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A Hardness of Minds by Eric Kay A Near-Future Hard Sci-Fi about Data, War, and First Contact in our Solar System. Life exists under Europaâs ice, but thereâs doubt in the data. Against of backdrop of escalating tensions, double-sided revelations of first contact ripple through all involved as the probe attempts the first landing on the ice of Europa. The novel intertwines perspectives of Earth and under Europa as all struggle for truth. For fifteen years, the Europa Clipper has hinted at life under the ice-shell of Europa. An eccentric mogul, bent on expanding his legacyâfunds and launches the first privately funded probe to Jupiter. The robotic submarine can reach the ocean floor and returning by an expertly trained AI. Tensions flare between the United States and China, while cyberattack threatens the project. Meanwhile, Dalton, a self-sabotaging synthetic data engineer, longs to make a name for himself in the scientific community, even at the cost of being infamous. Unknown to Earth, alien society has penetrated up the kilometers of ice, and has long researched âNullworld,â the mysterious âetherâ beyond the ice from which no sonar returns. Tensions in their global society have escalated as their city-state fights with a neighbor whose hydrothermal vent has run cold. Now the military caste is in control, halted all research, and pressed capable scientists and engineers into militia service. The alien scientist must escape and bring back research he hopes will diffuse tensions: the revelation of another water world. This is the second hard sci-fi novel by author Eric Kay (No Lack of Sunshine). It explores issues of data integrity in the age of adversarial information warfare, moving minds away from the brink of war, and experience versus knowledge by proxy. |
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They Will Be Coming for Us by Kim Catanzarite A young womanâs greatest dreams and darkest nightmares are pivoted against each other in Catanzariteâs dynamic sci-fi thriller, the first in the Jovian Duology series. Svetlana Peterman desires nothing more than a peaceful life with a devoted husband and a child to dote on. Andrew Jovian, an astronomer with powerful cosmos-obsessed parents, gives her both, along with a suffocating extended family and a mother-in-law preoccupied with the idea of immediately having grandchildren. Svetlana does her best to settle into her new married life, but quickly finds herself at the center of an unusualâpossibly intergalacticâmystery that endangers everyone she loves. With no one to trust and everything to lose, she must find the strength to fight and survive. |
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Heritage (Tales of the Phoenix Titan 1) by S.M. Warlow Heritage is the debut novel from S.M. Warlow and the first instalment of the Tales of the Phoenix Titan series. This space opera is perfect for fans of Firefly, the Expanse, Star Wars and Mass Effect. Make them proud, son of Earth. 25 years after the fall of Earth, the Commonwealth is locked in a vicious, galaxy-spanning war against the Revenant. Countless worlds have been lost in the fighting, and now one crew must come together and stand in the way of galactic annihilation. Nathan Carter is an efficient criminal, but when he's hired to steal supplies from a Commonwealth warship, what starts as an easy job soon transforms into something that could change the course of history. Now, Nathan must work with a group of unlikely allies to protect a woman whose heritage is the key to everything. |
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The Pono Way: A Solarpunk Novel by Kirsten M. Corby In 2050, the United States of America finally crumbled. Jake Weintraubâs family fled the burned-out ruins of Chicago for the safety of the artificial island steading of Pono. Now grown, Jake works as an independent journalist, but the horrors of the Chicago River Riots still haunt him. As Pono watches, safe in the Pacific Ocean, the successor West Coast state of Cascadia collapses under a further series of catastrophes. Thousands of desperate refugees arrive on Ponoâs shores â homeless, stateless, and hungry. Jake throws himself into covering their story, even as their plight evokes memories of his own trauma and flight. Can Pono, a carefully constructed island society, accept this influx of strangers? Or will this crisis tear Ponoan society apart? |
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EMP Strike: EMP Apocalypse Survival Thriller by Bo Thunboe THE ROAD meets SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON Dan Fallon is a courtroom warrior at the pinnacle of his profession. Thatâs what he knowsâitâs who he is. As heâs driving back from the biggest victory of his career an electromagnetic pulse [EMP] wipes out modern civilization and strands him hundreds of miles away from his family. Danâs legal skills are worthless against the chaos he must battle to get home. Is he strong enough? Is he ruthless enough? Can he can be the man his family needs him to be to survive in this new world? Back home Mary and the children face their own challenges. Mary has run out of her medication and struggles to separate the apocalypse from her delusions. Erin is stranded at a Taekwondo tournament and decides to head home through the chaos alone. Sean thinks playing video games has better prepared him for the apocalypse than for picking a college major. Do they have what it takes to survive in this new world? Can they come together as a family against all that tries to tear them apart? |
