This is a short story, in the science fiction/horror genre. It is told in the first person. The narrator is in a kind of prison for the criminally insane. He is highly intelligent, but an extreme sociopath.The story opens in Melbourne in the mid 21st Century, as the world is on the brink of a calamitous nuclear conflict. Our hero, Simon Redhead, is a young university student who is unaware that his genetic make-up has conspired to make him a manifestation of the 'Everlasting Hero'. Simon is saved from the forces of evil that are also looking for him and taken to FirstWorld, where he learns about its history and the eternal battle between Law and Chaos into which he is to be thrust. FirstWorld is at the centre of the multiverse – perhaps an infinite number of dimensions that reflect the various probabilities of existence. Originally, there was a single universe and time was linear. We discover that Simon and another manifestation of the Everlasting Hero were responsible for the Sundering, which caused the formation of the multiverse. We are confronted with the possibility that Fate controls everything we do in life and that we have no control over our own actions.Simon finds a group of friends and colleagues to help him in his great quest. There’s a wizard (one of the last of the wise, created by the Great Old Ones to maintain the Balance), an elf, a dwarf, a human warrior, a being of currently uncertain parentage who is the Hero’s companion, and a strange fellow who is perhaps a bard and could be either a friend or a foe. There are possible friends and potential enemies around every turn. There’s a wizard turned evil, who is the main protagonist in Volume One, and there’s the big evil bad guy who won’t be vanquished (or will he?) until Volume Four.We follow two groups of this fellowship as they travel within FirstWorld and through the dimensions and have to overcome many challenges, as well as Simon’s individual journeys through time. Simon’s first quest is to find his Sword, a very powerful talisman, and learn how to control and use it. Others seek it too. When he finds it, there’s an internal moral struggle as to whether he should use its great power. After great soul searching and hiding away in the past, Simon realises that he must accept and face his destiny as the Everlasting Hero and he must use the Sword to save his friends and attempt to defeat the evil wizard, just when all seems lost. Views: 473
The acclaimed author of The Peep Diaries and Hello, I'm Special returns to fiction, and delivers a mind-altering collection of short stories that confront the hypocrisies, humiliations and hilarities of modern life. The foibles of the 21st-century ego are on full view in this romp through social conventions — imaginative, offbeat stories that confront society's intractable dilemmas and deftly capture the zeitgeist of our fractured times.*An undergraduate gets in way over his head when a class assignment to start a terrorist organization goes viral*A pregnant 10th-grader struggles with her fetus's insistence that she abort him before both their lives are ruined. *A man trying to come to terms with the death of a friend becomes obsessed with a funeral home's online braodcasts. *A mortgage broker gets lost between the Web and the real world in pursuit of a pornography-induced fantasy.Look Down, This is Where It Must Have... Views: 473
On an early spring canoe trip, our hero, Ted, finds the body of Hughie, drowned in a mudhole on the portage trail. Because the electronic organizer Hughie always carried is missing. Ted wonders if someone killed him.Ted figures there are three things you must not being on a canoe trip: electronic devices, pet anacondas, or people who will die on the trip. Just as well nobody brought an anaconda….Hughie apparently left the campsite in the middle of the night while everybody else was asleep. That wasn't surprising, considering how poorly he got along with the rest of the group the night before.What is surprising is his canoe, lying in a very large mud hole on the portage - with Hughie's body under it. And there's the question of what happened to the phone that's no longer with is body. Views: 473
Strange things are happening in deep space, and then closer to home, and then closer; someone has pulled the plug on the universe. Views: 473
Deren the squire and his Master Sir Bron have been selected for a mission behind enemy lines. The mysterious Baron Adderand will lead the mission. The Baron's reputation for brutality and sword skill proceeds him. Where would the enigmatic baron take them? What lay ahead, adventure, wealth, intrigue or death?Two scientists pull an all-nighter, desperate to complete their work before the project is terminated.Garrett was just reaching for the keyboard when the office door flew open and Harris burst in."I've got something!" shouted the scientist, his face flushed. "Quick. Come and see!"Garrett jumped up and ran for the door. Harris was already half-way down the corridor, running flat-out with his white lab coat flapping behind him like a sail in a hurricane.A 2000-word short story by Simon Haynes, author of the Hal Spacejock series. Views: 473
When his wife inexplicably flees from home with their infant son, Jesús Ángel García struggles to redefine himself by being of service on both sides of the Southern cultural divide. By day, he works as the humble, God-fearing webmaster for First Church of the Church Before Church. At night, he plays the part of sexual messiah on fallenangels, an online social network for extreme desires. Blinded by righteousness, obsession and identity confusion, Jesús refuses to change his path even as it leads to the greatest of sins.
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A king who would not be denied. A woman who would be queen. And a gentle
poet forced to watch helplessly as his one true love slipped out of his
arms forever. These are the elements in Wendy J. Dunn's poignant novel,
"Dear Heart, How Like You This?""Dear Heart" tells the story of
Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII. The novel is written in
first person, from the point of view of Anne's cousin, Sir Thomas Wyatt.
