fantasy – dark fantasy

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Summary: INK (NOUN) Five definitions to inspire writers around the world and an unlimited number of possible stories to tell: 1) A colored fluid used for writing 2) The action of signing a deal 3) A black liquid ejected by squid 4) Publicity in the written media 5) A slang word for tattoos Ink features 300-word speculative flash fiction stories from across the rainbow spectrum, from the minds of the writers of Queer Sci Fi.

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Summary: Part fae, part human, all magic. . . Now it’s time to choose a side. When the Unified Church in Rome is destroyed by rogue sorcerers, tensions explode. Alex Blackwood will do whatever it takes to prevent a war between the humans, fae, and Earth paranaturals--even turn herself over to the PTF. But when a man she thought long dead walks back into her life at the head of a sorcerer army, surrender is no longer an option. With all the world watching, and half hoping she fails, Alex and her friends scramble to find a peace that won’t cost them everything.

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Summary: I escape into a twisted wilderness with a stolen relic protecting me from madness. Behind me is the mysterious stalker from across the plains. He’s caught up to us. My sisters are out there somewhere out, and my unborn is here with me. Struggling to tell guardians from beguilers on a warped battlefield, I worry for all our fates. Somehow, I must bear the terrifying risk of bargaining with Surfacers in ways which ensure enslavement back home. No Red Sister can give up her mission when compelled by her Queen to see it through. Surrounded by allies and enemies alike seeking to influence the only free Davrin Elf on the Surface, I must relearn my limits when confronted by those who have none. The true scope of Etaski's saga arises in The Mark of Gold. Tangible peril meets cryptic visions, forcing a driven few to redefine what it takes to break the shackles of compulsion and forge them as bonds of loyalty. Sister Seekers is dark epic fantasy for adults with an ever-broadening scope. The saga genre-hops a bit so things never get stale. Found Family is a core theme throughout. Perfect for fans of entwined plots, challenging themes, immersive worldbuilding, and elements of erotic horror. Sexuality and inner conflict play into character growth with nuanced intrigue, intense action, and fantastical magic.

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Summary: Can she stop what she unleashed? How in the world did Shaleigh Mallett find herself standing on a volcanic mountain facing the fire dragon, Tanwen? She isn’t supposed to be here. She’s supposed to be in high school, studying for classes and exploring abandoned buildings with her best friend. But no, she’s stuck on the Peak of Gwern, hoping that the dragon will somehow show mercy and stop the Madness that plagues them. There is still so much to do, so many wrongs to right. She can’t abandon her friends after she’s come so far. She won’t abandon them. Not even Talek, who is all but consumed by the Madness. She must take down Keriam the Magician, she must face the Bloody Forest, and she must lead if she ever wants to see home again. Book 3 of the Stolen series

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Summary: I am the dark foreigner among pale-skinned mercenaries, crossing exposed grasslands. My only ally is a sinister scholar hiding scars from past rituals. He alone knows I carry a child. Each day assaults my senses and leads me farther away from home. Inevitably, my mission will lead out of isolation to the first Human settlement in my path. With few watching my back and more tempted to exploit it, I wade into an unforgiving test of my training and vigilance, determined not to be pulled down. Twisted portents and pious zealotry expose danger in every direction, while new, threatening dreams of distant sands muddle my Queen's past with my present. As all close in around me, I must find a way to serve the Valsharess and slip free of man-made chains which would enslave me. In Black Witch, Death Mage, far-reaching threads and mystical visions constrict to bind those within it, pulling the tales of present and past closer than they've been in thousands of years. Sister Seekers is dark epic fantasy for adults with an ever-broadening scope. The saga genre-hops a bit so things never get stale. Found Family is a core theme throughout. Perfect for fans of entwined plots, challenging themes, immersive worldbuilding, and elements of erotic horror. Sexuality and inner conflict play into character growth with nuanced intrigue, intense action, and fantastical magic.

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Summary: Beware the Gray People Each Seeking, the magic that protects the town of Carra must be renewed, which means the children of the Exalted Family must go into hiding. Whether through disguise or bribe, through trusted friends or perfect hiding places, every child of the Priest family must avoid capture for the full day of The Seeking. When things go wrong with the renewal, it’s up to seventeen-year-old Dahlia, the middle child of the Priest family, and her girlfriend, Bisa, to escape Carra and find the magical beings responsible for the protection. They must learn who would require such a cruel game every year and if the protection of the Gray People is really worth such a price. What they will discover is far worse.

