Sacrificed to dark spirits known as the Enorahts and transformed into an eternal being of brilliant white light, a young peasant girl named Violet is cursed to search the world as a kelesnae until she finds the one who will help her regain her human form. Four hundred years pass before she finds Nate, a sullen boy who unwittingly becomes the key to Violet’s rebirth.Sentenced to death for stealing by the malicious pastor of her village, sixteen-year-old Violet is strung up in the woods to await her punishment: to be consumed by the evil horde of dark spectres known as the Enorahts. Violet then becomes another entity entirely, an immortal being known as a kelesnae, now cursed to roam the earth in search of someone kind who can bring her back to the physical world.Violet manages to find Nate, a sullen boy with a newly broken heart, and she becomes part of his life after he unwittingly helps her regain her human form. At the same time, Nate struggles with his growing attraction to her and with the world’s reaction to Violet’s presence, which eventually turns on a dime thanks to her curse. This leaves Nate with the harrowing task of protecting Violet, consequently leaving him open to attack from the dark forces that first killed her.

Foxen are foxlike humanoids living in harmony with nature. Maoh finds his peaceful life turned upside down when his ancestral spirits choose him for a special destiny. After unusually savage animals invade Maoh’s small farming town, he finds himself caught up in a journey of mystery, ancient spirits, and epic adventure.In the Queendom of Yclau lies an underground royal prison that embraces the worst of the past and the best of the future. The Eternal Dungeon is old-fashioned in its equipment and ahead of its time in its treatment of prisoners, seeking to put their best welfare above all else. Torture is part of the process of assisting the prisoners.The High Seeker, Layle Smith, embodies this contradictory institution: a man of deadly impulses, the head torturer binds himself strictly by the dungeon's code of conduct. His efforts to maintain this delicate balance are altered, though, by the introduction into his life of Elsdon Taylor, a vulnerable prisoner who is coming to terms with his own darkness.A winner of the 2011 Rainbow Awards, this 2016 edition of the omnibus on love and adventure is 460,000 words long, containing the first four volumes in the Eternal Dungeon series, as well as the prequel novella "The Unanswered Question."The Eternal Dungeon is a speculative fiction series set in a nineteenth-century prison where the psychologists wield whips. The series is part of Turn-of-the-Century Toughs, a cycle of alternate history series (Young Toughs, Waterman, Life Prison, Commando, Michael's House, The Eternal Dungeon, and Dark Light) about adults and youths on the margins of society, and the people who love them. Set in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the novels and stories take place in an alternative version of America that was settled by inhabitants of the Old World in ancient times. As a result, the New World retains certain classical and medieval customs.Review"It takes really hard subject matter, and a character that in most books would be the major villain, and makes you love every single word. . . . If you want oh my god world building, read this." —LGBT Fantasy Fans and Writers.Excerpt"If you should grow bored, you might want to peruse this. You'll need to know the contents."Elsdon took the book from him and looked down at the title stamped in gold upon the cover. "Yes," he said slowly, "I'm eager to read this anyway. Mr. Sobel made your Code sound interesting. I'll do my best to finish this before I have to leave here." He looked up as he stopped speaking, and his voice caught.Standing beside him was a man with a face. His eyes were the color of summer leaves, and his coloring was a pale yellow-brown. He looked to be fairly young, in his thirties. He had high cheekbones that gave him a somewhat foreign appearance, but otherwise he had quite an ordinary look to him. Elsdon might have passed him on the street without taking notice.His expression held a stiff formality that reminded Elsdon of a voice that had become familiar to him.Suddenly the stiffness in the mouth relaxed into what might have been the beginning of a smile, if it had not been so faint. "We do have faces, Mr. Taylor," the High Seeker said. "I know that children are commonly put to bed with scare-tales about faceless Seekers.""I'm sorry." Elsdon swallowed. "I didn't mean to stare. I just didn't realize that Seekers were allowed to raise their hoods around prisoners.""We're not allowed to lift our face-cloths when we're in public," Mr. Smith replied. "It's part of our uniform, which we must wear at all times; it helps to keep our relations with the other dungeon inhabitants on a professional level. However, when we're in private with friends or neighbors, we are permitted to show our faces."Elsdon couldn't speak for a minute; he stared down at his shoes. Finally he looked up and said diffidently, "I'm glad you think of me in that way, as a neighbor. I – I'm starting to think of the Eternal Dungeon like that. As a place to live, not just a place to be imprisoned."The High Seeker made no reply. . . .

