A wife. A mother. A rebel. And now their savior... When a crazed-woman wants to take control of the universe, destroying all that defies her, it's up to Melissa Alexander to retrieve her memories and save those she loves the most. As the bonds of love tighten and the danger increases, Melissa must find the strength to fight in a world that threatens to take everything she's ever loved or needed away from her. With so much on the line, can the Rebel Princess be the savior they all need?

World Fantasy award-winning, bestselling author Robert McCammon makes a triumphant return to the epic horror and apocalyptic tone reminiscent of his books Swan Song and Stinger in this gripping new novel, The Border, a saga of an Earth devastated by a war between two marauding alien civilizations. But it is not just the living ships of the monstrous Gorgons or the motion-blurred shock troops of the armored Cyphers that endanger the holdouts in the human bastion of Panther Ridge. The world itself has turned against the handful of survivors, as one by one they succumb to despair and suicide or, even worse, are transformed by otherworldly pollution into hideous Gray Men, cannibalistic mutants driven by insatiable hunger. Into these desperate circumstances comes an amnesiac teenaged boy who names himself Ethan—a boy who must overcome mistrust and suspicion to master unknowable powers that may prove to be the last hope for humanity's salvation. Those same powers make Ethan a threat to the warring aliens, long used to fearing only each other, and thrust him and his comrades into ever more perilous circumstances. A major new novel from the unparalleled imagination of Robert McCammon, this dark epic of survival will both thrill readers and make them fall in love with his work all over again.

When life as Alex Morales had known it changed forever, he was working behind the counter at Joey's Pizza. He was worried about getting elected as senior class president and making the grades to land him in a good college. He never expected that an asteroid would hit the moon, knocking it closer in orbit to the earth and catastrophically altering the earth's climate. He never expected to be fighting just to stay alive. Susan Beth Pfeffer's Life As We Knew It enthralled and devastated readers with its brutal but hopeful look at an apocalyptic event from a small-town perspective. Now this harrowing companion novel examines the same events as they unfold in New York City, revealed through the eyes of a seventeen-year-old Puerto Rican New Yorker. When Alex's parents disappear in the aftermath of tidal waves, he must care for his two younger sisters, even as Manhattan becomes a deadly wasteland. With haunting themes of family, faith, personal change, and courage, this powerful novel explores how a young man takes on unimaginable responsibilities.

New York Times best-selling author Jack Campbell's epic series, The Pillars of Reality, reaches its exciting conclusion. The Great Guilds, fearing the loss of their control of the world of Dematr, have gathered their power and joined it with the relentless legions of the Empire. The full might of that host will fall upon the fortress city of Dorcastle. If Dorcastle falls, the revolt led by Master Mechanic Mari and Mage Alain will fail, and their world will soon descend into chaos. Only Mari, believed to be the daughter of an ancient prophecy, can inspire the people and lead the defense of Dorcastle. The prophecy says she has a chance to win, but it doesn't say she will survive. Alain will stand by her, both willing to die for the other, but neither one knows if their sacrifices will mean victory. As they battle the Imperial legions and see friends fall, Mari and Alain face their greatest challenges. And if they somehow win in the face of impossible odds, neither...

The Syndic operated as a sort of gigantic protective league in what had once been the states east of the Mississippi. Humanity had never had it so good; there was plenty of money, and people were expected to have fun with it. Moral inhibitions had gone the way of the horse: most girls were delightfully amenable, and polo was played in jeeps with 50-caliber machine guns. The hopelessly corrupt old North American Government had been driven literally into the sea but made occasional piratical forays onto the mainland from bases on the islands and coastal fringes of a ruined and savage Europe. West of the Mississippi lay Mob Territory, and in spite of treaties and frequent state visits, it was known that the Mobsters coveted the produtivity and complacency that marked life under The Syndic. Fat, happy, and hedonistic, The Syndic was unprepared to face the realities of impending warfare with the Government, and when a wave of assassinations broke out in New York, it was belatedly decided to take action. Young Charles Orsino, polo-playing scion of one of the ruling families, volunteered for a spying assignment. Here begins one of the most fantastic adventures ever to involve brain washing, witchcraft, and murder in a plot that ranges from Druidical rites to old-fashioned twenty-first-century romance.

A young girl trapped in a flooding Lighthouse begins to wonder why her parents left...A short story originally published in the collection: It's Dark Inside.Seek the treasure in the temple of light but be prepared to find something worth more value than gold.

Zorro meets The Count of Monte Cristo in this dazzling, action-packed novel from the author of the Artemis Fowl series.