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Summary: Julian “Lackland” De Portiers is the last good knight in Waldeyn. Everyone knows he’s brilliant… …Everyone knows he’s mad. How does a Hero gracefully retire from the business of saving the world? Once upon a time, Julian "Lackland" De Portiers had the strength to save what mattered most. Once he had companions and twice, he fell passionately in love. One terrible night in the forest, everything changed. Who will rescue the rescuer when darkness falls, and the voices begin?   Julian Lackland is an enduring tale of confusion, sorrow, and triumph set in an alternate medieval world.

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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.

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Summary: In the final book of The Stranger Trilogy, Amarta reaches the city-state of Seuan, where the Heart—a man famous for his predictions—awaits her. As Amarta struggles to understand this extraordinary land full of threats and treasures, she resolves to protect those who cannot protect themselves, even if that means from herself. Step by step, Amarta unwraps secrets within secrets, coming to understand the cost of getting what she wants. Innel at last gains a chance at redemption for all he has done, but can he pay the price? The Seer and The Lord Commander's paths come together again, but their paths have changed them both, and they meet as strangers. Landfall—the third and final book of The Stranger Trilogy—brings Amarta’s and Innel’s journeys to a satisfying conclusion that will leave you breathless with wonder and wanting to start the journey all over again. Be sure to pick up the first two books in The Stranger Trilogy: Unmoored and Maelstrom.

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Summary: A new generation of vampires embarks on a quest to save humanity. Opening a forgotten crypt during a military exercise, Dr. Jane Heckman is made a vampire and begins a journey to unlock the secret origins of her new kindred. Elsewhere, solitary vampire Marcella DuBois emerges from the shadows and uncovers a government plot to create vampire-like super soldiers. Daniel McKee, a vampire working as an astronomer, moves to a new town where he's adopted by a family, only to have government agents strip those he loves away from him. All three vampires discover the government is dabbling in technologies so advanced they'll tap into realms and dimensions they don't understand. To save humans and vampires alike, Jane, Marcella, and Daniel must seek out the legendary master vampire Desmond, Lord Draco and encourage him to resurrect his band of mercenaries, the Scarlet Order.

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Summary: The hunted becomes the hunter as Amarta, The Seer, sets out across the land to find others like herself and to understand her own power. On the way to the most famous predictor of all—the Heart of Seuan—Amarta walks the greatest wonder of the world: The Island Road, a living land mass that forms unpredictably, producing tremendous wealth for a lucky few. As she travels, Amarta learns to wield her power in ways that she did not foresee, at a cost that she could not imagine. Innel, the former Lord Commander, is sold into anonymous slavery. On his way to certain death, he is [instead] given to a wealthy Perripin merchant. Does the merchant know who he was before? Though they walk separate paths, Amarta and Innel's questions are one and the same: Who am I now? Maelstrom—the second book of The Stranger Trilogy—continues Amarta’s and Innel’s journeys through fantastic lands and powerful magic. Be sure to start with the first book in the trilogy, Unmoored, and to continue with the stunning conclusion in Landfall.

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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.

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Summary: Three vampires. Three lives. Three stories intertwined. Bearing the guilt of destroying the holiest of books after becoming a vampire, the Dragon, Lord Desmond searches the world for lost knowledge, but instead, discovers truth in love. Born a slave in Ancient Greece, Alexandra craves freedom above all else, until a vampire sets her free, and then, she must pay the highest price of all … her human soul. An assassin who lives in the shadows, Roquelaure is cloaked even from himself, until he discovers the power of friendship and loyalty. Three vampires, traveling the world by moonlight—one woman and two men who forge a bond made in love and blood. Together they form a band of mercenaries called the Scarlet Order, and recruit others who are like them. Their mission is to protect kings and emperors against marauders, invaders, and rogue vampires as the world descends into the chaos of the Dark Ages.

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Summary: Robert thought becoming a dynamicist would enable him to change the world, starting with saving all his friends from being slaughtered. He was wrong.

