Splintered

      A. G. Howard
     Splintered

Alyssa Gardner hears the whispers of bugs and flowers—precisely the affliction that landed her mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretches back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now. When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own.

Read online

  • 1 178

    Machine Learning: New and Collected Stories

      Hugh Howey
     Machine Learning: New and Collected Stories

A new collection of stories, including some that have never before been seen, from the New York Times best-selling author of the Silo trilogy Hugh Howey is known for crafting riveting and immersive page-turners of boundless imagination, spawning millions of fans worldwide, first with his best-selling novel Wool, and then with other enthralling works such as Sand and Beacon 23.    Now comes Machine Learning, an impressive collection of Howey’s science fiction and fantasy short fiction, including three stories set in the world of Wool, two never-before-published tales written exclusively for this volume, and fifteen additional stories collected here for the first time. These stories explore everything from artificial intelligence to parallel universes to video games, and each story is accompanied by an author’s note exploring the background and genesis of each story.    Howey’s incisive mind makes Machine Learning: New and Collected Stories a compulsively readable and thought-provoking selection of short works—from a modern master at the top of his game.   

Read online

  • 1 178

    Amatista

      Red Garnier
     Amatista

Lured years ago from her home on Earth, Liana has seen countless natives mercilessly killed by humans in their search for planet Oriana's riches. When the Foher warrior Kavi kidnaps her during his escape, he unwittingly takes the humans' greatest asset — and awakens Liana's strongest lusts. For years the Fohers have sought the same treasure — Amatista. Only by finding the mystical river of amethysts will Kavi and his people be safe. But Kavi doesn't realize his human captive, with her lush body and eager responses, is more than just a distraction — she is the key to finding the very treasure he seeks. Reader Advisory: Amatista contains group sex play and mild female-female interaction

Read online

  • 1 178

    The Prophet

      Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
     The Prophet

The second exclusive digital original short story by the author of Bloodwitch and Bloodkin. Narrated by Malachi, one of the powerful leaders of the Obsidian guild, readers will learn all about his past and the events that lead Malachi to the actions and decisions he makes when we meet him in Bloodwitch and Bloodkin.  This short story is set in the alternate-reality world of THE MAEVE'RA, Amelia Atwater-Rhodes's trilogy about the powerful empire of Midnight,where vampires rule, shapeshifter royals obey, and the Obsidian guild refuses to bow to anyone--and where loyalty and power always come with a price.

Read online

  • 1 178

    The Great Zoo of China

      Matthew Reilly
     The Great Zoo of China

Alternate cover for this ISBN can be found here It is a secret the Chinese government has been keeping for forty years. They have found a species of animal no one believed even existed. It will amaze the world. Now the Chinese are ready to unveil their astonishing discovery within the greatest zoo ever constructed. A small group of VIPs and journalists has been brought to the zoo deep within China to see its fabulous creatures for the first time. Among them is Dr. Cassandra Jane ‘CJ’ Cameron, a writer for National Geographic and an expert on reptiles. The visitors are assured by their Chinese hosts that they will be struck with wonder at these beasts, that they are perfectly safe, and that nothing can go wrong. Of course it can’t… GET READY FOR ACTION ON A GIGANTIC SCALE.

Read online

  • 1 178

    Winter

      William Horwood
     Winter

The climactic final volume in the Hyddenworld sequence, a lyrical epic fantasy adventure of bravery, loss and a quest for the impossible. ONLY COURAGE CAN SAVE THEIR LANDS Storms rage as the worst winter in living memory ravages the human and Hydden worlds. The prophesied End of Days is here and the universe is dying, yet only a few are even aware of the forces at work. Jack and Katherine must help their friend Bedwyn Stort halt this chaos by locating the last gem of Winter, something only he can do. Then it must be returned to the Earth's unwilling guardian, their daughter Judith. She will need it to try and reignite the fires of the universe. Yet Stort is riddled with uncertainty. He yearns for Judith, as she does for him, but a love between mortal and immortal cannot be. To find the gem, he must solve this conundrum and vanquish death itself. But can he really lead mortalkind to salvation? The climactic final volume in the Hyddenworld sequence, a lyrical epic fantasy adventure of bravery, loss and a quest for the impossible, from William Horwood, the acclaimed author of the Duncton Wood novels.

Read online

  • 1 178

    Sweet Silver Blues

      Glen Cook
     Sweet Silver Blues

It should have been a simple job. But for Garrett, a human detective in a world of gnomes, tracking down the woman to whom his dead pal Danny left a fortune in silver is no slight task. Even with the aid of Morley, the toughest half-elf around, Garrett isn't sure he'll make it out alive from a land where magic can be murder, the dead still talk, and vampires are always hungry for human blood.

