An alien pyramid has appeared on Earth, squatting in the middle of Chicago. It is growing, destroying the city as it does — and nothing seems able to stop it, not even the might of the US military. Somehow, the alien device is snatching people and — for unknown reasons — transporting them into worlds of mythology. Dr Lukacs is one of the victims. Granted, he's an expert on mythology. But myths are not something he'd thought to encounter personally. Or wanted to! Sure, he has a couple of tough paratroopers along with him, as well as a blonde Amazon biologist and a very capable maintenance mechanic. Unfortunately, modern weapons don't work, and the Greek gods are out to kill the heroes. Well, yes, they've got Medea and Arachne and the Sphinx on their side (both Sphinxes, actually — the Greek version as well as the Egyptian). And at least some of the Egyptian gods seem friendly. But that can be a very mixed blessing, to say the least. Oh, and whatever you do—don't mention dwarf-tossing.

When a mysterious text message summons May Wexler to a biker bar in downtown New Orleans, she knows something is very wrong. Her sister has sent out an SOS, but when May gets there, she’s nowhere to be found and May is the one in trouble—she’s wearing pink espadrilles, she’s got a Chihuahua in her purse, and she’s in the middle of a shootout. After tall, muscular Ozzie comes to her rescue, May has no choice but to follow him to safety. At the headquarters of his private security firm, the Bourbon Street Boys, she finds a refuge for the night—and the offer of a job. But it’s not long before a gun-toting stalker isn’t the only complication in May’s life: the more time she spends with Ozzie, the less she can deny that they’ve got some serious chemistry. A wrong number got her into this mess…Will it also get her the right guy?

“Then it is settled,” Felix declared. “Come hell or high water, when this is all over, at least one of us here will not make it out alive.” When Bronwen Snow is pulled from her cottage in the middle of the night, she finds herself seeking the help of three mysterious boys who reside in an abandoned castle deep in the hillside. With only a hasty handwritten note and a vague sense of dread to guide her, Bronwen is forced to put her trust in the eccentric and willful Felix Cavara and his eternal curse – immortality.

A murderer obsessed with comic strips...When Mayor Marsalis' son, Gerald, is found dead in his studio, his body is stained red and arranged like the cartoon character Linus - with a blanket next to his ear and his thumb stuck in his mouth. Desperate, Marsalis asks his ex-cop brother, Jordan, to investigate the murder. Yet the killer strikes again. This time Chandelle Stuart, a film producer with strange sexual predilections, is found leant against a piano like Lucy, listening to Shroeder playing. Meanwhile, a beautiful young detective Maureen Martini has moved from Rome to New York to forget the brutal murder of her boyfriend. After undergoing a corneal transplant, she starts having distressing visions that somehow seem connected with the grisly murders. Thrown together, Maureen and Jordan race against time to unmask this killer. But who is Snoopy? And who is Pig Pen? And why does this killer find pleasure in arranging his victims like comic-strip characters? In New York nothing is ever quite what it seems...

Headline's bestselling author, Karen Rose, is back with a tantalising enovella ahead of the much-anticipated WATCH YOUR BACK paperback in February. From Sunday Times bestseller Karen Rose comes an intense, pulse-pounding novella, available for the first time in digital format along with enticing extracts from Karen's last four full-length books. The latest, WATCH YOUR BACK, is out now. SecretsFor months Emma Townsend has avoided her old house, haunted by its memories of her dead husband. Finding the courage to sort through their possessions, she's astonished to find an old love letter from friend Chris Walker, and determines to make amends for the past. That we all mustChris, now a college professor, is trying to deal with the tragic death of a graduate student. Seeing Emma again brings back a flood of memories, re-kindling a long-lost passion. But with police investigating the student's death, Chris cannot act on his desires. FearBut is it too late? Because now someone's watching Emma and Chris. Someone who's nursing revenge. And they are about to be plunged into a nightmare where no one can be trusted and every dirty little secret is sealed with a kiss. Dirty Secrets previously appeared in the anthology Hot Pursuit

Beyond The Thunder is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by H. B. Hickey is in the English language, and may not include graphics or images from the original edition. If you enjoy the works of H. B. Hickey then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection.

