Mara is a proud and beautiful slave girl who yearns for freedom. In order to gain it, she finds herself playing the dangerous role of double spy for two arch enemies - each of whom supports a contender for the throne of Egypt. Against her will, Mara finds herself falling in love with one of her masters, the noble Sheftu, and she starts to believe in his plans of restoring Thutmose III to the throne. But just when Mara is ready to offer Sheftu her help and her heart, her duplicity is discovered, and a battle ensues in which both Mara's life and the fate of Egypt are at stake.

The Yellowstone supervolcano nearly wiped out the human race. Now, almost a year after the eruption, the survivors seem determined to finish the job. Communities wage war on each other, gangs of cannibals roam the countryside, and what little government survived the eruption has collapsed completely. The ham radio has gone silent. Sickness, cold, and starvation are the survivors' constant companions. When it becomes apparent that their home is no longer safe and adults are not facing the stark realities, Alex and Darla must create a community that can survive the ongoing disaster, an almost impossible task requiring even more guts and more smarts than ever — and unthinkable sacrifice. If they fail . . . they, their loved ones, and the few remaining survivors will perish. This epic finale has the heart of Ashfall, the action of Ashen Winter, and a depth all its own, examining questions of responsibility and bravery, civilization and society, illuminated by the story of an unshakable love that transcends a post-apocalyptic world and even life itself.

In the course of his extraordinary-and prolific-career, Robert Silverberg has made an enormous contribution to imaginative literature. In The Last Song of Orpheus, his longest story in more than a decade, Silverberg has given us one of his most remarkable accomplishments, a resonant recreation of one of the central myths of western civilization. In this mesmerizing narrative, Orpheus-wanderer, demigod, and master musician-recounts his own astonishing story. That story ranges from the depths of the Underworld, where he attempts to rescue his beloved but doomed Eurydice, to the farthest, most dangerous corners of the ancient world, where he journeys in search of the legendary Golden Fleece. It is a tale of men and gods, of miraculous encounters, of the binding power of inescapable Fate. More than that, it is a meditation on the power of the creative spirit, and on the eternal human search for balance and harmony in a chaotic universe. Beautifully constructed and masterfully written, The Last Song of Orpheus is Silverberg at his incomparable best, showing us a deeply familiar series of scenes, themes, and characters from a fresh, wholly original perspective.

More than two decades strong, the Saint-Germain cycle is one of the most compelling works of dark fantasy and horror of our age. Historically accurate, often involving key events or figures from throughout world history, these deeply emotional novels have a devoted readership. Each novel is written as a stand-alone and they are not chronologically consecutive, so readers may enter the saga with any book and move backward or forward in time as they choose, from Pharaonic Egypt to Paris in the 1700s, from the fall of the Roman Empire to World War II Europe.In An Embarrassment of Riches, the vampire Count finds himself a virtual prisoner in the Court of Kunigunde in Bohemia in the 1200s. Rakoczy Ferncsi, as Saint-Germain is known, passes his days making jewels to delight Queen Kunigunde and trying not to become involved in the Court's intrigues. In this, the vampire fails. Handsome, apparently wealthy, and obviously unmarried, he soon finds himself being sexually blackmailed by Rozsa, an ambitious lady-in-waiting. If he does not satisfy her, she will denounce him to the priests and he'll be burned at the stake, resulting in his True Death. Despite his care, the vampire makes more than one enemy at the Bohemian Court, and by the end of An Embarrassment of Riches, the Count can see only one road to freedom...through death.

They were broadcasts from nowhere—sinister emanations flooding in from space—smashing any receiver that picked them up. What defense could Earth devise against science such as this? A classic science fiction tale by Murray Leinster.

Mildred A. Wirt was an American author. She is best known for her work on the early Nancy Drew series.

Evelyn investigates a possible case of a modern day witch-hunt in upstate New York.Journey into the Darkside of the world with experienced hunter Evelyn Blackwood and ordinary New Yorker Zac Quinn as they unravel supernatural mysteries and save the innocent from the terrors of night.