In A RULE OF QUEENS, Gwendolyn leads the remains of her nation in exile, as they sail into the hostile harbors of the Empire. Taken in by Sandara s people, they try to recover in hiding, to build a new home in the shadows of Volusia. Thor, determined to rescue Guwayne, continues with his Legion brothers on his quest far across the sea, to the massive caves that herald the Land of the Spirits, encountering unthinkable monsters and exotic landscapes. In the Southern Isles, Alistair sacrifices herself for Erec and yet an unexpected twist might just save them both. Darius risks it all to save the love of his life, Loti, even if he must face the Empire alone. But his conflict with the Empire, he will find, is just beginning. And Volusia continues her rise, after her assassination of Romulus, to consolidate her hold on the Empire and become the ruthless queen she was meant to be. Will Gwen and her people survive? Will Guwayne be found? Will Alistair and Erec live? Will Darius rescue Loti? Will Thorgrin and his brothers survive?

TATUM is the only person at school who knew the truth about the affair her best friend, Claudette, has been having with Mr. Paracini, their married teacher. And at the time, confiding in an adult seemed like the right thing to do. But now, everyone in town has turned against Tatum, painting her as a liar and a rat. As the bullying from her classmates escalates, it seems that nowhere is safe for her anymore. MOLLY, a hitchhiker, was brutally murdered in the early 1970s, but there is no afterlife for her. Instead, she has found herself marooned with a crowd of other people who have also died tragically. Molly is able to fade back to earth for a few fleeting moments, and when she fades, she finds herself hitchhiking once again, and telling the unsuspecting drivers, things about their future that only she can see. One foggy night, Tatum sneaks out for a drive. The teenage hitchhiker she picks up doesn’t talk much, until she suddenly turns to Tatum and says: “You’re going to die. It will hurt and you’ll be alone. And no one will help you.” And then she disappears. As the two girls’ stories converge, Tatum and Molly will discover that they must first figure out how to help the other in order to save themselves.

"You are wondering," said the Professor, "why I have sent for you." His voice was very low and Little Tom had to put his ear close to the evil-smelling lips. "In your mind," said the Professor, "yo are turning over the reasons for this. I must put you at ease, for I have always respected you." Little Tom was startled. "Yes," said the Professor, "I have seen much to admire in you. On the lot about me, men are afraid. They spread away from me when I approach. But you...you were brave, Tom Little. You did not cower away. You had steel enough in you not only to meet me and speak to me, but you alos had courage enough to risk my wrath - a thing which all other men feared."

In the spell-powered city of Tarreton, the wealthy have all the magic they desire while the working class can barely afford a simple spell to heat their homes. Twelve-year-old Isaveth is poor, but she’s also brave, loyal, and zealous in the pursuit of justice—which is lucky, because her father has just been wrongfully arrested for murder. Isaveth is determined to prove her innocence. Quiz, the eccentric eyepatch-wearing street boy who befriends her, swears he can’t resist a good mystery. Together they set out to solve the magical murder of one of Tarreton’s most influential citizens and save Isaveth’s beloved Papa from execution. But each clue is more perplexing than the next. Was the victim truly killed by Common Magic—the kind of crude, cheap spell that only an unschooled magician would use—or was his death merely arranged to appear that way? And is Quiz truly helping her out of friendship, or does he have hidden motives of his own? Isaveth must figure out who she can trust if she’s to have any hope of proving her Papa’s innocence in time. . .

