To outsiders, the former USSR is always been a place where everything is strangely different. All the more so in the Exclusion Zone around the ill-fated Chernobyl power plant, where after a secret experiment went wrong in 2006, the laws of physics are bent and mysterious phenomena manifest.In 2011, another Zone is apparently created after Al-Qaeda detonated nukes in Afghanistan. Ukrainian authorities send a research team to verify the claims. The scientists go missing and a search and rescue operation is launched.For Mikhailo Tarasov, officer in the armed forces who desperately try to contain the Exclusion Zone, this mutant-infested wilderness is his home turf. But when he sets out on his mission into the New Zone, he soon finds himself facing perils he has never encountered before. His mission becomes a struggle against evil permeating the wastelands, confronted with the shadows of the country's troubled history. Tarasov is aided by unlikely allies - outcasts, adventurers, renegade US Marines and a mysterious woman who appears to be the keeper of dark secrets. But beyond all the perils, the ultimate danger awaits: betrayal."Whatever power had created the Zone, it has outsmarted us and it has happened again. You will look at the New Zone with fresh eyes... like Strelok did here when everything began."Major Alexander Degtyarev, 2014STALKER: Southern Comfort, the highly acclaimed first English novel from the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. universe, is now available as a free to download e-book on Smashwords.

Hal Dawson's life in a quiet English village is disrupted when swart-elves, creatures from another world, attempt to kill him. Rescuing Hal, his old friend Gangrel tells him that the swart-elves are allies of Muspell, the fire-giant, who plots to destroy the world of the gods. Gangrel sends Hal in search of the dwarf who will forge the foretold Runeblade - Muspell's bane.Hal Dawson's life in a quiet English village is shattered when swart-elves from another world attempt to kill him. Rescuing Hal, his old friend Gangrel tells him that the swart-elves are allies of Muspell, the fire-giant, who plots to destroy the world of the gods. Gangrel sends Hal on a quest through the Nine Worlds of Norse myth in search of the dwarf who will forge the foretold Runeblade - Muspell's bane.Forger of the Runeblade is the first book in the Runeblade Saga.

Lindsey’s Choice is a novel of fiction targeting young adults. The reader makes the choices! Similar to the 'Choose Your Own Adventure series.’ Following the initial decision the main character makes, the story then branches into two story lines, the main character embarks on two separate journeys. Several young adult issues are addressed.If only I had cared about Deirdre being bullied... If only I had told my parents the truth... If only I had said no... Would my life have turned out differently? Lindsey Connors is a typical 16 year old. As with many young girls her age, she is presented with many difficult choices and situations. As we know as adults, some of the choices, good or bad, we make at a young and vulnerable age may guide the rest of our lives. Are you ready for the fun and unique part? This story is interactive. It allows the reader to participate in Lindseyʼs Choices. Live through Lindsey! It is tailored so the reader can control the direction of Lindseyʼs journey toward maturity. The first tough decision confronting Lindsey is whether to start drinking alcohol at a party. Does she give in to the peer pressure and be accepted by the popular crowd or does she decide to stay with her old friends? The reader can identify with Lindsey and her friends and can think about what they would do in the situations presented to Lindsey. The reader can see that with each choice Lindsey makes, her life is changed, she changes, and her choices have a profound impact on the people around her. Following the initial decision Lindsey makes, the story then branches into two story lines. Lindsey continues to be faced with many new and challenging obstacles: a friendship with a bullied and suicidal student, peer pressure to take drugs, and challenges in relationships. How can Lindsey pursue her passions and not get caught sitting on the sidelines? Read how with making certain choices she realizes what is important in life OR read how with making different choices she lets life pass her by. This book enables the reader to make choices in a fictional world, in order to assist them in making the right decisions in their own lives.