An old man embraces his last few moments on earth.An elderly man looks over the past few years of his life before he says goodbye to the life he knew.

A tragic fantasy tale that will hopefully drive home the point: that communication is of foremost importance in all relationships.Sixfold is an all-writer-voted journal. All writers who upload their manuscripts vote to select the highest-voted $1000 prize-winning manuscripts and all the short stories and poetry published in each issue.In Sixfold Fiction Summer 2015: Paul Heinz | I, Monster Absolom J. Hagg | Someplace South, Anywhere Warm Valerie Cumming | Among These Very Trees Jenny Belardi | The Girl in the Leather-Bound Notebook Chris Belden | Private "I" Lindsay Mohlere | Last Cast at Indian Falls Lora Hilty | Some Terrible Beauty Katherine Enggass | Ghost Floor Lee Houck | Real as Life Benjamin Schachtman | Gomorrah Kelsey Tressler | The Chrysalis Center Luke de Castro | Funeral for Max and Greta L. L. Babb | The Religion of the Rich Julie Zuckerman | The Book of Jeremiah

Pursued by the CIA, the DEA, and the Wild Card mistress of the winds, Mistral, renegade biochemist Mark Meadows uses the three personalities buried in his psyche in order to outwit his pursuers.

nonfiction , prose

Brian had always believed there had to be something more out there than just the dull and humdrum world he was used to. So when something magical was suddenly dropped in his lap, he wasn’t at all disbelieving, as some people might have been. When reality is harsh, you learn very quickly to look beyond it. This beautiful novel of love and redemption will make you ponder what truly matters.Brian Stone's life isn't easy. Abandoned by his father, abused by his alcoholic mother, and mocked by his classmates, his only treasures are his beloved little brother and his old guitar.Then Brian finds a magical amulet in his attic, and things begin to change. Soon he has more power and wealth than he's ever dreamed of, and for a while all seems to be well. But Brian has made a terrible mistake which may cost him everything, and his only hope is to seek out the Fountain at the Heart of the World, wherever that may be. And if he fails, then it will mean the death of every person he loves, and maybe even his own. . . Unclouded Day is a beautiful tale of sacrifice and redemption. Contains light Christian themes.

Whoever coined the phrase 'fellow wanderer' had probably never wandered in an apocalyptic wasteland where people want to kill you and take your gun.All men must die. But Nomad doesn't want to die just yet. The date is somewhere in the thousands. The world is dead, rivers dry, and the only people left alive scrape the world's ruins for anything of value. Forget the promise of technology, for how things truly work has been forgotten and the only real value remains in things that can kill. The Ancients left behind wonders and it is those wonders which lead Nomad chasing after wealth. But the world is full of people who wish him dead, and the longer he lives and roams the wastes, the more he begins to realize that value lies in things altogether different.

Corpses in town squares.A killer bent on terror.A reporter about to become part of the story.Wine Country becomes the backdrop for murder as young newspaper reporter Sandra Cordero gets caught up in the schemes of a serial killer.This serial, first published in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, features 16 Sonoma writers collaborating to produce one fast-paced thriller.Corpses in town squares.A killer bent on terror.A reporter about to become part of the story.Wine Country becomes the backdrop for murder as young newspaper reporter Sandra Cordero gets caught in the schemes of a serial killer. Does he kill just so he can send Sandra clues from the victims' cell phones? Detective Zach Brown is trying to learn the answer and to test whether Sandra may be the key to ending the murders.This serial, first published in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, features 16 Sonoma writers collaborating to produce one fast-paced thriller.Each chapter features a new voice and a new twist, from "Red Muumuu" set in posh Healdsburg, to "Scared of Noise," in which Sandra has just minutes to save a life.

