Evil won't be swindled.In the frozen lands beyond the edge of civilization, charlatan Marten the Magnificent swindles villagers of their valuables in exchange for superstitious charms. But when faced with a true monster, Marten is forced to rely on his own useless trinkets, or risk losing his life. A dark fantasy short story.It's hard to attain Nirvana - especially when you are accused of being a cross-dressing Muslim terrorist. Mr. Jain strictly adheres to the principles of non-violence and vegetarianism. However, due to an an unfortunate turn of circumstances, he develops a taste for meat. He wants to buy meat at a neighborhood restaurant, but fears public condemnation. To avoid detection by fellow Jains, he conceals himself in a burka. In the process, he gets mistaken for a cross-dressing Muslim terrorist who is out to corrupt the moral fabric of American society. Will Mr, Jain escape the clutches of the law and find salvation? It is a far more difficult prospect than he can ever imagine.

In this first part of a series of magical tales about the Fair Folk, the Faerie King of Tír na nÓg is caught in a battle between his two warring daughters, Titania and Ophira. As one strives to bring down her father, the other is plotting her revenge against her scheming sister. The king now has a fateful decision to make because he can’t save them both.“Goodmans Hotel”, a full length novel, is a gay love story set in 1990s London. Mark, a City high-flyer, is irresistibly attracted to Tom, a manual worker from a tough neighbourhood. Both men have been marked by past ordeals.Conflict between powerful cabals in the City firm causes Mark to leave, with a generous pay off. Tom’s boss, Andrew, a determinedly independent small businessman, convinces him he should put all his resources into setting up a gay guest house, the ‘Goodmans Hotel’ of the title. There he hopes for release from the heartlessly competitive norms of his old working life.He takes in an eighteen year old runaway, Darren, who is escaping from his parents’ religious bigotry. Mark comes to think of Tom, Darren and Andrew as his ‘family’. A crisis forces Mark and Tom apart, until eventually the family are reconciled and reunited in the final chapter, their understanding of life deepened by the challenges they have faced.

Meant to be read AFTER Book 5.Moused Thurman was sure there had to be better ways to spend Christmas Eve than being held hostage in an elevator by a sexy, sassy, vampire-assassin.But for the life of him, he couldn't think of one.Meant to be read AFTER Book 5.Moused Thurman was sure there had to be better ways to spend Christmas Eve than being held hostage in an elevator by a sexy, sassy, vampire-assassin.But for the life of him, he couldn't think of one.This is a FREE short story that takes place in the world of the Pierced Series. 10K words long. This story first appeared in the Xmas anthology A VERY PARANORMAL HOLIDAY.

When young Evangeline runs away from her marriage to a carpenter to avenge her estranged father's death, she gets more than she bargained for in the shape of a murder mystery, a big handsome brother and a green-jeweled sword. When she finally unravels the truth, it will turn out to be stranger, funnier and more wonderful than she ever expected.When young Evangeline runs away from her marriage to a carpenter to avenge her estranged father's death, she gets more than she bargained for in the shape of a murder mystery, a big handsome brother and a green-jeweled sword. When she finally unravels the truth, it will turn out to be stranger, funnier and more wonderful than she ever expected.The "Sword Trick" is a twist on the old Grimm fairy tale "The Three Brother's" except it about a female protagonist, her sword and her adventure. It is a funny, fantasy, comedy romance at its best.

Sixteen-year-old Maya is just an ordinary teen in an ordinary town. Sure, she doesn't know much about her background - the only thing she really has to cling to is an odd paw-print birthmark on her hip - but she never really put much thought into who her parents were or how she ended up with her adopted parents in this tiny medical-research community on Vancouver Island. *Until now*. Strange things have been happening in this claustrophobic town - from the mountain lions that have been approaching Maya to her best friend's hidden talent for "feeling" out people and situations, to the sexy new bad boy who makes Maya feel...*different*. Combine that with a few unexplained deaths and a mystery involving Maya's biological parents and it's easy to suspect that this town might have more than its share of skeletons in its closet.

TRUST NO ONE Olivia Jones is desperate for the truth. The daughter of convicted serial killers, she has begun to suspect that her parents are innocent of their crimes. But who can she trust, in a world where betrayal and deception hide in every shadow? RISK EVERYTHING Liv does have one secret weapon: a mysterious sixth sense that helps her to anticipate danger. The trouble is, this rare power comes with its own risks. There are dark forces that want to exploit Liv's talents - and will stop at nothing to win her to their side. FACE THE TRUTH Now Liv must decide, before it's too late. Who does she love? Who is *really* on her side? And can she save herself without burning down everything that matters most?

