Showing titles in Contemporary

With magic declassified in the UK, the fake psychics and fraudulent healers are running amok, and it's up to the Department of Extradimensional Affairs' newly appointed Skepticism Officers to crack down. But when they set their sights on Modern Miracle, a highly suspicious and fast-growing faith healing cult with remarkably good social media presence, even their skepticism is put to the test.

The winner of multiple Hugo Awards, Charles Stross is one of the most highly regarded science fiction writers of his time. In The Apocalypse Codex, occasionally hapless British agent Bob Howard tackles a case involving an American televangelist and a supernatural threat of global proportions.

In South Africa, the future looks promising. Personal robots are making life easier for the working class. The government is harnessing renewable energy to provide infrastructure for the poor. And in the bustling coastal town of Port Elizabeth, the economy is booming thanks to the genetic engineering industry that has found a welcome home there. Yes, the days to come are looking very good for South Africans. That is, if they can survive the present challenges.

Supernatural Squad might be small, but we're growing in power. The vampires and werewolves of London are beginning to respect me more, and I feel like I know what I'm doing - even if I don't yet understand what I truly am. Unfortunately, there might be a few snags to deal with. I'm trying to avoid Lord Horvath, the black-eyed vampire leader who seems intent on a more intimate relationship. There's also Devereau Webb, who runs a small criminal syndicate and has offered me a mysterious gift that I'm certain I don't want.

Okay, so jogging through Central Park after midnight wasn't a bright idea. But Margrit Knight never thought she'd encounter a dark new world filled with magical beings, not to mention a dying woman and a mysterious stranger with blood on his hands. Her logical, lawyer instincts told her it couldn't all be real, but she could hardly deny what she'd seen...and touched.

Some people's midlife crisis involves chopping off their hair or buying a convertible. Not me. I get to see demons, and even more traumatizing, I'm supposed to get rid of them. A secret society of reapers and witches who've been keeping our planet demon free for generations has taken me under their wing. It's nice to feel like I'm a part of something important, but will they have the time—and patience—to teach me how to wield my power before the biggest and baddest demon escapes his prison?

Apparently the former love of my life had got himself thrown into jail for assaulting a woman. Since I make my living as a preternatural expert, I tend to believe almost anything's possible. But though he may be one of the monsters, Richard would never harm a woman. So it's Anita Blake to the rescue. I've got just a few days to spring Richard and find out who framed him – and why. There's a full moon coming, and if my werewolf love is still behind bars when it rises, he'll be facing a lot worse than an assault charge ...

'You can't trust anyone who sleeps with the monsters.' That's what I've always said. That's what I've always believed. But now I'm the one sharing a bed with the Master Vampire of the City. I'm Anita Blake, the woman the vampires call the Executioner. From part of the solution, I've become part of the problem. So it hits close to home when an arsonist begins to target vampire-owned businesses all over town – an arsonist who seems to want to destroy more than just property. It's the monsters who are in danger now. And it's up to the Executioner to save them from the inferno.

An einem fremden Ort erwachen Menschen, ohne zu wissen, wer oder wo sie sind. Nur eine bizarre Botschaft wurde in einen metallenen Obelisken geritzt, und ihnen wird allmählich bewusst, dass jedes einzelne Lebewesen in dieser neuen Welt eine tödliche Bedrohung darstellt. Selbst den vermeintlich niedlichen und flauschigen Häschen gelüstet es nach Menschenfleisch.

"Ich bin Seth, Herr von Ombos, Sohn von Nut. Herrscher über Deshret, Erschaffer von Feuer und Chaos – und Barkeeper in Nevada. Zumindest war ich das, bevor ich am Arsch der Welt einem Wichser nachstellen musste, der mein Zeug geklaut hat." "Sie haben etwas, das dir gehört :( Hole es zurück, oder sie werden es benutzen!" Die Nachricht einer alten Feindin führt den gefallenen Chaosgott Seth nach Kanada. Fernab seiner Wahlheimat begibt Seth sich auf die Suche nach einem zerstörerischen Teil seiner Kräfte, von dem er sich vor Langem losgesagt hat.

Ever since magic stormed the world, the price for human survival is surrendering your firstborn to the monsters. But this year it's Nova's turn, and the monsters better watch their backs.

At best, she's expecting a kitschy candy dish, at worst a beloved taxidermied pet, so when Cassie—newly divorced, single mom with zero prospects—discovers she's inheriting a fully stocked bakery along with a beautifully furnished apartment from a great aunt she'd never even heard of, she's convinced she must be dreaming.

Belladonna Blackthorn hasn’t lost her magical spark, precisely . . . but she hasn’t seen it in a while either. With her witchcraft under wraps and a toxic boss making her days miserable, Belle is struggling to keep her beloved Lunar Books afloat and just make it through the day. The last thing she has time for is perfecting her magic. So when her thirtieth birthday brings a summons from her coven and a trial that tests her worthiness as a witch, Belle fears the worst.

Eizo is a middle-aged, overworked software engineer who loves cats. One night after working late, he saves an injured cat from a speeding truck. The cat survives, but Eizo does not... Luckily, that cat turns out to be a god-like being who offers him a second chance in another world! Eizo decides that he wants a slower life, one where he can live off the things he creates with his own hands. So, why not become a blacksmith? He does have one other stipulation: a cat companion for his quiet life.

I’m one placement away from becoming a fully fledged London detective. It’s bad enough that my last assignment before I qualify is with Supernatural Squad. But that’s nothing compared to what happens next. Brutally murdered by an unknown assailant, I wake up 12 hours later in the morgue - and I’m very much alive. I don’t know how or why it happened. I don’t know who killed me. All I know is that they might try again.

Being a last-year high-schooler who is four feet, eight inches (142 cm) in height is one thing, but having the muscles of a bodybuilder and the face of a middle-aged biker at the same time is another. And don't you dare to bring up shaving in front of him. Did I mention that the boy's favorite hobby is smithing?

In the 21st century, magic has advanced with the times and gone digital. But when Ravirn - a computer savvy sorcerer - is thrown into a parallel world where magic runs on a different operating system, he'll need mad skills to get out alive.

Bea is a lowly cabbage fairy, but she dreams of being an official Fairy Godmother. So when she is finally given a chance to prove her worth, Bea is determined to make a success of it. Besides, how hard can a Happy Ever After story be? Every girl wants to be rescued by a handsome man, don’t they? Apparently not. Bea's heroine doesn't want to be in her story, and her hero is much more interested in the ugly sister. The same ugly sister who is trying to overthrow the Kingdom.

Mo's latest assignment is assisting the police in containing an unusual outbreak: ordinary citizens suddenly imbued with extraordinary abilities of the superpowered kind. Unfortunately these people prefer playing superpranks instead of superheroics. The mayor of London being levitated by a dumpy man in Trafalgar Square would normally be a source of shared amusement for Mo and Bob, but they're currently separated because something's come between them - something evil.

When her parents vanish, Cerise's clan's long-time rivals are suspects number one. But all is not as it seems. Two nations of the Weird are waging a cold war, and their conflict is about to spill over into the Edge - and Cerise's life. William, a changeling soldier who left behind the politics of the Weird, has been forced back into service to track down a rival nation's spymaster. When William's and Cerise cross paths, sparks fly - but they'll have to work together if they want to succeed…and survive.