Children's fantasy...Support for right-wing populism in Europe has steadily gained attention from media and policy-makers over the past decade. Most of this attention, however, has been focused on the core supporters of right-wing populist parties (RPPs) – the members and the street activists – at the expense of the topic of this publication, the ‘reluctant radicals’. These are our main protagonists: the soft, uncommitted supporters of RPPs. They are crucial for two straightforward reasons: the reluctant radicals are the bulk of RPP support as well as those who can most easily be brought back to the mainstream, thereby depriving RPPs of their main electoral base. This publication is the first of a series produced within Counterpoint’s project ‘Recapturing Europe’s Reluctant Radicals’. Our aim here is to draw an accurate portrait of these voters by exploring the characteristics of the reluctant radicals in ten European countries, with a particular focus on France, Finland and the Netherlands. We aim to critically test some common assumptions – in particular, that right-wing populism is the preserve of disadvantaged young men – as well as outline the contours of the political and cultural context in which the data needs to be interpreted. The result is a better understanding of the diversity of the support for these parties as well as a more accurate reading of the context in which they arise – the histories, traumas, memories, resentments and fears that drive the choices of the reluctant radicals.

Darkness has descended upon the world; the fabric of society has been torn asunder, sovereign nations collapse under their own burdens, once stable governments are ushered into revolution and allies of old are thrust into war. The tentacles of darkness have inevitably traveled across the Atlantic and are now tightening their grip on the American republic.Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never prevails. The wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted.-Habakkuk 1:4Darkness has descended upon the world; the fabric of society has been torn asunder, sovereign nations collapse under their own burdens, once stable governments are ushered into revolution and allies of old are thrust into war. The tentacles of darkness have inevitably traveled across the Atlantic and are now tightening their grip on the American republic.Now, faced with a collapsing economy, a failing currency and a society that is swiftly casting its humanity aside, the United States stands at the precipice of a bedlam and malevolence not witnessed since the fall of Rome.Part 1 follows several characters who strive to navigate the chaos, including:Jake, his wife and brother are forced to flee the maelstrom of violence as it spills from the cities and into their small town enclave.A Texas State Guardsmen deep behind enemy lines on South Padre Island, stands with his compatriots against a wave of unspeakable atrocities committed by a ruthless cartel alliance committed to seizing the spoils of the American southwest.An outlaw and his Catahoula cur companion, learn to survive and even thrive in their river swamp domain as they seek a redoubt from the troubles that plague the world beyond.A radical revolutionary intent on plunging the wounded nation into revolution as he stokes the flames of hatred and destruction.Part 1 is a novella length (approximately 20,000 words) and encompasses the first eight chapters of the series.This series is written in a manner that is accessible by even those who are not fans of collapse or survival literature. So if you're not a fan of the genre, give it a shot, I think you'll enjoy it.

The last poem of the book on a mother is the title of the book. I have no shame in sharing with you that while writing the title poem, I wiped my tears at least four to five times and had to stop writing further many times. It is a tribute not only to my mother but to all the mothers for their unselfish sacrifice for their children.The book has another five poems. Hope you will like those as well.I decided not to write any poem in future after initial lukewarm response from you on my ‘First Attempt’. But later on, you have shown your love for the book which encouraged me to attempt another compilation of poem. I wanted to give the name of the book as ‘Second attempt’. But my last poem on a mother changed my mind and I gave the name of the book accordingly. I have no shame in sharing that while writing the title poem, I wiped my tears at least four to five times and had to stop writing further many times. It is a tribute not only to my mother but to all the mothers for their unselfish sacrifice for their children.

Claudia is determined to find out who is sabotaging the entries in the baking contest.

Two-time-Newberry-Honor-winner Patricia Reilly Giff's Hunter Moran hunts for a long-buried treasure--tearing up the town and getting into some tight spots in the process in a humorous and heartwarming third book about Hunter. A companion to Hunter Moran Saves the Universe and Hunter Moran Hangs Out.

