A man receives a bus ticket in the mail from his dead mother. The ticket says Route Zero: Home. Everything in his life from his mother's death up to this point has been as dull as cinder blocks and just as dirty. Should he take the Zero bus? What waits for him at the end of the line?The calls only come when I’m at work. They start as vibrations in telephone wires, igniting under bird feet perched high above the freeway, metal boxes sending electric spider webs into the ground, crackling beneath dead bodies rotting six feet under corn fields, faster and faster into the dark abyss of sewer pipe acid trips and up into my fifth floor apartment, jangling in the handset of my telephone, waking the crack heads next door. I imagine the phone ringing once, twice, a million times before my answering machine picks it up with a click, recording silence for five long seconds before clicking to a stop and rewinding in the dark of my living room. Lights come on in the apartments around mine, but I’m not home. I’m never home anymore. I haven’t been home in years.

When one god questions the futility of Rollond's life, she proposes that he instead work with her to establish a haven in which all who hate the god of Destiny may find refuge from Destiny's tyranny.No longer a prince, Rollond is liberated from the inheritance of authority that he desperately loathed. Only, when he accepts a job at a lofty estate, he soon becomes the center of two gods battling for control of the fate of the world.When one god questions the futility of Rollond's life, she proposes that he instead work with her to establish a haven in which all who hate the god of Destiny may find refuge from the Destiny's tyranny.Though the choice sounds easy, Rollond is trapped. Either he accepts the burden of authority, this time with divine sanction; or he becomes the oracle of fate, a soulless puppet under the total control of the god of Destiny.Deciding instead to take matters into his own hands, Rollond sets out to regain control of his life — unaware that by doing so, he's pursuing the interests of both gods.Forged by the dichotomy of Freedom and Fate, The Kingdom of Ecstasy dives deep into the heart of an exotic world for a non-stop adventure bombarded with hatred, delusions, love, and ties that last beyond death.

10-year-old Makensie flies across the country alone to spend part of her summer vacation with her aunt and uncle in the northwest. A freak electrical storm on the flight changes her aura to attract strange and unusual creatures; creatures which should only live in legend and myth. They seem to be asking her for help, but what do they want from her?Terrorist. Patriot. Take your pick. In the ruins of the United States travels Dustin Parker and his brother, trying to cross the country to get to safety. A revolution decimated the country seven years ago and forced Dustin from his home. Nowhere is safe, a truth he learns very quickly. The revolutionary Hyenas and the remnants of the American government scrounge through debris and ravaged cities to find Dustin- to find him because of a secret he keeps from both sides. One is meant to protect him. The other would see him executed. But the only question on Dustin’s mind is in regards to which will find him first.

Second of a 4 part series: The Demon Legacy. Raunst Baltir hunts after the man who ended his father's life. Crossing paths with a female assassin his life takes a startling twist. When a terrible monster awakens, Raunst must seek his family's legacy and his calling to protect a world on the edge of destruction.Doctor Horace Brooks has never met a patient he doesn’t like, and he’s careful to go over all the issues with husband and wife before proceeding with gene-therapy and the modern fountain of youth…the only question is whether anyone is listening, trendy country club members Ed and Michelle Newell being a good case in point. Couples should share more before making such a life-changing decision. A science-fiction satire and short story.

Talon Sunsculptor leads a mishmash quarter of four adventure-seeking teenagers who must move beyond their secret-keeping selves and instead, forge a bond that equips them to achieve the impossible. Facing challenges from ancient secrets, mystical creatures, militant regimes, and even each other, the group must find the courage to believe the unbelievable.When two teenage siblings, Talon and Rose Sunsculptor, discover their family's business unwittingly supplied the conquest-minded Protectorate with indestructible weapons, they undertake a quest to rectify their folly. Striving to honor their non-violent convictions and following clues from the clandestine Book of Epiphany, they leave their isolated village and trek into the mysterious land of Centage. During their journey, they join with a moody acquaintance and a wayward girl. The companions form a mishmash quarter who must move beyond their secret-keeping selves and instead, forge a bond that equips them to achieve the impossible. Facing challenges from ancient secrets, mystical creatures, militant regimes, and even each other, the group must find the courage to believe the unbelievable.

"The Queen and the Dagger" is a prequel novella to "Theo and the Forbidden Language". When the rabbit princess Indigo realizes her crown is threatened, she must battle her own aunt and mentor to save her throne, and her future. An action adventure fantasy for fans of "Redwall" or "Watership Down".In the land of Mankahar, humans have discovered Pacification: a poison whereby speaking animals are rendered mute and docile. Indigo, a rabbit princess of Alvareth, is on the cusp of inheriting the throne from her aunt, the Regent, who has ruled the northern steppes since Indigo’s mother and sister were killed years ago. When the Order, a society dedicated to fighting Pacification, asks Indigo to join their amassing army, her future seems clear: lead her queendom against the humans, and find the one who killed her mother and sister. But the day of Indigo’s initiation goes horribly wrong: Pacification has already arrived in Alvareth, and the Regent seizes the opportunity to take the crown. Threatened with the loss of both her throne and her dreams of revenge, Indigo must defeat her one time mentor and aunt if she is to save her queendom--and her future.

