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A chef, a choir boy and a newly minted office grunt are ripped away from their everyday lives and landed on a deserted island. They do not know each other or where they are. Nor why they hear a large computer voice that informs them âThe world that you know is not available right now. Rebooting world now.â All they know is that nothing is as it seems and everything keeps changing. Available free on the Nightlight Podcast |
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Kingdom of Mysore, 1799. A guilt-racked British Army deserter tries to win safety for those he loves â but his reckless bargaining only leaves him trapped between destinies, condemned to facilitate centuries of suicide and murder. Death after death, and each death diminishes him, until â a quarter of a millennium later â a Keralan astrophysicist has the chance to annul the soldierâs Faustian bargain. But Chandy John is weakened by his own burden of grief â will this twenty-first century scientist only become another helpless nexus between undeserved death and undeserved life? Hangdog Souls is set in the Dravidian heartlands of South India â and in a blurred edgeland where alternative realities elide. Through linked narratives of guilt, shame and the search for absolution, this book takes readers from the arid Tamil plains to the highest peaks of the Nilgiris, and from occult horrors in Tipu Sultanâs kingdom to creeping madness in the world of particle physics. Spanning three hundred years, the stories in Hangdog Souls weave together the fates and fortunes of multiple characters â individuals that echo through the generations, asking always the same question: What weight can balance the death of an innocent? |
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The Battle of Euangelion: Reborn by S Steyn The first book in a coming-of-age series about the origins of evil on Earth and the supernatural struggle for humanityâs redemption. The epic unravels through the adventures and misadventures of eighteen-year-old Alexis Sharp and her unlikely friends as they navigate trials, quests, and secrets that transcend both time and space. Humanityâs future is tucked away in a wretched prison world. A home to deviant rebels who once betrayed the very magic they were created with. Old magic. This story more or less hinges on old magic and those it emanates from. Itâs an extremely pure and powerful kind of magic, but also peculiar. As pure as it is, it allowed, for instance, a jealous and spiteful rebel to spearhead mutiny against a father - a King who had the audacity to gift his only son and heir with a Realm of his own. A catastrophic civil war followed and contributed to the downfall of the Princeâs young world and all its inhabitants. Their original greatness was doomed to ebb away as darkness gradually took over. The Prince petitions to ransom mankind from the Scale of Justice; the price being codified and presently hidden in an age-old Prophecy. All we know for certain is that human recruits are to participate in the battle to come as the Great Wizard of Sanctum oversees their transformation. Prince Salvatore needs an army. Alexis Sharp is numbered among the newest recruits. Quick to temper and slow to listen, she must learn to find her place and way on the mystical Isle of Sanctum where humans enjoy immunity and immortality as they prepare for war. The forces in the neighboring Realm of Nullius Terram aren't stagnant either. On the contrary, theyâre proliferating. The veil between Nullius Terram and the Kingdom of Euangelion still stands in the exiled Diabolus' way, but for how long? This war is written in destiny, and if thereâs anything we know about destiny itâs that you canât outrun, outsmart, or even outwait it. Providence begins to pull the thread when a secret quest in search of a mysterious artifact intertwines with the discovery of the Prophecy. A human bloodline is implicated, and a Chosen One is named. Alexis and her unlikely friends hang in the balance as they try to navigate through an impossible mission. |
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No hidden maps. No secret words written among the dotted specks of white. His fingers itched to touch the paint and peel it away to whatever lie beneathâto whatever felt both so horribly familiar yet strange. With about half the keys in Noaâs possession and a horrible discovery that several members of a project to emulate lost magic through a device, itâs looking far more likely that this mission to find the Vault isnât as much of a fabled foolâs errand as she originally thought. Every piece is seemingly falling into place, heralding the coming of the dark with the light of magic dwindling to sparks. As Noaâs priorities shift with the newly-planted thought that sheâs the one chosen to see this task through after the loss of her would-be-Seer and surrogate father, Lazarus, she decides that it might be better to distance herself from that growing bond sheâs found comfort in with Glacier. After all, his place is with his kingdom, and once they reach the endâwhatever their fates might beâthere wonât be any place for a group of killers and thieves in his life. However, Noa doesnât realize that the other half of her questâs fated set might actually be standing next to her. Glacier is starting to unravel, thanks to that echo of power rippling along the surface of his soul. Power that heâs not willing to accept, let alone acknowledge, with the crushing weight of what might be awaiting him back in Amarais. Being Miraltan is one thing, but a powerful Seerâa Mageâis another. And with one daemon-summoning adversary recognizing that potential, itâs only a matter of time before heâs hunted for his magic instead of just his blood. |
