Word Count: 284
Summary: Dalí Tamareia has the terrorist Skadi in their sights – but bringing her in may cost them everything. Dalí’s role as an undercover operative is compromised, putting a target on their back and threatening the close-knit team aboard Thunder Child. A new lead on Miriam Skadi’s activities forces them back to Luna, where they must confront everything they tried to run from…including their changed relationship with Rion Sumner, who insists on backing up Dalí for this investigation. But Dalí is not the only one searching for Skadi. An alien presence hunts the terrorist as well, taking over Sumner's body to ensure Dalí’s cooperation. With their team on the other side of the solar system Dalí must depend on this questionable ally to complete the mission, which takes a deadly turn when an old nemesis resurfaces. If there is any chance for a future with Sumner and their chosen family, Dalí must exorcise the demons haunting them, or they will burn in the heart of a star.
Word Count: 36000
Summary:
“Wanna know what sucks most about an apocalypse? You don’t get to pick which kind you get!”
Surviving a worldwide plague can lead to unlikely alliances, especially in Hanning County.
It's hard enough for Ashley Korrs keep the tribe of young survivors alive and together, but the pressure is on to learn all she can from their unlikely sage, Toby Cracken, the handyman, before he succumbs to his mental decline. When Toby is snatched by a violent gang, Ashley must consider cozying up with old adversaries to rescue him. Adversaries like the notorious MacKenzie Tanner—a girl as manageable as a wolverine stuck in a water bucket with the lid on—and her twin outlaw boyfriends who may be the chaos needed to free Toby... if Ashley can keep the whole thing from going off the rails.
Dirty secrets are exposed as the truth comes to light in this story of small town reputations, rivalries, and survival.
“Rich with pulpy apocalyptic dysfunction, ‘gritty’ is not a raw enough description—put on your grown-up pants before taking this journey.”
Reader Advisory: This novella contains violence, explicit language, graphic sexual content, and gritty, adult situations; kinda like life.
Word Count: 135000
Summary: The Lady in White and the Hunter of Night is Helvensgate's most beloved children's tale. It tells of two lovers, blessed by magic, whose quest ended with them sleeping for centuries, hand in hand, until they can be together once more. All of it is wrong. A thousand years ago, Adecca was sent away to serve the spirits of the dead; Mikael was exiled after being cursed by the Wood. They were each other's best and only friends—or so Adecca thought—until, with one unexpected kiss, Mikael enchanted them both with eternal sleep. Now Adecca has awakened, and the world is nothing like she remembers. The empire's machines move of their own volition, a man-eating forest is growing into the city, and conflicts between the empress and the engineering guilds is spiraling out of control. Still, Adecca could have everything she ever wanted—a home among people, actual friends!—and all she must do is ignore the supernatural mysteries writhing beneath Helvensgate and pretend she is madly in love with Mikael. Clearly something must be sacrificed for this world to be at peace. But does it always have to be her?
Word Count: Information not available
Summary: Eight neighbors. Two strangers. One traitor. Near death, young mercenary, Kannen, stumbles toward the lone oasis in an alpine snowstorm. The villagers in this mountain hamlet uncover her secret on a makeshift gurney: an unconscious man with a peculiar jewel in his chest. A darkness pursues her into the mountains, and one among them may have invited it here. As the sun goes down, a fight for survival commences. Kannen learns that the village and its inhabitants harbor terrors of their own. Some of these threaten to sabotage. Others may prove useful. They will have to put their differences aside and work as one if they are to uncover the traitor and live through the night.
