What if our quest to explore other worlds uncovers something that doesn't want to be found?Life has been seeded throughout the solar system and has evolved time and again only to be repeatedly snuffed out, sometimes by nature itself, sometimes by unnatural forces. Is it our destiny to explore the universe, or will the act of exploration lead to life’s demise… again?

A Kell the Barbarian story. Any resemblance to Robert E. Howard's Kull is completely intentional. Kell, Queen of Valusia must defeat a plot by an ancient race of serpent-women and their priestesses. It is a good thing she has Brula, the stalwart spear slayer to guard her back when she goes berserk! A Gender Switch Adventure.He had two problems: a broken leg and terminal boredom. The long days and nights alone in his flat after an accident lead an incapactitated young student to renounce his aversion to the internet and take his first tentative steps into the world wide web.Before long, he finds himself entering a new kind of social network: an online self-help community called simply 'The Room'. The experience of eavesdropping on the lives of others quickly becomes addictive, and the members of The Room seem welcoming enough.But then something changes: a man called Bryan confesses to a murder. It could be a fantasy, or a sick joke, but it's not. And the terror doesn't stay online for long... The Room is a tale of murder in the age of social networking. A dark psychological thriller of curiosity and killing that has been called a Rear Window for the Facebook generation.Short story length: 4000 words approx.Also includes as a bonus feature the first chapter of Gavin Bell's full-length thriller: Halfway to Hell.

A young man by the name of Jaden is abducted by benevolent aliens, bio-engineered to superhuman levels and sent back to Earth years later to stop an alien invasion.A Sci-fi, Space, Action, Adventure & Romance novel series. Formally known as the BIAlien series.A young man by the name of Jaden is abducted by benevolent aliens, bio-engineered to superhuman levels and sent back to Earth years later to stop an alien invasion.150,000 years ago Darclonians began on an experimental dark energy/dark matter weapon that works only with carbon based life forms. The organic subject would eventually die.100,000 years ago Darclonian probes sought out thousands of planets with life on them that could develop into intelligent life forms. The probes fired Quadrillions of Nanomoles into Earth's atmosphere seeking intelligent life. The Nanomoles hid inside of the modern Homosapien brain and studied humans for thousands of years. The Nanomoles recorded our feelings, memories, emotions, experiences and DNA from generation to generation. Today the Nanomoles await a signal from a Darclonian mothership to begin it's 84 hour three stage countdown.Jaden's bio-engineered body is the key to perfecting the Darclonian's weapon of mass destruction. The rebirth of science fiction begins.

The End of Slavery is a philosophical sci-fi thriller about a man who, inspired by his grandfather, fought the prejudices against autism to understand how he functioned from his own perspective. Over his adult life he had figured out much and he had many theories about more, but when he narrowly survived a terrorist attack his world became extreme and everything started to fall into place.An epic scifi short story telling the tale of betrayal and war.In a future where the human race barely survived extinction, 21-year-old Anerius Novengard is a member of an arcane military order of mages. He struggles to avoid falling prey to the dark elements which seek to ensnare him at every turn, being able to overcome their pull by the aid of his love interest and mentor. At the same time that a comet hazardously flies towards a peaceful space colony, he is given a special initiatory mission to protect a government official who had been the victim of several assassination attempts. What Anerius discovers during his mission will forever change his world, and that of those around him. This short read is for fans of space sagas and magic.

The end is near! The Voltarian terrorists have won! Earth is history! But don’t believe everything you read. Or hear. Or see. Because the road to victory is paved with bad intentions—and lies, betrayal and deception are all in play. So who are the players in this treacherous game . . . ? Countess Krak: victim of a spectacular kidnapping, she is bound for a distant dungeon where she faces a venomous fate. . . . Royal Officer Jettero Heller: convinced the Countess is dead and overcome by grief, he is holed up in a Connecticut roadhouse—and standing square in an assassin’s crosshairs. . . . Soltan Gris: together with a young temptress named Teenie Whopper, he undertakes a drug-fueled voyage across the Atlantic. But the journey’s about to be cut short, as he goes from getting stoned with Teenie to nearly getting stoned to death in Turkey. . . . So who is in command? Who is the puppet master pulling the strings? And, finally, is there any hope for planet Earth? The answers lie at the end of an extraordinary VOYAGE OF VENGEANCE. “The Mission Earth books form a true saga—in the grand tradition!” * —ROBERT BLOCH, AUTHOR OF PSYCHO

