Fantasy Adventure Short Stories

As identical twins, Bothan and Calum MacNachton share a bond stronger than most brothers, one forged by a terrible secret. Rumors and dark tales have been whispered about their clan for centuries. For they roam the Highlands at night, driven by a savage hunger that can never be sated. Their only hope lies in marriage to Outsiders, mortal women whose pure blood will weaken the hold of their eternal curse.

Locked in a losing war with an alien race that regards humans as a delicacy, a military strategist learns revenge is a dish best shared.

Storytellers have long imagined what exists beyond the edges of the map. The need to seek and discover the unknown is embedded in who we are, no matter the culture or era. To celebrate this sense of wonder, award-winning editor John Joseph Adams has gathered together some of the best SF&F writers working today, collecting adventure and mystery in this spectacular anthology. Explore the rich tradition begun centuries ago with this all-new compilation full of imagination and delights. What lies beyond the edge of the unknown? Only you, brave listener, can find out.

Cholera. Flooding. Worldwide economic downturn. Yet Emperor Franz Josef insists that the upcoming 1873 World Expo goes ahead. A cholera epidemic grips the majestic city. The River Danube threatens to burst its banks. An economic crisis looms on the world stage. Yet Emperor Franz Josef is insistent that the upcoming World Expo goes ahead. After all, it glorifies his name and his nation! Behind the scenes, a team of the brightest minds - including our hero, Jed, and young Marie - gather to stop the spread. Together, they seek to prevent a disaster and, in addition, to foil a deeper ...

This collection of short stories and novelettes includes the previously published stories "The Potter's Daughter" (a prequel to the novel The Element of Fire), "Holy Places", "Rites of Passage", "Houses of the Dead", "Reflections" (the Giliead and Ilias stories, prequels to the Fall of Ile-Rien trilogy), as well as "Night at the Opera" (a Nicholas and Reynard story original to this collection, set before the Nebula-nominated novel The Death of the Necromancer).

Life after the apocalypse is one daily grind after another. It's a good thing for Wendy that she's got friends - a lot of friends as a fairy summoner. But life in Exeter is not easy, even for a summoner, and the grind of daily jobs and never-ending quests is getting to her. She's got one shot at getting a place for her own, a place of safety and maybe getting ahead. But it'll require Wendy to do the one thing she swore she'd never do again.

A Doctor with a rare gift. A newly unified government. Secrets that could threaten the future of them all. From Award-winning Author, Brianna York A New Series about the perils and fascinations of the future The United Confederation of Planets has won the war with the Ehis and has consolidated all of Earth’s galaxy into a unified group of planets and peoples, all under its control. Having created this newly perfected government, the UCP now desires to expand its influence ever farther from Old Earth. Stressing conformity, unity and peace, the UCP has professed to be the force which will ...

While housesitting in a remote mountain location while on spring break, young coed Livvy gets an unexpected visitor . . . When a young housesitter turns the tables on an intruder… he’ll have met his match and anything goes! He wants her, but what happens when she decides she wants him EVEN MORE? He's a BIG man... and she has a BIG appetite - plus a BIG secret she's saving till the end. She's NOT the only one who gets a BIG surprise! What happens when these two collide you'll NEVER believe! Who will be owned? Novella. Apprx. 10,000 words. Includes BDSM explicit encounter… with surprise...

After three days of hosting his vampiric brothers and their mates, Magnus is at his wit’s end. A sworn viking bachelor, he needs a break from the happy couples. The moment the doorbell rings, he takes the chance to get away from it all. Only to come face to face with a beautiful delivery woman who stirs his blood in a way that only a fated mate could. Donna knows her vision is true the second she meets Magnus’ gaze. Knowing he could send her away before they really get to know each other, she’s careful to hide her true intentions. She wants Magnus to get to know the real her, not just...

The war to end all wars - or so it is hoped. For generations battle broke the once-proud kingdom of Galifar. As nation fought nation, adventure was never far away from those eager to find it.

Hunters of evil, seekers of fortune, loyal soldiers, and those just trying to stay alive. These are their tales. The Tales of the Last War.

