until something utterly unfamiliar suddenly lands in your back yard.Susan is the epitome of the happy housewife, contentedly conducting her daily ritual of cleaning her home and keeping everything just as it should be. Wrapped up in her own little world within those familiar walls, she hardly notices the altogether different arrival in her own back yard. She may ignore the sudden shaking beneath her slippered feet, she might even neglect to spot the conspicuous sight itself—but she can't evade the stench. Something's wrong. Very wrong. And Susan's incapable of determining just what to do about the uninvited eyesore in her back yard. Turning to her best friend for help with the impromptu emergency threatening to shake up her very existence and happy home, Susan combines efforts with neighbor Trisha to decipher the composition and meaning of the frightfully large and utterly unpleasant new arrival. But are these two women really capable of realizing the gift of new awareness they've just been given by an unseen entity? Or will they continue to fail to see the world that exists out there? What a difference a day makes... unless you choose to ignore it. Start Reading Now...What are you waiting for? Unexpected surprises, urban fantasy, unveiled mysteries, a touch of humor, a dab of "new weird", and so much more await you.

    A companion piece to the "Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens" character novels, Star Wars: Before the Awakening is an anthology book that focuses on the lives of Rey, Finn, and Poe before the events of the Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

    and they're losing. When High Dynasty heir Wil Sietinen comes face-to-face with the Bakzen, a mysterious race skilled in advanced telekinesis, he's forced to confront his destiny. A secret war is being waged within a hidden dimensional rift, and his unique gifts can help win the fight.As the dire nature of the conflict and the truth about his own abilities unfolds, Wil realizes he's at the center of a galactic conspiracy. And enemies are not who they seem.With the future of the entire Taran Empire hanging in the balance, Wil holds the key to victory—but saving his people may come at the ultimate price.The Cadicle series is a sweeping epic that will grab you from the first page, offering a rich blend of adventure, intrigue, and the intersection of technology with mental powers. Join multiple generations of one noble family in their battles against unimagined foes to change the course of an empire. This series is an entry point into the award-winning Cadicle Universe.The Fractured Empire boxset contains the complete Cadicle series:-- Volume 1: Architects of Destiny-- Volume 2: Veil of Reality-- Volume 3: Bonds of Resolve-- Volume 4: Web of Truth-- Volume 5: Crossroads of Fate-- Volume 6: Path of Justice-- Volume 7: Scions of Change

    When an opportunity to join the Mechanized Infantry presents itself, Pete is first in line. He knows that he's going to get shot at one way or another, but the idea of sitting in a warm and more importantly, dry mechanized suit appeals to him almost beyond reason. While still training in the jungle, Pete's squad is called out to intervene in a skirmish in a nearby village. Of course, the Marines haven't seen fit to certify his squad with ordnance. The fact that they'll be up against a platoon of squishies doesn't convince him that's it's any better of an idea and things turn quickly to crap when they discover the squishies are protected by grav-tanks. Pete, Popeye and Olive is a fast paced, short-story with plenty of action.

    Doug had started to believe the conspiracy theories and rumors that had swirled for years; that NASA had discovered more than just rocks on the Moon and had conspired to keep the rest of the world in the dark. A super computer’s enhancement and compilation of the old photos proved his belief and sent him on a quest that has now revealed revolutionary new space travel technology and will enable him to lead a group on a return journey to explore ancient ruins on the lunar surface. But Doug’s pursuit of the truth and discovery of a destroyed GLASS city on the Moon pale in comparison to what lies underneath the lunar surface. What he finds will solve the mystery of a long-dead Apollo Astronaut and provide clues to the missing elements of Earth’s ancient history. But, even he isn’t prepared for the discovery that will reveal the past and change the future of mankind…FOREVER!

    Human and Arkari. Archaeologists with a story about an ancient derelict starship that few believe and a captain’s log that tells of an ancient genocidal war that no-one has ever heard of. But if no-one believes their story, then why are the authorities so keen to suppress it? Captain Michelle Chen of the Commonwealth Navy. Brave, cunning, merciless. Dangerous even. However she may be just the person her superiors have been looking for to start a war.Steven Harris. Secret agent with a conscience, who defied orders, ignored the chain of command and let his morals get in the way of his career.Quickchild. An AI of unknown origin and staggering power that does not know who it truly is.As the colonies of the human Commonwealth stand on the brink of war with the fanatic legions of the alien K’Soth Empire, these five individuals are drawn to the backward, arid planet of Maranos that stands between the two civilisations. As relations between human and alien deteriorate, Maranos is about to give up its ancient, terrifying secrets.

    It was supposed to be easy. Much easier than seeing his wife murdered by an Emporium hit team, leaving behind two motherless children.Chris soon finds himself using every ounce of his Renegade training in a desperate struggle to secure dangerous Emporium captives and to save the life of a friend. His “easy” job has become a nightmare, one he may not survive. But the woman he cares about needs him, and he won’t allow anything to stand in his way.Please note: Mortal Brother is a novella, not a full-length novel. It is separate from the main series and can be enjoyed at any time. However, the events take place in the Unbounded timeline simultaneously with The Cure (Unbounded Book 2) and extends several days past that novel, so readers may better appreciate Mortal Brother after reading The Cure.