Francis is touring with his band, missing Martine and writing songs about her. Meanwhile, Martine has discovered potentially damaging information about a local politician she dislikes. But making the information public could hurt a friendship. This prequel to "The Toe Incident" has Martine figuring out the importance of friendship, even if she hasn't quite grasped how much Francis cares for her.Imagine living with a bug that clings to the back of your skull. Only you can feel it. Is it really there? Are you insane? Join Blake on his journey in search of this very truth. Read 'BUG' and decide for yourself. A weird short story by James Pollard.

He used to be the chief of police. Now, he is JUDGE, JURY, and EXECUTIONER. He is SHADOW MAMBA -- one mad cat on the hot trail of a cold killer who framed him for murder. Little did the killer know: don’t tangle with the mamba, or else he'll make you pay – In BLOOD. The day they framed him for the murder of his family was the day VENGEANCE was born. SHADOW MAMBA. RATED R -- for REVENGE.In his seventeen years of life, there weren't exactly a lot of things that Connor Drake was good at. He didn't excel in school and was never quite good enough to be the star of any sports teams. That was before the accident. And before the dying. And then suddenly there was Phoenix and wings and a newborn boy that he'd never met before, but that he knew, without a doubt, that he would protect with his life. He even promised the baby, Morgan, as much as he took up the role as his Guardian. Seventeen years later he might just get to keep that promise.

After a violent encounter with Alfonzo Marcelo a local drug leader in Rio de Janeiro, Detective Rodriquez is left emotionally scarred.Three years on, Rodriquez stumbles upon a clue that will set him on a pulsating collision course with Marcelo once more. Only this time, the stakes are much higher. Rodriquez must choose whether he keeps the oath he swore to his wife or become what he is not.After a violent encounter with Alfonzo Marcelo a local drug leader in Rio de Janeiro, Detective Rodriquez is left emotionally scarred. Three years on, while investigating another homicide, Rodriquez stumbles upon a clue that will set him on a pulsating collision course with Marcelo once more. Only this time, the stakes are much higher. Marcelo is working with the untouchables, Cartel capos and corrupt government officials who will stop at nothing to protect their investments. Detective Rodriquez has one ally though, his best friend the Secretary of Security for the City of Rio Miguel Almeida. Miguel, a former cop turned business man is well connected and influential. He too harbors a secret he is determined to keep from Rodriquez until the right time. Faced with adversaries on every side, Rodriquez must choose whether he keeps the oath he swore to his wife or become what he is not.

Five deliciously dark stories.A man seeks revenge.Another aspires to rule the world.A Dark Warrior appears on Earth.Just where did that little demon dolly come from?A young girl prays for death, becoming more than she bargained for.Our lives are determined by relationships, some fleeting, some lifelong. But most are in between. Some relationships are made good, some go bad. We are often left wondering how and why some things changed. The searching, the learning, the discovery sometimes of yourself, if you really look. Through this we can experience the extremes of emotion which can make the middle ground so hard to find. But unless we have been to the dark valleys, we will never learn that we can soar in the sun above the highest mountains like an eagle.

What do a squeamish torturer, an intelligent zombie, a newspaper-phobic superhero and Genghis Khan have in common? They're all in this book, and their stories were all written for Flash Fiction Month 2014. With one story for each and every day of July--and a humourous analysis of the event--there's something for everyone here."I have no problem with this, nor any useful comments!" ~Jasper FfordeIt was the ultimate cold case. The murders occurred on Mars twenty years ago, so how can Detective Inspector Richardson, a local policeman from Melbourne, Australia, track down the murderer – and why is he being asked to?Twenty years ago, the Prometheus landed in the Hellas Basin on Mars and all the crew died from unknown causes. When an historic site survey crew arrive, they find that the circumstances of the deaths weird and inexplicable. Yet secret coded instructions from the UN space agency HQ on Earth indicates that these circumstances were somehow known in advance. This is murder and Detective Inspector Richardson, a local detective from Melbourne, is called in to solve the case. There are only four people with means and opportunity, all of them are highly focused, very intelligent and none of them, apparently, has a convincing motive. Richardson must sort out their stories to find the guilty, all the time wondering why he was given this job at all.Joseph H.J. Liaigh started out studying the polar ice caps on Mars. Since then he has worked as a government scientist, an Air Force intelligence officer and an academic. He has studied everything from the methane streams on Titan to the flat topped volcanoes of Venus. Through all this, he has been an avid devotee of detective fiction. In The Prometheus Incident, he brings these two worlds together in a unique way to create an unusual and intriguing mystery.