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The World's Other Side by Daniel M. Bensen George Boatman trained to be a priest, but his people need a criminal. Five centuries after the mighty Gondwanan civilization conquered the Northern Hemisphere, George leads a band of thieves and smugglers in the Ilinwa city of Shikaakwa. It's a bloody job, but his people need him. What George needs is vengeance. Bounce Nakmara didn't expect her post-graduate work to be so demanding. Placed without her consent into a home-stay with a bunch of incomprehensible Native Eurasian refugees, she does her best to settle in, help out, and pursue George, who has interesting depths. Except it turns out he's killed someone! Now they're all threatened by ruthless drug lords, the local authorities, and international religious extremists. If Bounce doesn't make George choose to save the future, he'll be consumed by the sins of the past. Love, loyalty, and cultures collide in The World's Other Side, an alternate history scifi thriller. |
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Dogmatic Dungeon Dominion by Schuyler Lisette In a world where the supernatural collides with the ordinary, dungeonsâdangerous rifts to other realmsâbegin appearing across the city, threatening humanity. The Hunter Association, tasked with sealing these rifts, relies on Guides who are psychically linked to Hunters with extraordinary powers. A former soldier, becomes a newly awakened Guide at 27, struggling to adapt to his role. Paired with an S-ranked Hunter, a reckless veteran esper, he faces the daunting challenge of navigating deadly dungeons filled with nightmarish creatures. Their partnership is strainedâA disciplined and methodical solider, and an esper who's impulsive and dismissive of rules. As dungeons appear more frequently, each mission tests their limits and teamwork. While the Guide adjusts to his new life and role, the esper wrestles with his haunted past and growing responsibilities. Together, they uncover a disturbing pattern behind the dungeon outbreaks, suggesting a larger, sinister plot at play. Amid the chaos, the guide grapples with losing his former life and his growing attachment to his esper, while the looming danger threatens to push themâand their fragile trustâapart. Every decision they make could determine the city's fate, or possibly the entire world. |
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By Dust & Duty by K.C. Phillips By Dust & Duty is the moody yet enchanting first installment of Forgotten Heirsâa dystopian sci-fantasy romance spanning multiple realities. At 28, Ereta still hasnât found her footing in life. She stumbles through it as an anxious tangle of insecurities, finding solace only in banter with friends and the strange comfort of recurring dreams. Along with her best friend Leelinâa shameless flirt whoâs far too handsome for his own goodâshe passes long days as a Runner on the cold desert planet of Veirbos. When a bizarre supernatural encounter brings her to the brink of death, Ereta realizes she has a choice: to remain a victim of her miserable circumstances or to shed her long-held helplessness and actively create a future she can believe in. Her foray into boldness begins, as many good things do, with a kiss. But this world was not made for romantics. As Ereta's hope leads to new and troubling questions, her circumstances grow ever more dangerous, until she's finally forced to stare down cruel truths about a society that would sooner see her dead than curious. But when everything seems set in stone, maybe, just maybe, she can find a way to save herself. By Dust & Duty is the first in a four-book series where nothing is as simple as it seems. We begin with a lost woman on a barren planetâbut stick with her, and you might just find yourself in an epic romance spanning worlds and time, defying your every expectation along the way... |
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The Night the Trolls Came to Town by Tim Kreher The Night the Trolls Came to Town Arriving at a town called Emersonville to start a new life, junior high student Ben Bell notices two oddities right off the bat. One: the population sign does not match the actual number of residents. Two: the shops along Main Street are nearly vacant of life with many hosting 'Out of Business' signs. Upon meeting a crazed girl named Mindy and her conspiracy theorist friend Koji, Ben discovers there is more to the dwindling numbers than just the closing of a nearby mine. The duo is convinced it is the work of trolls, but Ben finds the theory of monsters hard to believe. That is, until a classmate crush disappears. With the help of his new friends, Ben is determined to find the missing student. Will they succeed or will they be added to the number of vanishing community members? |
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Wire City Kills: Neon Vector by Drew Rhys One dead billionaire. Two mismatched detectives. A secret so revolutionary it will change the world. So valuable ⊠itâs worth KILLING for. When a prominent tech tycoon meets a bizarre end in Silicon Valley's exclusive high-rise district on the eve of his company's takeover by a fierce rival, it's up to the SVPD unorthodox new homicide team to crack the case: a hot shot British rookie in way over his head, and a snarky American cop at the end of her rope. They must unravel a mystery which goes far beyond murder into the dark heart of a dazzling high-tech metropolis. They must infiltrate a world of dangerous tech, sinister corporations, and chill AIs with absolutely no hidden agendas. They must answer the question ⊠WHAT IS NEON VECTOR? Uncover the secrets of Wire City in this whip-smart detective thriller packed with shocking twists, cinematic action, and razor-sharp humor. This standalone book requires no further reading to enjoy. |
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The Flow of Power by David Aumelas A flywheel stores energy in a spinning cylinder. After eight years of grad school, Margo is ready to give up on making a better one. Maybe sheâs not smart enough. Maybe her aging advisor is stuck on his own failures and has tasked her with an unsolvable problem. She doesnât really care, until she solves it. The revolutionary Crywheel brings fame and wealth, topples global energy challenges, and drags her into scandal when it starts causing blackouts and car accidents. But, surely, cutting all dependence on fossil fuels must be worth a few dead commuters. |