Word Count: 63,000
Summary: There are vipers in Arajon, from the Valley to the Bronze. Grace Harrington, the Dowager Archon of Arajon, is approaching her first anniversary on the throne she claimed following the death of her husband, slain at her own hands. But her position is so precarious that even the unwelcome presence of the former assassin Nathaniel Morgenstern, watching over her at her father’s behest, cannot protect her from her enemies. The city’s press has turned against her, the Bronze is rallying behind Odessa White, and her last hope of support from the Druids has gone up in smoke. The lies are adding up. A coup is coming for Grace, and she is running out of people in the city to trust…
Word Count: Information not available
Summary: Real estate is hell - sometimes literally! Wedged between real estate speculators, startup bros, and gentrified neighborhoods, it’s gotten hard to get by in San Francisco and it’s getting even harder all the time. Now two witches have decided the time has come to do something about it. Using all their arcane skills, Iria – tall, dark, and genderqueer – and their partner and mentor, Madge – the granddaughter of Chinese immigrants and a powerful magician – have summoned back to the world of the living one of San Francisco’s greatest eccentric heroes: Joshua Norton, self-declared Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico. In the 19th century he issued imperial proclamations intended to combat prejudice and advance the interests of the destitute and downtrodden. Binding him to themselves and to the city, Iria and Madge need Norton’s charisma and tireless dedication to the city to help them save the city from a demon of greed. With an exciting combination of spell-slinging and derring-do, Norton and his modern-day patrons embark on a series of adventures across San Francisco’s past and present in search of the keys to the city: objects from its past they can use in the present to save the city’s future from a demon of greed and his tireless efforts to rob San Francisco of its soul forever!
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Summary: In Book 2 of The Fairville Woods series - the sequel to "From The Ashes" - the ghost of a little girl begins to haunt Lundy, in a stark reminder that Karel's curse has not been completely broken. Harlan is now a happy fixture in her life, unbeknownst to her parents, but the school year begins and she finds herself dealing with mean girls, popular guys, and troubled friends, as well as her developing physical relationship with Harlan. But even with Karel's coven gone, all is not right in Fairville - children are missing from the elementary school, and Harlan and Dr. Weinhelm sense an alarming presence in the town. Lundy begins to have dreams about a mad woman who has lost her children, while the little girl ghost leaves her clues she doesn’t understand. The vampires from the Smoky Mountains reluctantly arrive to help defeat a creature from ancient, frightening legends - one whose existence yields an unlikely clue to the new nature of Lundy's curse.
Word Count: Information not available
Summary: Two years ago Trotter saved her world and the entire pantheon of Realm from a dark god. Unfortunately, gratitude didn't stop the gods from banning her from Realm when she refused to declare her dominion as a goddess. Now even her lonely refuge in Aevum is destroyed as something violently tilts the world away from the sun, plunging it into permanent night. Once again on her own to save her home, Trotter uncovers a hidden world forgotten by the gods that faces a similar fate. Unable to turn to Realm for help, Trotter will be forced to finally choose a dominion that will let her save both worlds, even if it means losing one forever. However, throughout her journey she is unaware that the terrifying darkness growing within her means another dominion has already chosen her...
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Summary: Forty years after landing on Lida, the colony still isn't finished. Agetha has survived many more battles than she anticipated when she first landed on her new home planet. She's older and wiser, has gained family and lost loved ones. And yet her reward for four decades of service is to be pushed to the colony’s outer edges with the other aging Generationals. But that was only the beginning of her adventure. The biomass has spent years studying the intruders who landed on its surface, carving a new home from its very essence. Never satisfied in its attempt to communicate with this new and invasive species, finally it has found a way to express its intentions. The colonists may never be the same. Discover the fate of the colony in the second book of The Biomass Conflux trilogy!
- Sci Fi
- Sci Fi - Alien Races
- Sci Fi - Aliens
- Sci Fi - Colonization
- Sci Fi - Distant Planet
- Sci Fi - Dying Earth
- Sci Fi - Dystopian & Post-Apocalyptic
- Sci Fi - First Contact
- Sci Fi - Generation Ship
- Sci Fi - Genetic Manipulation
- Sci Fi - Hard Sci Fi
- Sci Fi - Human Evolution
- Sci Fi - LGBTQ+
- Sci Fi - Space Exploration
- Sci Fi - Space Opera
- Sci Fi - Terraforming
Word Count: 93765
Summary: Home, a place where we belong and are safe and loved. Home, the house in which we grew up, a neighborhood, a culture, even a country. Home is a state of mind, it is a place of the heart, and in the heart. Finding home, coming home, and bringing home the one we love is a journey, a journey that can be a dangerous adventure. For the lovers in these stories, adventures can include quests and fighting dragons and demons, past and present, physical as well as mental and emotional. Rocket launchers need to be dodged, the Wild Hunt needs to be outrun. For some of the lovers here, home has been lost, or they have been forced to leave, as is too common for LGBT+ youth. In this collection queer positive speculative fiction stories, explore the idea of what and where home is in the lives of these lovers. Will they survive their quests, defeat their monsters? Will they find a place to call home?