The story revolves on a simple phrase, ‘LOVE ONE ANOTHER.’ How complex it became when thirty-six benevolent aliens, stranded on our planet, sought help from us humans to save their civilization. Of how alien's 'help and love one another' clashed with human's greed for power. A down to Earth story meant for well-read young adults and mature readers as it will force you to think and consider.The story revolves around a simple phrase, ‘Love one another.’ Of how complex it became when benevolent aliens, only thirty-six, stranded on our planet sought help from us humans to refuel their ship to save their civilization. Aliens who believed in one almighty and benevolent God. Aliens whose society flourished on a firm and deeply rooted abidance to their God’s greatest tenet, ‘Love God and one another.’ Of how ‘helping and loving each other’, deeply etched in the alien’s nature and character, clashed with human’s attitude to seek power, by whatever means, that when pushed to a corner, the ‘everyone for himself’ mentality in human’s prevail. In contrast, the aliens would rather die than rise at other’s expense. This irrational behavior, this instinct for survival is inherent in us humans. The aliens, faced with such inherency, went their way to get help as they advocated, ‘help and love one another.’ Wary of the temptation to humans to acquire the power one can hold in their technology, the aliens pushed on to save their civilization through this prevailing human attitude. Thus, the story in four episodes, four points in time, four scenarios.An excerpt from the novel best describes the alien’s predicament through Amo Obib’s, the Alien leader, dilemma. A dilemma that holds true to us intelligent humans today when he concluded: “In all the years I observed humans, I never understood them. Power, greed, and mistrust are things that shaped their destiny. Never in history have they thought of themselves as one, Earthlings. Countries, races, tribes, families, and even within their own family, they compete against each other. I do not understand,” he paused, as he struggled to make sense of it. “It’s sad for it is within the Human’s power to make this planet a wonderful place to live. If they only knew the value in loving and helping each other, they could make their world a paradise.”Accessed for its story, a professional concluded, “This is a formulaic and unique sci-fi novel that fans of aliens, philosophy, and sociology will find engaging.” A conclusion drawn as embedded within the story are philosophical, theological, and sociological issues. Issues true thousands of years ago as it is today! Issues that will make one pause and consider. It will make you wonder and think.

Students were discouraged from venturing into the park's public toilet. Of course they all knew, in whispers and titters, it was because of the hole. This cautionary horror is part of a suite of short science fiction, urban fantasy and horror stories by BP Gregory, each its own little maelstrom of human suffering and longing. Contains disquieting (adult) themes.Students were discouraged from venturing into the park's public toilet. Of course they all knew, in whispers and titters, it was because of the hole. The author was always fascinated by what could be contained in a brief moment. This cautionary horror is part of a suite of short science fiction, urban fantasy and horror stories by BP Gregory, each its own little maelstrom of human suffering and longing. Contains disquieting (adult) themes.Glory can be enjoyed alone or as part of Orotund: Collected Short Stories Volume Two, which is also available in print.