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ORION by Aaron Frale Orion is dead⊠again. Whether death comes from a stab wound, a bullet to the brain, or just plain dumb luck, he always comes back. He is glad to have the opportunity because a princess in each life seems to be in trouble. Whether sheâs a nurse in the Vietnam War or medieval English royalty⊠âŠOrion is determined to win her over. |
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KARA by Peter Beard For over ten years Kara was a Hunterâthe highly trained individuals with the ability and resources to find people, no-matter where they tried to hide. But after killing her best friend in a tragic accident, her world collapsed in on itself, and Kara spiralled. Recovering, and keen for a distraction to keep her mind from wandering, Kara turned her attention to something that had intrigued her for as long as she could rememberâto the mysterious symbol on her wrist. Determined to learn more, she began a hunt of a different kindâa hunt for answers. But three years of searching yielded little information, and she began losing hope of ever discovering the truth. But then, unexpectedly, she receives an anonymous messageâa message pointing her to a highly secretive prison on the outskirts of the Kuiper Belt. What she finds changes everything, and leads her down a path that puts her, and the people around her, in danger. Can she learn the origins around the strange marking, all whilst unravelling a sinister plot that threatens to send a peaceful world back into chaos? |
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Drowning Earth by Sean Willson Her sub can break the underwater speed of sound. But can she outpace the threat of nuclear winter? In 2055, with global tensions nearing the breaking point, humanity teeters on the brink of annihilation. Their only hope lies with Captain Kel Williams and her loyal team, crewing what some call the deadliest submarine ever built. Kel races to stake a claim to valuable undersea biomassâa lifeline that could prolong humanityâs demise. But deadly Russo-Chinese factions lurk in the lightless depths, determined to stop her at every turn. Besieged by threats within and without, Kel finds herself walking a razorâs edge to maintain control. Surrounded on all sides, she relies on her crewâs dedication and her Bull Nuke Oscar Allen to maintain order and avert disaster. Yet unbeknownst to all, salvation may lie in secrets lurking deep beneath the waves. Hidden truths once dismissed as myth. Whispers of impossible doorways and gods long forgotten. With danger at every turn, will anyone escape the deadly snare, or do ancient myths hold the key to humanityâs survival? Drowning Earth is the pulse-pounding first book in the Portalverse Elemental Origins science fiction techno-thriller series. If you like bold characters, dystopian conflicts, and wild surprises, then youâll love Sean Willsonâs plunge beneath the waves. |
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A fractured mind or a global conspiracy? Uncovering the truth can be hell when nobody believes you⊠and you canât even trust yourself. âA fantastic science fiction thriller with a sincere and important message.ââKirkus Reviews âA breathtaking, deeply dark alternate-history Earth with complex characters, layered worldbuilding, and twist after twist after twist.ââJulianna Caro, Reedsy Discovery âCrisply and actively told, Cody Siscoâs Broken Mirror expresses powerful empathy for those suffering from the stigma of mental illness in our own society today.ââIndieReader Broken Mirror is the first volume in a queer psychological science fiction saga that looks at the stigma of mental illness and the hellish distrust and alienation that goes with it. Victor Eastmore knows someone killed his grandfather, the pioneering scientist Jefferson Eastmore. But Victor, diagnosed with mirror resonance syndrome, has been shunned by Semiautonomous California society. Nobody will believe a Broken Mirror. Now Victor must tread the line between sanity and reclassificationâa fate that all but guarantees heâll lose his freedom. With its self-driving cars, global firearms ban, and a cure for cancer, the science fiction world of Broken Mirror may sound like a near-future utopia, but on Resonant Earth, history has taken a few wrong turns. The American Union is a weak and fractious alliance of nations in decline. Europe manipulates its citizens through propaganda. And Asia is reeling from decades of war. Determined to uncover the truth about Jeffersonâs murder, pansexual Victor and his trans friend Elena set out on a road trip that takes them across the American Union from Semiautonomous California through the Organized Western States to the Republic of Texas. But Elena is holding something back, and Victorâs condition worsens. Amid shifting geopolitical sands, Broken Mirrors like Victor find themselves at a cyberpunk crossroads: evolve or go extinct. |
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The Grandmaster's Gamble by Paul G. Zareith An unparalleled academic genius of his generation - Norman has a bright future ahead. While he may be the rising star of the famed Illustrious Academy, in the brutally competitive Irvanian socio-political landscape, opportunist vultures lurk at every corner and no tactic is too low. The biggest obstacle in the way of his grand ambitions though, is an ancient alien parasite that has made his body its nest. Oh, and there is also the problem of a high profile murder investigation that is likely to destroy his career. Will Norman be able to reassert control over his life? Or will he succumb in his pursuit of the forgotten arts of soul harvesting and become something else... Find out in this grimdark cyberpunk fantasy. Sometimes being the best among the best is still not good enough. |
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A Night So Dark And Full Of Stars by Nikky Lee A half-siren girl befriends a deaf boy. A vendetta between a teenager and her dad's stubborn ram continues into the afterlife. A hunter must atone for killing a god's sacred bull. A sacrificial maiden uncovers the secret of the wizards who rule her people. A new acolyte causes a godling to confront her past - and her deadly gift. A Night so Dark and Full of Stars from multi-award winning author Nikky Lee contains twelve stories inspired by the astrological zodiacs. From ghosts and gods to fae and folklore, Lee's blend of vividly imagined fantasia invites us to imagine alternative worlds, dark pasts and far flung futures as we gaze into the night. |