Word Count: 118676
Summary: Once upon a time, before the hunts, dragons were plentiful in the world. Now they exist only in legend…except in the land of Ivria. Without the Dragon Talent, Sascha has long been told his only value is his ability to make the best match possible, whether as concubine or husband. He has always done what his family expects of him, cultivating grace and beauty, and when his parents make a match for him, Sascha goes without protest. He never anticipates being contractually bound to a cruel man embroiled in a plot to overthrow the king of Ivria. Or being confronted by the king himself, a man with whom Sascha is disturbed to find himself fascinated. With help from the few people he can trust absolutely, King Lysander is working carefully to uncover the members of a conspiracy to overthrow him and expose the existence of dragons to the world. Apprehending one traitor only complicates the situation further, not the least of which because of the man’s beautiful, intriguing concubine. Who may be involved in the plot and whom Lysander is immediately attracted to. As danger looms, Sascha and Lysander grow closer, but can Lysander trust Sascha with his life and heart? And can Sascha be strong enough to love the dragon king?
Word Count: 78800
Summary: Their marriage was a simple bargain. Love was not supposed to complicate things. When her reputation-obsessed family issues her an ultimatum – get married or be disinherited – Saria seizes upon what seems like a most convenient solution. She strikes a deal with a stranger – marriage and a child in exchange for freedom and security. That her bride is a sorcerer from the mysterious city of Neeth is not a problem. Or so Saria thinks. Taleysin doesn’t expect much from her second marriage. A child and heir to carry on her sworn duty to the city of Neeth, and more importantly, a wife who won’t ask too many questions. The deal with Saria seems to be everything she wants – and nothing more. She will have her heir, and Neeth will remain safe for another generation. But soon enough, their resolve over their practical decision begins to crumble. While Saria grows ever more curious about Neeth’s magical secrets, Taleysin finds herself falling for a woman who was supposed to be nothing more than a means to an end. When a mysterious assailant begins to hunt down sorcerers, Saria and Taleysin must find a way to work through this shift in their relationship – to save both their marriage and the city.
Word Count: Information not available
Summary:
Withrow Surrett, the most sarcastic vampire for a country mile, makes an annual Appalachian pilgrimage to keep tabs on nocturnal colleagues and his last living friend from mortal days. What should be a quiet week among familiar faces quickly fills with undead rednecks, folk magic, murder, a rookie detective and Withrow's own psychotic cousin who insists on trying to help. Because even vampires have cousins, and Southern ones especially so.
As Withrow chases the phantoms of conspiracy and paranoia across moonlit forests, abandoned factories, shadowy back roads and seedy bars - all the quiet little places humans fear to tread - Withrow also struggles with who he wants to be. Can a monster find a place among family and friends?
Fans of The Black Knight Chronicles, The Tome of Bill, and Fred, the Vampire Accountant will love this series!
Word Count: Information not available
Summary: To uncover the truth behind a murder, Victor Eastmore must risk his sanity—and set a killer free. In Tortured Echoes, the gripping sequel to Broken Mirror, bioinformatics prodigy Victor Eastmore is finally gaining control over his debilitating mirror resonance syndrome—an affliction that warps his senses and blurs the line between perception and reality. But the mystery of his grandfather’s murder still haunts him, and the path to justice leads to New Venice, a touristy canal town in the Louisiana Territories. There, Victor must confront Samuel Miller, the infamous “patient zero” of MRS and the perpetrator of the Carmichael Massacre. To uncover the truth, Victor must risk unshackling Samuel from Personil, the drug that reins in his madness. Meanwhile, tensions mount as the radical Human Lifers group protests BioScan’s controversial treatments and advocates for a future free from “pharmaceutical enslavement.” Caught between manipulative family members, treacherous allies, and a society on the brink of enforcing brutal policies against the Broken Mirrors, Victor must decide where his loyalty lies. Will he fight for a new vision of justice and community—or be consumed by the very forces that threaten to silence him? Tortured Echoes blends psychological sci-fi, political intrigue, and emotional depth in a thought-provoking tale of identity, power, belonging, and resistance in the Resonant Earth universe.
