After too many lifetimes to count slaying demons and grinding levels, prophesied hero Kaito finally tells destiny where to shove it. He's done. When dimensional portal number seventeen drops him in front of an enthralled king begging him to vanquish the looming Dark Army, he does what any retired adventurer would do—politely refuses and heads off to focus on the simple pleasures of life: community, and getting his taxes done on time.

I had lain down in my crypt to rest for a few decades, but when I awoke, centuries had passed. My castle is in ruins, my clan is gone, and necromancers are considered just a fairy tale for children. They take me for a healer. That's because the world is sick. And it's time for strong medicine.

Who wants to be a superhero? Hope did, but she grew out of it. Which made her superhuman breakthrough in the Ashland Bombing, just before starting her freshman year at the University of Chicago, more than a little ironic. And now she has some decisions to make. Given the code-name "Astra" and invited to join the Sentinels, Chicago's premier super-team, will she take up the cape and mask and become a career superhero? Or will she get a handle on her new powers (superstrength has some serious drawbacks) and then get on with her life plan?

Marcus was never a hero... and he never wanted to be. He never wanted a lot of things. He didn't want to go to school for a pointless degree. He didn't want to be an office drone, working nine-to-five to barely make ends meet. Most importantly, he didn't want to play by other people's rules. He wanted to do things his way and live life on his terms. Some people might have called him a criminal, but he called it freedom. Too bad it got him killed. When everything changed, death didn't take like it used to.

With Earth in the line of fire and invaders from the wider multiverse on their proverbial doorstep, the Milky Way has only limited time before the bridge to the wider multiverse establishes itself. What will our hero do? He peaces out, of course! Why would he join the frontlines? Instead, he finds an unexpected ally in Riseth, a fierce and clever demoness with whom he shares a powerful soul resonance.

When the apocalypse comes, a mysterious entity grants Theo Spencer the gift of reincarnation. The gift of a quiet life as an alchemist. He awakens in a small town in the southern reaches of a small kingdom in a non-human body. Broken Tusk doesn't seem like much, but his legendary alchemy skills will soon turn their fortune.

I used to be the greatest Earth Mage in my world. The head of the entire Order of Architects. But the older you get, the more you come to realize that at some point, you need to retire, so that you can have the chance to enjoy a peaceful life and to cede your place to the young, some of whom have already turned two thousand years old . . .So that's what I did. But I failed to account for one thing: during the course of my long life, I'd accumulated too many enemies, and they had decided to spoil my retirement. So they died along with me. And I hope their deaths were final. But mine was not!

Garth had been the favorite for the number-one draft pick in the next season of the USA's top sport. His college career was supposed to end on a high note… but it didn't. Sabotaged in his final game, he found himself shut out of the Dungeon League of America, forced to retire his jersey in shame. With no other options, he leaned on his university degree and became a licensed psychiatrist and therapist. That should have been the end of his dungeon-crawling days. But then, a new dungeon appeared in his city.

Every living creature wants to survive. For young Mason, his experiences of being beaten, bullied, and abandoned by his own family encouraged him to do just that. But after being caught up in a terrorist attack during a college tour, he finds himself in an unfamiliar place, surrounded by a new foe—the supernatural—and not even death can stop his primal instinct to live.

Matt's in the prime of his life. So when his doctor tells him he only has months to live, he figures it's just really bad luck. But it's about to get a whole lot worse. When Matt's Earthly form finally expires, a truck-avatar system gives him the opportunity to become a hero on the paradise world of Gaia, a supposedly verdant, rich land teeming with plants and potential. What he finds instead is a place completely bereft of life. A literal dead planet. Thanks a lot, truck.

Jack Jenkins is a normal college student living in a world filled with super powered beings. Until one fateful day in the library throws his whole life into chaos. An ancient and beguiling cosmic visitor bonds with him, granting him extraordinary abilities. The only catch: he has to earn his powers like he was in a video game. And he has to learn on the fly.

When Robert’s mother dies, his whole world caves in on him. Fatherless, he has no one, and nowhere to go. The royal mage shows him kindness by putting him on the royal guard as a “boot” to keep a roof over his head. Robert’s quick wit and willingness to help others serve him well in the guard. He becomes friends with the king’s second son, Randal, who was placed in the guard by the king to teach him discipline. As he ages, he develops mage abilities but keeps them secret. While on a weekend pass in the city, Robert saves Randal’s life and is rewarded by being made Randal’s liegeman.