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Panacea Genesis by L. Ana Ellils Mariela Staffordâs life just hit rock bottom. Her boss, the CEO of Panacea Corp, created a digital clone of himself, demoted Mariela, gave the clone her job, and told Mariela to train it. Now the clone wants her to help it kill the CEO. In 2115, embedded chips, virtual reality, and the threat of extreme weather have led to a market for businesses that keep a personâs body alive in a habitation pod while the person lives entirely in the metaverse. But not everyone embraces technological advancesâ a group of people have adopted the tech of 2005 while isolating themselves from the temptation of advanced technology. Panacea Corp â the worldâs most powerful corporation â connects both worlds through providing the metaverse, the pod warehouses, and the land to the technology resisters. Mariela Stafford, a vice president for Panacea Corp, is demoted after her new boss assigns his digital clone to take over her job. Assisted by Amoco, an eccentric polymath who also works for the corporation, she schemes a way to get rid of the clone. To delete it, theyâll need to recruit a team to access an eighty-year-old server farm in a remote locationâwhich would be a lot easier to do if the records on the location of the server farm hadnât been lost. This âearthâ operaâa tale with all the drama, expansiveness, and varied cast of a space opera, but set on earthâwill appeal to anyone whoâs ever felt out-of-control of the technology in their lives. Panacea Genesis is book one in the Panacea Trilogy. |
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Pink Apocalypse by Carpenter Gibson Forget diamonds, in the Post Apocalypse, Bullets are a girlâs best friend! Pink is a mysterious woman who walked out of the wastes. She is an up and coming member of the Patrol. They are the sheriffs of the wild wastes, taking on zombies, mutants, bandits and robots left over in the ruins. Pink is now freshly promoted and set out on a seemly mundane mission with three other wasteland warrior women at her side. However, she is haunted by a failed expedition to find her mentor in more ways than one. Pink must now lead this team of bad ass bullet babes into the wastes for answers. The End of the World was just the beginning of Action and Adventure!" The world ended in the weird future of an alternate earth. Zombies stalk the wasteland! Mutants lurk in the ruins! Forgotten robotic soldiers still patrol the devastation. Raiders and rival tribes war over scraps. But there is hope. Braves souls still seek the tame the wasteland and ensure humanity's survival. Intrepid settlers and traders struggle to make a slightly better future. In such strange times tales of adventure abound. Pink's story is but one. Come see the wild west of the post apocalypse with us! |
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'Sudden Deathâ is just a theme park thrill ride. Until it's not. Fresh off his first Marine deployment, Boone must now choose between two schools: Intelligence or Scout Sniper. Though heâs shown clear aptitude for the second, heâs not sure he has what it takes to do the job. When he puts the decision aside to join his buddies on a day of leave, the last thing Boone expects to see is a naval weapons locker in the hands of a man who is clearly not Navy. On impulse, he shadows the man, only to find himself running for his life⌠smack into a Unit operator. Now he has two options: join the fight or remain behind. But the choice heâs been given is really no choice at all. For the only way to save the park is for Boone to embrace his calling. The fate of thousands rests on this one decision. Heâd better make it a good one. |
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Mercuryville by Tara Summerville Things were great in the desert. We ate pancakes, shopped at farmer's markets, casually murdered, drank hot cocoa by the fire, dodged cannibals, sunbathed, decorated for Christmas, buried bodies, looked through old photo albums, and did minor home improvements. Then, things took a weird turn. Mercuryville follows the story of Kid, a self-proclaimed recluse that knew she needed a change. When a stranger asks her to join her for a mystery project in the middle of the desert, she follows him. As she drives across the country, her imagination explores all of the terrible things awaiting her at her destination. Even after two days on the road, what she finds in the small cabin in the middle of nowhere is beyond anything she imagined. |
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My son eats people. He doesnât translate languages or shut off trash chutes. He doesnât transform into a truck or a fighter jet. He doesnât morph into liquid and seep through sewer grates. He eats people - My son eats people. Well, yeah, that's what he was designed to do. You see, my son is a robot. And me? I'm a sworn pacifist, raising him as best I can. So when a stranger came knocking one day, well, some stuff happened⌠|
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Dim Stars: A Novel of Outer Space Shenanigans by Brian P. Rubin Kenzie Washington, fourteen-year-old girl genius, signs up for a two-week tour as a cadet on the spaceship of her idol, Captain Dash Drake. Too bad Dash, who once saved the galaxy from the evil Forgers, is a broke loser and much less than meets the eye. But when an intergalactic evil appears and launches an attack, Dash, Kenzie, and the shipâs crew escape, making them the next target. On the run and low on gas, Dash and Kenzie encounter cannibal space-pirates, catastrophic equipment failure, and a cyborg whoâs kind of a jerk. Kenzie is determined to discover the bad guysâ secret plan. But for her to succeed, Dash needs to keep his brilliant, annoying cadet from getting killed âŚwhich is a lot harder than it sounds. |
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Who Am I? What am I? These questions have plagued Joshua since childhood. Mysterious amplified senses and boosted reflexes have helped him survive and thrive in a brutal, lawless megacity, and he leads the notorious Epitaph gang with keen street instincts. When Joshuaâs unexplained abilities draw the attention of a covert government entity, he finds himself on the run. Only his skills, street smarts and a rogue hacker named Shelby keep him one step ahead of his relentless hunters. They know what he is. They know who he is, and they will tear apart a megacity, placing everyone he cares for in danger, to bring him in. |
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Samurai Barber Versus Ninja Hairstylist by Zed Dee Change is in the hair. Ninjas are wreaking havoc by cutting peopleâs hair without their permission. Behind this follicular terrorism is a master ninja, the Ninja Hairstylist, whose chaotic hairstyle embodies the anarchy that is about to tear the city apart. The Samurai Barber must step up and cut down the evil strands on the Ninja Hairstylistâs head. It is not just keratin that is at stake. The Samurai Barber must fight for one of the cornerstones of modern civilization; the freedom and self-determination to choose your own hairstyle. |