The newest opus from the Master of Far Fetched Fiction features magic, mayhem, mechanical marvels, messianic madness, and the music hall  Colonel Katterfelto has returned to London, having departed America under something of a cloud—of smoke, issuing from his Spiritual Laboratory, which the townsfolk of Wormcast, Arizona, marched upon with their flaming torches. This catastrophic conflagration caused considerable concern to the pious colonel, who had been engaged in the creation of "Heaven's last and best gift to Mankind," The Mechanical Messiah—he was, after all, being guided in this Great Work by holy angels, communicating to him through his monkey butler, Darwin. It is 1897, the British Empire encompasses Mars, and an uneasy peace exists between the peoples of Venus, Jupiter, and Earth. In London the marvels of the modern age to be experienced include The Electric Alhambra Music Hall, where crowds thrill to The Earl Grey Whistle Test—a musical extravaganza featuring such top turns as Hayward's Acrobatic Kiwis, The Travelling Formbys, and the newly-arrived Colonel Katterfelto's Clockwork Minstrels. But all is far from well in old Whitechapel, where a monster is once more abroad in the night-time streets, committing hideous acts of murder. Can this be the return of Jack the Ripper, or has something altogether unearthly and Hellishly evil materialized? Famed consulting detective Cameron Bell is already on the case, but it may take nothing less than the New Messiah Himself to save London, The Empire, and all of the solar system from the impending apocalypse!

Wren Harper lives on an overcrowded Earth on the brink of apocalypse. Her life is turned upside down when she is picked to be a cadet on board a vast combat training ship heading to a distant planet. She's not a fighter, so why has she been chosen? Will she survive the journey or will the training kill her first? This is a debut novella-length episode in a series full of cliffhanger endings.Wren Harper lives on an overcrowded Earth on the brink of apocalypse. There are just too many people. The answer lies 600 light-years away on Kepler; a planet more than double the size of Earth. For decades humans have been fighting another race for its control. Earth’s armies are depleted. So now 15-year-old cadets are sent to fight, trained along the way in vast combat ships. But why has Wren been chosen? She's small and geeky and not a fighter. Will she survive Kepler? Or will the training kill her first? This is a debut novella-length episode in a series full of cliffhanger endings.

An ancient magic has been rediscovered. Sam must overcome his lack of faith and accept his destiny, or the world he knows will suffer the consequences.A skeptic. A zealot. Bound together by an ancient secret. Can either of them escape the Chains of Prophecy?Samuel Buckland is a young man who has it all and is planning for the future. Gregory Caitlin is a businessman and politician. He has designs to bring hope back to a world in need...and he'll be damned if anyone gets in his way! When the two cross paths, even the angels tremble. An ancient magic has been rediscovered. Sam must overcome his lack of faith and accept his destiny, or the world he knows will suffer the consequences. . A skeptic who must harness the powers of demons and genies. A zealot who has begun to walk a darker path. Bound together by a stolen secret. Can any of them escape the Chains of Prophecy?

A dark fairytale fantasy full of the magic of earth and shadow and blood. Seek not these treacherous schemes and faerie creatures, witches, wolves and ancient hungry beasts. For in the green and wooded wilds, a person must take caution when dealing with old dark things.A lord lies dying. Suspicions of murder, curse and poison hang over his last days. One of his heirs weaves plots against the other. A hunched old dwarfish witching-man plies his trade in the hills. Weird and eerie things stir in the gloomy forests for the first time in an age. And into this small, secluded realm, where it seems everyone has a secret, comes a witch-hunter. His name is Kveldulf, and he will bring with him some shadows and secrets of his own.Old Dark Things is a dark, folkloric fantasy set in the same world as The Winter King. It is a stand-alone novel.

A humorous Post-Modern fantasy short story that pokes fun at the common tropes of this genre. Journey with Professor Carter Linwood as he attempts to rescue Princesss Miralee from the horrible looking Gurs - lizard creatures who live in the sewer. You'll never use the toilet in the same way!A humorous Post-Modern fantasy short story that pokes fun at the common tropes of this genre. Journey with Professor Carter Linwood as he thinks about rescuing Princesss Miralee from the horrible looking Gurs - lizard creatures who live in the sewer. With Jed Jarlton at his side, Professor Carter Linwood will battle the vile Ords - savage creatures with a penchant for nastiness and no desire to bathe. Will this short story be the beginning of Professor Linwood's nefarious battle against Evil? You decide!You'll never use the toilet in the same way!

