Way out West, a bad-ass bank robber becomes Earth’s last hope… Bad Buffalo is a rootin’, tootin’, sharp-shootin’ son of a gun. He’s also the roughest, toughest, meanest gunfighter the West has ever known. In fact, his only friend is a horse named Horse. When Bad Buffalo comes to town, people get out of Dodge. Literally. But when Bad Buffalo meets Dia the fairy, she begs for his help. Intergalactic worms have returned to raid the planet and suck the Earth dry of its magic. When the magic is gone—and so, the fairies—the Earth will stop turning on its axis. Bad Buffalo is a reluctant cowboy hero, so Dia strikes a tantalizing bargain with him: If he plugs up the wormholes and saves Earth, she’ll be his gal. Yes, in that way...and in that order. So, have gun will travel—through space and time and the singularities. But it’s sure going to take a lot of Bad Buffalo’s bullets to plug those wormholes. Can this unlikely pair save the Earth from utter destruction by the voracious alien worms? In THE WORM RETURNS, bestselling authors Piers Anthony and J.R. Rain craft a rollicking cross-genre tale of an antihero gunslinger with grit and a brilliant faery who must join forces to save the planet. Fans of classic Westerns, magical fantasy and campy science fiction will delight in this hilarious, fast-paced genre mashup about a planet that’s being devoured by a diabolical species—and a true love that transcends the universe. **

Koschei the Deathless is to Russian folklore what devils or wicked witches are to European culture: a menacing, evil figure; the villain of countless stories which have been passed on through story and text for generations. But Koschei has never before been seen through the eyes of Catherynne Valente, whose modernized and transformed take on the legend brings the action to modern times, spanning many of the great developments of Russian history in the twentieth century. Deathless, however, is no dry, historical tome: it lights up like fire as the young Marya Morevna transforms from a clever child of the revolution, to Koschei’s beautiful bride, to his eventual undoing. Along the way there are Stalinist house elves, magical quests, secrecy and bureaucracy, and games of lust and power. All told, Deathless is a collision of magical history and actual history, of revolution and mythology, of love and death, which will bring Russian myth back to life in a stunning new incarnation.

From Robert E. Howard’s fertile imagination sprang some of fiction’s greatest heroes, including Conan the Cimmerian, King Kull, and Solomon Kane. But of all Howard’s characters, none embodied his creator’s brooding temperament more than Bran Mak Morn, the last king of a doomed race. In ages past, the Picts ruled all of Europe. But the descendants of those proud conquerors have sunk into barbarism . . . all save one, Bran Mak Morn, whose bloodline remains unbroken. Threatened by the Celts and the Romans, the Pictish tribes rally under his banner to fight for their very survival, while Bran fights to restore the glory of his race. Lavishly illustrated by award-winning artist Gary Gianni, this collection gathers together all of Howard’s published stories and poems featuring Bran Mak Morn–including the eerie masterpiece “Worms of the Earth” and “Kings of the Night,” in which sorcery summons Kull the conqueror from out of the depths of time to stand with Bran against the Roman invaders. Also included are previously unpublished stories and fragments, reproductions of manuscripts bearing Howard’s handwritten revisions, and much, much more. Special Bonus: a newly discovered adventure by Howard, presented here for the very first time.

The third in Doris Lessing's visionary novel cycle "Canopus in Argos: Archives". It is a mix of fable, futuristic fantasy and pseudo-documentary accounts of 20th-century history.

This prequel to Crown Duel is about the early life of Vidanric Renselaeus, Marquis of Shevraeth, who as a courtly, well-mannered teen coached in the noble art of dueling, finds himself thrown into the infamous cavalry command academy in Marloven Hess. There, instead of reading theories about statecraft, he is forced to learn about command from the inside--and what it means to be king.

Phil Ockerman falls for Bertha Strunk at a tango lesson in a church crypt in Clerkenwell. Each recently separated, both their Suns are squared by Neptune. Bertha also bears a strong resemblance to the 17th century Venetian singer and composer, Barbara Strozzi with whom Phil is obsessed.

