Similar stories:
|
The Backwards Knight by Matthew Siadak When the magic that can shape the world is tainted, can hope survive? Centuries have passed since The Paladin outlawed magic in the sequestered lands stolen from the elves, but eldritch forces rarely remain sealed forever. This ancient magic seeks hosts, marking mortal flesh to herald devastation. An old knight clings to the hope that he can discover why magic has returned corrupted. A frightened farm boy marked by magic must escape the knights hunting him. An elf bound in service to The Paladin stalks mages to bring them to justice. Destruction binds them, but can it also save them? |
|
The Binding of Bloom Mountain by Siggy Chambers âOne fool in search of money wins a cursed mountain and a lifetime of nightmares...â When Celeste Foster loses her job with the US Forestry Service, she finds solace in drinking herself stupid every night. But when she sees an ad that says âADVENTURERS WANTEDâ and âcompensation upon completionâ, she pulls herself together to head for the town of Milton. In the mountains of Northwest Virginia, she enters a portal to an alternate Shenandoah Valley. Here monsters and gods live alongside humans, and every family has magic in their blood. But a curse festers on the slopes of Bloom Mountain. A decade has passed with no one to bind the magic, and soon the curse will destroy Milton. Armed with a recording, a bag of ritual items, and fresh scones from the cute barista that housed her, Celeste starts up Bloom Mountain. The Binding tests her endurance, sanity, and ability to adapt to this new world. If she can survive the horrors on the mountain, there might be more than just money waiting for her at the end. |
|
Assured Destruction by Michael F. Stewart You can learn a lot about someone looking through their hard drive... Sixteen-year-old Jan Rose knows that nothing is ever truly deleted. At least, not from the hard drives she scours to create the online identities she calls the Shadownet. Hobby? Art form? Sad, pathetic plea to garner friendship, even virtually? Sure, Jan is guilty on all counts. Maybe sheâs even addicted to it. Itâs an exploration. Everyone has something to hide. The Shadownetâs hard drives are Janâs secrets. They're stolen from her familyâs computer recycling business Assured Destruction. If the police found out, Janâs family would lose its livelihood. When the real people behind Shadownetâs hard drives endure vicious cyber attacks, Jan realizes she is responsible. She doesnât know who is targeting these people or why but as her life collapses Jan must use all her tech savvy to bring the perpetrators to justice before she becomes the next victim. |
|
The Saint of Heartbreak by Morgan Dante Two of the Bible's greatest villains... After his betrayal with a kiss, Judas Iscariot dies in despair and goes to Hell. When Christ saves other souls during the Harrowing of Hell, he leaves Judas behindâbut not alone in the ninth circle, where the most detestable traitors go. Callous, resigned, and abandoned by God long ago, the Devil sees Judas as a pathetic wretch, but he soon finds a kindred spirit. As the centuries pass, they struggle to find even a sliver of happiness in Hell. Doomed by the narrative, will they find happiness, or will their story continue to be a tragedy? |
|
The Hammersmyth Tales: A Steampunk Short Story Collection by Keith W. Dickinson A collection of tales to delight and amuse, introducing readers to the steampunk world of Hammersmyth and the many characters that live there. Meet Dexter the mechanical cat, Nomko the engineer, and Agnes Goodenough, everyone's favourite muscle for hire. And get to know Hammersmyth itself, a city at the forefront of the great steam revolution, and the setting for the two steampunk novels DEXTER & DETECTING AGENTS and THE DRAGONFLY DELIVERY COMPANY. |
|
Long Grows the Dark by Catherine Labadie Before Glenna, court sorceress in the service of Princess Jael, struggles to hide her feelings for her best friendâs betrothed. Yet even as the realm approaches its golden age, an unforeseen enemy rises to corrupt the princess and take the land for himself. Fate may lead them down a path too painful to contemplate, but are Glennaâs choices enough to dispel the inevitable darkness set to veil their future? Now Gwendoline Hallewell, a Starford University student in a world where magic is commonplace, has always been unusual. When her casting book summons a man from the past to interfere with her dangerous new present, she has no choice but to trust him. As she and her friends Colt and Everleigh reconcile what happened before with what must happen in the present. Gwendoline must decide what it means to make her own choices, suffer her own consequences, and if free will is really within her grasp. |
|