This book is dedicated to all the children in the world who have ever been in their young lives: bullied, picked on, harassed, pestered, hassled, badgered, hounded and annoyed by anyone; bigger, tougher, or meaner, or nastier, or unkind, or despicable, or heartless, or cruel and shameful. Written for middle-readers and adults. This is fast, exciting, and fun read. Please write a review for me.In another world an underworld, not so far away, or so far below us, lying in union are very strange and perplexing happenings. One world has un-matched beauty, serenity and peacefulness. Most of the inhabitants who live in this underworld reside in inviting and quaint villages, built upon rolling hills and dales, interspersed with tall green grasses, fields of over-sized yellow and orange daises found growing amongst, inviting slow-moving, peaceable streams. Soft, gentle winds blow up from the south regularly pushing large puffy clouds slowly by, all keeping time with the heartbeat of the friendly elves, diminutive fairies, workingmen, unicorns and brownies that live there. In the other darker underworld is found an evil and unclean world filled with, watery fire-bogs, vast and swift-moving rivers, filled with infected and brooding waters. Surrounding this wasteland lay high un-passable mountain ranges, and deep wide canyons, all cloaked above by shadowy skies filled with godless flying creatures. Living within this craven world are; pocket-sized evil fairies, giant black forest trolls, stone trolls, and malovent elf's, living amongst wicked hobgoblins. There are revolting witches, foul-tempered swamp ogres, and life-stealing water-serpents. All of which are ruled by an army of very mean-spirited, and fatted, bug-eyed toads, called...Undertoads. Long so long ago, in this under-land, a dark spell had been cast upon them all by a very powerful black-hearted king. His name is Túngarar Spadefoot. He is the King of the Undertoads. Found inside of this impure world stands an impervious and foreboding black tower. It is made of unbending black-pearl granite. And held entrenched within this bedeviled and wicked tower is the Tower Keeper. She was once the noble and powerful queen of the Kingdom of Gwynedd. This queen alone nurtured and created the Toad King, giving him his unlimited powers to rule the land for all the good of the residents who resided there, but the Toad King as his power grew realized the unlimited powers that he held. Unclean thoughts were allowed to enter his weak mind. He twisted his power against his people and turned towards the fiendish and depraved, he veered towards the worst side of power; he craved more of it. Unlimited power in the hands of the weaker amongst us always has the chance of turning towards the evil side. The Toad King raped the lands to the north, of the Kingdom of Gwynedd. This area became known as Northumberland where all things turned towards the evil side of man and beast. The land died, the skies, the water, and the creatures that lived there became as sinful and revolting as there malovent leader. As the years passed by, loneliness and solitude engulfed the former queen, thus destroying her mind and infecting it with even more hatred. She became consumed by odium, and hate, now seeking only revenge and more power, so she could one day revenge her great loss to Túngarar Spadefoot, the Toad King. She now lays in a state of constant torment and anguish because she waits in haste for the innocent, and the unknowing to someday, wander into her lair. For on this one day, on this most fortunate of days, she hopes to be unceremoniously un-locked from the powerful and dark magic that holds her steadfast in place. The dark city is called Elphame. The White Queen; is an Ice Queen. Her name is Elphen, she is the Ignoble. She is a land draug, an after-walker. Do these worlds exist? Is this all believable, possible, likely or plausible? Does it only happen in fairy tales, legends, myths, long-winded tales or tall-fables? But in the Kingdom of Gwynedd, and in the underworld of Northumberland, and to a young redheaded boy, with an impish smile and bright red freckles, it is a story he never wants to remember, and one he can never forget. He, by the slimmest of margins, lived to tell the true story of this strange underworld, and the eventual outcome of Northumberland.

An obsessive android engineer infiltrates a socialite party to be close to his creation. During the party, he finds himself entangled in a game he doesn't entirely understand, and that could find him on the run from the authorities...Arthur is an outcast on medication who lives with his ailing single mother in the poorest part of town. He envies the Baker family for their prosperity and good fortune. He tries to steal from them whatever they cherish the most. When young Cathy Baker waits in vain at the town's secret place where lovers meet for a boyfriend who never shows up, Arthur sees an opportunity for revenge ...

The Darwinian Extension: Completion is the third volume in The Nexus Odyssey. Over twenty years have passed since the Martian colony was founded and the planet has a thin but breathable atmosphere, and more than 50,000 citizens. The efforts to develop interstellar propulsion seem to stagnate when a breakthrough is achieved. Nuclear weapon proliferation on Earth raises the tension to flash point.This short story is about a bullfrog named Fredrick who encounters a mysterious and uncontrollable addiction that causes him and his friends to change pretty much who they are.

From two-time Carnegie Medal winner Patrick Ness comes an enthralling and provocative new novel chronicling the life — or perhaps afterlife — of a teen trapped in a crumbling, abandoned world. A boy named Seth drowns, desperate and alone in his final moments, losing his life as the pounding sea claims him. But then he wakes. He is naked, thirsty, starving. But alive. How is that possible? He remembers dying, his bones breaking, his skull dashed upon the rocks. So how is he here? And where is this place? It looks like the suburban English town where he lived as a child, before an unthinkable tragedy happened and his family moved to America. But the neighborhood around his old house is overgrown, covered in dust, and completely abandoned. What’s going on? And why is it that whenever he closes his eyes, he falls prey to vivid, agonizing memories that seem more real than the world around him? Seth begins a search for answers, hoping that he might not be alone, that this might not be the hell he fears it to be, that there might be more than just this. . .

Multiple Hugo Award winner Vernor Vinge's first full-length novel As a mud-spattered youngster, Tatja quickly realized she was different from the stone-age primitives with whom she grew up. Her insatiable curiosity and thirst for knowledge could not be quenched among them; she had to explore and learn more about the strange world she lived on. She finds the bastion of all culture, arts, entertainment and history for the entire planet, the seven-hundred-year-old science fiction magazine Fantasie, which is produced entirely aboard a gargantuan floating vessel the size of a small city. But despite the printing presses, sail-powered vessels, and mind-expanding technology, Tatja is still dissatisfied. Rising through the ranks, she finds that the people on the enormous barge are just as unintelligent as the primitives she grew up with. But others have come to the planet who not only challenge her intelligence, but offer her a tantalizing opportunity to uncover answers to mysteries that have long plagued her. But with opportunity comes risk. And if she acts unwisely, she could bring doom to the only world she knows.