Before I Get Married is the story of a misguided young man's trip to the altar.There are many things that go through a man's head before he gets married. Some men forgive the transgressions of their wives, knowing that white is never a suitable color for them to wear on that most-memorable of days. Some men can't forgive, they just don't have the capacity.And, some men take matters into their own hands.

She must save the world. He must help her....Yin and Yang is a four-part fantasy adventure, subtly blended with sci-fi and romance.She must save the world. He must help her....Yin is the Savior of the ages. A young woman chosen to protect the world on its final day. A fighter, a sorcerer, a loner. She lives in the mountains, away from the prying eyes of the Kingdom and under the watchful protection of her guardian, Castor.No one knows she’s the Savior, and she must keep it that way.Then the army comes. With them is the handsome but cold Captain Yang. He takes Yin and Castor back to the capital, where she’s drafted into the army. If she can’t hold onto her secret and keep herself safe, she’ll die, and the world will die with her.Captain Yang has never met a woman like her. Impetuous, powerful, and determined, she’s too much to handle. But the army need her. Especially with war on the horizon. She has a secret though, one he’s determined to reveal. Yet time is against him, and he must fight to find out the truth before it’s too late.….Yin and Yang is a four-part fantasy adventure, subtly blended with sci-fi and romance.

The Ruling Elite and Other Stories is a collection of six short fantasy stories from XC Publishing authors Xina Marie Uhl and Janet Loftis.The Ruling Elite and Other Stories is a collection of short fantasy from Xina Marie Uhl and Janet Loftis. Here you'll find a slave-mercenary struggling to save the life of his mistress, a palace guard defending his city against the destroyer of prophecy, a wanderer who brings more than just past grief into the lives of four sisters, two men who go on a dangerous hunt to kill the witches destroying their village, an outcast trying to outwit the village oracle and get justice for her murdered mother, and a captain who discovers how high the cost is to return the dead to their rightful homes. Come read stories which fuse fantasy with history and anthropology by two of XC Publishing's most talented writers.

A mad wizard has escaped from prison and murdered everyone that can identify him. Beifar Mahgo, Special Agent from the Department of Magical Criminal Investigations is in pursuit of the demented wizard, and all clues lead to Jesse Alexander. Jesse must believe in himself, trust in the unimaginable and face the unexplainable. However, in the world of magic nothing is ever what it seems.On Halloween night, unsuspecting visitors at one of the greatest vacation spots in the world are about to be scared to death.Jesse Alexander, an 18-year-old recent high school graduate, accepts a job in a small, costume store, in Mt. Dora. It was the perfect job in the perfect laid back, little town. On his own for the first time, he is looking forward to being able to relax in the calm and quiet of his new surroundings and seriously consider the direction of his future.Working at Alivan’s Wizards and Witches Corner Store was uneventful. It was the ideal position. He was the only employee, and his only encounters with his boss were via email or instant message. However, with only seven days before Halloween, Jesse finds himself sucked into a race against time and wizardry.The Secret Society of Seven Sorcerers is missing one of its elite members and is in the process of seeking a replacement -- one truly worthy member for its inner circle of elders. A dangerous and mad wizard has escaped from prison, murdered everyone that can identify him and is interviewing for the coveted membership position in the Society.Beifar Mahgo, Special Agent from the Department of Magical Investigations is in pursuit of the elusive demented wizard, and all clues lead to Jesse. Jesse’s encounter with the Special Agent disrupts his peaceful existence and forever changes his view of reality and normalcy. With the threat of being framed for murder, and the lives of thousands threatened with imminent annihilation, Jesse is thrust into the midst of the mission to apprehend the crazed wizard and teams up with agent Mahgo. Jesse Alexander must believe in himself, trust in the unimaginable and face the unexplainable. However, in the world of magic, nothing is ever what it seems.