The Flight of the Darkstar Dragon by Benedict Patrick Impossible world. Impossible dragon. Impossible adventure. Lost with her ship and crew in an unfamiliar land, Minâs first command could be her last. Nothing here behaves the way it should: The magic that powers her skyship has been drained, rendering it immobile. The sky is an endless twilight, lit by the luminous fish that swim in it. Off starboard, thereâs also the country-sized dragon that is looking particularly hungry. It will take all of Minâs training and experience to get her people safely back home, but as the truth about the Darkstar Dimension begins to be revealed, Min will have to prove to her crew - and to herself - that she is still the best person for the job. From the twisted mind that created the âdelightfully weirdâ Yarnsworld series comes a fantasy adventure like no other. Grab it now, to set sail on a journey youâll never forget! |
|
Unnatural Selection by Robert P. Edwards At the end of the 21st Century, humanity is enjoying a renaissanceâor so it seems. For the wealthy, a quantum biotechnology called Stem has eliminated disease and seamlessly integrates with The Web. So why are people dying? Amongst us live the Quants, a meld of robotics, AI, and quantum computing. They carry out vital work in a world dependent on technology. Personal Quants can be built to order for the privileged few. Sophie and her marine biologist father, Chris, live in one of the few habitable zones left in the southern hemisphere. Kazumi is the son and heir of Mashimoto Corporation, a leading manufacturer of quantum technology. Mackenzie is the gifted daughter of technology billionaire Alistair âAceâ Abernathy. Love and loss will drive them together. Across a world scarred and divided by climate change. Only together will they discover the terrifying truth about who is really behind the death of their loved ones. |
|
Lani: The Girl Without Fear by Dan Cole In a world controlled by fear, Lani is unique: a teenage girl who feels no fear, and often gets herself into dangerous situations because of it. Lani feels stifled by her overprotective and terrified parents, and after learning about family in a distant city, Lani plans to leave. Her faithful Minotaur bodyguard, Brutus, helps her escape the Great City of Ghal. In the Wilds, Lani learns much about love, herself, and her world. Mostly through a young woman named Kas who shows her what it's like to live in the wilds and to feel something for another person. Death follows Lani though. Leaving Ghal wasn't only to find family, but out of necessity after Lani hurt another student at her school. Fear Mongers, or Mongers for short, sent by her parents dog her steps and leave a trail of death searching for her. Lani must learn that although her lack of fear is quite the power in this world, it can be a burden. Especially to those important to her. Marauding robots, dangerous monsters, animal and human amalgamations known as Primals, and learning about her world makes Lani's journey across the Flatlands a dangerous adventure. Lani also meets a mysterious warrior known as the Wanderer, who teachers her and her freinds about the past, and about herself. After suffering great loss, and learning great truths, Lani's plans have to change, and death creeps ever closer. |
|
The Beast of Loughby Island by Matt Doyle A young man named Tom Daniels is kidnapped by a local family and is dropped on Loughby Island in an attempt to 'clean up their streets'. When the family that dropped Tom off is slaughtered by a werewolf-like creature, he soon finds himself banding together with a small group of the island's residents in a fight for their lives against an otherworldly monster. |
|
Mud Crab Kingdom: The Soft-Shelled Prince by Dr. Joel Anthony Hamilton In a time ruled by fair-skinned kings and racial divides, the son of a fair-skinned king and mud-skinned peasant, Marcious Leojé, spends his days far beyond his father's kingdom in the muddy mangroves with his best friend, Etel Duetman. Here, they form an unusual kinship with the native crabs and build a mud kingdom. These two mud-skinned teenagers feel invincible within this playground-sized fortress. The discrimination within the kingdom cannot reach them and the mud walls provide a sense of security. However, they soon learn that their kingdom is nothing more than a mud wall, as it is unable to protect those they love. Cast into despair and the unknown world, they must learn to build a kingdom capable of protecting those they love. Along their journey they encounter people who show them the products of love, war, and despair. However, Marcious cannot envision his product, his own kingdom. Everywhere, being mud-skinned is worse than murder, and being "different" is worse than being mud-skinned. Will his vow to create a kingdom withstand the rising tides or will it wash away like that of his childhood? |
|
A Case of Madness by Yvonne Knop Andrew Thomas just got sacked. He's permanently drunk. He's got cancer. Is inescapably gay. Was hit by a bus. And he's fallen in love with a stranger whose life he saved. As a newly-unemployed Sherlock Holmes scholar, Andrew knows only Holmes can help him untangle the madness his life has become, but Holmes isn't real. Except he absolutely appeared in Andrew's house, told him he's in love with a man he just metâŠand then in a fit of pique Andrew sent him away. Sure Holmes is probably a hallucination or a specter or a ghost, but now Andrew desperately needs his help. So to find the answer to his case and the man of his dreams, Andrew takes to chasing a fictional character through London with his very own Watson. |