Set in Lombardy during the Spanish occupation of the late 1620s, The Betrothed tells the story of two young lovers, Renzo and Lucia, prevented from marrying by the petty tyrant Don Rodrigo, who desires Lucia for himself. Forced to flee, they are then cruelly separated, and must face many dangers including plague, famine and imprisonment, and confront a variety of strange characters - the mysterious Nun of Monza, the fiery Father Cristoforo and the sinister 'Unnamed' - in their struggle to be reunited. A vigorous portrayal of enduring passion, The Betrothed's exploration of love, power and faith presents a whirling panorama of seventeenth-century Italian life and is one of the greatest European historical novels.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

This is another great book by Baroness Emmuska Orczy, the British-Hungarian novelist, creator of dozens of historical novels of the times of the French Revolution in the XVIII Century. She is best remembered for her main character, Sir Percy Blakeney, AKA The Scarlet Pimpernel, who rescued French aristocrats from the French Revolution.

Bud Lee, horse foreman of the Blue Lake Ranch, sat upon the gate of the home corral, builded a cigarette with slow brown fingers, and stared across the broken fields of the upper valley to the rosy glow above the pine-timbered ridge where the sun was coming up. His customary gravity was unusually pronounced. "If a man's got the hunch an egg is bad," he mused, "is that a real good and sufficient reason why he should go poking his finger inside the shell? I want to know!" Tommy Burkitt, the youngest wage-earner of the outfit and a profound admirer of all that taciturnity, good-humor, and quick capability which went into the make-up of Bud Lee, approached from the ranch-house on the knoll. "Hi, Bud!" he called. "Trevors wants you. On the jump."

This book was digitized and reprinted from the collections of the University of California Libraries. It was produced from digital images created through the libraries’ mass digitization efforts. The digital images were cleaned and prepared for printing through automated processes. Despite the cleaning process, occasional flaws may still be present that were part of the original work itself, or introduced during digitization. This book and hundreds of thousands of others can be found online in the HathiTrust Digital Library at www.hathitrust.org. --This text refers to the Paperback edition. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

A short story set in a future dystopia where the television is king and cars are argumentative.Frank Miller needs to get to the convenience store but his car is in an argumentative mood. That's when Stephanie calls, she needs his help...

The entire Moon Chosen series in one complete package! Twelve kidnapped women, a strange curse, and dark, sensual cravings entwine the strange island on the lake. Sophia is torn from her home and shoved into a dark world of intrigue and sensual desire that finds her blood-bound to a handsome but cold young man. Her only thought is to escape, but as she learns more about the island and its inhabitants she realizes she may be too deep into the rabbit-hole to ever flee from the wolves.

Jace has one last week of work with elder twin brothers, paroled thieves, both total jerks. On arrival at the eerie locale of their final contract, a crippled young girl warns him off Grey Manor. But a cameo is lost inside and it's two million reasons too tempting for his greedy brothers. Jace must keep them out or face the malevolent Lady Grey who never permits a guest to leave.After three trying months, Jace must get through one last week of work with elder twin brothers, both on parole for burglary, both total jerks. And then he's free of the family who've held him down for seventeen years. On arrival at the eerie locale of their final contract, a young girl with a crippled body warns him off Grey Manor, insisting no-one enter the abandoned mansion. But a lost cameo worth two million dollars is hidden inside and Jace faces the impossible task of keeping his greedy brothers out. When he witnesses a grisly death at the hands of the supposedly missing Lady Grey, Jace learns the girl's words are not easily dismissed, forced to unravel the mystery before it unravels him. Leaving has never been harder and the only one with answers is a comatose girl trapped by an entity whose vengeance knows no bounds. (Short Story)

When a plane crash strands thirteen teen beauty contestants on a mysterious island, they struggle to survive, to get along with one another, to combat the island's other diabolical occupants, and to learn their dance numbers in case they are rescued in time for the competition.

In the years since the end of The Herald War, the world has become complacent despite Catrin Volker's warnings. When the darkness of her visions comes to pass, no one is prepared, and the fate of humanity will rest in her hands.Regent, book one of The Balance of Power trilogy, is the much anticipated continuation of the World of Godsland fantasy series, which began with The Dawning of Power trilogy.In the years since the end of The Herald War, the world has become complacent despite Catrin Volker's warnings. When the darkness of her visions comes to pass, no one is prepared, and the fate of humanity will rest in her hands.

