Fantasy Short Stories

The sky is breaking. The bonds are fading. And one boy’s spark could ignite the world—or burn it to ashes. In the floating world of Emberfall, young Elijah Ardent has always been content to stay in the shadows, fixing the ancient machinery that keeps his home aloft. But when his sister is kidnapped by a mysterious cult known as the Shroud, Elijah is thrust into a world of Skybeasts, Aether magic, and deadly political intrigue. Forced to compete in the Skyforge Trials against the elite of society, Elijah must master his newfound powers and bond with Ignis, a unique fire-beast with ...

When Mrs. Sorensen's husband dies, she rekindles a long-dormant love with an unsuitable mate in "Mrs. Sorensen and the Sasquatch". In "Open the Door and the Light Pours Through", a young man wrestles with grief and his sexuality in an exchange of letters with his faraway beloved. "Dreadful Young Ladies" demonstrates the strength and power - known and unknown - of the imagination. The World Fantasy Award-winning novella The Unlicensed Magician introduces the secret, magical life of an invisible girl once left for dead.

Kitty Norville is everybody's favorite werewolf DJ and out-of-the-closet supernatural creature. Over the course of eight books, she's fought evil vampires, were-creatures, and some serious black magic. She's done it all with a sharp wit and the help of a memorable cast of werewolf hunters, psychics, and if-not-good-then-neutral vampires by her side. Kitty's Greatest Hits not only gives listeners some of Kitty's further adventures, it offers longtime fans a window into the origins of some of their favorite characters.

Hundreds of years after the end of the world, the Appalachian community of Iron Hollow finds itself beset by demons. Such horrors are common these days in the outlands, where most folks die young—if they don’t turn into monsters first. When a legendary knight is summoned to hunt down the latest unearthly beast to haunt their woods, the town’s new oral historian, Shrike, has more reason than most to be concerned. Because that demon was her wife. And while Shrike is certain that May still recognizes her—that May is still herself, somewhere beneath it all—she can’t prove it.

Christmas is coming to Beechwood Harbor, but will the manor residents be ready for his magical visit? With mischief and mystery at every turn, Holly and friends have to rally to save Christmas before it's too late! A Very Beechwood Christmas includes four mini mysteries set around a wild and magical Christmas when the real Santa Claus comes to town!

Pearl: I want to kill Josie for leaving me on my own in New Orleans when she decides to spend our entire vacation weekend with a hookup. But I quickly forget all about my roommate when I meet Kyle and Marco in a Bourbon Street bar. The pair of Navy Seals are also on vacation, and thank God they are, because not only do they save my weekend, they literally save my life. I soon realize these two boys are the key to living out one (or maybe two!) of my craziest sexual fantasies. But first I’ll have to decide between the two of them. Or will I? ;) I'm already dreading having to say goodbye ...

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.

Echo of Silence: In a deep-sea station, Tazia Nerif has found her life's work as an engineer, keeping things running smoothly. But she wants nothing more than to break down the barrier of silence between her and her telekinetic Psy station commander. Dorian: A changeling who can never shift lives a life of quiet frustration - until he learns how to let his leopard come out and play.

Grim leads those who have passed into the next life across the river to be judged. His work is endless and his life dull...until he meets Isabella. Read this cute romantic short story that is sure to have you hanging on for dear "life."

"Earthlight" was first published in the August 1951 issue of Thrilling Wonder Stories. It was later expanded into the novel of the same name. Sir Arthur C. Clarke (1917-2008) is regarded as one of the most-influential science fiction writers of all time. He was named a Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, and was inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame.

The only thing Benji lacks more than ambition is luck. And his new job has to be the lowest of the low. But something is stirring in the zero-footprint economy of New St. Louis. And Benji’s about to find himself chin deep in the muck! This story was originally published in the Hugo Award-nominated METAtropolis.