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Lottery to Haven by William Gee JENNIFER MI feels nothing but contempt for the new world and those choosing to abscond there. For the richest few, the new world represents an escape from a dying Earth; a place to start anew, free from responsibilities to society. With every launch, a global lottery is convened to select one lucky winner to accompany each paying passenger. Cast in the lottery without her knowledge, Jen is drawn into a desperate snare that even her skills as a budding cyber security specialist are ill-equipped to untangle. Joined by four other winners, she must uncover New Worldsâ shadowy motivations for THE LOTTERY. |
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In Every Clime and Place by Patrick LeClerc Semper Fidelis. Always Faithful. The motto of the United States Marine Corps. Words to live by. On the ragged edges of civilization, Corporal Michael Collins has lived those words, taking on riots and evacuations, rebels and terrorists. Asteroid belt patrol is just another deployment. Ninety nine percent boredom, one percent terror. But soon the platoon of Marines find themselves entangled in the threads of a conspiracy of corporate greed, government corruption, piracy, and a band of war criminals. As the fire team leader struggles with tensions in the close knit unit, Collins and his fellow Marines find themselves outnumbered in a pitched battle to stop a corrupt land grab that seems right out of the Old West, but on a new, wider, more unforgiving frontier. And now he must confront the harsh demands of being âalways faithful.â Semper Fi. Words to live by. Words to die by. Time to earn that combat pay, Marines. Welcome to the Suck. And remember, you volunteered for this. |
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Earthship by John Triptych & Michel Lamontagne Our world will be destroyed. Only a chosen few can escape. In the near future, a cataclysmic collision with a rogue planet destabilizes the sun, causing an exponential increase of its output. With the ever-increasing heat, life on earth will be extinguished within a decade. As the global crisis deepens, it falls on a handful of individuals who will determine whether humanity survives. NASA scientist Dr. Olivia Quinn must outwit a corrupt government system and warn the public before itâs too late. Veteran astronaut Valerie McKinnon and her son Sawyer are in a race against time to build a space ark that could rescue countless lives. And Armand Balkan, a cutthroat trillionaire who seeks to maintain his empire by any means possible, could either save or doom them all. |
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First Contact occurred a decade ago with a traveling circus in the high-altitude desert plateau of Uzbekistan. The US Government has been covertly monitoring extraterrestrial activity around Earth since then but has struggled to make contact. They've kept tabs on the circus and its founder, Buster Al-Hashimi. Four years ago, Buster returned to the US to start a counter-culture group called The Clowns, challenging the sociopolitical status quo in America. Clowns asks the question: What would an extraterrestrial intelligence think about our intelligence? FIRST CONTACT is a series of stand-alone novels that explore humanity's first interaction with extraterrestrial life. This series is similar to BLACK MIRROR or THE TWILIGHT ZONE in that the series is based on a common theme rather than common characters. This allows these books to be read in any order. Technically, they're all first as they all deal with how we might initially respond to contact with aliens, exploring the social, political, religious, and scientific aspects of First Contact. |
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Intelligence Block by Kit Falbo Talos June performs with the creed of never break character. It lets him hide his awkward self from the universe as the ancient and powerful Wizard Joontal. No one knows the man behind the curtain. It is a good job, and he has his artificial companions to keep him company as he plays with the most fabulous technologies the colonized planets have produced. Technologies as dangerous as they are exciting. Content with playing it safe, and slowly climbing up the ranks of techno-wizardry, Talos works passionately in his field. Itâs all business until the risks of the job come calling for him, and then it gets personal. |
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Night Music by Tobias F Cabral The colonization of Mars has begun. Following a rapid expansion of the manned space program due to the discovery of a potentially catastrophic Earth-crossing comet, Zubrin Base has been established on the Red Planet to oversee the capture of the rogue object. During final preparations for a second expedition, however, contact has been lost with the outpost. Pilot Seth Boaz finds himself re-tasked for a rescue mission, one which will force him to confront his own past, as well as otherworldly forces with profound implications for humanity's future. A "Hard" Science Fiction space exploration novella, with affinities to the work of Greg Bear, Michael F. Flynn, and Arthur C. Clarke, NIGHT MUSIC incorporates realistic, near-future space technology and Mars mission and colonization models, as well as elements of Complexity Theory and nanotechnology. The author is a clinical psychologist, who applied that experience to the development of distinct and fleshed-out characters who speak with realistic voices. |