George and Martha were married; they had been married three years to the very day, when George finally admitted that he had had enough... Yet another free eBook from The Crazymad Writer. He is mad, I tell you, stark, raving MAD.Don’t get me wrong, George loved his wife, he loved her dearly, in fact he adored the ground she walked on. However, there was a problem; Martha, George’s beloved wife, SNORED. For three long years George struggled to overcome his weakness, the fact that he was an incredibly light sleeper. Every night, after the happy couple had retired and kissed the other goodnight, George lay in bed awake, waiting, listening, fearing, wondering when the nightly performance would begin. Sometimes it started straight away, the very moment his wife’s sweet head touched her pillow. Other times it began much later, well into the wee small hours, after George, having tired of waiting for it to begin, had drifted off to sleep. However, the one thing that each night had in common was the undeniable fact that his wife – Martha – snored with as much force and ferocity as a Storm Trooper invading Poland.

Meet Oli; often bemused, always charming, Oli has had the legacy of a great civilisation bestowed upon him. Now Oli and his group of friends must combat their own ineptitude and propensity towards larking about, to save the earth from certain destruction.Oli soon discovers that an invincibility ring and the most powerful ship in the galaxy, can really boost a guy’s confidence.During a trip to the pyramids, Oli, a party-loving sixteen-year-old drummer from London, mysteriously disappears into the heart of the Great Pyramid of Khufu. He finds himself inside a space ship, deposited there 12,000 years ago by a now-extinct race of beings called the Annenians. The ship was intended to be their legacy, handed down to the human race when they had achieved a suitable level of understanding concerning the universe and life in general. The ship’s artificially intelligent computer, Robbie, was getting a little bored of waiting. Oli travels to Annenia, where he meets a civilisation of highly evolved parrots. He must gather equipment to stop an asteroid, set to collide with Earth if the humans haven’t come up to scratch. The asteroid presents no problem but unfortunately, Oli is followed back to Earth by the war-mongering, but slightly oafish Throgloids, who are hell-bent on capturing the ship and destroying Earth. Oli discovers that an invincibility ring and the most powerful ship in the galaxy can really boost a guy’s confidence. He meets his friends in London for a night of partying, leaving the little ship parked in the river Thames. But the tide goes out and the ship is captured by the hapless UFO hunter, Doctor Branith. Oli and his friends must battle their own ineptitude and propensity towards larking about, to retrieve the ship from the unfortunate doctor, defeat the Throgloids and still find sufficient time to indulge in their favourite pastime; namely partying.

Passage, n. i. A brief section of music composed of a series of notes and flourishes. ii. A journey by water; a voyage. iii. The transition from one place to another, across space and time. In one devastating night, violin prodigy Etta Spencer loses everything she knows and loves. Thrust into an unfamiliar world by a stranger with a dangerous agenda, Etta is certain of only one thing: she has traveled not just miles but years from home. And she’s inherited a legacy she knows nothing about from a family whose existence she’s never heard of. Until now. Nicholas Carter is content with his life at sea, free from the Ironwoods—a powerful family in the colonies—and the servitude he’s known at their hands. But with the arrival of an unusual passenger on his ship comes the insistent pull of the past that he can’t escape and the family that won’t let him go so easily. Now the Ironwoods are searching for a stolen object of untold value, one they believe only Etta, Nicholas’ passenger, can find. In order to protect her, he must ensure she brings it back to them—whether she wants to or not. Together, Etta and Nicholas embark on a perilous journey across centuries and continents, piecing together clues left behind by the traveler who will do anything to keep the object out of the Ironwoods’ grasp. But as they get closer to the truth of their search, and the deadly game the Ironwoods are playing, treacherous forces threaten to separate Etta not only from Nicholas but from her path home... forever. Alternate cover for this ISBN can be found /show/28525008-passenger">here

Gargoyles do not admire difference--and Levet is undeniably different. Of miniscule stature, rather beastly looks, and with fragile, delicate wings, even his family has shunned him, banished him from his beloved Paris. That he is the only gargoyle ever to help defeat the Dark Lord and his hordes of minions makes no impression. But now Levet has come home, determined to be restored to the official Gargoyle Guild. To do so, he must confront the most feared gargoyle in all of Europe. The one who tried to kill him as a child: his own mother. . . With few allies, Levet's survival may depend on the aid of two strangers: Valla, a beautiful but damaged nymph, and Elijah, the fiercely possessive, love-struck vampire clan chief to whom she can't quite surrender--unless Levet has something to do with it. . .