Word Count: 37000
Summary: „Poetry in prose... I love a story that is huge, but also incredibly intimate, and this novella managed to encompass both of these things.“ —Miltos Yerolemou (Syrio Forel in Game of Thrones) Minister Shea Ashcroft took pity on innocents. The result was violence and exile. Out on the border, all he's in charge of now is construction of the queen's massive defensive tower, using technology brought by refugees from another world. But one of them warns him that the plan to use her people's devices may draw attention none of them can afford. If Shea backtracks, his future will be destroyed. If he doesn't, they all may be.
Word Count: 96000
Summary: "Today I swam through MOMA. Leon says it was a waste, encasing the art, then flooding the museum—frivolous and elitist. I say it was a gesture of optimism, a triumph of technology and political will." Want to thrill to the possibilities of a hopeful future? We asked a bunch of sci-fi writers to spin tales of a better future, imagining ways in which the world might become a better place. From a swim through an underwater museum to a joyous dance at a futuristic concert, from the eco-friendly aftermath of an alien invasion and retreat to the refurbishing of an old climate-ravaged home in New Vancouver, these fourteen short sci-fi stories will to restore your faith in the future. A world transformed is a world we can all hope for. Book three in the Writers Save the World short story anthologies. If you enjoy this book, check out Fix the World and Save the World.
Word Count: 8000
Summary: Tucker has spent his entire life as an interstellar trash man. But ever since his mother died, he’s been alone, and certainly lonely. So when he discovers the derelict ship he scooped up has an occupant—a beautiful young man named Ronan—Tucker is thrilled. Ronan is royalty and running from his tyrannical mother, determined to keep a powerful object out of her hands. But when he strikes a deal with the adorable Tucker, he wonders if it’s time to stop running.
Word Count: 50000
Summary: Previously, on Dragon War Chronicles, our daring heroes were teetering on the brink of exposure! Will they thwart the traitor's last schemes, or are they jumping from the frying pan straight into the blazing inferno? Join Danica and her growing clan in an epic finale as they devise a plan to unite with humanity and emerge from the shadows. Gifts are flowing in for Anchin and Xavier to celebrate the first clutch laid in over a thousand years. Meanwhile, Danica embarks on a personal journey to break down the emotional barriers between her and Kollin. They all must work together to ensure the future is bright for all their unborn children. The fate of dragon-kind is on the line, but only by embracing peace will the world truly find Unity! Content warnings can be found at the beginning of the book or at the author's website. Dragon War Chronicles is a continuous urban fantasy series featuring LGBTQ+ characters and relationships. It must be read in order. SYN Consulting Secrets Revealed First Strike Dragon's Hoard Intermission Cold Revenge Unity
Word Count: 55000
Summary: In Unsafe Words, the first full-length collection of her edgy, award-winning short stories, Loren Rhoads punctures the boundaries between horror, dark fantasy, and science fiction in a maelstrom of sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll. Ghosts, succubi, naiads, vampires, the Wild Hunt, and the worst predator in the woods stalk these pages, alongside human monsters who follow their cravings past sanity or sense. Featuring an introduction by Lisa Morton and cover art by Lynne Hansen, these never-before-collected stories come from the magazines Cemetery Dance, Space & Time, City Slab, and Instant City, the Wily Writers podcast, and from the books Sins of the Sirens, Demon Lovers, The Haunted Mansion Project: Year Two, Tales for the Camp Fire, and more. One story, “With You By My Side It Should Be Fine,” is original to the collection.
Word Count: 123,000
Summary: This city of fools will be brought to order! Deposed, her father presumed dead, her friends slaughtered and the cavern in chaos, Grace Harrington is on the run and entirely alone. The only ally she has left is the man she hates most in the world: Nathaniel Morgenstern, the assassin who murdered her mother and seduced her father. Grace’s only hope of reclaiming the throne and saving her people is to seek the aid of Éamon Tadhg, the High Druid of Arajon. But she needs to survive the hostile streets of Iole City before she can even think about fleeing to the Violet Valley. Nathaniel made a vow to Doran to protect Grace, but he could never have imagined how quickly and horrifically their lives would fall apart. Grieving the dual losses of the man he loved and his new friend Tsa Lien, Nathaniel devotes himself to the service of the overthrown Lady Archon who despises him – even if it costs him everything he is.
