Lillian has lost Ivan, her eight-year-old son, to mysterious predators from the dark-magical Forest of Bann. Her only chance at recovering him is to venture in after him, armed with only a half-hexed staff, a spell book, and her wits. But when she finds the chronaqua (timewater) - she may be able to save more than just her son...This short story is the first in the Greta Gecko mystery series. It introduces the main character Greta as well as her best friend Norman. The story begins with Greta and Norman deciding to visit Greta's father at Macamya Bay University. Things don't always go smoothly as planned.

David Brown is a lonely 70 year old man driving into the country to fish in a trout stream behind the house he grew up in. A place he hasn’t seen in a half-century or more. But of course, there’s more to it than that. While fishing, he notices something that he should have found when he was a child, and it opens up a whole new range of regrets to David… and magical opportunity.John Mortenson is a highly intelligent but poor student at an Ivy League university. One day, when he returns to his dorm, he sees a note taped up to his door. It's an invitation to a philosophical discussion. Participants will be paid! Being in dire need of funds and a lover of philosophy, he decides to go. This may turn out to be the worst decision he's ever made.(This story was inspired by the true story of Ted Kaczynski, better known as the Unabomber, and the mind control experiments he was subjected to as a young Harvard student.)

When Daryn claimed she was seeing visions during her sophomore year of high school, no one believed the truth. She wasn’t losing her mind; she was gaining the Sight—the ability to see the future. Daryn embraced her role as a Seeker. The work she did was important. She saved lives. Until Sebastian. Sebastian was her first—and worst—mistake. Since the moment she inadvertently sealed him in a dark dimension with Samrael, the last surviving demon of the Kindred, guilt has plagued her. Daryn knows Sebastian is alive and waiting for help. It’s up to her to rescue him. But now that she needs the Sight more than ever to guide her, the visions have stopped. Daryn must rely on instincts, intelligence, and blind faith to lead the riders who are counting on her in search of Sebastian. As they delve into a shadowy realm where nothing is as it seems and where Samrael is steadily amassing power, Daryn faces the ultimate test. Will she have to become evil to destroy evil? The very fate of humankind may rest in the answer.

A sequel to critically acclaimed THE NEDDIAD told from the point of view of Ned's friend, Iggy La Brea Woman is missing. Valentino, too. The ghosts of Los Angeles are disappearing right and left! Iggy Birnbaum is determined to get to the bottom of this mystery, no matter what Neddie Wentworthstein and Seamus Finn say. There’s just the little matter of traveling to another plane of existence, first…and then, of course, not pissing off a witch once she gets there. From L.A. to Old New Hackensack, fans of The Neddiad will be delighted to join up with Iggy, Neddie, Seamus, and the usual apparitional entourage for another weird and wonderful adventure by Daniel Pinkwater. As Neil Gaiman said about the first book: "it's funny and tender and strange and impossible to describe. What Pinkwater does is magic and I'm grateful for it." THE IGGYSSEY is vintage Pinkwater: laugh out loud funny, incredible characters, dialogue, humor. And like THE NEDDIAD, this book will be similarly illustrated throughout by Calef Brown.

A world on the brink of war. All Avaline Hall wants is to enjoy her senior year at Blythewood Academy, the boarding school where she’s been trained to defend humankind from forces of dark magic. But when Ava is shown a glimpse into the future in the enchanted Blythe Wood, she discovers that the evil Judicus van Drood is rallying nations into a war that seems destined to destroy both the human and faerie worlds. Only Ava and her allies have a chance at stopping van Drood, but how many must die in the process? And how can Ava and the boy she loves be together when everything around them is falling apart?

The grisly killing of an elderly school master is only the beginning of plot by a shadowy gang of thinkers to systematically murder off a rival group of rogue philosophers in this tale of power, lust, treachery, war and murder!Once upon a time philosophers weren't aloof academics pondering esoteric questions--they were also soldiers, statesmen, spies, founders of secret societies and even assassins!Set against the slow decline of the Golden Age of Ancient Greece, "School of Athens" is the story of two wars. The first is the long and bloody struggle between Athens and Sparta, one waged on battlefields across the Mediterranean. The second is a secret conflict between philosophers, fought in the shadows of alleys around the world.What do these wars have in common? Who is this mysterious cabal? What secret are they willing to kill to protect? It's a race to solve a mystery before the killers strike again, and only one man has the answers: a young, foul-mouthed, street-fighting, alcoholic with a death wish named Socrates.