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A wild ride stuffed to the cut-lines with humor, heart, and space shenanigans. Mayâs humdrum life gets flung into hyperdrive when sheâs abducted, but not all aliens are out to probe her. Sheâs inadvertently rescued by Xan whoâs been orbiting Earth in a day-glo orange rocket ship, watching re-runs of âI Love Lucyâ. Seizing the opportunity for a better life, May learns how to race the Audacity and pilots her way into interstellar infamy. Finally, she has a job she likes and a friend to share her winnings withâuntil the Goddess of Chaos screws the whole thing up, and Xanâs unmentionable past makes a booty call. If Douglas Adams got punted into a sticky orange pool of feminism and made sweet love to Futurama, youâd have something approximating The Audacity. Fans of Hitchhikerâs Guide to the Galaxy will appreciate the style, fans of Futurama will love the blend of laugh out loud humor and feels, fans of Steven Universe will enjoy that Space is Very Gay. If youâre tired of the same old cynical, militaristic sci-fi and crave characters who genuinely care about each other and an image of life in the Universe that isnât all gloom and doom, youâre going to have a good time in the Audacity. |
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Courage Iro will shatter the Gates of Power to protect his fleet. Born talentless, Iro has all but resigned himself to a life of drudgery, watching his sister hop across to the massive space titan for supplies. But when the titan explodes and his sister is killed, Iro finds a new determination to take her place. He's not about to let weakness prevent him. When the fleet encounters a new titan, filled with powerful monsters, deadly traps, and mysterious cloaked figures, Iro is the first to spontaneously manifest a new talent. Now sent to a different ship, to train with others far beyond his strength, Iro will have to train twice as hard just to catch up. To protect his fleet, and to uncover the mysteries of the titans, Iro won't just open the Gates of Power. He'll break them. |
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Alphapoetica: A Poetry Primer for the Everyday Poet by Kate McCarroll Moore Artifacts, birds, ghosts, rocks, and rain. These are some of the everyday poetry sparks found inside this very different kind of poetry book. Part memoir, part guide, part manual, all heart - this is a collection that invites and inspires. From the first poetic awakenings as a child to the daily rhythms of a working poet, Kate McCarroll Moore's collection is a how-to chronicle for turning ordinary observations and experiences into poetry. Following an introduction that lays out the book's structure, poems are arranged both alphabetically and thematically. Each poem is introduced by the circumstance that inspired its creation, followed by an invitation to the reader to craft a poem of their own. This book will inspire readers of all ages to pick up a pen and begin. |
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ReBirth: Zodiac Book One by Azshure Raine Time is something we all have too much of and too little. Our world turns at the mercy of the clock. Gaea is one of those worlds. The world has been reset Twelve times. Zodiac Book One is a romantic fantasy novel with âFinal Fantasyâ level storytelling. It tells the tale of the Gaeaâs thirteenth cycle through multiple POVs, energetic prose, and deep world-building. If Titans, Zodiac, Star-Crossed lovers, and villains you love to hate are your thing, then grab an apple, pick up a copy, and may Fate smile upon you. Threads of gold, ancient and dangerous, pull them together; a bond neither can deny. Jase Raion receives an unexpected assignmentâlocate and retrieve a girl he was certain was dead. Expecting nothing, he goes to Brightonâa port town on the island of Ariaâand finds her. The girl who escaped the fall of Aria. The girl who bears the symbol of Eternity. The girl whose blood the Titan of Time thirsts for. Liya Fairaway, the Princess of Aria, and his target. The moment he sees her, he knows she is not safe, from the Zodiac meant to protect her, the Titan of Time, nor his fatherâthe King of Chall. |
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Woodpusher by S. Morgan Burbank Erika Edens finally had everything she wanted. The girl. The quiet life. The stable job. But even the best situations can be turned upside down by powers well beyond our control. Now Erika finds herself in another universe full of gods, guardians, and advanced technologies. Along with her girlfriend and four other humans, they must undertake a plan to save Earth from a rogue deity. But for all the skills and talents this team has, one critical component is out of place. Will Erika be able to overcome her lack of skills - and her demons - to learn what she needs to save the world? Or will she trip herself up along the way? |
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Dust of Wrathful Years by Klara Ĺuczka-HanzalovĂĄ 1939⌠Childhood is cut short by the outbreak of war. After a short-lived era of renaissance, Poland is once again being torn to pieces. The endless struggle for freedom returns. Aniela, Jadzia and Kamil were simply adolescents growing up in a promising age of renewal. Part of a generation born with their homelandâs independence, they were to discover Poland as a free and thriving country⌠Only to later discover death and destruction. In the face of terror imposed by the German invasion, they take up arms to fight. The young scouts become bold soldiers, determined to defend righteousness against the all-encompassing and merciless evil. Dust of Wrathful Years is the first part of a trilogy following the trials and tribulations of the Polish resistance during WWII. Time to (re)discover this era through the unique perspective of youth in the scouting movement. After their lives are shattered, they must not only defend their country but also rebuild the ruins of their hearts. |
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The Fall That Saved Us by Tamara JerĂŠe Cassiel has given up the family tradition of demon hunting, leaving behind her sacred angelic duty and fated sword. What she canât leave behind are the scars. To cope, she spends her days immersed in work, pouring all her attention into New Haven Books, her small bookstore and anchor in the new world sheâs carved for herself. But the past hasnât let go of Cassiel yet. When a succubus named Avitue arrives to claim her angel-touched soul, Cassielâs old hunter instincts flare, forcing her to choose between old knowledge and her truth. What should be a fatal seduction becomes a bargain neither woman expects. As they grow closer, Avitue is surprised to find her own pain reflected in Cassiel, a nephilim deemed fallen by her own familyâs standards. By choosing trust, they reveal the lies that bind them. Falling for each other begins a path towards healing. But exorcising the effects of trauma is harder than naming it, and to explore the unfettered possibility Avitue represents, Cassiel must find a way to reclaim and redefine her angelic heritage. |