Shayara Ventii, human bounty hunter sponsored by the galactic senate, is travelling through the galaxy with the crew of her small ship when she comes across something that will change her life forever. Not only will it shape her future, but the future of every living thing in the galaxy.Shayara Ventii, human bounty hunter sponsored by the galactic senate, is travelling through the galaxy with the crew of her small ship when she comes across something that will change her life forever. Not only will it shape her future, but the future of every living thing in the galaxy. She quickly finds it hard to distinguish friend from foe as humanity tries to forefront the response to this new threat. Old tensions resurface as people begin to die and civilisation itself becomes threatened. How far will some be willing to go to save themselves? Pariahs and Peacemakers is the debut novel from writer, James S. Bowers. It is a rich tale told from the perspective of multiple characters, each with their own unique view and problems in the universe he has created for them.

Volume II of the Tarizon Saga, a prequel to the Tarizon Trilogy, The Liberator, Civil War, and Conquest Earth. Chronicles the period directly after Tarizon's cataclysmic super volcanic eruptions that killed millions and left the planet under a shroud of volcanic ash.Thousands of years ago a group of explorers were sent out from the planet Pharidon to find new habitats for their exploding population. After years of searching without success the explorers split up with one finally discovering Earth and the other Tarizon. The Pharidon explorers thrived on Tarizon but as their population grew and spread out over the globe, nations were formed each claiming sovereignty over its populace. Eventually national pride, greed, and envy led to a hundred cycle global nuclear war. Peace only came after a spiritual leader, Sandee Brahn, led a movement to unify the planet and bring about lasting peace. His goal was accomplished at a World Assembly where the Supreme Mandate was written and ratified by all the nations of Tarizon and peace was finally restored. Shroud of Doom takes place thirty-seven years after unification (37 A.U.) The planet's ecology is slowly recovering from the effects of the long war that has killed millions, destroyed most of the planet's infrastructure, and left Tarizon barely habitable. In order for the human population to survive huge domes have been constructed over the cities to protect the inhabitants. Unfortunately, the cities were unable to contain the entire population and millions were left outside the domes to die. Although most did die a few, known as the Mutants, managed to adapt to Tarizon's hostile environment and survived. Like the mutants the two other sentient life forms on Tarizon, the Nanomites and the rhutz were left outside the domes to fend for themselves. Shroud of Doom is the story of the collision of these two worlds which eventually plunges Tarizon into civil war.

Carol and Deena are coworkers at Freda’s Home Emporium. No love is lost between them. The day Deena finds herself traveling on the same lonely back road as Carol, she decides to get rid of her. As Carol careens to her death in her SUV, Deena finds herself in the same fatal predicament. What happens after their deaths is more fascinating than anything that ever happened to them during their lives!After their untimely deaths on Earth, Carol and Deena find themselves embodying alien creatures residing in foreign landscapes. Each does the best she can in her difficult circumstances. Soul-searching fails to deliver any answers. Three times each they are resurrected in the vacated bodies of alien creatures. Six times in total they ponder why. In each situation they wonder if someone, or something, is behind their journeys. Are there lessons to be learned, or is punishment being meted out? Is something testing them, and why? Could this be Judgment, or simply reality after death? Eventually, both women settle into what may be their final embodiments. They carve lives out of the circumstances in which they find themselves until it seems they are to meet again. Will they recognize each other? Will their enmity continue, and if so, will either prevail this time, or will the deaths and resurrections resume? Most importantly, who, or what, is behind these extraordinary events?

A reluctant vacation for two couples quickly devolves into a desperate life-and-death fight when one member of the party decides to cross a galactic crime lord - with apocalyptic consequences...Somewhere in the vast depths of space, a mission has gone horribly wrong. Now a woman is trapped all alone on an alien planet with nothing but her pain and her harrowing memories. At least, she thought she was alone...Lost And Found is a chilling and evocative science fiction short story from Maria Haskins' book ODIN'S EYE. Two poems from Maria Haskins' new collection of poetry 'Cuts & Collected Poems 1989-2015' are also included.