Maxwell Carter works a maintenance job at a government research facility. The research lab he works at has an accident, more energy coming through the wormhole than anticipated, enough to completely rupture the shields that were supposed to contain it until they finished determining how to convert the energy into electricity. Previously harmless animals are changed to nightmare threats and people are dying, seemingly due to incidents related directly to their interests.

"Congratulations! You are the last survivor of the Hell Games. You have gained back your freedom." Huh? One moment I was running from demons and other competitors trying to do me in. The next, I was thrown back into yet another realm. Before me, some Princess started explaining that she had asked the gods for champions to help save her world in these dire times… and I was one of the chosen heroes. Yeah, right! I had been in Hell long enough to know I shouldn't trust my senses when it all seemed too good to be true.

Supers are spreading across the globe with no rhyme or reason. The governments declare war to keep the SuperVillains suppressed, but they don't stop there, fearing even those with good souls. Devon is a dentist with some quirks who saves a mother and her daughters, only to have the military betray him. He awakes in the future, confined to Vault 12 with nineteen of his peers. The mysteries confound those around him, but Devon is not an ordinary Super. No, he's special and with Olivia—a lovely Super with a troubled past—at his side, they'll figure out their true purpose.

Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission - and if he fails, humanity and the Earth itself will perish. Except that right now, he doesn't know that. He can't even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it. All he knows is that he's been asleep for a very, very long time. And he's just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company.

It’s 1984, and life has changed beyond recognition. Airstrip One, formerly known as Great Britain, is a place where Big Brother is always watching, and nobody can hide. Except, perhaps, for Winston Smith. Whilst working at the Ministry of Truth, rewriting history, he secretly dreams of freedom. And in a world where love and sex are forbidden, where it’s hard to distinguish between friend and foe, he meets Julia and O’Brien and vows to rebel.

Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars. Now, he's sure he'll be the first person to die there. After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive - and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive. But Mark isn't ready to give up yet.

Inheriting your uncle's supervillain business is more complicated than you might think. Particularly when you discover who's running the place. Charlie's life is going nowhere fast. A divorced substitute teacher living with his cat in a house his siblings want to sell, all he wants is to open a pub downtown, if only the bank will approve his loan. Then his long-lost uncle Jake dies and leaves his supervillain business (complete with island volcano lair) to Charlie. But becoming a supervillain isn't all giant laser death rays and lava pits.

Jazz Bashara is a criminal. Well, sort of. Life on Artemis, the first and only city on the moon, is tough if you're not a rich tourist or an eccentric billionaire. So smuggling in the occasional harmless bit of contraband barely counts, right? Not when you've got debts to pay and your job as a porter barely covers the rent. Everything changes when Jazz sees the chance to commit the perfect crime, with a reward too lucrative to turn down.

I can't believe it! I've really been accepted into the Royal Scouts? For real? It's a dream come true for a farm boy like myself, to gain access to the Portal Halls and be able to explore the worlds beyond. More than that, it means I can finally provide for my family. After all, they're the ones who put their savings on the line so I could get a chance to join this prestigious guild. And if I may be at a disadvantage compared to other recruits, as all I know is how to grow beans, I plan on boosting my skills as soon as possible.

After too many lifetimes to count slaying demons and grinding levels, prophesied hero Kaito finally tells destiny where to shove it. He's done. When dimensional portal number seventeen drops him in front of an enthralled king begging him to vanquish the looming Dark Army, he does what any retired adventurer would do—politely refuses and heads off to focus on the simple pleasures of life: community, and getting his taxes done on time.

Every living creature wants to survive. For young Mason, his experiences of being beaten, bullied, and abandoned by his own family encouraged him to do just that. But after being caught up in a terrorist attack during a college tour, he finds himself in an unfamiliar place, surrounded by a new foe—the supernatural—and not even death can stop his primal instinct to live.

Who wants to be a superhero? Hope did, but she grew out of it. Which made her superhuman breakthrough in the Ashland Bombing, just before starting her freshman year at the University of Chicago, more than a little ironic. And now she has some decisions to make. Given the code-name "Astra" and invited to join the Sentinels, Chicago's premier super-team, will she take up the cape and mask and become a career superhero? Or will she get a handle on her new powers (superstrength has some serious drawbacks) and then get on with her life plan?