Meet James Griffin, an average teenager of average build with an average height coupled with an average intelligence residing with an average family in an average house. Average is everything James knows and is used to and is constantly wishing to escape from. Finally when his life takes a swerving turn to danger and adventure, being average seems far more appealing.Bullying was something James Griffin had sadly become accustomed to, it was a daily occurrence either at school or at home. From nasty insults to bruising punches James had endured it all. Too ashamed to ask for help, he begged the universe for a way out and it answered. Hamlet, the secluded English village in the countryside where James resides, unknowingly played host to other worldly beings for whom a looming battle is fast approaching. When a heartbreaking tragedy sets in motion a chain of events that lead James away from his old life he is forced to find the courage to take control and embrace war, love and destiny.

Tamlyn is 19 and in love. Though of royal blood she is not a princess. She decides to escape, for that night only, from her uncle's castle,and gallop to go and meet her beloved, the Prince - across the deep, dark forest. She longs for him and his touch.However she gets the surprise of her life and when she tries to return home, Tamlyn discovers she is not alone on the woods...Tamlyn is 19 and in love. Though of royal blood she is not a princess. She decides to escape, for that night only, from her uncle's castle,and gallop to go and meet her beloved, the Prince - across the deep, dark forest. She longs for him and his touch.However she gets the surprise of her life and when she tries to return home, Tamlyn discovers she is not alone on the woods... *"She arrived after two hours of ferocious galloping. The horse was exhausted. There was no moon, luckily, and the gods were aiding her. Few sentinels were present. The castle was smaller than her family’s however that did not matter to her. The Prince was to be her husband. The Prince and no one else. She slid through the secret underground passage. He told her once, when he himself, months ago, sneaked away to meet her in the middle of the night, swearing everlasting love and desire. Their bodies met for the first and only time and Tamlyn wished she had become with child - even if it could mean her death."

A homeless man witnesses a brutal attack. Mistaken for the killer, he's handed to Detective Einar Hannesson, an Icelander who believes in the supernatural. He realizes the man is former partner Michael Lewis, killed 2 years ago. Einar must unravel the mystery, connected to an earlier case filled with myth, horror and experimentation. Has the killer returned? Lives will be changed forever.Winter 2013 - Dazed by a weird drug, a homeless man witnesses a murder in Seward City's rotten industrial core. Monsters kill, feast on blood and disappear in the night. The man tries to help, is mistaken for the murderer and handed to Detective Einar Hannesson. True to his Icelandic soul, Einar believes in supernatural beings and doesn’t hide his views. He's dedicated but experience has hardened him. In the station, Einar realizes the man is his former partner Detective Michael Lewis, believed killed two years earlier during the only case Einar never solved. Stunned but determined to help, Einar refuses to return him to the street. Michael, terrified by lack of memory and brutal scars, wants to die. To unravel the mystery, Einar must return to a case that haunted both of them.Fall 2011 - Something rips apart two girls in a bloody feast, marking the start of a horrific killing spree. Detectives Einar Hannesson and Michael Lewis catch the case, one that leads them into territory filled with myths, monsters and scientific experimentation, intertwined with connections to the Willard Museum and Michael's fiancée, Anthropology Curator Kait Jenret. As the killer claims more victims and moves deeper into the Adirondack wilderness, they race to solve the crimes. In the process, Michael saves a young boys life, but pays a high price. Einar's beliefs are challenged in fundamental ways. Claws are sunk into souls. Lives are changed forever in the process.