Read online

  • 1 177

    Beauty's Kingdom

      Anne Rice
     Beauty's Kingdom

The erotic Sleeping Beauty trilogy now continues with a fourth novel by master storyteller and best-selling author of Prince Lestat, Anne Rice, writing as A. N. Roquelaure. Mega-best-selling author Annie Rice returns to where she left off in Beauty's Release with the disappearance of Queen Eleanor in Bellavalten. Now, 20 years after they were forced to leave the kingdom to return to their homeland, Beauty and her husband, Laurent, agree to travel back as its king and queen, to uphold the ways of complete sensual surrender with a twist: They now insist on voluntary servitude in Bellavalten. Countless eager princes, princesses, lords, ladies, and common folk journey to Beauty's new kingdom, where she and her husband awaken their domain, ushering in a new era of desire, longing, and sexual ecstasy. Provocative and stirring, Rice's imaginative retelling of the Sleeping Beauty myth will be hailed by her longtime fans and new listeners of erotica just discovering the novels. This audiobook is intended for mature audiences. **

Read online

  • 1 177

    Edison's Alley

      Neal Shusterman
     Edison's Alley

Both Nick and the Accelerati have learned that the strange objects Nikola Tesla left in Nick’s attic are pieces of a Far Range Energy Emitter, capable of transmitting “free energy” to the globe. Some components of the contraption are still missing, but the objects themselves seem to be leading Nick to their current owners. Each piece is with the person who needs it the most. But there are plenty of obstacles: Nick finds his judgment impaired by Caitlin’s intoxicating closeness, not to mention her ex-boyfriend Theo’s jealous sabotage; Mitch has to choose between pleasing Petula or helping Nick; and Vince, who gets his hands on some light-absorbing drapes, is so taken by the darkness, he can’t let them go. The Accelerati, meanwhile, are still around every corner, and they manage to beat Nick to a few more objects. They use the few pieces of Tesla’s technology they've recovered to create a storm and convince local officials that the Tesla F.R.E.E. is hazardous.The objects are confiscated by the Accelerati as the town brings in a wrecking ball to demolish Nick’s house. The Accelerati transport the objects back to their lab, hidden under the Edison Museum in Menlo Park, New Jersey. Nick knows that is where he’ll find his destiny.

Read online

  • 1 177

    The Eternity Key

      Bree Despain
     The Eternity Key

Fan-favorite author Bree Despain continues her modern-day romance trilogy inspired by the Greek myth of Persephone and Hades with this second book in her Into the Dark series.  Haden Lord, the disgraced Prince of the Underrealm, has chosen love over honor and will do everything in his power to protect Daphne Raines, the human girl he was supposed to bring to the Underrealm. Haden’s choice is put to the test as the Skylords and a figure from his past arrive in Olympus Hills with a plan that could destroy all of the realms. Embracing her destiny as the Cypher, Daphne begins to understand the immense power of her musical ability to control the elements, but she must come to terms with her feelings for Haden and what she must sacrifice in order to protect him and her friends. Believing the Key of Hades is the only thing that can stop the Underrealm Court from releasing the monstrous Keres on the mortal world, Haden, Daphne, and their friends set out to find the Key before Persephone’s Gate opens again on the spring equinox.

Read online

  • 1 177

    The Raven Ring

      Patricia C. Wrede
     The Raven Ring

Three weeks after Eleret’s mother is killed, the messenger arrives with the tragic news. She died far from home, succumbing to wounds sustained in battle, and Eleret must travel to reclaim her belongings. The overland journey to the city of Ciaron is treacherous, but Eleret has no fear. She straps a dagger to her leg and sets off to recover one of her mother’s prized possessions: a ring etched with a raven. Though she makes it to Ciaron safely, getting home is another story. Eleret doesn’t know what’s special about her mother’s ring, but someone wanted it badly enough to kill for it. To make it home in one piece, she must unlock the mysteries of the ring her mother died to protect.

Read online

  • 1 177

    Gates of Rome

      Alex Scarrow
     Gates of Rome

Liam O’Connor should have died at sea in 1912. Maddy Carter should have died on a plane in 2010. Sal Vikram should have died in a fire in 2026. But all three have been given a second chance—to work for an agency that no one knows exists. Its purpose: to prevent time travel destroying history... Project Exodus—a mission to transport 300 Americans from 2070 to 54AD to overthrow the Roman Empire—has gone catastrophically wrong. Half have arrived seventeen years earlier, during the reign of Caligula. Liam goes to investigate, but when Maddy and Sal attempt to flee a kill-squad sent to hunt down their field office, all of the TimeRiders become trapped in the Roman past. Armed with knowledge of the future, Caligula is now more powerful than ever. But with the office unmanned—and under threat—how will the TimeRiders make it back to 2001 and put history right?

Read online

  • 1 177

    Stolen Souls

      Andrea Cremer
     Stolen Souls

Bosque Mar, the source of dark magic in Andrea Cremer's New York Times bestselling Nightshade series, enters our world for the first time in Rift. This short story chronicles what happens when he--and his wraiths--arrive in the village of Dorusduain, a village that disappears in Rift.

Read online

  • 1 176

    Intruder

      C. J. Cherryh
     Intruder

The civil war among the alien atevi has ended. Tabini-aiji, powerful ruler of the Western Association, along with Cajeiri his son and heir, and his human paidhi, Bren Cameron, have returned to the Bujavid, their seat of power. But factions that remain loyal to the opposition are still present, and the danger these rebels pose is far from over.

Read online

  • 1 176