     Be transported to fantastical new worlds by award winning and bestselling authors. Download this exclusive collection today. The Stories: A Simple Thing ~ by Amy J. Murphy Note to Self ~ by Joseph Lallo Gravitational Pull ~ by Christine Pope Autoscopy ~ by Matt Verish Fog of War ~ by Chris Reher The Alien ~ by Kay McSpadden No Eye in Emily ~ by Patty Jansen Void Mage ~ by Chris Fox Lost Souls and Other Anomalies ~ by Christopher Holliday Spacer ~ by J.A. Sutherland Murphy’s Star ~ by C. Gockel Interference ~ by Michelle Diener
 Stowaway ~ by Anthea Sharp In the Clutch ~ by LJ Cohen Iron Lazarus ~ by David Adams Dreams in the Dust ~ by Richard Tongue Freedom? ~ by M.R. Forbes Combat Support ~ by Lindsay Buroker The Last Astronaut ~ by Chris Dietzel

    Beam Piper) • (1983) • essay by John F. Carr9 • Time and Time Again • (1947) • shortstory by H. Beam Piper29 • The Mercenaries • (1950) • novelette by H. Beam Piper57 • Dearest • (1951) • shortstory by H. Beam Piper77 • Hunter Patrol • (1959) • novelette by H. Beam Piper and John J. McGuire111 • Flight from Tomorrow • (1950) • novelette by H. Beam Piper135 • Operation R.S.V.P. • (1951) • shortstory by H. Beam Piper147 • Genesis • [Paratime Police] • (1951) • novelette by H. Beam Piper171 • The Answer • (1959) • shortstory by H. Beam Piper185 • Crossroads of Destiny • (1959) • shortstory by H. Beam Piper199 • Day of the Moron • (1951) • novelette by H. Beam Piper

    Athena Lee had everything going for her. She graduated the Space academy and had become an Engineer. Her first posting was to an Support fleet building a secret outpost. When her ship is attacked and destroyed she is left alone and forgotten. Athena has to enginner her way home. Rescued many years later. She is arrested for letting an Idiot kill himself by noyt following orders. Now she has a bounty on her head and is beign chased by assassins. Joining a navy not her own she fights for truth while surrounded by corruption and greed. Pirates and bounty hunters bar her way.

    This is the first time both novels have appeared together.Sea Siege: The nuclear war had come at last and the research team on an island in the West Indies thought they had been lucky to survive. But survival was going to require more than luck, when they found themselves under attack by sea creatures out of darkest legend, directed by a malevolent intelligence from the depths of the sea.Star Gate: Long ago, the Star Lords had come from a dying Earth to Gorth, where they helped the inhabitants build a civilization. Now some of the Lords have resumed wandering among the stars, but others have decided to travel through an interdimensional gate to another Gorth in a parallel universe. And when they find that in this universe the Star Lords from Earth conquered and enslaved the people of Gorth, their course is clear. They must battle their counterparts to free Gorth--even if it means their own destruction.At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (DRM Rights Management).

    I'm Mike Williams, but you can call me 'Magnet'. Everyone else does. It's short for 'Chick Magnet', which is good old-fashioned military humour at its finest. At age fifteen, my face picked a fight with the propeller of my family's boat, on a shoal near Broome, off Western Australia. It was an accident, but, needless to say, the propeller won.Twelve years later, I was a not-so-ruggedly-handsome fighter pilot assigned to the TFR Sydney. Not the Captain, or flight leader, or anything similarly exciting. Nobody special, just one mostly-unmemorable pilot among the many nameless, faceless masses.I'm Magnet. This is the beginning of my story.A 5500 word story in the Lacuna universe, set during the events of Lacuna: The Sands of Karathi but suitable to read as a stand-alone story. Parts of the Lacuna universe:MagnetImperfectFaithThe Lacuna series:Lacuna: Demons of the VoidLacuna: The Sands of Karathi (New Release!)Lacuna: The Spectre of Oblivion (Coming December, 2012!)

    Exploratory teams are accompanied by Company-supplied security androids, for their own safety.But in a society where contracts are awarded to the lowest bidder, safety isn’t a primary concern.On a distant planet, a team of scientists are conducting surface tests, shadowed by their Company-supplied ‘droid — a self-aware SecUnit that has hacked its own governor module, and refers to itself (though never out loud) as “Murderbot.” Scornful of humans, all it really wants is to be left alone long enough to figure out who it is.But when a neighboring mission goes dark, it's up to the scientists and their Murderbot to get to the truth.

    Even a glancing blow would be catastrophic. Earth's governments and militaries united to try to shift Wormwood's path. Earth launched every nuclear missile she had and succeeded in changing its path, just enough to miss her surface. In doing so, shards from the asteroid, caused by the nuclear blasts, struck the earth. In those shards were spores that caused a change in all forms of life. Wormwood also changed Earth's magnetic field, affecting weather patterns and causing earthquakes and tidal waves.The devastation caused society's collapse. Only the strongest survived the Great Dying. In the years that followed, mutations began to appear in animals and people. It was a time of lawlessness, where the only law was the one you could enforce. Cities and larger towns became walled city-forts. Some chose to live outside the city-forts as ranchers, farmers, and scavengers. They enforced the law with violence, and the law of the old west returned. Out of this came the Peacekeepers, modeled after the legendary Texas Rangers. They were empowered by the city-forts to be judge, jury, and executioner. They were a group of hard men: hated, feared, and respected.This is the story of Price—a human mutation, raised in the frontier wilderness—who becomes a PK Scout.

    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.