Science Fiction Monsters

"Perfect deadpan marks the opening of Ali Simpson’s The Monster'" writes Susan Merrell of The Southampton Review in her introduction to this issue of Recommended Reading.

An experimental ASI with a terminal case of curiosity reached out and tampered with the universe in a way that it should not have, and unleashed a torrent of energy we would call magic into our galaxy. Humans, and every other intelligent lifeform for that matter, were ill-prepared, physically and mentally, for such an eventuality. In an effort to save itself, the ASI hastily created something it called the Framework to shape and codify this magical energy, and usher in a new world. A world of classes, levels, and extraordinary power. But also a world of monsters.

As a world-ending war surges around them, Todd and Viola face monstrous decisions. The indigenous Spackle, thinking and acting as one, have mobilized to avenge their murdered people. Ruthless human leaders prepare to defend their factions at all costs, even as a convoy of new settlers approaches. And as the ceaseless Noise lays all thoughts bare, the projected will of the few threatens to overwhelm the desperate desire of the many.

What started as a contract becomes a collision of desire, dominance, and something neither of them expected—love. Autumn Blake thought she knew what she was getting into when she signed with the Alien Seed Syndicate—one pregnancy, one payout, and a second chance at motherhood. But from the moment her biodome collapses and she’s dragged from the wreckage by a brutal Trionis warlord, nothing goes according to plan. Sethar Vol didn’t want a human surrogate. He wanted a legacy, not a mate. But when Autumn's scent triggers a rare biological bond, he claims her—body, blood, and soul—...

War makes for strange alliances - and so it is for the free city of the Colonnade, which must turn to the Mother of Nightmares and her dynasty of monsters to defend themselves against the hordes of Chaos. The Colonnade, a free city, is the jewel of Ghur, obsessed with purity in a realm of bestial savagery. But now, it faces annihilation at the hands of an unstoppable beastherd. In a desperate gamble, Councillor Atella Reigehren requests the aid of a being anathema to the Colonnade. She seeks Lauka Vai, the Mother of Nightmares, and her dynasty of monsters, the Avengorii.

Hemlock Falls isn't like other towns. You won't find it on a map, your phone won't work here, and the forest outside town might just kill you. Winnie Wednesday wants nothing more than to join the Luminaries, the ancient order that protects Winnie's town—and the rest of humanity—from the monsters and nightmares that rise in the forest of Hemlock Falls every night. Ever since her father was exposed as a witch and a traitor, Winnie and her family have been shunned. But on her sixteenth birthday, she can take the deadly Luminary hunter trials and prove herself true and loyal.

As a witch in the walled city of Chernograd, Kosara has plenty of practice treating lycanthrope bites, bargaining with kikimoras, and slaying bloodsucking upirs. There’s only one monster she can’t defeat: her ex, the Zmey, known as the Tsar of Monsters. She’s defied him one too many times and now he’s hunting her. Betrayed by someone close to her, Kosara’s only choice is to trade her shadow—the source of her powers—for a quick escape.

Rossamund Bookchild has successfully negotiated the treacherous route to High Vesting. But even within the sturdy walls of the great city he is far from safe. For the path to becoming a Lamplighter is fraught with dangers – and not just from the dread monsters who lurk in the wilds. Rossamund will need all his wits to survive his training. And he must watch his back too, for enemies from his past are never far behind.

The Kadrixans. Even their name inspires terror. Fiery-skinned and devil-like, they stand head and shoulders taller than any human man. Our colony made a terrible bargain with these monsters. The Kadrixans give us precious ore in exchange for the one thing they need.

I break Marlowe’s heart and leave with the Alpha King, who once rejected me, then used me, then coveted my power. To obtain me, he merges with the horseman War—my worst immortal enemy.

It's been three years since Aren seized the Ember Blade. Three years since they struck the spark they hoped would ignite the revolution. But the flame has failed to catch. The Krodans have crushed Ossia in an iron grip of terror. The revolution seems further away than ever. Far in the north, the Dawnwardens seek to unite the fractious clans of the Fell Folk and create a stronghold from which to retake their land. But even if they can overcome the danger of treachery from within, they still have to contend with the dreadknights.

A gas station clerk at twenty-seven with no future prospects on the horizon, Mike Reynolds is a dropout with an addiction to video games and a less-than-ideal living situation. Life definitely isn't great, but could it really get much worse? When monsters appear on Earth and begin destroying the fabric holding together humanity, that thought is thrown out the window: everything is getting worse, and fast. 'Is my world becoming an MMRPG Apocalypse?' Can Mike make good on his prior experience and carve a foothold for himself as a Necromancer in this RPG world?

"...the fast pacing and the author’s willingness to not pull punches will make science fiction thriller devotees eager for more of his work." - Publishers WeeklyFinalist in the 2019 Screencraft Cinematic Book CompetitionThe Island of Dr. Moreau meets "The Most Dangerous Game" by way of Michael Crichton in this suspenseful technothriller about the dark potential of genetic engineering.For Sydney Marlowe, getting a coveted research position with enigmatic biotech CEO Billy Sans seems like a dream come true. She and three other interns are flown halfway around the world to a remote private ...

A town of magic and danger, where what one dons becomes who they are. A desperate priestess in another world calling for a champion, only to receive an unstoppable monster.

F-Rank foot soldier Riven Wrangleman found people stuck in pods. And now, those people are dangling above his head. A mouse woman, a bat woman, and three anthropomorphic camel people, these five Demons bring with them incredible new glimpses into the state of the world for those lost on the island, namely Riven, Lucerein, and Enkriah. The new information is all well and good, but it doesn't change Riven's goals. He's still being slowly poisoned by the island, and his camp could still use some improvements. No amount of world-shaking revelations will alter that.

This classic and much lauded retelling of Beowulf follows the monster Grendel as he learns about humans and fights the war at the center of the Anglo Saxon classic epic.

Follow Luke as he's transported to a world of magic and monsters. A mysterious goddess has tasked the Earthly game warden with protecting an all-female tribe with strange animal features. Cast off from civilization, he must help this isolated jungle people fortify their village against the rapacious Rakhasa, confound a wicked witch, and breed the next generation of monster children.

Sound interesting? The author thinks so too! Listen to Devil's Desk 3 and experience the apocalyptic world of monsters.

Wounds is a confounding, strange, and utterly entrancing collection of six stories, including one new novella from Shirley Jackson Award-winning author Nathan Ballingrud. From the eerie dread descending upon a New Orleans dive bartender after a cell phone is left behind in a rollicking bar fight in The Visible Filth to the search for the map of hell in “The Butcher’s Table”, Ballingrud’s beautifully crafted stories are riveting in their quietly terrifying depictions of the murky line between the known and the unknown.

"five stars...a riveting fusion of dystopia and religious fantasy." Olga Markova for Readers Favorite A false god rules the world. A fallen archangel has lost his wings. And a faithless girl is caught between them. In a futuristic dystopia where technology and divinity blur, Lucifer has risen—not as a demon, but as a biotech mogul manipulating humanity from the shadows. He controls everything. But a prophecy speaks of a challenger. Michael, a once-powerful archangel, has escaped decades of imprisonment, but without his wings, he is lost. Sixteen-year-old Cydney, stolen at birth and raised...