Fantasy Adventure Short Stories

Paolo Bacigalupi's debut collection demonstrates the power and reach of the science-fiction short story. Social criticism, political parable, and environmental advocacy lie at the center of Paolo's work. Each of the stories herein is at once a warning and a celebration of the tragic comedy of the human experience.

Opportunities there are few and far between…that is unless you're willing to put on a uniform. For ace-pilot Deborah Allen Riker (a.k.a “Admiral Dare”), life had never been easy. She's defended Earth against countless enemies, both alien and human alike. Now a civilian and academic living on the fringes of civilized space, she has committed herself to a life of solitude and studying a race of long-dead aliens. Everything was great…until she finds herself dragged into a new conflict. A conflict she never saw coming.

First published in the pages of Weird Tales in 1934, C. L. Moore's Jirel of Joiry is the first significant female sword-and-sorcery protagonist and one of the most exciting and evocative characters the genre has ever known. Published alongside seminal works by H. P. Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard, the five classic fantasy tales included in this volume easily stand the test of time and often overshadow the storytelling power and emotional impact of stories by Moore's more famous contemporaries.

As Eva Moretti continues her work at the Ghent International Exhibition, in addition to nursing her beloved Jed, a familiar darkness slips back into the light. Jed, rousing from a coma, is still healing from a devastating fall, yet senses something far worse—an enemy once thought gone, now moving in the shadows. Old secrets surface. Fires ignite. And in a city caught between celebration and collapse, Eva and Jed must face what they’ve been avoiding: the truth.

These 18 darkly complex short stories and novellas touch upon human nature and perception, metaphysics and epistemology, and gender and sexuality, foreshadowing a world in which biological tendencies bring about the downfall of humankind. The Nebula Award-winning short story "Love Is the Plan, the Plan Is Death", the Hugo Award-winning novella The Girl Who Was Plugged In, and the Hugo and Nebula Award-winning novella Houston, Houston, Do You Read? are included.

A gripping historical romance with time-travel, espionage, and an irresistible love story, perfect for readers who crave strong heroines, adventure, and passion that defies time. Time-traveling agent Jed must protect the Liege World Expo from sabotage, yet his ruthless intergalactic foes, the Tresians, are determined to spread despair, corrupt the press, and trigger a catastrophic flood. Eva, a bold, forward-thinking woman, is eager to shape the future. But when she’s kidnapped, she realizes the danger runs deeper than she imagined. Reunited with Jed, their growing connection is tested as...

Available to the American audience for the first time, this landmark collection gathers four groundbreaking fantasy classics from the acclaimed author of Light. Set in the imagined city of Viriconium, here are the masterworks that revolutionized a genre and enthralled a generation: The Pastel City, A Storm of Wings, In Viriconium, and Viriconium Nights. Back after a long absence, these singular tales of a timeless realm and its enigmatic inhabitants are now reborn and compiled to captivate a whole new generation.

The weird, wild west - an American frontier populated by gunslingers, rattlesnakes, outlaws, zombies, aliens, time travelers, and steampunk! Twenty-three of science fiction and fantasy's hottest and most popular authors create all-new tales, written exclusively for this anthology. Aliens and monsters, magic and science are introduced to the old west, with explosive results.

My life took a turn I never expected on the day the world ended. Suddenly forced to fight in a bloody arena by a faceless System, I find the only way to survive is to win. I’m told that ten victories in the arena will give me my freedom, but if I’m going to get there, I’ll need a crack team of hardened allies to fight with me. What I got instead was a bratty college girl with a jealousy streak, a momma’s boy roommate who now inhabits the body of a piglet, and a devastatingly gorgeous teacher whose sword is as sharp as her tongue.

Jed, our time-traveling agent of the Light, and Deborah, an astute upper-class young woman, miraculously meet at some of the most important periods in history! Their different strengths form a cohesive bond that enables extraordinary feats. To support the people on Earth in raising their consciousness to the Light, Jed protects the World Fairs (expos), which are catalysts for change, while Deborah coordinates the expos. She is unaware of a dangerous foe bent on stopping them at all costs.

Adventure calls! Reality and fantasy finally collide when a new member joins Azure's party. A dangerous encounter with a mimic makes him think twice about touching large chests. And learning magic proves to be a bigger pain than he could have ever imagined. The adventure continues in books 4-6 of the popular LitRPG series The Realm Between!

A classic tale featuring two of the most-memorable characters in sword and sorcery, Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser. Over a span of 50 years, the late Fritz Leiber wrote dozens of adventures, set in the fictional city of Lankhmar, featuring the seven-foot-tall barbarian and the diminuitive thief. The stories were recognized with both the Hugo and Nebula Awards.

Tales of the Blade collects 9 heroic fantasy tales previously published by James Alderdice/David J. West. Take the weird adventure and journey to eldritch temples and witness strange rites among the barbaric splendor of elder days. Follow brave warriors and daring thieves as they defy the grip of monsters, wizards and terrible gods. Sword and sorcery is alive once more. Tales of the Blade is an action-packed heroic fantasy collection in the vein of classic pulp fiction and old school D&D. If you like gory battles, larger-than-life characters, and witty humor, then you’ll love James ...

Kael left Zuvrak for planet Earth with a few of his friends to search for their soulmates. When they were about to reach the planet, they were thrown into a black hole that destroyed their vessel and forced to leave it in escape pods. Kael soon realized this planet wasn't the Earth his mother had described to him. People barely had any technology, and demons were hunting them, killing the men and stealing the women.Though at first Kael had no intention of intervening, he soon changed his mind, because the woman he was falling in love with was in danger.

Run. Hide. Live the good life online. Early retirement looked so easy on paper. Steal eight million euros from a gangster. Hide inside an online game and enjoy the finer things in life as a bard until the danger had passed. Except Daniel messed up. Now, the gangsters are in the game looking for him and he's stuck with an imbalanced character build in a dead-end starter village. Can Daniel find his own place and a life worth living inside the World of Chains?

A classic tale featuring two of the most-memorable characters in sword and sorcery, Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser. Over a span of 50 years, the late Fritz Leiber wrote dozens of adventures, set in the fictional city of Lankhmar, featuring the seven-foot-tall barbarian and the diminuitive thief. The stories were recognized with both the Hugo and Nebula Awards.

The beachside town of Oyster Cove had everything a man could want—endless white sand beaches, plentiful summer activities, and of course, more beautiful women than you could shake a tail at. I came to Oyster Cove to enjoy a leisurely summer of surf and sun, but I find out pretty quickly that there’s more to this town than meets the eye. My next door neighbor has eyes that are very similar to a cat’s, and I could have sworn the gorgeous waitress at my favorite food spot has scales on her legs.

The successor Chapters of the Space Marines number in the hundreds, founded to fight for the survival of the Imperium. Across 13 short stories by 10 different authors, discover the history, customs and stories of 12 different successor Chapters, from famed warriors to unsung heroes.

No communication. Limited power. An unbreakable will to survive. A violent blast of solar magnetic radiation plunges much of Earth into darkness. From the decaying orbit of the powerless ISS to a devolving Southeast Texas neighborhood and a secret doomsday bunker buried deep underneath the Colorado Rockies, The SpaceMan Chronicles tells the story of a stranded astronaut, his family and friends on the ground, and a shadowy conspiracy to rebuild the world in the shape of a new society.

Lady Dame Honor Harrington - starship captain, admiral, Steadholder, and Duchess - has spent decades defending the Star Kingdom of Manticore against all comers. Along the way, she has become the legend known as "the Salamander" from her habit of always being where the fire is hottest... and also a national best seller.