|
Meraki: A Syren Story by Naomi Kelly Her song is a gift bestowed by the gods; so why does it feel like a curse? Seventeen-year-old Wren thinks she has just swum away from the greatest threat in the sea. That's until she finds herself being hauled upon a warlord's boat. With her life at the mercy of a young, temperamental King, Wren must decide who is her ultimate enemy. Can Fate be altered? What do gods have planned? Syrens are bound to tell the truth, but that doesnât mean their lives cannot be riddled with lies. |
|
Fragmented Fates by Nancy Foster The hero. The seer. The child. The condemned. After surviving two bloody purges that nearly exterminated both the Grey Clan and Orsenmuray City, the elf and harlequin survivors struggle to bring the tent city of Almjarhad to life. Surrounded by the ocean and desert, these inhospitable lands are slowly being developed with the aid of their magic. As the culprit of their misfortune, the condemned elf Lord Jamarnid is forced to rely on his son Jarahad to rule the city due to ending up disabled before his frantic escape. Bitter about his situation because he wanted to be executed, Jamarnid distrusts the true intentions of the seer Talgel. Unwanted by the Elf Kingdom and his harlequin great-grandfather Hurrujat, Jarahad struggles to accept his fate. As the interim ruler of Almjarhad, Jarahad wishes to complete his sword initiation to protect his people... and gain Talgel's unrequited love. Talgel is a woman of perpetual mystery with dubious morals. Upon awakening magic that grants her the ability to predict the future with absolute certainty, Talgel lost her eyesight. She now wears a masquerade mask to hide her true feelings. Embroiled in this story is a young hybrid elf named Tioja, who doesn't understand his role in the greater scheme of things. Four characters are about to have their fates manipulated, and their willpower tested. All for the sake of a demon inhabiting Talgel's body that will use them for its own nefarious purposes. |
|
Cursed Cocktails by S.L. Rowland When life gives you lemons, squeeze them into a stiff drink and stir. After twenty years defending the frozen north against some of the most dangerous threats in the nine kingdoms, Rhoren âBloodbaneâ has finally earned his retirement. While the blood mage's service to the realm may have ended, burning veins and aching joints remain, and Rhoren soon learns that a warmer climate offers relief from his chronic pain. And a chance at a fresh start. In the warm and relaxing atmosphere of Eastborne, the umbral elf finds a new purpose and a sense of belonging. He may have left the frozen north behind, but he brings with him the skills and strength gained from a lifetime of defending the realm. Along with his most prized possessionâa book of drink recipes inherited from his father. Spilled cocktails may not carry the same weight as spilled blood, but opening a tavern brings a unique brand of challenges. With the right friends and a little bit of luck, he might just have a recipe for success. Welcome to the enchanting world of Tales of Aedrea, where small-scale stories, low-stakes adventure, and cozy fantasy come to life within an epic, high-fantasy realm. |
|
The Saga of Bjorn Unfrid by John Simons The omens are not good. Ancient forces are at play⊠âŠand ancient forces are known to be assholes. Bjorn knows this because heâs not like other people. He sees the past and future, ghosts and gods. Sometimes he talks to them. But he never expected or wanted to get dragged into the business of the spirit world. He already has his own problems, like how to start a conversation with the woman he followed all the way to Texas so he could stay close to her. Heâs pretty sure that wouldnât go over as a great opening line. Unfortunately, the spirit world and the physical world are tied together and Bjorn is tangled up in all of it. Itâs a lot to handle all at once in your freshman year of college, and UH is not the college experience he was expecting. But when things turn dark and the lives of his loved ones are at stake, itâs the place where he must awaken to his destiny whether he wants to or not. |
|
The Artificial Structure Formerly Known as the Moon by I. K. Stokbaek The Order of the Demolition has one objective â destroy the broken world. And Darlan dreams of joining them. His zeal and willingness to do anything takes him far from the abandoned school that has sheltered him throughout his young life. In a world where AI has enhanced some people and replaced others, the Indigents have no purpose and nothing to look forward to. Marianne accepts her fate. She is in all ways the last person one would expect to lead a revolution â until the Order of the Demolition involves an innocent in its schemes, and beliefs come tumbling down. Sabineâs uncle runs the Space Ladder Project. Her father is a prominent politician fitted with a brain chip. Her only friend is the governing AI â the Order of the Demolitionâs main target. |