Meet Reinhardt Blazkowicz. Orphan. Hero. Warrior. And now, the unlikely heir to the legendary Blue Star Duchy. Found by the Duke himself on a battlefield, surrounded by enemies, Reinhardt's life is about to change forever. Plucked from the ashes of war and thrust into a world of unimaginable wealth and privilege, he must now trade his battle-worn armor for the hallowed uniform of Aegis Crown Academy. There, in a world of magic, combat, and courtly intrigue, he'll need more than just his battle-honed instincts to survive.

Milo lives in a steel cave within a man-made mountain of steel and concrete. He spends his days repairing the machinery that keeps the habitat livable and tinkering with the prosthetics that help his twisted body move about through the small tunnels and air shafts that are his world. He's as much a piece of discarded machinery as the equipment he keeps running. An escaped lab experiment living in a hole. Given a chance at being someone different, will he become a hero and live in the sunlight?

Farris has the misfortune of being an elemental: born human but host to barely contained primal energies. He wants what any young person wants—the chance to live his own life. Yet the fiery forces within him make him a danger to those around him and a target for capture and study by the Science Guild. On the Lone Continent, humans thrive in their cities through the Guild's revolutionary technology while the forests are home to powerful wild magic. Farris must confront his fears—fear of capture, fear of the wild Fey in the woods, and above all, fear of his abilities—if he's to remain free.

Surviving the first days of the apocalypse, William is a wreck and hiding in an attic. The daily acid storms, floating elementals, and bizarre mutated animals are the least of his problems. The reality-warping apocalypse has rules and a system much like those in video games. To survive, he must learn how the new uncooperative system works, choose a class without any real knowledge of what it does and create a place safe from the spawning horrors.

The Splinter came, and the world ended. Ryne Miller woke up five hundred years later. Now, all alone and with no one he knew left alive, he chances across humans among the concrete wilderness. And these aren't people like him. No, these are stone-age like tribespeople - three women whose tribe has been slaughtered by a Great Beast.

Ward Moreno never wanted to become a soldier. But after a foreign nation blew up his hometown, he enlisted in a corporate army, endured agonizing human experiments, and became the most powerful psionic soldier on the planet... only to learn he was fighting for the wrong side.

What makes exploring the lifeless wilderness of the Expanse worth all the effort? Treasure. While most never leave the safety of their oasis homes, Isaac and his sister Eva choose to brave the perilous wasteland in-between. As they embark on their first expedition into the dusty ruins of an ancient city, little do they know that their lives will be changed forever by what they find. More than treasure lurks within the broken walls of this long-forgotten place.

Istehar Sha'an, whose unique powers allow her to communicate with trees and books, has led her community of refugee forest people to a remarkable place. In the archipelago-city of Moonstone, the Sha'an people find themselves in an extraordinary, multicultural metropolis that houses the Library: the world's all-encompassing repository of wisdom. But in their search for a new home, the refugees soon garner the suspicion of Moonstone's locals, who forbid their magical practices.

Syl was given a choice by Gramps when they died. Reincarnate as a regular person or embark on a daring experiment. Driven by a desire to honor Gramps and a sense of adventure, Syl chose the latter... only to awaken as a lowly slime. A farmed slime. The life of a farmed slime was cruel. Syl was constantly at the mercy of humans, a slime whose only purpose was to eat and recycle garbage. The threat of lethal core-destroying knives wielded by innocent children was a constant shadow. This was not the life Syl had envisioned. So, they made a daring escape to the wilderness!

Join Desmond as he learns to manipulate mana—a source of power that exists beyond the reach of most people in the universe—meets vastly different alien species, risks life and limb, all while trying to pass classes. If he’s lucky, he will find someone he can trust out here amongst the weird. If he's very lucky, maybe someone he can love.

Iron Age of India … around 900 B.C.E. Born in the arms of the Ganga, Vasu grew up in the raging province of Anga. His life shaped by a fate that failed to be just—neglected by his own, stripped of his birthright—he was raised to be lost in an abyss of desires and disappointment. Cursed by his guru, hurt by the only woman he loved, ostracised from society for being the son of a suta. With his only armour—hope—he ventured on an unforgettable journey. Alone. This is Vasu’s tale of survival, of endurance, of abiding courage in the face of all adversities.