En El Incidente Jesús, Frank Herbert y Bill Ransom describieron el intento de los humanos por colonizar un planeta hostil, Pandora, cuyos océanos estaban habitados en su tiempo por un ser inmenso e inteligente, el varec Avata. Abandonados por la máquina inteligente de la Nave que los llevó hasta Pandora, diezmados por los efectos de una mutación genética inducida deliberadamente, los colonos humanos tuvieron que enfrentarse a una tremenda lucha para sobrevivir, acabando por destruir el planeta ... y descubrir, a sus propias expensas, que el varec regulaba la turbulencia de los océanos. Ahora, las olas han erosionado los continentes hasta el punto de convertir Pandora en una mar inmenso, único y turbulento. Han transcurrido varios siglos y los supervivientes han evolucionado, formando dos facciones separadas, que constituyen casi dos razas distintas: los sirenios, muy avanzados tecnológicamente, que viven en las profundidades marinas harto sofisticadas; y los isleños, casi todos mutados hasta cierto punto, que viven en enormes balsas-ciudades orgánicas, que flotan en los océanos de Pandora, y cuya forma de vida depende de la ingeniería biológica. Los dos grupos coexisten con grandes dificultades, aunque al iniciarse la novela reina la paz, si bien amenazada por varios factores. Los sirenios tratan de recuperar, orbitando el planeta, los tanques de hibernación abandonados por la Nave, que contienen una gran variedad de vida animal no mutada, así como humanos en animación suspendida, con los que intentan restablecer la vida en las tierras secas de Pandora. Un grupo de sirenios desea, asimismo, disponer de los isleños, a los que consideran algo menos que humanos. Y como resultado de otro proyecto sirenio, el varec, destruido siglos atrás, comienza a revivir. Frank Herbert es un brillante ecologista y futurista, además del autor de una serie de best-sellers entre los que se cuenta la saga de Dune, uno de los libros más vendidos de toda la historia de la ciencia ficción. Bill Ransom, por su parte, es un poeta nominado para el premio Pulitzer. Ambos unieron sus esfuerzos para crear, a partir de la obra de Herbert Destino: el vacío, una trilogía aclamada en todo el mundo, que reúne los temas de la inteligencia artificial y el ordenador convertido en dios, la conquista de un mundo extraño y peligroso, y la evolución de la humanidad a través de sus propias manipulaciones genéticas. El Incidente Jesús, El Efecto Lázaro y El factor ascensión, que han sido calificados como la más emocionante aventura después de Dune, son tres libros que no pueden faltar en ninguna biblioteca.

Librarian note: an alternate cover for this edition can be found here. A novel inspired by the short story collection, One Night with the Fae. Soul is the first in a brand new series by Claire Farrell. Cara Kelly’s life is going nowhere when she’s lured to a faery festival. There she sees darkness and magic, madness and lust, and she comes out the other side with new eyes and an addiction to the fae. When the faery who saved her life returns to her, Cara knows there’s something wrong. Two souls exist in one body, and both need her, but to help one, she’ll end the life of the other. At first, her mind is made up, but both souls know how to charm her. As the days pass, it becomes clear that the faeries need a leader, and Cara finds herself sucked into a world where morals don’t exist. The truth of her past is hidden in the magic, but all Cara needs to do is survive the king’s coronation, then the fae will let her go forever. But that’s not what she wants anymore, and it’s getting harder and harder to tell the difference between a king and a half-blooded solitary fae. Cara’s losing her way, and her heart, to the fae, but there’s still her life, and her humanity, left to lose.

On the unforgiving Arctic Ice . . . United once again, Toklo, Lusa, Kallik, and Ujurak continue across the ice. Conditions are harsh and especially treacherous for the black bear and grizzly bears who are not used to the brutal cold, never-ending snow, and limited food. But the bears are certain now that they're on the right course, and with the stars still guiding them, they push forward. When they reach land at last, the group is overjoyed, but something is not right. The bears who live here are ill. What's wrong with them? What can the foursome do to help? Is aiding these strangers the ultimate goal of their quest? Ujurak just might hold the key to their mission in his paws, yet it's Lusa the new bears are especially interested in. Three young cubs, each from different backgrounds, and their mysterious shape-shifting companion have grown up together in their long and dangerous journey to save the wild. Now, when their task appears more difficult than ever, the bears must make a critical decision . . . and for one bear the path ends here.