A collection of four fantasy stories. "Struck by Beauty" - Mika is forced to do the unthinkable. "Homecoming" - Carra returns home to confront her past. "Blythe's Vengeance" - Blythe seeks vengeance on the sorcerer that destroyed her hometown. "The Desire of Selkies" - Salena discovers that humans will do anything to get what they desire.Local pub owner Jemima Jane Ericson is living a lie. She’s been in love with her best friend Ethan since forever. But he fell in love with another woman, married her, and despite their tempestuous relationship and decade old divorce, JJ knows Ethan’s heart is still down for the count. And friendship is better than nothing, right?Single dad and Jumbuck Springs chief of police, Ethan Weston, hits the pub the night his ex-wife remarries and announces she wants custody of their daughter. When he wakes the next morning to find himself in JJ’s bed he’s mortified that they’d crossed a line they should never have crossed. Until JJ’s abusive ex, Shane, shows up at her door and Ethan claims he and JJ are engaged to protect her.Both are stunned by the unravelling of their normally sane lives but suddenly it makes sense – JJ gets a deterrent and Ethan gets the respectability of a wife for any custody claims. But when JJ’s life is threatened, Ethan is forced to confront feelings that may just run much deeper than convenience…

A sweet little girl.A bullying big brother.A creepy old well.Beware of what you wish for.Get ready for engaging, and oddly humorous content in this month’s edition. Alessandro Cusimano and Jerry Williams will kick off this issue with speculative poetry that may disturb the deeper you wish to analyze. Then we present Richard Lee Landridge’s The Missing Limb, an excellent story of a horrific haunting that doesn’t rely on ghost and spirits, but rather the mind and body split in relation to a known medical phenomenon known as phantom limbs. After surviving a horrific night a slave to your own body’s sinister unconscious intentions, take a break from the bloodletting with Every Twenty-two Days. It’s a slightly dark tale with a hint of erotica with a man cursed to live in torment, denied of freedom and bliss until he can find that certain lay.

Daytime TV's first and only new hot e-zine: Weekly summary of soap opera's hottest news, stories, humour, gossip, blind items, fearless predictions, top stars/stories/couples/characters to watch, snark galore, review and analysisINSIDE — B&B REISSUES KAREN SPENCER CASTING BREAKDOWN! -- TOP STAR TO WATCH IN 2014! EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: WHY TRISTAN ROGERS DUMPED PORT CHUCK FOR GENOA CITY! PLUS: HIS REUNION WITH JILL FARREN PHELPS AND JESS WALTON! ALSO: HOW ROBERT SCORPIO WILL CHANGE IN HIS FINAL SHOWS! PLUS: HIS MEMORIES OF JEANNE COOPER AND PAUL RAUCH — Who Dies on DAYS? Plus, Exclusive Casting Notice: Salem Needs A Hitman! — 2013’s MOST POWERFUL SOAPERS! WHO WIELDS THE POWER FOR GOOD OR EVIL? STARRING ANTHONY GEARY, STEVE BURTON, KEN CORDAY AND MORE! — Was Drake Hogestyn ThisClose To Quitting Acting? — STEVE BURTON-GATE! IS HE BEING FLOWN IN OR NOT? THE Y&R CONSPIRACY COVER-UP EXPOSED! — Another Black Young Woman Being Cast on B&B! — KATE LINDER EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: REMEMBERING JEANNE COOPER, HER TRIP TO TORONTO AND ESTHER’s FUTURE! — Move Over, Eileen Davidson: Is Charlotte Ross Headed Back to DAYS?! — PLUS: NEWS, UNCENSORED QUOTES, HUMOUR, SECOND OPINIONS, AND REVIEWS!

Rel finally arrives in Vessit, chasing Rissad Van Raighan's secrets. Answers await him, but to get at them he'll have to deal with Dora's increasingly erratic moods, Taslin's unknowable motives, and the sinister Children of the Wild who guard Vessit's Abyss.And Rissad's purpose remains obscure. Why does he want to open the giant concrete door beneath the town, and what lies behind it?"The Heart of Stone" is a character novella filled with action, danger and drama. We follow our main character from the dark times of World War II up through a late '90's version of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada in the Gothic underbelly of society. Filled with a violent present, destined to him from the horrors of his past we learn the history of Halen Marcus from his tragic upbringing until the moment of his damnation.Dark. Violent, with sexual overtones. Not suitable for all readers.