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What It Takes to Kill a Bull Moose: A Political Thriller by Michael Fedor Former U.S. Senator Jackson Piper thought his political ambitions were shattered after a shocking defeat on the national stage drove him out of public service. But when a sinister plan to hijack the presidential election shatters his quiet retreat in the Rockies, two trusted former colleagues approach him with a plan to restore balance to a corrupted two-party system that will shape the fate of the American people in the upcoming 2044 elections. With the clock ticking and American values on the line, Jackson resurrects the forgotten Bull Moose Party to take on the corrupt President Warner and his billionaire puppeteer. As allies fall and enemies close in, Piper will battle through a storm of deception, danger, and doubt. The odds are stacked against him as he faces assassination attempts, brutal betrayals, and a relentless smear campaign that threaten everything he holds dear. Backed by a crew of unlikely heroesâthe fiery Texas governor, a cunning Cajun Speaker of the House, and a brilliant strategist in his wifeâPiper will learn what it means to accept responsibility for the future of the American people and stand firm against corrupt political forces in a clash that will shake the nation to its core. In this heart-pounding thriller with twists at every turn, follow Piper and his loyal team of patriots as they race against time to expose the truth before democracy itself falls prey to the monsters of greed and manipulation. What It Takes to Kill a Bull Moose is a pulse-pounding rollercoaster of loyalty, sacrifice, and unyielding courage that will keep you on your toes until the final page. This book is a must-read for fans of VInce Flynn, Brad Thor, James Patterson, or political thrillers like "The Manchurian Candidate" and "All the President's Men." Get ready for a heart-pumping adventure through the cutthroat world of presidential elections. |
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The Silent Fringe: Phantom Traveller Book Two by R J Theodore After Ehli inadvertently exiles herself to the extra-dimensional realm known as dimspace, she discovers a planet full of iscillian who are scheduled for the same life she recently escaped. Can she save more of her people from that fate without losing her ship, her freedom, or her life? The suspenseful sequel to The Bantam is here! An engineering failure has left Ehli stranded between the layers of reality. Her only companion is BEETLâa scarab drone programmed to terminate any iscillian who endangers the ship. Ehli definitely qualifies. She must repair the shipâs disabled gate drive to free them from dimspace. But once she does, will she be free to search for her homeworld, or will BEETLâs deadly protocols activate the moment she fails to set course for an impound dock? When Ehli inadvertently involves another iscillian in her trouble, itâs not just her own life sheâs risking. The rebellious engineer must solve both moral and technical quandaries before she destroys another crew. |
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Nothing About Us Without Us by David Perlmutter Anybody who loves animated cartoons should be interested in knowing the truth about them. Which is that they have lives after the camera stops filming, and pretty interesting ones at that. This book will give you the truth about who they are and what they feel, direct from their lips. Particularly about how the leaders of the world want them out of the way, for good.... |
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Against The Stars by Christopher Hartland When an attempt to kiss his best friend becomes a prom night disaster, Elliot Doveâs confusion surrounding his sexuality is thrown into overdrive. Desperate for some clarity, Elliot turns to GlimpseTech, a company offering all over-sixteens a 44-second glimpse of what lies ahead. But Elliotâs Glimpse only makes him more confused, showing him in an intimate moment with Sebastian Glass, the âone gay kidâ in his year at school. Seb, meanwhile, hates Glimpses, and blames the technology for his dadâs absence. But unlike the protesters picket-lining GlimpseTech headquarters, Seb has other things to worry about, like his mumâs depression and the man showing up at his house demanding money. Then he bumps into Elliot, and bumps into him again, until it seems the universe is pulling them together. Despite the vast differences in their lives, Elliot and Seb find something they were missing in each other, and soon friendship blooms into something more. But tensions are growing in the outside world. Rumors of the so-called âLast Dayâââthe day beyond which no one has seen in their Glimpseââare causing widespread panic. With the end of the world an increasingly real prospect, a seemingly uncrossable class divide, and the secret of Elliotâs Glimpse a ticking time bomb, the universe may have other plans for Elliot and Seb. Against The Stars is an exploration of class, love, and destiny, perfect for fans of Adam Silveraâs They Both Die At The End. This speculative, queer romance will have readers desperate to know how things turn out, but if given the choice, would you glimpse ahead? â |
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Silver Helix by Xan van Rooyen On the surface, the city of HelsInc appears to have recovered from the war waged between humans and Ethereals, but beneath the scars, the city seethes. The remains of magic festers, causing mutations in human DNA which could give humans Ethereal powerânot that the HelsInc government would ever let that happen. The Legion resists, ripping out their neurochips and protesting the mandatory gene therapy for humans with cryptomine in their DNA. At only 19 years old, Omyn Talvinen isnât ready to play parent to her kid brother, but with her mom in prison on trumped up charges and her deadbeat dad AWOL, sheâs left with little choice. Forced to risk her freedom to pay the rent, Omyn finds herself at the mercy of a pair of cyborg soldiers when they catch her red-handed stealing nanites from a cyberware Salon. But the synthsâ powers donât work on Omyn, and they discover they all share a common memory that they must get to the root of. Wanted dead by the government, Omyn and the renegade soldiers turn to a rebel Legion group with dreams of resuscitating dead magic for help. With the clock-ticking for the synths, Zee-Five and Omyn are forced to confront the secrets of their past and a dark conspiracy thatâll shake the blood-soaked foundations of the city. |