Episode 12, Nanotroopers. After the Engebbe disaster, the Corps wants to equip all troopers with personal ANADs. But the only Engebbe survivor has brought back an unexpected menace; it corrupts the new ANADs as they are loaded. Only Johnny Winger can defeat the threat but he has to fight off an alien swarm on a new battlefield…his own mind. He defeats the menace…but he ends up changed forever.Episode 12, Nanotroopers. After the disaster at Engebbe, where an entire detachment save one survivor was lost, Quantum Corps decides to forge ahead with a plan to equip all nanotroopers with personal ANADs. But the Engebbe survivor has unwittingly brought back an unexpected menace…and there was another survivor unknown to the Corps. As the Symbiosis Project gets underway and troopers are modified to receive their ANADs, an alien master nanobot corrupts the embedded devices as they are being loaded. Only Johnny Winger has gone through this procedure before and he knows only he can pilot a rescue ANAD to stop the spread of this new alien swarm. But he winds up being attacked himself, by the disassembled remnants of one Lieutenant Dana Tallant, Bravo Detachment commander and once a love interest for Winger, once thought to have been consumed at Engebbe. Tallant is now an angel herself, a swarm of disembodied nanobots and she quickly insinuates herself into the troopers being modified. Only Winger can defeat this new threat but he has to engage it on a new battlefield…his own mind. He manages to win a difficult victory but he winds up changed forever…and the Corps’ project to build blended man-machine warriors through symbiosis with ANAD takes on a whole new meaning.

For hundreds of years, mankind has wondered if we were alone in the universe. That question has been answered.Aliens abduct a group of people to study what makes us tick. in two weeks, the fate of humanity will be decided.Do they come in peace or to exterminate us?We live in a strange world, filled with strange people. It's also a fast paced world. So indulge yourself with the perfect remedy to all the speedy weirdness with this collection of humorous short stories. Follow the internal turmoil of a man struggling to eat a living dessert. Journey to the hidden depths of the deep sea with some pretty awful parents and an even worse child. Finally, watch a couple of door to door salesmen cross the line of appropriateness. Be ready for the unexpected and the wacky. Be ready for a lot of leg.

Matilda “Wheezer” Choi, the asthmatic who can fly and kick butt courtesy of her nanobyte-enhanced inhalers, loves pro wrestling and hates anything “girlie.” Maybe that’s because she grew up with six brothers—or maybe it’s because her home life has become a battle zone in the conflict between her parents. Unfortunately for Wheezer, when a former member of NERDS turned villain gets extensive plastic surgery in order to become a cheerleader, Matilda must swallow her pride to successfully infiltrate the squad. The newest supervillain, Gerdie Baker, assisted by the criminal mastermind Simon, has created a device that opens portals to other worlds, which she and the other cheerleaders have been pillaging. But the alternate realities are starting to get awfully close together, so it’s up to Wheezer and the NERDS to stop the cheerleaders before the worlds collide.

The seventeenth-century philosopher-statesman Francis Bacon famously declared that nothing had changed the world more profoundly than three great inventions: gunpowder, printing and the compass. What he didn't know was that the Chinese had been successfully using all three long before the West ever 'invented' them. And yet it was another 300 years before a remarkable man called Joseph Needham embarked on his lifetime's work which would finally set the record straight. Inspired by a wartime mission to occupied China, he wrote a twenty-four-volume masterpiece, chronicling the nation's astonishing history of invention and technology over five thousand years. In 'Bomb, book and compass' Simon Winchester tells the story of Joseph Needham, his magnificent book, the passion that inspired it, and the remarkable rise of the Chinese nation that continues to this day

When a rogue Mogadorian meets up with a mysterious amnesiac in Santa Monica, he knows that there's more to this guy than meets the eye. In fact, he might just hold the key to everything. In I Am Number Four: The Lost Files #4, discover what has happened to one of the people with information crucial to the Garde coming together to fight to save Lorien—and Earth.

In Clean Sweeps, New York Times bestseller Jonathan Maberry goes offworld to spin a yarn of space pirates, Special Forces, and the ruthless press in a story about heroism, betrayal and ratings!