Tom has secretly loved Anne his entire life, but has always been told
he is not highly born enough to pursue her. He carefully masks his
feelings, especially after Anne catches the eye of the king, and remains
at Anne's side as one of her staunchest friends and supporters. Then
the unthinkable happens. After marrying Anne, the king tires of her and
falsely accuses her of adultery. Imprisoned himself on the whim of the
king's arrogant brother-in-law, Tom watches helplessly as his true love
and his closest friends go on trial for their lives..."Dear
Heart" is a novel that grips you before the end of the first sentence
and doesn't let go until the bitter end. In Dunn's more than capable
hands, Anne Boleyn comes to life, first as a whimsical child, then as a
hurt and angry teenager, then as a woman both frightened and exhilarated
by the dangerous game she is playing, and finally as a bruised-but not
broken-victim of the king's cruelty. Through Anne's tumultuous life, her
cousin Thomas is a spellbinding narrator, reporting the events around
him with a reporter's keen eye and a poet's tender heart. Views: 473
#1 New York Times bestselling author Iris Johansen explores the darkest corners of the human heart as forensic sculptor Eve Duncan closes in on the killer who stole her daughter so many years ago. *
As a former Navy SEAL turned cop, Joe Quinn has seen the face of evil and knows just how deadly it can be. When he first met Eve Duncan, he never expected to fall in love with a woman whose life would be defined by her dual desires to bring home her missing daughter and discover the truth behind her disappearance—no matter how devastating. With the help of CIA agent Catherine Ling, they make a shocking discovery that sheds new light on young Bonnie's abduction and puts Quinn squarely in the crosshairs of danger. Eve's first love, John Gallo, a soldier supposedly killed in the line of duty, is very much alive—and very much a threat.
Emotionally charged, with one shock after another, Quinn reveals the electricity of Joe and Eve's first connection, and how they fell in love in the midst of haunting tragedy. As their search takes them deeper and deeper into a web of murder and madness, Joe and Eve must confront their most primal fears . . . and test their resolve to uncover the ultimate bone-chilling truth. Views: 472
This playful collection of poems ranging from humorous, to thoughtful, to adventurous is anything but predictable. In this work you will find death, love, happiness and our place in the universe as much a theme and the subject for humor and introspection as rabbits, kitchen utensils, nerdy scientists and garbage day.This playful collection of poems ranging from humorous, to thoughtful, to adventurous is anything but predictable. In this work you will find death, love, happiness and our place in the universe as much a theme and the subject for humor and introspection as rabbits, kitchen utensils, nerdy scientists and garbage day. This versatile blend of parody, free verse, syllabic verse, sonnets, cinquains and other poetic forms does not distract but adds to author's unique sound and voice. At once self effacing and impudent, contemporary yet archaic, absurd yet thoughtful, these lyrical tidbits challenge the readers preconceptions and expectations and create a colorful glimpse into this writer's world of words and ideas. Views: 472
Communities everywhere are challenged by issues such as health, elder and child care, housing, education, food security and the environment. On the surface, these problems appear to be rooted in economic crisis—for example budget cuts have triggered reduced public services, soaring food prices have created food security concerns, and the subprime mortgage disaster has spawned record increases in foreclosures and homelessness. However if communities could match their unmet needs with their underutilized resources, many would find that while their economies may be struggling when measured in traditional terms, they possess enough genuine wealth to allow all their inhabitants to enjoy a vastly improved quality of life. Creating Wealth demonstrates how a healthy society can be attained through developing new systems of exchange. Using creative initiatives such as time banks, systems of barter and exchange and local currencies, cities and towns can empower themselves and build vibrant, healthy, sustainable local economies. In addition to presenting many compelling case studies of successful alternative currencies in action, Creating Wealth also explores the different types of capital that communities have to draw on, including natural, built, social, human, institutional, cultural, technological, and financial. This book will appeal to community activists, city planners and other public officials, and anyone interested in developing strong local economies. Views: 472
A middle-aged man's repressed childhood memories suddenly return.The world's #1 Big-Data Detective returns in yet another extremely unlikely, if not impossible adventure. This time the wrong things are happening at the wrong times in the wrong places while pasts and futures hang in the balance. Part Freakonomics, part Sherlock Holmes, part Doctor Who, part somewhere on the spectrum and 100% completely absurd, The Outlier series continues with "The Outlier #3, Lost Souls, another Dillon Sharif Tall Tale. Views: 472
YA Paranormal Short StoryWhen a Taker steals her best friend's soul, Evee refuses to let Jaeger become just another Void. After an accident gives her a concussion, she starts hearing voices in her head--well, one voice, loud and clear and belonging to Jaeger's little sister. And Mercy has a plan to get his soul back once and for all...as long as they can outwit the Taker hunting them first.YA Paranormal Romance Short StoryWhen a Taker takes her best friend’s soul, 16-year-old Evee refuses to let Jaeger become just another Void. She wants to help him, but she has no idea how. After an accident gives her a concussion, she starts hearing voices in her head-–well, one voice, loud, clear, and overly peppy and it belongs to Jaeger’s little sister. And Mercy has a plan to get his soul back, once and for all...as long as they can outwit the Taker hunting them first. Views: 472
This collection of literature attempts to compile many classics that have stood the test of time and offer them at a reduced, affordable price in an attractive volume so that everyone can enjoy them. Views: 471
This holiday season, join two of today’s most popular paranormal authors for a special look into their worlds, where creatures are always stirring and no one sleeps through the night....
The Bite Before Christmas
The Gift
by Lynsay Sands
Teddy Brunswick knows about the immortals among us. He’s worked with them, called them friend — but he never counted on being snowed in with one over Christmas. Katricia Argeneau is a tasty little bundle and she seems to feel the same way about him. Problem is, he’s not sure she feels quite the same way. After all, the snowstorm has derailed her blood delivery, which leaves him the only available meal on the menu....
Home for the Holidays
by Jeaniene Frost
Cat and Bones are looking forward to a normal holiday — at least as “normal” as it gets for the combustible vampire couple and their otherworldly friends and family. But their yuletide plans are shattered when a stranger shows up and reveals long-buried family secrets that threaten to take a bite out of their holiday cheer...and lives. Views: 471