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City of the Seventh Moon by Antano Sparreboom When he is chosen as champion of the noble Urwilar family, Verhan knows well that his main job is to fight other champions to settle political disputes. What he doesnât count on are the machinations of the beautiful Lady Morani, and his pride is mercilessly turned against him. As he fights to survive the dangers of the capital, the influential Three Cities Council plans to assassinate the emperorâs chief advisor and take control of the entire imperial court. |
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Of Light and Nightmares: The Ashes of Magic Trilogy, Volume I by Alex B. Harper When the monsters find you, the nightmare begins. Heir to her late parentsâ fortune, Emmeline is happy to continue their philanthropic work for the rest of her days. But a rare public appearance sends her crashing into a world of monsters and magic. Emmeline learns that sheâs one of two humans who can see those marked to become a nainthe â guardians between the human world and the violent realm of demon-like monsters, the raizour. The guardians have spent decades searching for her â for without her, they are doomed to extinction, and the monsters will devastate Earth. As Emmeline hones her newfound abilities, other dark and powerful enemies emerge, stacking the odds against her and the guardians. And her time is running outâbecause the monsters have astonishing intelligence and a thirst for blood, and they are ready to execute their chaos. This pulse-pounding urban fantasy will leave you breathless as two worlds collide in a horrific showdown, where even the winners will lose. Author's Note: Trigger Warnings (in alphabetical order): mentions of ableism, antisocial personality disorder, child abandonment, death of loved ones, domestic abuse, drug use, execution, genocide, hostage situations, infertility, mental illness, misogyny, murder, physical assault, scars, sexual assault, stalking, suicide and self-harm, violence. Content Warnings (in no particular order): mature subject matters, sexual content, gore and graphic violence, profanity. |
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The Bastard Prince: a midlife fantasy adventure (Dragonspeaker Chronicles Book 1 by Patty Jensen She has a dragon, and sheâs not afraid to use it.Nellie Dreessen is a kitchen maid in the palace of Regent Bernard of Saardam. She has worked for two kings and two regents, has seen two royal families murdered through magic, has seen ghosts and demons, and kept her head down like a good girl.On her fiftieth birthday, she receives her late fatherâs diary, which describes a magical item that is so evil, it needs to be kept in the church crypt: a box that contains dragon.Problem is, someone has stolen the box.Regent Bernard holds a banquet for his eldest sonâs sixteenth birthday. Distinguished guests come from far and wide. Because she knows what the box looks like, Nellie discovers it in a nobleman's luggage.Removing the box from a thiefâs room is not stealing, right? Not if you intend to return it to the rightful owner: the church.But someone poisons the nobleman, and everyone in the kitchen is a suspect. Nellie's friend in the church advises Nellie to flee with the dragon box. The Regent is on a mission to stamp out magic, and Nellie plans to do what she does best: keep her head down and hide.Problem is, the dragon has other ideas. |
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The Wizard Priest (Dragonspeaker Chronicles Book 2) by Patty Jensen A young prince, an evil wizard, and a city that no longer seems to care. Cast out from the palace, Nellie survives in the streets of Saardam with the poor and destitute and a dragon whose behaviour she can't control, but is the key to finding the last member of the royal family. The pompous Regent is hell-bent on finding the person who has killed his court advisor and he has decided the dragon is guilty. If he doesn't find a culprit, his main source of money is at stake. The guards comb the city. It's only a matter of time before they find Nellie. A terrible mishap caused by the dragon puts Nellie's friend and a number of other innocent people in prison. Nellie can no longer run and hide. She concocts the most daring escape plan ever, but in gathering help to carry it out, she makes discoveries that may change the future of the city. |
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All Gremlins Great & Small by T. M. Baumgartner Four years ago, Nessaâs careful life imploded when her husband disappeared during the first portal storm. Shimmering gateways to thousands of worlds appeared and vanished, sweeping away the unlucky. Later, the portals settled, but only a suicidal risk-taker would willingly touch one. Nessa rebuilt her life and her veterinary practice, now specializing in xenotics â the creatures that resulted from evolutionary paths on other worlds. But she still leaves supplies along the route Mark was traveling, in case he makes his way back. Hiking with a stranger to restock aid stations, Nessa realizes the portals have changed again. And this time she is the one in danger. Dive into the beginning of a dazzling science fantasy adventure with All Gremlins Great & Small, the novella that starts The Portal Storms. |