Space pirates! Words that conjure up rousing tales of adventure, derring-do, brave heroes battling the scurvy vermin of the galaxy. Those vermin have taken to pillaging cargo ships and, even worse, space liners, relieving the helpless passengers of their valuables, and worse with the comely women passengers, then spacing the lot - unless one or more of the aforementioned brave heroes arrive in the nick of time, and turn the tables, making the spaceways safe again for the innocent and helpless.

The internationally acclaimed author of The Martian Chronicles, The Illustrated Man, and Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury is a magician at the height of his powers, displaying his sorcerer's skill with 21 remarkable stories that run the gamut from total reality to light fantastic, from high noon to long after midnight.

En route to far-off stars, Toby’s consciousness has a crucial mission: inhabit his clone long enough to repair a spaceship, then zip back to Earth. He’s done it a million times, more or less. OK, twelve times. It should only take a few hours. Until he wakes up in jail. And he’s not alone. His fellow prisoners: a cadre of alien soldiers. His prison: an ethereal boundary that will imprison their spirits until their bodies die. His jailers can’t even see him. But their pet cat (er, iguana cat?) can—and it’s got a serious case of the zoomies.

From master anthologist Ellen Datlow comes an all-original of weird tales inspired by the strangeness of Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Between the hallucinogenic, weird, imaginative wordplay and the brilliant mathematical puzzles and social satire, Alice has been enjoyed and savored by every generation since its publication. Datlow asked 18 of the most brilliant and acclaimed writers working today to dream up stories inspired by all the strange events and surreal characters found in Wonderland.

Everyone's favorite werewolf DJ is here to mix it up just one last time. Here you will find, or even newly discover, the irrepressible Kitty Norville with friends and enemies alike: Rick the vampire; Jessi Hardin, paranormal detective; Kitty's husband, Ben; Cormac, the bounty hunter; and the villainous Dux Bellorum. These irresistible tales are full of unpredictable twists and turns: lupines experimenting with astronomy, a cheating boxer with preternatural strength, vampires arriving from the Philippines.

A princess flees a cruel tyrant only to face an enigmatic alien in Thornwood Marsh. Known evil or monstrous mystery? Her daring choice will shape her destiny. Princess Rosalind, on the brink of a coerced union with a cruel tyrant, fled into the heart of Thornwood Marsh. Pursued by relentless knights, her heart raced with fear and uncertainty. But instead of finding sanctuary amidst the murky shadows, she encountered a monstrous alien. Now, confronted with a choice between the known evil of her impending marriage and the enigmatic creature, she faces an uncertain future. Buy now to escape to...

The new United States in central Germany launches a one-plane Doolittle Raid on Paris, France. The target: their arch enemy, Cardinal Richelieu. Meanwhile, an ambassador from the Mughal Empire of northern India is being held captive in Austria by the Habsburg dynasty. Mike Stearns decides to send a mercenary company to rescue him, led by two 17th century mercenary officers: an Englishman and a Irishman, who seem to spend as much time fighting each other as they do the enemy.

Dive into a world of forbidden desire with BDSM Short Stories: Please Daddy, I’m a Good Girl, a scorching collection of five electrifying tales crafted to ignite your deepest fantasies and keep your vibrator humming night after night. Penned by the sultry maestro Celeste Moreau, this anthology is a siren’s call to women craving intense, consensual BDSM that pushes boundaries and delivers explosive pleasure. Each story—The Velvet Cage, The Midnight Masquerade, The Crimson Altar, The Penthouse Pact, and The Garden of Surrender—pulses with raw, filthy passion, designed to make you wet,...

When the end of the world is just another Tuesday... In the battle between destiny and disaster, sometimes all it takes is a reluctant hero with zero qualifications and even less enthusiasm. Meet Grongol, a goose with the extraordinary power to bring about Armageddon - if he ever lays that final, fateful egg. Follow his unwitting companion Pibblestone McTavish as he flees mayonnaise-obsessed villains and chicken cultists while accidentally preventing doomsday. Journey alongside Snarksteel the Insufferable, a sentient sword with three centuries of watching heroes die stupidly while ignoring ...