A world in flux throws two brothers into an adventure that takes them on a magical journey into a strange world, testing their mettle as it expands their consciousness.Where is their life headed? The world seems to be shifting on its axis!Young Rordan is compelled to leave home and pursue his education as an alchemist. His rambling brother Fikna decides to tag along on the journey.Kea and her strange posse menace the brothers every step of the way. Every adventurer needs a helper and Rordan finds it in Borus, a strange creature he befriends as the brothers travel through Selta, to a region where alchemy still flourishes.En route through Selta Rordan acquires a cryptic map which like a crystal ball changes each time you look at it.Glenys, an apprentice in alchemy joins the brothers adding her skills in and knowledge of the supernatural. When Rordan gets assigned to Master Beag perilous connections to the powers of darkness emerge.Join the adventurers as they confront a hostile world where in a matrix of magic the brothers and their friends struggle to bring consciousness to a world cast in darkness.

A Conyn the Barbarian story.Conan’s boredom with the bureaucracy of queenship doesn’t last long. There are others plotting to suborn her Black Dragons, and slay the queen, with the sorceress Thoth-Amin lurking.A Gender Switch Adventure.As the great king of the golden kingdom that sits atop the highest mountain in Bal-Mont, Gadreel thought that he was invincible. Until an unexpected enemy sent his defenses crumbling down, and took over his kingdom. Now, he was stripped of his honor, kicked to the curb, and was banished to the Earth, never set to return until the passing of the fiftieth blood moon. For the last five decades, he spent his life planning the Herculean mission to reclaim the kingdom that was taken away from him. But in order for his plans to prosper, he has to take Laura with him to Bal-Mont, and use her against the powers that be. But she could only traverse to his world if he will take her innocence and ruin her. It seems easy to do, but a real daunting task, for he was a gigantic monster, and she was still a friggin' virgin. But he must do it, by hook or by crook, or he could bid goodbye to the grand scheme he has plotted for fifty years to avenge his great loss, and claim back what was rightfully his. Living in a world where she doesn't fit in, Laura struggled to live a normal life. Unwanted by her own mother and bullied by her peers, she longs for love and acceptance. Until one day, at twilight, she finds herself lost in the heart of the dark forest. There, she meets a mystical creature who takes her in for a rough ride. It's a big leap into the darkness, but something she will never regret. Or maybe she will.

In the buried archives of the Temple of Dust may lie the secret to defeating the Curse, a creature which seeks to destroy 16 year old Ria for the forbidden gifts she possesses. But it is from among the ranks of those who control the Curse where Ria will find her best chance of success. Only the Priestess Niri can save Ria from the forces that hunt her, if Niri doesn’t betray the girl first.The world of Myrrah is ruled by the Church of Four Orders, gathering together the separate powers of Fire, Earth, Air, and Water. But there are those with a forbidden gift, called Magic, and its use is punishable by death. The peace created when the Church of Four Orders defeated those wielding Magic is about to be tested and it all starts because of one young woman and a Priestess who fails in her duty.For years, Ria feared she held the gifts of an Elemental and would be called to serve the Church of Four Orders. But the Water Priestess who comes to claim her discovers that Ria's gift is something far worse. Becoming Ria's reluctant protector, Priestess Niri must flee from her former friends and the home she has known since childhood.The Priestess is Ria's best chance to survive the forces that hunt her, if Niri doesn't betray the girl first. With only a fragile hope given to Niri by her lover, the Priest Sinika, Niri and Ria set out on a journey to find the lost Temple of Dust. In its buried archives may lie the secret to defeating the Curse, the Church's creature which seeks to destroy 16 year old Ria for the forbidden gift she possesses. Along with Ria comes Ty and his sister, Lavinia, both bound to defend Ria from the Church of Four Orders and Niri, if they must. However, Ty has been living a life less than honest and keeping it from his sister. To survive a journey that takes them across the breadth of their world, the four must learn to trust each other before pursuit from the Church and Ty's troubled past find them. This is not your typical sword and sorcery epic. In fact in a world split by sea and storms, I like to say it has a lot to do with sailing. You will not find elves, dwarves, vampires, or zombies. Instead in Myrrah there are a myriad of unique cultures from the reclusive Kith in the Forest of Falin to the elusive Ashanti rulers of the Great Desert. The four not-quite friends find new allies, love, and forgotten secrets about an ancient war as they fight to save Ria's life.

Published here for the first time, this text presents a collection of recently-discovered stories by John Fante.

As Fred the Mermaid tries to fit in with her own kind, she finds herself hooked on both Artur, the High Prince of the undersea realm, and Thomas, a hunky marine biologist. She's also caught between two factions of merfolk: those happy with swimming under the radar-and those who want to bring their existence to the surface.