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Serenissima by Orazia Moritmer Would you risk knowing the future? Venice, 1470. The city is filled with rumours of a Turkish fleet sailing the Mediterranean. Isabetta Zorzi, who walks the fine line of being a respectable courtesan, worries about the for-now distant threat. That threat seems even more distant to her twin, Catarina, living a quiet scholar's life in a convent. But a chance encounter with a sailor changes that. They now possess a magic glass gem that Catarina can use to see the future. It's a future no one wants to see: a future where Venice's colonies fall to Ottoman armies, while the Venetian fleet does nothing. The women can't tell anyone what they know, though, because they would be denounce for witchcraft. They need a man, but the only one who knows about the glass gem is a runaway slave from an enemy city. Can a courtesan, a nun, and a (former?) slave save Venice? |
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Beyond The Falling Snow by Qualia Reed Wizards of the multiverse unite! Across the 100 worlds of the grand multiversal empire, magic and steampunk technology exist in a fragile balance maintained by a brutal and powerful emperor. In an isolated, northern village, young Sigir's life takes an unexpected turn when a thief steals his late fatherâs pocket watch. Fueled by determination to recover his precious family heirloom, Sigir is aided by an enigmatic fugitive and his fatherâs magical robot. Together, the trio embark on a journey across the multiverse to recover what was stolen from them. As the mystery surrounding the thief deepens, Sigir finds himself drawn into events that threaten the safety of the entire empire. Beyond the Falling Snow is a tale of chosen family, and the journey of all who grow up in a rapidly changing world. |
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Step through a gateway hidden inside your dreaming mind. From the gritty streets of San Francisco to labyrinthine dream worlds conjured from humanity's collective psyche, this is a philosophical, page-turning, dark-fantasy odyssey. Meet Kid, an American foster system survivor turned clandestine courier for an underground syndicate, The White Lotus. With the disappearance of their previous runner, Kid must navigate through a harrowing night filled with deranged stalkers and nightmarish creatures born of his darkest fears. Then there's Alice, a teen prodigy from The Young School â an enigmatic institute for violent psychics, also known as travelers. These travelers have the power to traverse The Dream, a parallel universe birthed from humanity's collective consciousness, capable of manipulating society, acquiring superhuman abilities, and even discovering immortality. Alice yearns to harness these mystical forces to gain her freedom. When an assignment goes dead wrong in Chinatown, Kid and Alice's paths intersect. This streetwise runner and covert operative of parallel worlds find themselves in a reality-defying struggle for the survival of humanity. Can they channel their abilities, love, and determination to mend the very fabric of existence, defeat an ancient evil, and safeguard both realmsâThe Dream and The Real? This visionary dark-fantasy novel, woven with elements of thriller, horror, science-fiction, and the supernatural, resonates with readers who appreciate intricate world-building, in-depth characterization, and an engaging, fast-paced narrative. Praise for The Rivener âThe Rivener' offers a profound, immersive experience resonating with wisdom and truth. With endearing characters and a formidable villain, it's a soulful, thrilling narrative akin to The Sandman and The Matrix." - A Page of Words and Wishes "Littered with feeling and philosophy, violence, and mythology. This had me gripped from start to finish.â - Christopher Badcock, Those You Killed "Absolutely brilliant. An epic mix between Gaimanâs âThe Sandmanâ and everything I wanted but never got from Kingâs âDark Towerâ.â - The Misfit Bookshelf "The Rivener pulls you in from the very first page and doesnât let go. You emerge completely invested in the world and its characters and are left questioning the nature of reality.â - Book Naked |
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The Key to Reality by F. Ted Atchley A desperate father holds the key to victory in an alien civil war. If he chooses well, he'll reunite his family. If he chooses wrong, they all die. An Elite Cybersecurity Analyst. A Desperate Rebellionâs Best Hope. Brandon thought the assignment was just another standard security assessment. Wrong. As he peels back the layers of a deepening conspiracy, he discovers everything he thought he knew about his reality is a lie. And heâs the only one who can save it. Exiles from another reality see Brandonâs new knowledge as the key to victory over their tyrannical king and his immortal army. Pursued by both loyalists and rebels as he crosses the borders between realities, Brandon must protect his family, while figuring out who to trust. Choosing well means rescuing his family, and saving both worlds, but choosing poorly will empower a malevolent evil to wipe out humanity. |