The Slug Inception is a 145,000 word humorous, non-serious, science fiction novel, primarily aimed for young adults. It is the third and final novel of a trilogy, and continues the story where the second instalment, The Slug Invasion, left off.The Slug Inception is the third and final novel of the trilogy, and is comprised of a prologue, ten long intermediate chapters, and an epilogue. Like the previous books, each chapter is split into several scenes, with each being told from the first-person perspective of one of the three main characters.Once again, The Slug Inception could technically be an entry point for new readers, but I definitely wouldn’t recommend it. It would mostly make sense, and you may even enjoy it, but check out the first two books, The Slug Rebellion and The Slug Invasion respectively, if you want to read the series properly. Plus, the first two aren’t as long as this one, and you’ll be able to decide if you like the story and the style of writing and so on.Now for what you can expect to read about in The Slug Inception:- Huge amounts of information about the Slugs and Cyborgs, ranging from their anatomy to their culture to their technology. There’s quite a lot, and these explanations of the alien races make up the bulk of the novel.- The continuation and conclusion to the overarching story, if there’s anyone out there actually paying attention to it.- A more fulfilling return to Slugenis, ripe with descriptions of how it runs and operates. Two other planets are also visited, one of them new, and some old Cyborg friends make their return.- A pretty definitive ending to the story, showing the eventual fates of each of the characters.- Even more Phill!As the first two books before it, this is still a somewhat serious, somewhat humorous work. Most of its effort goes towards explaining as much of the workings of the universe that I could squeeze in (and believe me, there was a lot that didn’t make the final cut) and to character interactions, similarly to the first two books.Now for the test of if you will like this book and this series:Obviously, if you’ve read either or both of The Slug Rebellion and The Slug Invasion, you already know.If you like really hard-core science or fantasy fiction, then this is probably too light-hearted for you; if you like really soft-core science or fantasy fiction, then this is probably too explanation-heavy for you. It’s a novel and series that doesn’t take itself seriously, and yet still tries to detail how and why everything in the universe works.If you love character-focused stories, then this is definitely for you – I’ve gone to exorbitant effort to make the three main characters interesting in their own ways. Conversely, if you love stories with fully-realised and epically-spanning plots, then this is not for you. It does have a somewhat large plot, but that is not the primary focus.If you love flowing and elegant descriptions of people, structures and places, you’re in the wrong place. Very little physical appearances are described in this trilogy, save those that are vital to the plot.Finally, if you hate info dumping in all its forms, then you should probably stay away. There is a lot of information in this series, but most especially in this final volume, and you will spend a significant amount of reading time on it (almost exclusively through reading dialogue). I’ve made it as interesting as I can, but if you liked how the first two books were, it should be fine. If you're still committed, feel free to skip over chunks of it - I wouldn't want to force you to read something you don't enjoy.And that is all. Good luck should you choose to try it, otherwise, thanks for reading, at the very least, the final line of my blurb. At least it's something!

The Provider Exists. Sentient machines have a soul. Ignorance threatens to destroy both of them.KNOWN AFTERLIFE, the first book in the Provider Trilogy, is a balanced blend of fantasy and sci-fi, exploring the gray area between science and mysticism; speculating on the relationship between spiritual evolution and the Singularity.Stalling and Steffor inhabit different worlds, yet they are connected. Together, but unbeknownst to one of them, they race towards an inevitable, if unimaginable collision. As a Guardian, Steffor protects the Provider’s Citizens from a host of dangers inherent to a world of perpetual wilderness. When not serving as a resident hero, Steffor spends his time training for the Dive. Qualified for this season's championship, manifesting his future fame seems certain, if not for events manifesting a different future for Steffor and his peaceful society. A future in direct lockstep with destiny. On Antium, artificial intelligence fast approaches the point of exceeding human intelligence. Despite its aggressive development and implementation of technology over that past century, hubris hinders the Church of Salvation from seeing the Singularity's inevitable arrival, much less process its implications on the future. The lethal weakness of their enemy identified, Stalling Alterian and his cadre of gifted conspirators accelerate the Singularity’s arrival to lead a fertile insurrection against the merciless theocracy. Committed to saving their society, or die trying, moments away from completing the crucial and final phase of their clandestine mission, Stalling discovers a fatal error in his calculations that threatens to destroy it all. Absent of any solution and the enemy closing in, can Stalling impose his technological miracle onto humanity before the noose pulls tight? Praise for KNOWN AFTERLIFE:“…more of a profound level of meaning than we read in other novels in this genre.” Grady Harp, Amazon.com Top 50 Reviewer, Vine Voice, Hall of Fame Reviewer"Bravo! Brilliant and Intricate...Copeland does an expert job of reminding us that reality is what we make it and our beliefs, allegiance and loyalty are ours alone to give." Jay Mittener, Amazon.com Top 500 Reviewer"All is can say is--Interesting!... At the end of the book, I found myself doing a lot of soul searching." Karma, Amazon.com Reviewer“An intelligent and entertaining funfest…Copeland assumes that I have come to his book with imagination and the desire to enter a new creation, and he definitely delivers the goods. Well, done!” bertiejf's, Amazon.com reviewer“Thought-provoking and exciting…a surprisingly deep exploration of the role of religion in society…that isn't heavy-handed or evangelical, primarily because we get two very different takes on it, which keeps one viewpoint from dominating.” T. February, Amazon.com reviewer

