In a city of political intrigue and betrayal, assassin-in-training, D'hara trusts only her beloved born-for slave, Aldrar. A disappointment to her parents and herself, without the mysterious "Change," D'hara can't follow the path of her High Assassin mother. With Aldrar's newborn chosen for sacrifice, D'hara braves the wrath of the Prophet God's priests and the hazards of the city Below. Dark S&S.At nineteen, assassin-in-training D'hara, is a disappointment to her parents, and especially herself.Without the mysterious "Change" that should have come at puberty, her father the Khalji cannot make her an advantageous marriage. Nor can she follow in the path of her mother, the High Assassin. Their line has held that title for eight generations. D'hara will break the chain if she does not become fully Assassin caste.In this city of political intrigue, cunning manipulation and betrayal, the only one D'hara can trust is her beloved born-for slave, Aldrar.Now, Aldrar's newborn infant is in peril, chosen for ritual sacrifice as the ghostly slave of another princess. D'hara must brave the wrath of the Prophet God's priests and the hazards of the city Below to save him.A dark Sword & Sorcery fantasy set in a violent world where poison and backstabbing prevail, Nenfari is the first story in the Assassin's Flower Series.

Isabelle and her family were forced into hiding when an alien invasion left most of humanity dead. After months of training, they set out in search for an army fighting back against these heinous monsters. Their mission will lead them to discover that not everything is as it seems. And not everyone can be trusted...AMY PLEBThis book features three stories all based around the life of a girl called Amy Pleb.The Big StormAmy Pleb is to anyone who knows her a normal 9 year old girl who lives in Cogan on the Fogan with her parents Calamity and Arthur. But Amy has an unnatural fear of storms. She has harboured this fear for as long as she can remember. She recalls it all starting when her father Arthur told her the story of the big storm he endured when he was a small boy. This had generated an interest in Amy which had turned into an obsession and then complete fear.A few days before Amy’s birthday, although she doesn’t know it her worst fears are about to come true. The weatherman forecasts the worst storm ever is heading their way. Amy becomes distraught and retreats to her bedroom with her beloved cat Tilly in tow. But the skies don’t darken and the rain doesn’t start as predicted so Amy begins to relax believing the weatherman must have got it wrong.But then out of nowhere a massive clap of thunder echoes around the village, the skies light up with lightning and the rain pours down. Amy thinks this is the end for her and her family.The Tall TowerAmy Pleb is going to stay with her Uncle Lawless in Fogan for a week. Near where her Uncle lives on the outskirts of Fogan is the Tall Tower, on a large hill surrounded on all sides by steep cliffs, the only access is up a series of some one hundred steps. Amy asks her Uncle if he will take her up there but he tells her no and that she is forbidden to go up there because it’s haunted.Amy meets up with her friend Katie Bench who lives next door to her Uncle. Amy and Katie talk about many things but then start to talk about the Tall Tower. They decide to go for a walk and end up at the foot of the Tower. They notice a fence and a no trespassers sign and Amy is ready to turn round and go back but Katie jumps the fence and begins to climb the steps. Amy follows as she is worried for her friend. Once inside the Tower they see a huge door which is open. Katie being quite headstrong continues up into the Tower with a reluctant Amy behind her. Once inside they hear noises and become quite frightened and then a ghostly figure appears.Amy is unable to tell her Uncle what has happened in the Tower as she knows she has betrayed his wishes. But before long events take a turn and she has to admit to him what she has done to save her friend. The Week of DisastersAs every child knows sometimes in life things don’t go according to plan, it’s just one disaster after another. But for Amy she really does have a bad week. It starts with a bad day at school, an awful grade, a telling off from the head teacher and a smelly class mate. She has a bad hair day, a spot that she cannot get rid of and has a fall out with her best friend over a boy. She tries to read a book but has interruption after interruption. Her parents threaten to ground her for good if she does not tidy her room. She meets up with a flatulent ferret, loses her new kitten and to top it all her dad falls off a ladder.

Phil Riggins, a troubled boy living in poverty, walks uneasily into his psychiatrist's office to take part in an experimental form of therapy. All he has to do is have the new device called the "T-4" connected to himself, fall asleep, and the machine does the talking for him. It ends up telling the doctor and the world far more than he'd ever care to know.Henry is a young man who is confused about life and what he wants. One day while on a walk he stumbles upon a tree that can talk. This tree tries to help me get through his struggles. And ends up saving his life.

Allyn Vage was once a beautiful woman, but due to an accident - which may have been a murder attempt - she was now a hopeless cripple, burned and disfigured and without the senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch. When they brought her to Jome Knard, that noted physician had no choice but to employ a certain apparently miraculous device, incomprehensible even to him, to keep her immobile body alive and to restore and regulate her sensory perception. This strange machine had been imported from a seemingly primitive people on the world of Akkilmar. They had allowed it to be exported, but there was something about it they couldn't - or wouldn't - explain. Little did either the doctor or his patient realize that between them they had now become the lever that could topple a world! (First publshed 1961)

There has always been, and will always be, the problem of surviving the experience that any trained expert can handle ... when there hasn't been any first survivor to be an expert! When no one has ever gotten back to explain what happened....

