The city of Canluum lies close to the scarred and desolate wastes of the Blight, a walled haven from the dangers away to the north, and a refuge from the ill works of those who serve the Dark One. Or so it is said. The city that greets Al’Lan Mandragoran, exiled king of Malkier and the finest swordsman of his generation, is instead one that is rife with rumour and the whisperings of Shadowspawn. Proof, should he have required it, that the Dark One grows powerful once more and that his minions are at work throughout the lands. And yet it is within Canluum’s walls that Lan will meet a woman who will shape his destiny. Moiraine is a young and powerful Aes Sedai who has journeyed to the city in search of a bondsman. She requires aid in a desperate quest to prove the truth of a vague and largely discredited prophecy—one that speaks of a means to turn back the shadow, and of a child who may be the dragon reborn.

Features the Nebula Award-winning novella "Lost Girls." In these modern myths and tales for the young and the young at heart, Jane Yolen transforms the impossible into the familiar and real. Among the outlandish wonders are an Alice grown tough in Wonderland, a dear--but dead--mother's homecoming, a bridge that longs for a goat-eating troll, and a mutiny among Peter Pan's troops.

Entry #3 in the popular Hell's Gate series by 28 times New York Times best-selling author David Weber and Joelle Presby. The war between magically-gifted Arcana and psionically talented Sharona continues to rage. The dragon-borne Arcanan assault across five universes has been halted at Fort Salby by a desperate defense, but at atrocious cost. One of those costs was the life of Crown Prince Janaki, heir to the newly created Sharonian Empire, who went knowingly to his death in the tradition expected of the House of Calirath. And another price will be the sacrifice of his younger sister, Grand Imperial Princess Andrin, now heir of Sharona, for the accords creating the Sharonian Empire require the marriage of the heir to the Crown to wed a Uromathian prince.  Andrin bears her family's Talent, the Glimpses, which show flashes of events yet to come. She knows the accords must be secured . . . and like her brother, she will pay any price, make any sacrifice for her duty to her people.  Sharona's soldiers dig in, facing the Arcanans in a tense standoff which cannot last long. Both sides continue rushing reinforcements towards the front, but how do armies fight wars when they can reach one another only through the portals which join the universes? And far, far behind the front, carried by dragons, a young Voice name Shaylar and her husband Jathmar hurtle deeper and deeper into Arcanan captivity, their only protection the fierce personal honor of the Andaran officer whose men massacred all of their companions in the horrendous misunderstanding which began the entire conflict. Men and women of honor on both sides must grapple with the terrible costs and deadly secrets of the spreading cataclysm, and in the shadows, those who will balk at neither treason nor murder drive the conspiracies which pour fuel into the furnace. The stakes are high and the pieces are in motion, but there are factors known not even to the conspirators and not even a Calirath can Glimpse the final outcome. The Hell's Gate Series: The Road to Hell Hell Hath No Fury Hell's Gate About the Hell's Gate series: "Magic and high tech collide in this exciting military SF novel from bestseller Weber . . . The authors treat both societies sympathetically and realistically, with human vices and virtues evenly distributed."–*Publishers Weekly * About the Honor Harrington series: “Weber combines realistic, engaging characters with intelligent technological projection and a deep understanding of military bureaucracy in this long-awaited Honor Harrington novel…Fans of this venerable space opera will rejoice to see Honor back in action.”–Publishers Weekly “. . .everything you could want in a heroine …. Excellent … plenty of action.”–Science Fiction Age “Brilliant! Brilliant! Brilliant!”–Anne McCaffrey “Compelling combat combined with engaging characters for a great space opera adventure.”–Locus “Weber combines realistic, engaging characters with intelligent technological projection . . . Fans of this venerable space opera will rejoice . . ."–Publishers Weekly

Weather Warden Joanne Baldwin, her husband, the djinn David, and the Earth herself have been poisoned by a substance that destroys the magic that keeps the world alive. The poison is destabilizing the entire balance of power, bestowing magic upon those who have never had it, and removing it from those who need it. It's just a matter of time before the delicate balance of nature explodes into chaos-and doom.

The old house at the end of the haunted street seems emptier with the people missing and the lives lost. Sam thinks he has Hanna all to himself now but The Roses have other plans. Ari and Aimee struggle to cope with the changes they've suffered through, the newest one being Giselle. She is thrust into the role of Vampire Royalty and with it come certain obligations and limitations. None of them really have much time to feel sorry for themselves and the deaths of their loved ones. An ancient bloodline, tracing as far back as Adam and Lillith, is discovered with an heir to the power living closer than they thought. Enter the young and confused Ophelia, who has no idea of the power she has or the role she plays in it all. Time is running out for the Roses. The Devil's Roses Mature Readers Recommended

Contains five short stories. In the title story a loving and contented husband discovers the true nature of his marriage, as though he has walked through a mirror and found that the life held in the glass was not his own at all.