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Summary: The sequel to The Seer. Finally liberated from her captor, Amarta—The Seer of Arunkel—travels south to Perripur, her former hunter—and lover—at her side. She needs all the help she can get, because more hunters are tracking her, close behind. As Amarta’s fame spreads across two countries, so does her need to understand herself, and to find others who can also see into the future. Back in Arunkel, the man who once held Amarta's freedom—the queen's Lord Commander and Royal Consort—plays a deadly game with the aristocratic Houses. He must win if his queen and his child are to survive. He has not forgotten the Seer whom he once hunted, and held captive. Amarta has not forgotten him, either. Unmoored—the first book of The Stranger Trilogy—begins new adventures for Amarta, The Seer. Come explore this rich world, follow the court intrigue, and learn the truth about power. Be sure to pick up the other books in the trilogy: Maelstrom and Landfall.

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Summary: A land has fallen. An escape was made. It’s a victory, but at what price? Shaleigh has made a terrible mistake, one she may not ever be able to fix. Lost and in a strange land with anger and death all around her, she must navigate her way through treacherous lands on her quest for redemption. Along the way she’ll have to negotiate with the mercurial Queen of the Fae, survive the dangers of the Masked King’s realm, and seek out a terrifying fire dragon. With two powerful beings hot on her trail, Shaleigh has no choice but to keep moving, or else face the dangerous magic of the Madness that has already caused so much pain and heartache. With her sights on helping her friends and her heart longing for home, Shaleigh is determined, but will it be enough? Book 2 of the Stolen series

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Summary: I emerge from the Deepearth for the first time, blinded by searing light. Vast lands beyond my comprehension await me. I will face them pregnant and alone. My Sisters and I have been compelled to take missions in this uncharted wilderness. By order of our Queen and the abyssal power which backs Her, we cannot refuse. For the slimmest chance of success, we must move beyond each other's reach with little knowledge to aid us. The Valsharess predicted we would never see each other again. When a sisterhood has no demons but each other, what are we to this new land once we've been split apart? Etaski's fantasy world breaks wide open in Surfacing, as the Sister Seekers epic rises to the next level. Beneath the unforgiving sun, webs dissolve into dreams, and scattered shards of dark history wait to be picked up and pieced together. Sister Seekers is dark epic fantasy for adults with an ever-broadening scope. The saga genre-hops a bit so things never get stale. Found Family is a core theme throughout. Perfect for fans of entwined plots, challenging themes, immersive worldbuilding, and elements of erotic horror. Sexuality and inner conflict play into character growth with nuanced intrigue, intense action, and fantastical magic.

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Summary: Would it kill you to create something genuinely new? In Robert's world, it used to. Supernatural vengeance for invention is now a thing of the past. Young, optimistic, quick of mind and quick to act, Robert thinks being invited to the New School is an invitation to change the world. But change is difficult when there is no history of innovation. He is initially successful in his studies, but nothing is as simple as he naively imagines. His classmates confuse and frustrate him. One is a drunk, while another two constantly stalk him. Is it for love or something more sinister? Robert's optimism is further tested by protestors who circle the campus, decrying the newly invented breed of grain. They claim it is poison and that the New School should be punished by Nimrheal, the god who formerly murdered inventors. Robert suspects foreign business influences are behind the protests, but he quickly finds that investigating their cause is dangerous. Robert's most difficult challenges are his unresolved childhood issues. His mother died while he was a child. Robert's formative helplessness and inability to remember her face projects into a powerful and blinding protectiveness towards all women. When a campus assault pushes Robert over the edge, his hopes of even staying at the New School are jeopardized. He cannot aspire to change the world if he does not even know himself. At the same time as Robert struggles on campus, a powerful, ruthless and emotionally closed man known only as the Lonely Wizard journeys across an empty wilderness to return home. As Robert and the Lonely Wizard move closer together, Robert finds that instead of entering a golden era of invention, he may instead be on the brink of a cold war and an endless, unchanging dark age.

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Summary: A man arrives at his new job. A woman lets one last customer into her shop. Two teens sneak away to a party. These all sound normal. But these simple actions are on worlds that it's unlikely you've seen before. Twenty short stories bring you twenty weird worlds you won't soon forget.