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At the Manor House by E A Stoy As a secret agent in a war between supernatural societies, Brand has made himself into an expert in social engineering and information gathering -- or, as some might put it, sexpionage. His world is upturned when a new handler back at the office takes an interest in him and pulls out all the stops to save him from a trivial lapse in intelligence. Intrigued, he resolves to learn more about what turns out to be a shy and withdrawn man in the Extraction department, whose blisteringly competent work persona is at odds with his awkwardness and inability to control his own elemental powers. Feeling that he owes this handler a favor, and with growing interest in this strange and quiet man, Brand takes him under his wing and swiftly develops a reason to come home at the end of a mission. Meanwhile, he's being sent back into the fray to seduce a dangerously skilled mage bred by an opposing society. It certainly appears that he'd prefer a clean break from his own organization, but will that be enough to flip him as an asset to Headquarters? A queer romance based on mutual respect and admiration. |
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The Psychic's Memoirs by Ryan Hyatt Ted Kaza, a hot-tempered Los Angeles detective, and Lydia Jackson, his distracted partner, are assigned to find Alice Walker, an alleged teenage psychic whose capture might determine the outcome of a looming civil war and humanityâs relationship with a misleading alien force. |
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Echoes of Another Earth by J Daniel Layfield A scientist in hiding. An admiral on the brink of treason. A man who has lived hundreds of versions of his life across the same number of dimensions. Three paths converge in one dimension. Their actions will affect them all. Josh hasn't really felt like himself since the first time he died. It's funny what you can get used to though. With his next jump into another Josh's life, he may finally get some answers, but does he want to hear them? Better question: can he trust the scientist being hunted by his past? Whatever Josh chooses, his actions will either aid in saving this dimension from destruction, or add it to a long list of ones destined to end. |
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The Unpleasantness at Baskerville Hall by Chris Dolley Wodehouse steampunk version of The Hound of the Baskervilles! âJeeves and Wooster meet Holmes and Watson with a touch of steampunk in the hilarious first full-length Reeves and Worcester tale ... This laugh-out-loud parody works on several levels ... With razor-sharp wit and fast pacing that plays fair with the reader, this is an excellent genre mash-up that fires on all cylinders.â - Publishers Weekly An escaped cannibal, a family curse ... and Reginald Worcester turning up on the doorstep. Could things get any worse for the Baskerville-Smythe family? As the bodies pile up, only a detective with a rare brain â and Reggieâs is so rare itâs positively endangered â can even hope to solve the case. But... there is the small matter that most of the guests arenât who they say they are, the main suspect has cloven feet, and a strange mist hangs over great Grimdark Mire. Luckily the young master has Reeves, his automaton valet, and Emmeline, his suffragette fiancĂ©e, on hand to assist. This stand alone novel is the fifth Reeves & Worcester Steampunk mystery |
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Love often grows from the most unimaginable of places, and Unparalleled by Whitney Ivey captures a unique and alternative perspective on imaginary friends and the ways in which children have been known to interact with the spirit realm. Unparalleled is a riveting fantasy love story, following a young boy, Derek, and his vivid imagination into adulthood as he journeys through life with his best friend, Essi. She is anything but imaginary, despite his parents' and society's highly skeptical thoughts. As Derek realizes Essi is his one true love, he also comes to the heartbreaking realization that their worlds cannot continue to collide because their friendship comes with a strict expiration date. Will Derek get the chance to tell her before it's too late? Can Derek hold on to the hope that he will find Essi once again, or will life without Essi be the forever he never wanted? |
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Of All Possibilities by Joe Butler What does someone who can slip between universes do for a living? They help shape the fate of this reality. When his grandfather dies, a young Eli Clarke takes over as the Key: an individual with the power to traverse the multiverse. Raised inside a cult that works with the government, he erases targets from the timeline. Then he meets Jess, a fellow outsider who shows him what it is to question everything. Set in the 80s, 90s, and now, OF ALL POSSIBILITIES is a universe-hopping, punk rock love story about loss, identity, and obsession that explores the repercussions of the choices we make and what makes us who we are. |
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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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The Thirteenth Key by Cara Nox The chaotic crew of heisting misfits in Leigh Bardugo's SIX OF CROWS meets the familiar yet fantastical, modern landscape found in Robert Jackson Bennett's CITY OF STAIRS. âThe thirteen emblems given to the original rulers werenât just symbols. Theyâre keys to the Vaultâone that no oneâs ever opened.â Noa has lived her life as an unsuspecting, ID-burning, face in the crowd that disposes of âproblemsâ for her miscellaneous, secretive employers. So, when Noaâs surrogate fatherâa Seerâhands her a long-lost emblem, telling her with his dying breath that it's her responsibility to reignite magic, she laughs at the idea that the fate of their world rests on the shoulders of a killer. Instead, she uses his words and the key he gave her as an excuse to go on one final suicide mission to seek out the power supposedly waiting for her to annihilate his murderer. Prince Glacier Caelius has lived his life trapped inside a gilded cage, pushed down by the ever-present threat of death as the bastard son of Amaraisâs late king. But when the rebels attack during a nationalist party, Glacierâs rescued by none other than Noa and her merry band of thieves, who are scrambling to salvage a failed attempt at stealing his countryâs emblem: the Soul of Amarais. When the dust settles, heâs the only person left alive to unlock the palace vault and give the Soul to Noa in exchange for saving his life. Well, once theyâre able to formulate a plan to take the palace back. Struggling with their tentative, newfound freedom, Noa and Glacier must learn to work together to survive the urban landscape of Avariaâs greatest cities fortified by technology in the wake of dwindling magic. The goal: steal as many keys as they can before their pasts catch up. But the further they go, the more they realize that something worse may be lurking on the horizon, and they may very well be the only ones able to stop it. |