Stop a psychopath, or save an entire city from genocide?That is the choice a young sixteen-year-old guardsman, named Kosai, must make. Each day Kosai fails to make a choice, more people die, and making the wrong choice could lead to his own death.Stop a psychopath, or save an entire city from starvation? That is the choice a young sixteen-year-old guardsman, named Kosai, must make. The country Tessír is suffering from a great economic depression, the worst of which is felt in the capital city Noiknaer, a city known for schools of trade and higher learning. Government sanctioned caravans travel by secret trade routes across the country to collect and distribute food for the poor. The secret routes are being compromised, and nomadic tribes are ransacking the caravans, resulting in starvation for many citizens in Noiknaer. Kosai is sent to the School of the Faye, where the trade routes are written up, to find whoever is leaking the trade route information and bring them to justice. But Kosai learns more than this school and his mission entails. At this school, Kosai learns that he has a half-brother who has gained a form of immortality. He is known as the Dark One, a former head teacher who murdered other instructors, almost destroyed the school, and nearly killed Kosai in a recent caravan escort. Kosai also learns that he is the only one who can kill his half brother. In this school, Kosai must choose to learn to stop his half-brother or find the individual leaking the trade routes. Each day Kosai fails to make a choice, more people die, and making the wrong choice could lead to his own death.

When a stranger seeks refuge from a blizzard in a tiny tavern, the locals share with him the story of how they came to be plagued by eternal winter.When a stranger seeks refuge from a blizzard in a tiny tavern, the locals share with him the story of how they came to be plagued by eternal winter. Little do they realize that his reasons for travelling to such a place have more to do with their future than their past.

"Rare Talents" is a Young Adult short story about Parker, a young girl whose touch can kill.Parker is a seventeen year old girl with a curse: with a single touch of her hand, she can kill someone.She has spent her life running from Covera Corporations, a place that captures Rares like her and uses them as their own personal weapons.When they find her and bring her back to their headquarters, Parker is given the option to either join them, or be forced into compliance.But the choice was never hers to make.Note: This is a SHORT STORY, not a full novel.

"You want to know the truth."Sonea has learned much since she was but a penniless urchin possessing an awesome untapped ability. She has earned the grudging respect of her fellow novices and a place in the Magicians' Guild. But there is much she wishes she had never learned—what she witnessed, for example, in the underground chamber of the mysterious High Lord Akkarin . . . and the knowledge that the Guild is being observed closely by an ancient fearsome enemy.Still, she dares not ignore the terrifying truths the High Lord would share with her, even though she fears it may be base trickery, a scheme to use her astonishing powers to accomplish his dark aims. For Sonea knows her future is in his hands—and that only in the shadows will she achieve true greatness . . . if she survives.

Jeff Noon returns with a staggering hallucinogenic sequel to A Man of Shadows, taking hapless investigator John Nyquist into a city where reality is contaminated by the imagination of its citizens In a city dissolving into an infected sprawl of ideas, where words come to life and reality is contaminated by stories, John Nyquist wakes up in a room with a dead body... The dead man's impossible whispers plunge him into a murder investigation like no other. Clues point him deeper into an unfolding story infesting its participants as reality blurs between place and genre. Only one man can hope to put it all back together into some kind of order, enough that lives can be saved... That man is Nyquist, and he is lost.

When she was a child, the author of When Women Were Warriors happily identified with all the male heroes she read about in stories that began, "Once upon a time, a young man went out to seek his fortune." But she would have been delighted to discover even one story like that with a female protagonist. Since she never did find the story she was looking for all those years ago, she decided to write it. In Book I of the trilogy, Tamras arrives in Merin's house to begin her apprenticeship as a warrior, but her small stature causes many, including Tamras herself, to doubt that she will ever become a competent swordswoman. To make matters worse, the Lady Merin assigns her the position of companion, little more than a personal servant, to a woman who came to Merin's house, seemingly out of nowhere, the previous winter, and this stranger wants nothing to do with Tamras.

The Curse of Credesar, Part 1: The war against the Deep Shadow rages once again, thousands of years after the age of Dremlock Kingdom, as scheming seers battle for power and ethereal beasts hunt humans by night. Can a new kingdom of Divine Knights rise from the ashes of despair to save humanity? This is the tale of a young sorcerer named Kelden and his struggles against the ultimate demon.Lori Pate, newly-wedded and newly-widowed, is learning how to cope with the loss of her husband – and make a living as a horse trainer – when the cats on her farm start doing some fairly unusual things. And when her hair starts turning gray at the age of 21, a cougar shows up on the farm, and a Native Canadian stranger enters the picture shortly thereafter, Lori gets the sinking feeling her world is turning upside-down.The stranger, Noel Tecumseh, and two of his eccentric friends soon show Lori that she’s now part of a unique club – one where snow leopards, black panthers, lynxes and others protect and guide “their humans” from both natural and supernatural dangers that threaten the gang of four. So when a group of Jaguar Knights comes to town with the intent to “clean up” the weaker parts of the human population, Noel must instruct all of them in how to direct their thoughts to evade notice.LEOPARD’S KIN is a blend of the philosophies introduced in works such as Conversations with God and The Celestine Prophecy but is designed to appeal to a new generation of fantasy enthusiasts. While it stands alone as a novel, subsequent books will expand on the power of thought in ushering in a New Age, utilizing a variety of legends and myths of big cats from around the world.