An unemployed man has to make a mortgage payment at an Automated Teller Machine (ATM). On a whim he scribbles a message on the input card and soon receives a communication from the computer. The man and the ATM develop a ‘relationship’ which solves his financial worries, gives him important information about the bank, and leads to employment - with the bank. But can the relationship last?An unemployed man has to make a mortgage payment outside his bank using an early model Automated Teller Machine (ATM). On a whim he scribbles a message on the input card and soon receives a communication from the computer. The man and the ATM develop a ‘relationship’ which solves his financial worries, gives him important information about the bank, and leads to executive employment – with the bank. But, as can happen, it is difficult to maintain a relationship indefinitely. The story was published in 1983 and also broadcast as a radio story. Although the story is set in the ‘historical’ context of an earlier generation of bank computing, the plot is still plausible as it involves the moral values of Big Banking as they were to be revealed over the decades.

Gripping original stories of dystopian worlds from nine New York Times bestselling authors, edited by Melissa Marr and Kelley Armstrong. The world is gone, destroyed by human, ecological, or supernatural causes. Survivors dodge chemical warfare and cruel gods; they travel the reaches of space and inhabit underground caverns. Their enemies are disease, corrupt corporations, and one another; their resources are few, and their courage is tested. Powerful original dystopian tales from nine bestselling authors offer bleak insight, prophetic visions, and precious glimmers of light among the shards and ashes of a ruined world.

In the highly anticipated continuation of the Land of Stories series, Conner learns that the only place to fight the Masked Man's literary army is inside his own short stories! When the twins and their friends enter worlds crafted from Conner's imagination, finding allies no one else could have ever dreamed of, the race begins to put an end to the Masked Man's reign of terror. Can the twins finally restore peace in the fairy tale world?

A vacation in Greece sounds like the perfect way for Kate Winters to spend her first sabbatical away from the Underworld...until she gets caught up in an immortal feud going back millennia. Castor and Pollux have been on the run from Zeus and Hades' wrath for centuries, hiding from the gods who hunt them. The last person they trust is Kate, the new Queen of the Underworld. Nevertheless, she is determined to help their cause. But when it comes to dealing with immortals, Kate still has a lot to learn....

From the author of The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender comes a haunting maelstrom of magic and murder in the lush, moody Pacific Northwest. When Rona Blackburn landed on Anathema Island more than a century ago, her otherworldly skills might have benefited friendlier neighbors. Guilt and fear instead led the island’s original eight settlers to burn “the witch” out of her home. So Rona cursed them. Fast-forward one hundred–some years: All Nor Blackburn wants is to live an unremarkable teenage life. She has reason to hope: First, her supernatural powers, if they can be called that, are unexceptional. Second, her love life is nonexistent, which means she might escape the other perverse side effect of the matriarch’s backfiring curse, too. But then a mysterious book comes out, promising to cast any spell for the right price. Nor senses a storm coming and is pretty sure she’ll be smack in the eye of it. In her second novel, Leslye Walton spins a dark, mesmerizing tale of a girl stumbling along the path toward self-acceptance and first love, even as the Price Guide’s malevolent author — Nor’s own mother — looms and threatens to strangle any hope for happiness.

Rick emerged victorious from The Realm twice. Is his luck about to run out? After multiple trips in and out of The Realm, Rick is becoming a part of it—a direct connection point has formed in his brain. He’s now slipping back and forth in his dreams and has become linked to The Realm and its creator in ways no one anticipated. That link is an asset in terms of what Kurodar is planning . . . but it’s absolutely detrimental to Rick personally. If he doesn’t destroy Kurodar and The Realm quickly, he’ll be completely absorbed by them. But destroying The Realm will mean destroying Mariel, and Rick is still torn by his love for her and his love for Molly. How can he lose either of them? Meanwhile, there’s still a traitor in their midst. So even if Rick figures out what he needs to do, actually doing it will be exponentially more difficult.

With power comes enemies. Lots of them. Hunter Garrity just wants to be left alone. He’s learned the hard way that his unusual abilities come at a price. And he can’t seem to afford any allies. He’s up to his neck in hostiles. His grandfather, spoiling for a fight. The Merrick brothers, who think he ratted them out. Calla, the scheming psycho who wants to use him as bait. Then there’s Kate Sullivan, the new girl at school. She’s not hostile. She’s bold. Funny. Hot. But she’s got an agenda, too. With supposedly secret powers rippling to the surface everywhere around him, Hunter knows something ugly is about to go down. But finding out what means he’ll have to find someone he can trust…

Sixteen-year-old Rose arrives at sleepy, remote Millwood expecting to spend a quiet summer with her aunt and uncle on their estate. But after a series of dark and disturbing dreams, and the surprise arrival of charming brothers Oscar and Caicus Valero, her world is thrown upside-down. What are the brothers hiding? And what is it about Oscar that is so familiar? Before the summer is out, Rose will be forced to confront her destiny, even if it means facing the demon of her dreams.

Life is boring when you live in the real world, instead of starring in your own book series. Owen knows that better than anyone, what with the real world’s homework and chores. But everything changes the day Owen sees the impossible happen—his classmate Bethany climb out of a book in the library. It turns out Bethany’s half-fictional and has been searching every book she can find for her missing father, a fictional character. Bethany can’t let anyone else learn her secret, so Owen makes her a deal: All she has to do is take him into a book in Owen’s favorite Kiel Gnomenfoot series, and he’ll never say a word. Besides, visiting the book might help Bethany find her father… …Or it might just destroy the Kiel Gnomenfoot series, reveal Bethany’s secret to the entire world, and force Owen to live out Kiel Gnomenfoot’s final (very final) adventure.