Found in an old shoebox, this exercise in academic satire features the section in which an obscure medieval author travels with Geoffrey Chaucer and the pilgrims to Canterbury, as Chaucer chronicled in The Canterbury Tales. Leopold LaPied was there, although he did not make it into the Tales. Included is an afterword (sort of), commentary (kind of), and updated afterword.Found in an old shoebox, this exercise in academic satire features the section in which an obscure medieval author travels with Geoffrey Chaucer and the pilgrims to Canterbury, as Chaucer chronicled in The Canterbury Tales. Leopold LaPied was there, although he did not make it into the Tales. Included is an afterword, commentary, and updated afterword.

This is the fourth in a series of short stories based in the same world as the book series A Life in After World. Instead of telling the life story of one character, these stories tell the story of one day in the life of a person in After World.SoGlog Southfield of Southfield is virtual royalty. He could swim before he could walk. Born on a flotilla of barges in the gulf, SoGlog is a trader with a purpose. He is on a mission to secure some technology for his people. He is very serious but tends to be soft at heart.This is the short story that inspired the NaNoWriMo book of the title: A Life In After World: SoGlog Southfield.

It has been twenty-four years since the Peak Oil, and fourteen – since the world-wide economic collapse (and the Peak Everything.) No, there are no nuclear fall-outs and no zombies on the streets! The Civilization lives on. But: it is a very strange new world. In some ways – similar, and in some ways – totally different from our own. What does the future hold for us?This novel is both a classic police detective and a social science fiction. Or, you may call it a dystopian warning. As the name suggests, the action happens in not-so-distant future. The detective part is thrilling: an FBI Special Agent follows a serial killer case. In the science fiction part, the reader will not find any robots, or flying cars, or super-computers. The end of our world does not come from zombies raised from the graves (although one “zombie” is positively present.) There are no viruses that kill a person in under thirty seconds (although, there are viruses that positively can kill.) There are no continent-size volcanoes, asteroid showers and aliens from the outer space, and no Noah's Flood (although one flood is positively present, but very local.) Does not sound too scary to be a good read? Well, the global catastrophe described in the book is presently on-going! The world created by the author's imagination is remarkably similar and at the same time - remarkably dissimilar to our own, and yet – believable.

Jimmy receives an unexpected letter of invitation. But it's more than that, it is finally a way out of the coffin that he's been stuck in for the last six months. But what awaits him upon his escape?Jimmy receives an unexpected letter of invitation. But it's more than that, it is finally a way out of the coffin that he's been stuck in for the last six months. But what awaits him on his escape? This short story was adapted from a previous idea I had about interviewing the Devil's Administrator. It changed and transformed into a very short, light-hearted twist of what could lie beyond

Juan Carlos can’t understand what’s happening to him. He’s experiencing lost time, acute onset of pain throughout his entire body. The problem’s that Juan Carlos can’t get anyone to listen to him. His psychiatrist told him to write down his experiences, but Juan goes a step further. Take a ride on this exciting train as we find out: is Juan Carlos mad or is it something else?MIDDLE SCHOOL MAYHEM... Maria and Sara are bummed out. While their friends are off adventuring on Smuttynose Island, undoubtedly engaging in all kinds of escapades and shenanigans, the sisters are stuck at Hollow Oak Elementary for another routine day of school. Could anything, they wonder, be more boring? As the day begins to unfold before them, however, they quickly realize this day is anything but normal. A formidable presence has made itself known in the school, and increasingly strange happenings are occurring at an alarming rate. Their father, Chief Fresco, is determined to resolve the matter, but he isn’t nearly as well versed in the realms of supreme weirdness as his daughters are. When it comes to unparalleled oddities, the girls are the experts, not the lawman of Hollow Oak. It will take more than the chief's efforts to eliminate the school’s strange problems - it's going to take the entire Fresco Family. “The Green Beans” is a series of middle grade novels featuring elements of adventure, mystery, science fiction, and the paranormal. Recommended for ages 9-13 (and anybody who is still young at heart).