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Of books and Paper Dragons by Vaela Denarr & Micah Iannandrea (Free on our newsletter) How to run a successful bookshop: Change careers at thirty-eight, suffer from anxiety, make friends with the local artists, and donât get eaten by the draconic overlord. In the Lightless Sea, the Black Sands Desert that can only be traversed beneath the stars, scavenging the wrecks of ancient starships is the most prestigious and exciting profession available. And for Voa, who has spent the last twenty years amassing knowledge for the hoard of a great and terrible dragon ruling over their city, it is now a thing of the past. Scavenging has lost its luster, and a new life, the calm and comfortable existence of a bookseller, calls to them. But a lifetime of delving into the bowels of metal behemoths has left Voa ill-prepared for the social anxiety and laws found in a dragonâs city. Jet, a local artist in a similar position of changing careers, takes pity on Voa. What begins as an act of kindness quickly becomes a personal battle as she and Voa grow closer. Voa has the resources, and Jet has the people skills. All they need now is to convince Keeper Yirrin, Lord of the Archives, to support their budding passion project But the somewhat enigmatic and introverted dragon may just have their own designs for the little bookshop, and for the orc running it⌠Of Books and Paper Dragons is a cozy, low-stakes fantasy about ordinary people leading ordinary lives, selling books, doing their taxes, and battling social anxiety in the quiet safety of their book collections. |
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She Who Earned her Wings (Stars, Hearts and Dreams book 1) by Vaela Denarr & Micah Iannandrea "One does not learn to fly without taking a leap. And one has to fall to be caught." Nomi is a young druid finally taking the chance to spread her wings and leave her home. To see the world and discover its magic, beauty⌠and maybe love. Calia is a dragon on the hunt for angels, trying to square an old debt. That, and to get Laura, her desired bondmate, to finally return to her side, where she belongs. Nomi immediately catches the eye of the powerful dragons. Calia entices her with honeyed words and a skillful tongue. On the other hand, Laura, much smaller but equally intimidating, takes it upon herself to protect her. Despite the warnings, Nomi canât help being drawn to Calia's charm, her power, her fangs⌠and the hidden gentleness in her eyes. She promises danger where Laura promises safety, and Nomi is torn between the two. Luckily there is a convenient cult out for the dragonsâ heads, providing Nomi with ample distraction and at least one dragon egg to steal, hatch, and raise by herself. Perfectly normal things for a young transgender druid to get involved in! In the clutches of dragons, battling dark forces from beyond the stars, Nomi faces the questions of who she is and who she wants to be. Whether she deserves the love offered to her, and what it truly takes to earn her wings... |
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She Who Brought the Storm (Stars, Hearts and Dreams book 0.5) by Vaela Denarr & Micah Iannandrea Rhi is small, anxious, and gifted with magic that disables them more than it helpsâPowerful magic, which many would stop at nothing to obtain. In their desperate search for safety, Rhi turns to none other than one of the secret dragon masters of Habitat Seventeen, Laura, Lady of Ash. Exposing Rhiâs forbidden knowledge could garner Laura the recognition and allies she needs. Instead she offers them a She will shield them from their pursuers, and theyâll be her hunting dog. Loyal, obedient, and exactly what she needs to deal with a pervasive monster situation in her territory before the other Starborn catch wind of it. Rhi tentatively agrees, but the plan is complicated by the watchful eye of Calia, a bloodthirsty dragon with much to gain from their failure. And Rhi, grappling with their magic and desperately angling for control, doesnât realize that being with Laura will put them closer to danger than ever before until itâs too late. |
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The Gift of Blood (Crimson Tears book 1) by Vaela Denarr & Micah Iannandrea Hunger, yearning lesbians, and monstrous love. Monsters are real, and Ryann is one of them. Chosen as a weapon in a war that is not her own, she finds an outlet for her anger in the fighting pits beneath Toronto, and on the hunt for the vampires that changed her. Whatever the cost, she'll take back her life, her controlâor make them fear the hunger they've roused in her. Burdened by monstrosity, Meg, assassin of the Scorching Dawn, drowns her pain in the blood of her enemies. When the call comes to slay the monster whipping the city's beasts into a frenzy, she welcomes the hunt. And in Ryann, she finds a violent thirst for bloodâand the opportunity to feed her own. Shadows surround the city. The beasts within cower as the foundations writhe. Drawn to one another by a mutual hunger, Ryann and Meg must learn to trust each otherâor perish in the dark. |
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Galaxy of Thorns: Rise of the Empress by Bogdan TÄbuČcÄ Divided between great wicked minds and cruel beings of unnatural power, the world of Artia has long been under the cycle of war and suffering. A child is born, conceived in an unholy union. A mighty empress to bring the world within her grasp, through mercy and kindness, through sword and fire. But will she be any better than the horrors that came before her? Or will she succumb to the vices of power and rule this world as its new dark master? |
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Worthy of the Raven: Stalked by Darkness (The Raven's Chosen One #1) by Y L Zamora The Raven chose you; a Skin demon told little Lara -a secret she's kept for almost ten years. She still can't understand the ominous message when her sick, insane father viciously attacks her mother in front of her and the Raven -always by her side when calamity strikes. Lara must seek shelter with her friends, the CondĂŠ brothers, who disguise her as their younger sibling and smuggle her into war to protect her, but the darkest, most dangerous magic quickly catches up to her when she meets the Skin once more. âNicola, the heir of CondĂŠ, became head of the family when his father, the greatest Longbraid warrior, lost his leg in battle and his will to live with it. Nic, an aloof intellectual who didn't inherit the CondĂŠ talents for combat, can't fill his father's shoes or his younger brother's -already General at twenty-one- and struggles in a war he doesn't believe in, training the woman his brother has always loved while coping with his own tumultuous feelings for her. âAlessandro is a farmer boy turned reluctant Leader. His love for Lara isn't enough to prevent her brutal attacker the night before his army must go to war in a quest to steal the Magic only the ruthless Skin possess. He must keep his men alive against the most lethal predators in the Ucrian Peninsula and confront the Lords in a constant battle of political wits to keep his grip over the army while hiding Lara in plain sight as he deals with his own soul-crushing guilt. |
