Science Adventure

Is it easy to survive in the game world? You could say yes, if you didn't know what the additional conditions were. They are unusual: it's the real world in which you have lived all your life. The enemy, craving to destroy you. Your own class who couldn't care less about you. Are you still sure that survival is easy? Then welcome to The Game! It will prove you wrong.

In the distant future, corporations have become sustainable communities with their own militaries, and corporate goals have essentially replaced political ideology. On a youthful, rebellious impulse, Lawrence joined the military of a corporation that he now recognizes to be ruthless and exploitative. His only hope for escape is to earn enough money to buy his place in a better corporation.

The car crash was the last thing I remembered...then I woke up here. Where "here" was felt like an impossible nightmare. I died, but this wasn't what I'd expected to find when they said I'd meet my maker. The afterlife is just like a video game, except I didn't start in a noob world like everybody else. I started out on one of the most challenging dungeon worlds meant only for ancient souls who've been dead much longer than I have.... Welcome to Epoc.

On a top-secret dive into the Pacific Ocean's deepest canyon, Jonas Taylor found himself face-to-face with the largest and most ferocious predator in the history of the animal kingdom. The sole survivor of the mission, Taylor is haunted by what he's sure he saw but still can't prove exists-Carcharodon megalodon, the massive mother of the great white shark. The average prehistoric Meg weighs in at twenty tons and could tear apart a Tyrannosaurus rex in seconds.

Tian, a Cultivator at the precipice of ascension, is thwarted in her quest for immortality. Defeated, she escapes to another world with Levels, Classes, magic, and monsters. She becomes a Lost Soul. Her core begins to dwindle, but she does not abandon her goal. Working with a group of rebels in this new world, she opposes the unkillable tyrant Galgom to learn his secrets. Against his army of machines wielding laser guns and laser swords, she will cultivate her new powers, achieving Feats as she seeks her antidote: immortality.

Reborn into a fantastical RPG-system based world, Fresh is offered a second chance at life. Initially glad to have escaped her old existence, she quickly realizes that this new one might not be much better. Her new body is too frail to follow any grand dreams of adventure, her new mind is too dulled to allow any meticulous planning or thought, and this new, seemingly colorful, kind world is anything but.

Raphael was born with the mark of the dragon. His foster father taught him a mysterious and ancient magic unlike anything seen since the last dragon left the world.

Charlie is good at her work. As a hard-charging drug rep with the brains and talent to make it to the top, she has the world at her feet. Then, the lights go out, and everything changes. An EMP decimates the United States, leaving the country in the dark. With modern technology suddenly and permanently turned off, society's dark side quickly takes over. Caught on the road, she teams up with two new companions and they fight their way towards safety and freedom. Criminals, gangs, and worse stand between them and the safety of a friend's farm.

When Boreas died on that surgical table back in his home world, his mortal body remained on Earth, but his soul, striving for something more, was reborn. In another world, he became Hadjar Darkhan, the son of a King and Queen. He had only his neural network and the burning aches and desires from his previous life to guide him.

Time is running out for Ahren as he and Khara leave their companions under cover of darkness and make their way to the Eternal Empire. The Pall Cloud is spreading relentlessly, yet the full complement of 13 Paladins have still not gathered together. But the couple are finding it impossible to find a way through to the notoriously draconian and reclusive empress, and all their attempts to enlist her support in the war against the Adversary seem doomed to failure once Ahren falls into the clutches of Quin-Wa's Peace Sentinels.

"I very much need to be dead." These are the chilling words left behind by a man who had everything to live for - but took his own life. In the void that remains stands his widow, Jane, surrounded by questions destined to go unanswered...unless she does what all the grief, fear, confusion, and fury inside of her demand: find the truth, no matter what. There is no one else to speak for Jane's husband - or the others who have followed him into death at their own hands.

Cursed and dying, Thorn has landed at a crossroad. He can either give up and die, or walk a path he never wanted to touch. Reluctantly accepting that his only chance at life rests in corrupt magic, Thorn soon finds himself exploring a world of ancient mysteries, all while trying to hide his tracks from those who want to hunt him down. Pursued by bounty hunters intent on dragging him back in chains, Thorn soon discovers the plot is deeper than he thought. Even the Tardoff clan, one of the powerful challenger families, is intent on capturing him and extracting his knowledge of ancient runes.

All of the stories you've heard are wrong. They always tell you that starting a new life in a fantasy world is an amazing experience, full of magic, adventure, and true love...but they never tell you what happens when it's over. They don't tell you that it just happens again. And again. By the time you start your third new life in a row, all of that initial amazement wears off. That's where Lux finds himself now: dropped into yet another fantasy world, forced to restart his life all over again. He wants nothing more than to disappear...but it seems the world has other plans for him.

Science Fiction Stories 9 is a riveting collection of short stories that will transport you to the farthest reaches of the galaxy and beyond. Immerse yourself in tales of advanced technology, alien encounters, and the human spirit's resilience against the unknown. This anthology, penned by various talented authors, offers a diverse array of narratives that explore the limitless possibilities of science fiction. The Computational Gambit by Nelson W. Clark: A cunning salesman introduces a revolutionary financial planning computer, but not everything is as it seems. Hiding by William S. Harper...

Torn by internal strife, Wendar faces deadly raids from the north by an inhuman race, the Eika. And now terrifying portents are being seen; old ruins restored to life under the light of the full moon and peopled by the long-vanished Lost Ones; dark spirits walking the land in broad daylight. And suddenly two innocents are about to be thrust into the middle of the conflict.

Magic has been outlawed for almost a century, and anyone caught wielding it or bearing its mark is executed. Which is why I know every day could be my last. I'm marked for death. My skin bears the branding of the moon. I just thank the stars that it's not somewhere visible. For one night, I willingly put myself in danger, picking a stranger to lose myself in before I begin my life of servitude to the crown as a member of the King's Guard. But the man I thought was a stranger turns out to be the Blade of the King, Thorn, my new boss.

Women rule in Women's Country. Women live apart from men, sheltering the remains of civilization. They have cut themselves off with walls and by ordinance from marauding males. Waging war is all men are good for. Men are allowed to fight their barbaric battles among themselves, garrison against garrison. For the sake of his pride, each boy child ritualistically rejects his mother when he comes of age to be a warrior. But all the secrets of civilization are strictly the possession of women.

In the Celestial Empire, a land ruled by Immortals and stalked by Spirits and Beasts, a young girl from the slums of an unimportant city is found to have the Talent that may allow her to become an Immortal herself. Sent to the storied Argent Peak Sect to harness her talent, she must work desperately to catch up to peers who have been preparing to walk the Way for years. The Sect grants new students only three months to prepare and grow before the true challenges begin and the disciples are freed to battle each other for resources and strength.

Alex is broke. He's pretty much always been broke. A misspent youth led to mistakes that led to convictions and plea deals. No career, no education, no hope. Now he has a chance to make things right for him and his family when the newest immersive MMO comes with the ability to convert money earned in the game into real currency. Well, it's cryptocurrency, but that's real-ish, right?

Earth is long since dead. On a colony planet, a band of men has gained control of technology, made themselves immortal, and now rule their world as the gods of the Hindu pantheon. Only one dares oppose them: he who was once Siddhartha and is now Mahasamatman. Binder of Demons, Lord of Light.