Shadow. A ninja for hire. Soulless.For years those who traveled with him have sought to unravel the mystery of his past. Now history becomes a torture he can no longer shoulder alone. But when he attempts to cast it aside, will his future welcome his return?*(this is a work of fan-fiction; events take place after those of Final Fantasy VI)Have you never wondered who I am?My life has been darkness and secrets. If I don’t confess them, they will surely eat of my soul and feast of my flesh. Look you here at these flames--the maw of the darkest depths of your imagination--and see my soul. Captured by the very fires of the Abyss. Bonded by the very injustices I first wanted to put right. Perhaps even the confession of my corruption won’t save me from where I’m intended to go. Where I should already be.I was a tormentor of innocents as much as Kefka, and yet I’ve received a second and third chance to change my ways. I’ve been a fool to spit in the eye of the Fates and continue my spiral to that dark place. Now I fear it is too late. My past will never take me back.*(this is a work of fan-fiction; events take place after those of Final Fantasy VI)

A collection of short stories and micro fiction. Fantasy. Horror. Comedy. There is a tale for everyone within these pages. Featuring 10 short stories and 10 micros, these quick reads are perfect when you only have a few minutes.The sound of breaking glass wakes Colin and brings him downstairs. But what he finds in his living room is not a burglar. It's just a boy called Joe who is really much too sad to be any kind of danger. Joe is also much too drunk and talkative to be a comfortable companion for Colin. And that's when the boy begins telling the story of what brought him to the Colin's house; describing the events of the days and weeks before and the significance of the heart-shaped locket that he holds in his hands. It is only then that Colin realises just how much he has in common with the painfully lost young man he is talking to.The eighth part of the Diamonds collection of short stories and a sequel of sorts to both ‘The Devil eats Coleslaw’ and ‘The Graveyard’, 'Hello Emptiness' is a story of grief and hope, and how sometimes we can find help from the least likely person in the least likely of circumstances.

Emma doesn't know what's worse; the voices screaming in her head or the shadows hunting her.Monsters haunt her dreams, but humans are her worst nightmare...Just as Emma Kincaid came into some disturbing empathic powers, she lost her mother in a car crash. She is also pretty certain she's being followed, maybe even hunted. But, is it the shadowy creatures that haunt her nightmares or the mysterious guy, shrouded in darkness, who just enrolled at Jefferson High?

One Christmas Eve night, Stephen Swift prepares to end his life. In the process, he not only finds a reason to live but also learns that love is the greatest power of all. A hauntingly-beautiful Christmas short story.Arnold Cheek is a big city P.I. and his world is just like ours… except for one thing. In Arnold’s world, the fungus is a little more aggressive – mushrooms grow through bedrock and cement, and vinegar washes are the only things that keep mold from springing up on human skin. While investigating the disappearance of a girl, Cheek finds himself caught in a web of confusion and deceit, where his own actions and thoughts can’t even be trusted, and the everyday horrors of his life and his world are nothing compared to the horrors he’ll find in the Nursery.A detective/horror short story. Approximately 7,000 words.

One will betray her.Still reeling from the events of Greece, the hunters find themselves targeted by demons and werewolves. As they try to figure out who has marked them for assassination and why, Shanna learns more about who the mysterious figure Diana was, and about the people she is hunting alongside. After the dust settles, they will never be the same again.Gish Heart is in trouble. At 35, her small public relations firm has dwindled to nothing. She has a mortgage, a car, debt and a penchant for independence. Now, she is forced to seek work in the "real world," say what she's "supposed" to say and do what she's "supposed" to do. She is not pleased. What's more, she's pretty sure she's falling for her recruiter, a friend from college and a sympathetic listening ear.

After he found a black orb, Rey found himself in another world called Spheria, a world where their civilization shaped by magical orb called Sphere. Unexpectedly he involved in a mission to investigate a mysterious incident in the West Rim, a land in the west of Ishtar Kingdom. There he found that the old enemy began to rise and bring the old terror with him.It all began when Rey found a black crystal ball inside the old relic. Taken out of the blue by the mysterious power of the crystal, he finds himself in the world called Terra, a world where the civilization shaped by magical orb called Sphere.Two decades have passed after the fall of the Dark Lord and Spheria at the time of peace since then. But now the unknown menace spreads in the Kingdom of Ishtar, on the west a mysterious army called Phantoms swept one village to another, took their peoples and leaved the place into desolation. His unexpected meeting with Scarlett, a royal guardian, has brought him into a mission to investigate this mysterious incident. Along with Aska of the Volk Tribe, a tribe who can transform into wild beast and Eorin, a girl skilled in crafting magic they went into a dangerous journey; hunts by assassins and dragon rider, fought against Gargantua, an abominable giants from nameless realm and battles against the Phantoms.On the journey they found that the old enemy began to rise and the old horror will spread upon the world.

Tuck is a battle assessor, using his mecha to evaluate damage dealt after his army completes a battle. The latest fight was on an unfamiliar planet against a lot of under powered Amazons. What secret does he find buried under all those bodies? Why won't his AI work right? And what in the world is a rainbow?Tuck is a battle assessor, using his mecha to evaluate damage dealt after his army completes a battle. The latest fight was on an unfamiliar planet against a lot of under powered Amazons. What secret does he find buried under all those bodies? Why won't his AI work right? And what in the world is a rainbow? There's only one way to find the answers to these mysteries; you have to dive into the 1st issue of The Miserable Planet by Jacob Lindaman.

Atla's training was far from complete when he was recruited by Pevan to help her rescue her brother. Now he's got to find a safe route through the Second Realm to the Court of the Children of the Wild, and along for the trip is Chag Van Raighan, still the most wanted man in the First Realm.A modern adaptation of Aesop's Fable The Lion and The Mouse. Neil is a typical high school freshman. He follows the rules and hangs out with his friends. Neil also has a bully problem. Dennis is a senior with some anger issues. Dennis likes to make Neil's life hellish. When Dennis gets into some trouble of his own, it's up to Neil to help him out.

But he was born with a heart of black and the face of nightmares, and he absolutely refused to drag Tilula into the scrutiny of the public eye. On the other hand, if it weren’t for his ugliness and his desire to escape the outside world, he wouldn’t have met Tilula in the first place.It was not beauty that saved this beast...Once upon a time, there was a prince such as no prince had ever been before. He lived away from all other mortal men and women, never loved and never loving. Then his story unfolds.This is a beloved fairy tale, told and retold throughout the centuries in so many ways and forms. Read once again the story of how love conquers all, even a black heart.