A Collection of Classic Fictions You Must Read

They wanted to go home—back to the planet they’d known. But even the stars had changed. Did the fate of all creation hinge upon an empty bottle?They wanted to go home—back to the planet they’d known. But even the stars had changed. Did the fate of all creation hinge upon an empty bottle?

Nedward Simmons is living a regular Earth life when he stumbles across an artifact from an alien civilization. Its protective powers are more intriguing than useful to him, until the aliens themselves arrive. Unable to hand over the power he has unwittingly acquired, Ned decides instead to travel with them in an attempt to master his power and defeat the Anacron army.Nedward Simmons is living a regular Earth life when he stumbles across an artifact from an alien civilization. Its protective powers are more intriguing than useful to him, until the aliens themselves arrive. Unable to hand over the power he has unwittingly acquired, Ned decides instead to travel with them in an attempt to defeat the Anacron army, which threatens their freedom. But Ned soon learns that his Plasma Crystal is not the only source of mysterious power in the galaxy. Ned and his comrades must deal with a vast space armada, enemy Plasma Masters, and even a monster or two as they search for a way to penetrate the enemy fortress of Venom and restore peace to their empire.

A road trip offers some unexpected life choices for Justine and her husband when they meet some out-of-this-world travelers. Every decision has a consequence, would they regret theirs?It was a Listener's job to put the dead to rest, no matter whose dead they were.~*~*~*~The Listener’verse is second world/high fantasy universe with a semi-medieval frontier setting. It’s a low-magic universe in which the dead can talk and Listeners—well, they listen. This short story is a snippit from the backstory of a reoccurring character from the series, written as a faux-'DVD extra'.

Agent 33 of the Psecret Psociety recounts a strange dream about someone who he has never met over rooftop beers in Charlotte. A 2200-word short story.Agent 33 of the Psecret Psociety recounts a strange dream about someone who he has never met (Ted Maize) over rooftop beers in Charlotte. But, was it really just a dream? Was it his dream? Did someone put a chip on his brain? What thoughts are really his? A 2200-word short story.

Alternate Cover Edition can be found here The end of "Aladdin of the Lamp" finds the cunning Aladdin ruler of a great kingdom. Now, many years have passed.... Life as the king of Agrabah is never boring, especially when the dashing Sinbad the Sailor requests a ship to save his kidnapped wife. Aladdin, never one to run from danger, agrees to help and accompanies Sinbad as they set sail to accumulate enough treasure to ransom the sailor's wife. Soon they run afoul of zombies, sirens, demons, nymphs, evil djinns, and a dastardly plot to take over his kingdom. But Aladdin has a few tricks up his sleeves...including one very magical lamp. From bestselling authors Piers Anthony (Xanth) and J.R. Rain (Vampire for Hire), Aladdin Sins Bad is the second in a fantastical series set in the enchanted world of the Arabian Nights.

Anderson Lake is a company man, AgriGen's Calorie Man in Thailand. Under cover as a factory manager, Anderson combs Bangkok's street markets in search of foodstuffs thought to be extinct, hoping to reap the bounty of history's lost calories. There, he encounters Emiko... Emiko is the Windup Girl, a strange and beautiful creature. One of the New People, Emiko is not human; instead, she is an engineered being, creche-grown and programmed to satisfy the decadent whims of a Kyoto businessman, but now abandoned to the streets of Bangkok. Regarded as soulless beings by some, devils by others, New People are slaves, soldiers, and toys of the rich in a chilling near future in which calorie companies rule the world, the oil age has passed, and the side effects of bio-engineered plagues run rampant across the globe. What Happens when calories become currency? What happens when bio-terrorism becomes a tool for corporate profits, when said bio-terrorism's genetic drift forces mankind to the cusp of post-human evolution? Award-winning author Paolo Bacigalupi delivers one of the most highly acclaimed science fiction novels of the twenty-first century.

In idyllic Taparak, young Rayojinni trains and awaits her initiation into the ranks of the soulscapers--the practitioners who heal the mental and spiritual ills of the people. Far away in glittering Sacramente, the elite artisans of the Eloim live in isolation, hiding their true non-human nature from the public who adore their culture, art and philosophy. But all is not well for the Eloim, who are succumbing to a a disease called "The Fear", bringing death and despair among their ranks for the first time. And no soulscaper is able to help them. Eloim actress Gimel and her brother Beth decide they need a child, a soulscaper young enough they can be trained to cope with their alien psyches--and they have chosen Rayojinni.

Set in the world of Blade Runner long before the days of the Nexus 6, we follow the workers of Tyrell Corps as they impliment The Process. Is it all it seems?Set in the world of Blade Runner long before the days of the Nexus 6, we follow the workers of Tyrell Corps as they impliment The Process. Is it all it seems?Learn about the life of the first Nexus 3, learn more about Doctor Eldon Tyrell and discover the secret of the Voight test.

Qui-Gon's evil former apprentice, Xanatos, has set a trap for his old Master. He has lured Qui-Gon and young Obi-Wan Kenobi to his home planet of Telos...and has framed them for a crime they did not commit. The penalty is death. Suddenly Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan are fugitives on a planet where everyone is an enemy. Xanatos' day of reckoning has come.