The entire network of Superloo’s* in London joined up for a single night to become a series of interchangeable pathways, crisscrossing the city, teleporting users of the service to random unexpected locations across the city, Martin tells his friends, but they don't believe it happened.But where did he go?* Pod-like spacy looking toilet facility. Possibly doubles up as teleporter cubicle.The entire network of Superloo’s* in London joined up for a single night to become a series of interchangeable pathways, crisscrossing the city, teleporting users of the service to random unexpected locations across the city. There should have been an outcry, public amazement, but because the strange occurrence took place Friday night, when the only witnesses were drunks and fools, no one believes it happened.Certainly no-one believes Martin, the nerdy Librarian who claims it happened to him, but twenty years later they still can’t work out how he disappeared from the toilet. Where did he go?* Pod-like spacy looking toilet facility. Possibly doubles up as teleporter cubicle+. + If you believe Martin.

Myram Scribewell, itinerant playwright, tumbles out the door of the local inn and into the path of Anni, a priestess of the local fire god out to save the town from a grumbling volcano.Avery Wilson is a twenty year-old hitman who has been in the business since the age of sixteen, when his parents were murdered. He adapted quickly, following every teaching of his mentor, Lucas, the man who took him in after he lost his parents. After the first few jitters, Avery became used to the feeling of pulling the trigger. He was confident in his job, and jumped at any opportunity to prove himself and to back up his title of being the youngest hitman in the business. This all changed when he was given the profile of a young, fifteen-year old Brynn Laurens. Bryan's downfall, meant to be carried out by Avery, was to be fast, simple, and with little aftermath. Then Avery learned of the reason for the call to get rid of Brynn. The boy's father had made multiple enemies through his business' connections, leading a mystery calling to order in a hit on the man's son. Avery makes the active decision to go undercover and befriend this boy, make sure he does everything in his power to keep him alive. He must fight the instincts drilled into him and keep Brynn from falling victim for a crime he is unknowingly taking the blame for.

Patrice has never been comfortable in her own skin. At midnight on her twentieth birthday, her magical Stealth Insurance lapses, leaving her with a headful of live snakes and an aversion to bright light. Now she understands why being human never felt quite right.Watch for Undercover Gorgon "Episode #1 — Witches War" coming in December of 2015!********This story was included in Transmonstrified and Unfinished Muse. If you’ve already read “Undercover Gorgon” in either of those books, skip this and wait for “Episode #1—Witches War” coming in December 2015.********Episode #0—BecomingPatrice has never been comfortable in her own skin. At midnight on her twentieth birthday, her magical Stealth Insurance lapses, leaving her with a headful of live snakes and an aversion to bright light. Now she understands why being human never felt quite right.Finally in the green skin the gods intended for her, Patrice moves into her new life as a receptionist at the Mt. Olympus Employment Agency. The day job sucks. But sometimes, a problem comes across Patrice’s desk she believes only she can solve. After hours, the magical items in the offices upstairs are left hanging on the walls unused. Who’s going to notice if she borrows a pair of winged sneakers, an arrow tipped with love dust, or a pair of enchanted scissors?Everything will work out fine—as long as she doesn’t get caught.

A cowardly captain. An incompetent crew. A mission she can't fail. Nile and her small band of loyal midshipmen saved the ship, and Captain Rima might just kill them for it . . . one young officer at a time. No one and nothing on the Aurora is safe anymore, least of all Nile’s explosive secrets or her connection with Domenic, which vibrates between them like a cutlass speared into the deck. When the shifting tide of war suddenly turns Aurora’s backwater outpost into a vital battleground, Nile faces an impossible choice between duty and freedom. In a cascade of violence, gunpowder, and lies, Nile will soon discover who has her back and who wants to stab a dagger in it. To save the ones she loves, Nile may have to sacrifice everything.

In a world where magic and science sit side by side, and powerful witches are considered necessary aides for all governments, Lizzie Grace is something of an outlier. Though born into one the most powerful blue blood witch families, she wants nothing to do with either her past or her magic. But when she and Belle, her human familiar and best friend, open a small cafe in the Faelan werewolf reservation, she quickly finds herself enmeshed in the hunt for a vampire intent on wreaking bloody havoc. It’s a hunt that soon becomes personal, and one that is going to take all her skills to survive–that’s if the werewolves, who hate all things witch, don’t get her first.