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Brandon Goes to Hong Kong by Eugenia Chu While on a trip to Hong Kong, Brandon thinks he sees a great red dragon - but is it real or imaginary? Join Brandon as he tours the city and learns about dragons in this multicultural, multigenerational chapter book which includes some Mandarin Chinese (Simplified) with Pinyin pronunciation throughout, adding educational elements of the Chinese language and culture. Is Brandon the only one who sees the dragon? Can legendary or mythical creatures ever be real? What do you believe? |
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Echoes of Avalon by Adam Copeland Patrick Gawain knows monsters. He's seen plenty of the human sort in the Holy Lands, and as he sails home from The First Crusade, a hooded apparition begins to stalk him. Convinced that he's lost his mind, he holes up in a monastery to convalesce and, if recovery proves impossible, to hide his demons from the world. But a stranger comes to find him and presents a barely credible invitation: travel to Avalon and serve with the Avangarde, an order of knights sworn to protect young scholars from around the world. Thinking it will be a fresh start, Patrick agrees, and soon discovers that Avalon is more than a myth; it is the site of a vibrant secret academy - and it's also full of ghosts, goblins, and talking wolves. He can capably protect the castle from the island's supernatural beasts, but in the relative peace of the academy life, his hooded demon returns and his troubled heart causes him to sabotage the love of a young woman, Katherina. When an ancient being with sinister designs for the island infiltrates the academy, Patrick is the first to suspect its true nature when it begins its quest by seducing Katherina. Patrick soon learns that before he can defeat monsters, he must first defeat his personal demons. |
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Blood Will Out by Lara Lynwood I was meant to fight monsters. Not become one. And then I died on a routine vampire hunt gone wrong. Now I've gone from Cassandra Blackthorn, one of the Guild's best hunters, to Cass - outcast, fugitive, inhuman. I don't know what I am. I don't know how it happened. But I do know two things. One - I'm not a vampire. I'm something else - something new. And two - I'm going to find the vampires who took everything from me, and get revenge. No matter what it takes. Blood Will Out is a fast-paced, action-packed all-slaying-no-laying urban fantasy adventure! If you like badass female leads, mystery, and suspense, then Blood Will Out is for you - get it now! |
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A Sword of the Three Rivers by Seth Hobbs Begin an epic journey in a forgotten time, where empires rise and fall, helping or destroying smaller provinces along the way. Follow the bloody and lusty adventures of young Bovir of the Woodlands, as his destiny becomes intertwined with the many colorful characters, beautiful vixens, kingdoms, politicians, priests, bankers, and terrifying warlords that he meets along the way, simply trying to return home and find his revenge for the many wrongs dealt to him. Alongside these quests, he must deal with the whims of the gods, ancient prophecies, and the corruption of the religious overlords that keep their secrets. An odyssey for a new generation of readers and fantasy fans. |
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Grace Defend Us by Michael J. Hedayat Ghosts. Heroes. Monsters. Magic. When the ghosts that haunt Valentinoâs palace tell him that heâs won the apprentice lottery, he is ecstatic! Finally, the student heâs been waiting to teach is walking the ghost path to his fantastical world. When those same ghosts tell Valentino that giant, talking snakes have ambushed his apprentice in the haunted forest, he becomes furious. Valentino, son of the Gorgon, is not the kind of prince that allows a member of his household to become some monsterâs dinner. Unfortunately, even if he does save his new student Sophiaâthe serpents that heâs trying to stop already have an invitation to the festival being hosted at his House of Grace. Either heâs going to be without an apprentice, or these giant snakes are going to come back for a second chance at a free meal. Can Valentino save his new student from becoming dinner? Can he teach her enough to survive her next encounter with these fearsome monsters? |
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The Mambo Wizard: Breakfast is Served! by Giordano J. Lahaderne Meet Jeremy Fletcher, boy wizard and orphan extraordinaire. After years of study, Jeremy finds himself expelled from Pigpimples Academie of Magick. He only ever mastered the single spell of transforming everyday objects into breakfast food items (a novice trick at best, and one not found in any of the Headmageâs textbooks). But perhaps Jeremy's luck is due for a change. Moe and Zippo crash-land their starship on his family's property. They're space pirates on a quest to fish radio broadcasts out of black holes and build the ultimate night club. They also appear to be famished. Is this Jeremyâs chance to provide a complete and balanced breakfast? In the spirit of J.K. Rowling meets The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, enter an alternate history where humans made contact with alien races, and where magicians are still embarrassing! Featuring a cast of wizard school dropouts, small furry animals, and other various weirdos! Come join the gang in a swashbuckling adventure through dysfunctional magic academies, dwarven convenience stores, and night clubs on the moons of Jupiter!â¨â¨The Mambo Wizard: Breakfast is Served! Truly a gem of the orphaned wizard genre! |