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Gabriel and Christine are prepped and ready for entrance into a top secret government agency. It should be a cinch for Gabriel to ace his final test while Christine prepares to enter training and say goodbye to her friends. But on the eve of Gabrielâs test, at a time when Christineâs friends need her most, a disturbing development threatens everything. An anonymous enemy sets them in a race against time to rid the agency of deep seated corruption and sabotage before the unthinkable happens. Who can they trust? To save themselves and everyone who matters to them, they must choose their allegiances wisely, and risk it all, friends, future, their very lives. Will they succeed or die trying? This thrilling conclusion to Dream Girl can also be read on its own as a complete novel. |
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From the day Gabriel starts working with Christine at the library, he turns her life upside-down with sizzling chemistry, bizarre stories, and incredible dreams. Dreams so vivid they feel like real life. Christineâs friends think sheâs falling for Gabriel fast but they donât know about the secret life Gabriel and Christine are living at night. Who would believe her if she told? As the dreams become more dangerous, itâs clear theyâre being orchestrated by someone. But who? And more importantly, why? As Christine struggles to help Gabriel unravel the secrets of the dreamworld, she risks her closest friendships, her college plans, and maybe even her life. |
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Ever since a devastating magical war tore apart Ada Fletcher's homeworld, she and her family have lived undercover on the low-magic Earth. Stuck in a dead-end job in London, Ada has spent her life hiding both her true identity and her forbidden magic from the Inter-World Alliance: the organisation that polices the Passages between Earth and its magical neighbours. At least until a high-ranking Alliance official is murdered, and Ada is arrested as the main suspect. Kay Walker, grandson of the Inter-World Alliance's late founder, expects to spend his first week as an Alliance employee hunting rogue monsters in the Passages, not solving his supervisor's murder. However, the main suspect is a fierce young woman with dangerous magic from a world that should no longer exist⊠and the closer Kay gets to uncovering the truth, the higher the body count rises. The last thing Ada wants to do is help the infuriating Alliance guard who arrested her, but it soon becomes clear that the Alliance knows too much about Ada's homeworld -- and her magic. More, in fact, than she knows herself. One thing's certain: she's not the only one keeping secrets, and trusting the wrong person might cost more than her life.â |
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Quantum Curators and the FabergĂ© Egg by Eva St. John Death or Glory â just another day in the office. When a priceless FabergĂ© egg comes to light everyone is after it. Neith Salah is a quantum curator. It's her mission to get the egg; she doesnât know what it looks like, or where it is, but she knows itâs not on her earth. Julius Strathclyde lives on a parallel earth. He's a Cambridge professor and an archivist; he loves tea, research and a quiet life. It's a pity then, that he's the only person alive who knows where the egg is. She has guns and attitude, he has a fountain pen. Together they are going to have to race against time to save the egg, before a hidden enemy gets there first. |
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To Climates Unknown by Arturo Serrano On September 11, the United States were destroyed. That is, September 11 of the Year of Our Lord 1620. In this alternate history, the Mayflower was lost at sea, and the English Separatists were disheartened from further colonization of North America. The United States were never born. The centuries that follow will see the emergence of rival empires that will split up the world between them. One will become the terror of the seas. One will rampage with carriages of steam. One will take to the skies. And the people caught in the middle will fight against the colonial system to bring an end to all empires. |
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The FATOFF Conspiracy by Olga Werby Transdimensional Industries gave the world a technical solution to the obesity epidemicâeat more than you want, and store all that you want in their fat storage tanks conveniently located outside of our set of dimensions. Complete gluttony without sacrificing beauty or health...for a price. You can be rich and buy a thin body. You can be poor and lucky enough to get government assistance with your personal fat storageâFederal Assistance with Transdimensional Offloading of Fat and Flab. Or you can win the tits lotteryâa lifetime of free blubber storage in the Transdimensional Industries' tanks where all the humanityâs fat is stored. Thin people live well, have high paying jobs, and wield all of the social and political power and prestige while consuming unlimited quantities of food as mandated by the government. Fat people? They don't do so well. Cindy Rella is a low-level bureaucrat at the Civil Office of Fat Excision. And while her job is to tell people "no" when they apply for government assistance, Cindy has been secretly saving for a set of gray-market papers that would guarantee her a zero dress size and a healthy lifespan of over 30 years. Because being fat is not only a life-time of being a second-class citizen in a society that worships physical beauty, it is also a death sentence. Cindy's plan doesn't work spectacularly and her life spins out of control into a dangerous world of revolutionary fat freedom fighters. Sucking off fat into another dimension is not the only way to get thin. Cindy Rella is a coming of age story in the world that is a cross between dystopian Brazil and Fast Food Nation with a sprinkling of sci fi. |