The complete Patternist series: Butler’s acclaimed vision of a world transformed by a secret race of telepaths and the violence, intolerance, and plague that follow their rise to power. In the late seventeenth century, two immortals meet in an African forest. Anyanwu is a healer, a three-hundred-year-old woman who uses her wisdom to help those around her. The other is Doro, a malevolent despot who has mastered the power of stealing the bodies of others when his wears out. Together they will change the world. Over the next three centuries, Doro mounts a colossal selective breeding project, attempting to create a master race of telepaths. He succeeds beyond his wildest dreams, splitting the human race down the middle and establishing a new world order dominated by the most manipulative minds on Earth. In these four novels, Butler tells the story that began her legendary career: a mythic tale of the transformation of civilization. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Octavia E. Butler including rare images from the author’s estate.

Series: More Than Human, Book 1 Ella is the last of a dying breed of humans that live hidden deep in the forests of Washington State. All of her life, she has heard horror stories about the Others, the beasts that live beyond the safety of the mountains. In ancient times, humans and the Others lived together in peace, but a great battle divided them and the shape-shifting species won the war. Ty Bearclaw, a grizzly-shifter, is the curator at the Washington State Animal Sanctuary, Research, and Observation Center (WSASROC). A call from a rancher about an unusual animal causing havoc along the borders of the National Forest brings him to the Olympic Mountain National Park. Ty is furious when he discovers that the rancher has placed a trap to capture the creature on government-protected property. His shock soon turns to horror and confusion when he locates the wounded ‘animal.’ Ty finds more than he expects when a human, thought to be extinct, turns up in the trap. What is even more confusing is his bear’s reaction to the female. When word escapes about his discovery, Ty must fight to protect the unusual woman who is more than an oddity – she is his mate! Can Ty keep Ella alive and safe from a shifter obsessed with adding her to his private collection? Not only that, can he protect her when his own government threatens to take her away from him?

Third installment of the Shapes of Autumn series. When a tragic death triggers Autumn and Zack’s worst fear—pursuit by dangerous werewolves—they escape to a safe house. But within the walls of the refuge, an even greater menace looms. Now under the reluctant protection of a vampire king, Autumn and Zack are targeted by a palace full of vamps out for revenge against vampire-killing werewolves. After the vampire king discovers a rebel plot to overthrow him, Zack and Autumn are forced to remain in the palace as bait to draw out the enemy. But can the king shield them from so many who want them dead? They have only days to root out the traitors before Autumn’s parents arrive to claim her—not to mention it’s illegal to mix species—which gives them little hope of a future together. But with werewolves hunting them and vampire rebels out for their blood, Zack and Autumn need each other more than ever. Each secretly dreams of finding a way to be together—if they can stay alive.

Attending the King's Military Academy had been Inda's greatest dream. But Academy reality is far from what he'd imagined-for by defending the second son of the king, Inda becomes embroiled in a vicious political struggle among the nobility that he has no hope of winning. But these petty squabbles are only a faint shadow of what is to come. His future holds betrayals he cannot even imagine, and before growing to manhood, his fate will sever him from all he holds dear, thrusting him away from friends, family, and the life he thought he'd been meant to live, onto the perilous decks of pirate ships and beyond...

Emily Windsnap is finally enjoying a swimmingly peaceful life on Allpoints Island, hanging out with her mermaid BFF, Shona, and her new friend Aaron (half-merperson like herself ). But their idyll is cut short when Emily learns that the Windsnaps and friends must return to their old home in Brightport, where construction projects are threatening a secret mermaid community under the sea. Neptune’s mandate? No less than an interspecies intervention to bring merpeople and humans together, a task the imperious god feels the mixed Windsnap family is well suited for. There are just a few snags for Emily, however, like dealing with old nemeses Mandy and Mr. Beeston, figuring out her feelings toward Aaron, and untangling a high-suspense mystery related to a group of legendary lost sirens. Everyone’s favorite half-mermaid is back with a splash in a sparkling new adventure her fans will be eager to get their fins on.

Long ago the gods chose a great hero to act as their agent in the mortal world and to stand against the demonic spawn of Chaos. The gods gifted their champion, Daemron, with three magical Talismans: a sword, a ring, and a crown. But the awesome power at his command corrupted Daemron, turning him from savior to destroyer. Filled with pride, he dared to challenge the gods themselves. Siding with the Chaos spawn, Daemron waged a titanic battle against the Immortals. In the end, Daemron was defeated, the Talismans were lost, and Chaos was sealed off behind the Legacy—a magical barrier the gods sacrificed themselves to create. Now the Legacy is fading. On the other side, the banished Daemron stirs. And across the scattered corners of the land, four children are born of suffering and strife, each touched by one aspect of Daemron himself—wizard, warrior, prophet, king. Bound by a connection deeper than blood, the Children of Fire will either restore the Legacy or bring it crashing down, freeing Daemron to wreak his vengeance upon the mortal world.