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The inlet battle has concluded. In its wake, a fleet bearing the departed travel across the Sequent Sea. What was thought to be a time of mourning converts into something worse. The Clergy leader of Vattarmere has been abducted, leaving only a trace of blood. With a staunch response, Hieronostad Castle is laid siege. After a swift victory, Coradryx and his companions discover a ransom letter indicating their troubles aren't nearing an end but have increased substantially. A journey west toward the lands of Har-mortrock must be taken while a pressing urgency beckons that they leave the realm of Verdoon. Each step toward their goal unravels a cumulative number of perils. Each peril, more drastic than the previous. |
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The Fires of Time by Alexander Wyatt Young mage Kya has a list of questions she longs to ask her guardian Dwen, who took her from her parents as a baby, allegedly to protect her from the Wooden King. Why canât she leave the imprisonment of the walls of Raftengrad? Why does he allow her friendship with Thyme, a ghost girl who clearly makes him uncomfortable? Why has he spent her entire life training her to fight with magic? And how did he know the oil mage who tried to kill her? After the attempt on her life Kya tries to learn more about her forgotten home across the Serpent Sea, and hatches a plan to escape her captor. With the help of a rare cricker and accompanied by Thyme, Kya breaks the seal of the Journey Stones, hoping to find freedom in Myrsguard, where she was born. But instead of freedom, Kya finds trouble in the land once ruled by the All-Queen. The invasion of the Wooden King is imminent, and her role in the war was put into motion long ago. Before long, sheâs caught in the middle of a deadly struggle that can have catastrophic consequences. Now, Kya realizes by trying to run from Dwen, she may have run straight into something far worse. |
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To Enter Five Peaks Magical Academy you must have a familiar. Abigail hoped for a bird, maybe an owl like her best friend's, or a cuddly cat or loyal hound. She would have been happy with a particularly smart toad, even. Instead she got you. |
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The Nightingale Prince by Zack Bel The crown of a Fae Prince is a dangerous thing Tobyâs boyfriend just kicked him to the curb, so when he inherits a decrepit mansion in the remote Aussie bush, he jumps at the chance for a break. He finds a charming little town full of big personalities, and a handsome, mysterious gardener. But Toby will soon discover that everything he thought he knew is a lie. Heâs not even human. The Fae are real, and heâs one of them. The ancient nature Fae Amaethon has buried the pain of losing his lover a century ago. These days, he finds plants easier to talk to than people, but Toby pulls him out of his shell so easily. When the same evil that took his lover returns, he'll fight to protect Toby and the chance to love again. An ancient magic is reawakening, and Toby is the heir. To make matters worse, Fae hunters want him dead, and theyâll destroy this quiet town to stop the Nightingale Prince from rising. Amaethon and Toby will have to fight together to survive, and failure means the end of all Fae kind. The Nightingale Prince is a paranormal MM romance with a touch of the gothic. Book 1 of The Songbird Princes, each book follows a different main couple with a HEA, but the series must be read in order. May contain: Lots of chocolate chip cookies, a crumbling mansion with a library to put Belle to shame, an eccentric old lady who mightâve given King Arthur his sword, a magical housekeeper, and a badass witch librarian. It contains explicit content. Check the copyright page for content warnings. |
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I was sent to stop the monsters. I'm trapped with one of them instead. In exchange for my sisterâs freedom, I have to enter the Lands Below, stop their attempts to bring down the barrier that keeps them all trapped underground, and kill Princess Elanerill. Thereâs no way this ends well, but I donât have a choice. Not if I want my sister to make it out of King Grathgoreâs court alive. But my borrowed magic backfires, knocking me out of the Lands Below and into a forest filled with strange shadow animals where the ground itself shifts beneath my feet. And Iâm not alone. Aloserin, the dangerous Royal Guard from the Lands Below whoâs trapped with me, calls this place the void. He claims those who enter the voidâs twisting forests and shifting paths rarely return. Still, I have an advantage those previous travelers did not: I can communicate with the shadow animals that so terrify Aloserin. Perhaps the two of us can survive long enough to find our way out. As long as Aloserin doesnât discover that Iâm the reason weâre both trapped here.â¨â¨Perfect for fans of Uprooted and A Court of Thorns and Roses, Hearts Lost is a complete stand-alone fantasy romance adventure that's impossible to put down! |
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The Blood of the Lion by C. D. McKenna An Empire is rising . . . the question is, will you join? **** Destiny is irrefutable. And Syra, Morei, and Cyrus all have something in common: death. The Demon Killer, once responsible for the Diyrạllian Massacre, has been found after being lost for centuries. Millions of lives fell victim to this treacherous relic . . . and now Syra holds it. Torn from the sanctuary of her home, she must learn to live on the run in search for freedom, hunted by forces known and unknown. Fate can be cruel, and Morei Geral knows this firsthand. As the king and sole heir to his bloodline, Morei must hide the twisted truth of who he is becoming. But as the king slips further into his curse, war becomes inevitable, and he will have to make a choice that could undo everything he's worked for. Meanwhile, as chaos rages and fear grips the heart of all, attention is turned on the first Dragon Rider to rise in nearly eight centuries. Cyrus wants nothing to do with prophecies and war. But he will protect his dragon, Sozar, above all else. His only choice is to cast aside the life he once knew and traverse the mysterious Releuthian Mountains, said to be the home of the God of Darkness himself. Everyone has a destiny. No one can be trusted. Not even the Gods. **** The Blood of the Lion is the first of a nine book saga and Silver Medalist in Fiction-Magic/Wizardry with 5-Star Recognition from the 2022 Readers' Favorite International Competition. |