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The Gottingen Accident by James Mordechai What if three famous scientists with superhero powers do team up to fight a villain that wants to subvert the very fabric of the Universe by using non-Euclidean geometry? What if the Germans won the Great War and the 1917 Bolshevik revolution never took place? Time is not always a straight line and sometimes it can expand and contract. Then, Charles Darwin could change the evolutionary destiny of any living being and be coeval with Marie Curie that in turn could see through walls thanks to her X-Ray vision. A terrible accident, the Gottingen Accident, made them all. It made them like this. Superhumans. Or maybe just monsters. |
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Unicorn Farmhand by Samuel Yaw Jian Fong Every horse has a talent or two. Some can sit, some can jump over obstacles, and some can select a button for a treat. For one particular draft horse, Dok Saau, his talent is in writing. He does not just scribble letters in the ground as a trick, but he also uses his talent to express his own thoughts to his bemused owners. Surprised by his strange talent, his owner Chang Gao brings him to the Horse Fair, where he beats the other horses by writing proper answers to several questions. After a DNA scan, he is revealed to be a unicorn: even though he was supposed to be released into the wild, the authorities let Chang Gao keep him so that he might become a local attraction. Yet even as he tries to adjust to his new life as an animal celebrity, every now and then he faces recurring nightmares from his troubled past. As he seeks Chang Gao's help, will he be there to help him defeat his fears? Or would they instead attract something much worse: something that could threaten his comforts or even his own life? |
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The Necromancer's Prison by Alec Whitesell and Craig Bonacorsi She wanted to find her place in the universe. She never imagined it might not be on Earth. When Emily Murphy over slept the morning of her college entrance exam, she thought missing her test was the worst thing that could happen. She never expected she would wind up lost halfway across the galaxy, battling aliens with laser guns and mages hurling lightning. Like most seventeen year olds, Emilyâs main concern had been navigating the perils of high school, not surviving shootouts and sorcery. That changed when her school was attacked and a student was kidnapped. While everyone else smartly fled from danger, she recklessly ran toward it mounting an impossible rescue that would lead her on a journey unlike anything she could have imagined. Dropped into a strange world teeming with merciless criminals and ruthless aristocrats, surrounded by violence and betrayal, Emily must untangle a web of intrigue and deceit to solve the mystery behind the abduction, save her classmate, and discover the destiny which awaits her. It is either that, or die trying⊠|
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Michael McGillicuddy and the Most Amazing Race by Trevor A. Dutcher Puzzling Intrigue. Epic Adventure. Cut-throat competition. When a quiet introvert and gifted tinkerer, Michael McGillicuddy, is invited to participate in the annual race organized by a secret society called the Order of the Blue Cloak, he forces himself to take a chance. Participation in this yearâs race represents a dual opportunity: To honor his fatherâs legacy, and to win a prize sufficient to pay taxes on his motherâs land to avoid foreclosure. The action-packed adventure that follows features a vibrant cast of characters, and includes some of the brightest minds and most unscrupulous characters 1895 Europe has to offer, including a Luxembourgish railroad baron, a middle-eastern mystic, a lone-wolf bounty hunter, a British female spy and a Dutch female alchemist. A devious circus ringmaster, and his equally devious crew, including a strong-man with a mechanical arm and a ruthless female enforcer with a chip on her shoulder and a penchant for poison, provide the main antagonistic forces.Follow the racers over land, sea and air, from Londonâs outskirts all the way to Paris, as they risk life and limb to embark on a scavenger hunt-style race with few, but important, rules. The winner of this yearâs race will be the first to solve all the milestone puzzles and arrive at the finish with a complete and matching set of milestone tokens. Along the way, Michael will encounter intellectual challenges, fantastical creatures, games youâve never heard of, physical peril, sabotage, betrayal, love, heartbreak, and even a touch of magic, all while discovering himself and a newfound taste for adventure. But as a novice among experts, and with the odds so strongly stacked against him, how will Michael survive, let alone compete? |
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Courage (The Legacy Chronicles #1) by Lauren H. Salisbury Can one woman evade an alien empire to save her son's life? Gilla and Elias have the perfect lifeâor as perfect as life can be for slaves living deep in the Esarelian Empire. Elias wants freedom for his precious wife and daughter, and the rest of their people, and he is willing to fight to get it. Pregnant with her second child, Gilla only wants a happy, healthy family who share a strong faith in the God of Old Earth and to get through her workload each day. When the Esarelians decide to teach their rebellious slaves a lesson they will never forget, Gillaâs entire life is turned upside down. She must trust that God has a plan to protect her new-born son, and have the courage to follow it, choosing the strangest of allies in an effort to ensure his survival. |