The squad of Corporal Jetei is tasked with breaking through the wall surrounding an enemy town, but once they are through, the real dangers begin. A powerful sorceress has holed up within her own mansion and it is Jetei’s squad’s job to go in and eliminate this magical threat. Yet Jetei is only a squad mage, so how can she and her comrades hope to stand against a strong magical enemy within that enemy’s very home? From the author of The Kobalos Trilogy

It takes a lot of effort for Jimmy Crocker to become Piccadilly Jim – nights on the town roistering, headlines in the gossip columns, a string of broken hearts and breaches of promise. Eventually he becomes rather good at it and manages to go to pieces with his eyes open. But no sooner has Jimmy cut a wild swathe through fashionable London than his terrifying Aunt Nesta decides he must mend his ways. He then falls in love with the girl he has hurt most of all, and after that things get complicated. In a dizzying plot, impersonations pile on impersonations....

Maria, traveling bard extraordinaire, has found herself in quite the predicament. Lost in the woods with the sun slowly setting overhead, she needs to find shelter for the night, and quickly. How did she find herself in this situation? Well, she was caught trying to have a taste of the tavern keeper and was chased out of town by his knife wielding wife. Even finding herself in unknown territory, Maria was more upset about not being able to sample the tavern keeper's raw meat than anything else. Luckily for Maria, a chance encounter with two beautiful elvish women has not just offered her a ...

PUBLISHER WARNING This work contains high levels of violence, graphic descriptions of death, male nudity and adult themes that may offend some readers. The author recommends readers must be 18+ years of age. FROM THE AUTHOR Welcome to the world of Jack Steel, a journey through worlds both real and imagined, full of heroism, adventure and raw masculinity on an epic scale. These are tales filled with brawn and brutality, where our heroes willingly fight to the death or die trying. As the publisher warning states, these stories are not for everyone. They contain high levels of violence, ...

"Master of the World" is a "black novel," filled with foreboding and fear of the rise of tyrants such as the novel's villain, Robur, and totalitarianism. Set in the summer of 1903, a series of unexplained events occur across the Eastern United States, caused by objects moving with such great speed that they are nearly invisible. The first-person narrator John Strock, "Head inspector in the federal police department" in Washington, DC, travels to the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina to investigate. He discovers that all the phenomena are being caused by Robur, a brilliant inventor.

Within this audiobook, you'll find myriad approaches to Alice, from horror to historical, taking us from the nightmarish reaches of the imagination to tales that will shock, surprise, and tug on the heart-strings. So, it's time now to go down the rabbit hole, or through the looking-glass or...but no, wait. By picking up this audiobook and starting to listen to it, you're already there, can't you see?

Captain Jim leads an expedition to try and kill the giant sea monster that is terrorising the oceans- but he hides a dark secret as to his motivations for wanting the creature dead. Will his thirst for vengeance cause everyone on the ship to die- or will they get their monster?

One woman. Two best friends. Three days of mind-blowing pleasure… A cozy Thanksgiving dinner with her boyfriend turns into the hottest holiday weekend of her life when his best friend walks in at exactly the right time -- and wants to join the fun. Their quiet night of cooking ends with with a three-course feast of indulgence, complete with spicy surprises and an unforgettable ménage. She never expected to be the center of attention between two gorgeous men. But when Kyle and Matt make her their shared obsession, she’s more than willing to surrender to the pleasure. They push her ...

As Captains of the Haven City Guard, Hawk and Fisher deliver justice, root out corruption, and fight crime with a deadly combination of sharp steel and even sharper instincts. But it isn't easy. A volatile mix of natural and supernatural violence, Haven is a terrible place to be after dark . . . and not much better during daylight. Guards of Haven collects books #4 through #6 of New York Times bestselling author Simon R. Green's beloved Hawk & Fisher series: Wolf in the Fold, Guard Against Dishonor, and The Bones of Haven.

Fortune hunter Billy Newman is not a man of great strength or physical courage. Like a young Johnny Depp, he gets by on his wit, wiles and good looks. And he’s had quite a good run—striking gold in the Philippines and buying his very own island in the South Seas. . . . But there’s trouble in paradise, and Billy’s in the thick of it. The island’s crops are failing. The island’s people are dying. And the island’s owner—Billy—is taking the heat. Why? Because he’s angered the 75-foot-tall big-boss god of the island.