchemistsThe Necronists
Why should a reader pick up your book?
If they are looking for a series with character driven stories that include fantasy and science fiction but also a nod to history then pick up this book. I love it when a reader writes me that I introduced them to a historical figure they never knew existed and after researching learned that the life they lead was not all that different from how I portrayed them.
What is Steampunk?
Steampunk is an esthetic and for some a way of life. One key point is that steam is the main mode of power. So, the car would have an external combustion engine rather than an internal combustion engine. From there things can be wildly different, some steampunk is set in the future and is dystopian some is set in the past. I heard a good tag line
“When the Victorian comes together with science fiction like clockwork.
Desolate - The Complete Trilogy
Robert Brumm - 2013
Instead of putting a scare into his ex-boss as he intended, things quickly get out of hand, and he kills five people. Howard is sentenced to life at an experimental prison camp off the coast of Antarctica, and he soon learns the true definition of "rock bottom." Prison life at the remote island involves back-breaking work in the illegal mine run by the corrupt warden and his abusive guards. After a mysterious object is discovered deep in the mine, the inmates and staff start dying from an unknown infection. Howard is lucky to find himself one of the few survivors immune to the pathogen, but he and his fellow inmates learn something far more sinister and terrifying also has emerged from the mine. The truly lucky ones are already dead.This book is intended to be read by adults and may be unsuitable for children under 17. Contains indecent language and descriptions of graphic violence.
Foxworth Academy: Freshman Year - Part I
Chris Blewitt - 2013
But that is about to change. For years rumors have circled about what goes on in Mr. Martin's ultra secretive history class, and past students have all kept quiet, leaving Brett to wonder what really goes on. Until now. When class begins, Brett is joined by Ally, who is prettier than his envious girlfriend, in a race against time. What happens next and the decisions they choose are vital, for one single misstep could alter the course of history...forever. *This is a 35,000 word novella of approximately 150 pgs and the first book in a series.
Brilliance
Marcus Sakey - 2013
In New York, a man sensing patterns in the stock market racks up $300 billion. In Chicago, a woman can go invisible by being where no one is looking. They’re called "brilliants," and since 1980, one percent of people have been born this way. Nick Cooper is among them; a federal agent, Cooper has gifts rendering him exceptional at hunting terrorists. His latest target may be the most dangerous man alive, a brilliant drenched in blood and intent on provoking civil war. But to catch him, Cooper will have to violate everything he believes in - and betray his own kind.From Marcus Sakey, "a modern master of suspense" (Chicago Sun-Times) and "one of our best storytellers" (Michael Connelly), comes an adventure that’s at once breakneck thriller and shrewd social commentary; a gripping tale of a world fundamentally different and yet horrifyingly similar to our own, where being born gifted can be a terrible curse.
Reluctant Guardian
Melissa J. Cunningham - 2013
Death was nothing like sixteen-year-old Alisa Callahan thought it would be. Resting on pink, fluffy clouds for eternity with her gram and best friend sounded like a dream come true. After all, enduring one torturous experience after another in her short life deserved some kind of reward, right? Unfortunately, eternal rewards aren't given out so freely when you take your own life. Required to pay the debt for committing suicide, Alisa must become a guardian. It sounds easy enough, but not when the boy she is forced to protect has a dangerous secret and wants absolutely nothing to do with her. Brecken Shaefer isn't any normal teenager. He has special gifts that are sure to make Alisa's afterlife miserable. When feelings develop between them, everything spins out of control. Not only must Alisa face her own demons- but to protect Brecken, she must face an evil so heinous that it threatens to destroy their souls completely. Alisa is tired of hiding from her past. When the easiest thing to do is run, can Brecken give her the strength to stay?
Come Closer
Sara Gran - 2003
A memo to her boss that's replaced by obscene insults. Amanda—a successful architect in a happy marriage—finds her life going off kilter by degrees. She starts smoking again, and one night for no reason, without even the knowledge that she's doing it, she burns her husband with a cigarette. At night she dreams of a beautiful woman with pointed teeth on the shore of a blood-red sea.The new voice in Amanda's head, the one that tells her to steal things and talk to strange men in bars, is strange and frightening, and Amanda struggles to wrest back control of her life. Is she possessed by a demon, or is she simply insane? Described as “a new kind of psychological thriller” by George Pelecanos and “this year's scariest novel” by Time Out New York, Come Closer has become a modern classic “with a kick that will stay with the reader for days afterward” (The Dallas Morning News).