In the rear of Levinson's Wholefood Market, the owner's son, Ernie, just told Shifrah Fienberg that he wants to marry. The emotionally irascible Israeli would have preferred a first date or dozen long-stemmed rose."My name is Cucumber Gutierrez. English is my second language, but the way I write everyone thinks that is my fourteenth."When Alberto Zapata and his baker father, Tito, are ejected from Panama over a havoc-causing cake, the whole family is thrown out with them, including Alberto’s cousin Cucumber.The family settles in Melbourne, Australia, and from humble beginnings in their new country, the Zapatas rise to unexpected prominence. A series of coincidences (or conspiracies) see Alberto raised practically overnight to become Victoria’s assistant chief commissioner of police.Zapata’s first case on the job is to solve the mystery around the disappearance of jewels belonging to the British Royal Family while on exhibition in Melbourne. Things get stranger and stranger as the case unfolds, in a madcap tale of crime, bungling, and Spanglish, reminiscent of "Get Smart" and "The Pink Panther"."Broom, Broom" is the first of the Alberto Zapata stories. Keep a lookout for new episodes "Jurassic Prick" and "China, Please Give Me More." Views: 790
A collection of horror short fiction and poetry, featuring zombies, vampires, psychological tales, and dark verse.Is the Porcelain Princess simply someone from a fairy story, or does she really exist?Carey has spent all her young life searching for the Princess, touring the kingdoms with the puppet theatre inherited from her parents. A few puppets have a semblance of life thanks to ingenious mechanisms, but they’re rapidly disintegrating and Carey hopes the Princess will reveal the secret of her life. But why are real people illustrated in stories about the Princess? And why do they succumb to the disease-like Fading, turning transparent and gradually completely vanishing?Carey finds the Princess – but she also finds that her own life is far more complicated than she had ever imagined. Views: 790
The year is 1814, and it's springtime at Pemberley. Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy have married. But now a new romance is in the air, along with high fashion, elegant manners, scandal, deception, and the wonderful hope of a true and lasting love.Georgiana Darcy's Diary is Book 1 of the Pride and Prejudice Chronicles and is approximately 67,000 words in length. It is appropriate for all ages.Mr. Darcy's younger sister searches for her own happily-ever-after... The year is 1814, and it's springtime at Pemberley. Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy have married. But now a new romance is in the air, along with high fashion, elegant manners, scandal, deception, and the wonderful hope of a true and lasting love.Shy Georgiana Darcy has been content to remain unmarried, living with her brother and his new bride. But Elizabeth and Darcy's fairy-tale love reminds Georgiana daily that she has found no true love of her own. And perhaps never will, for she is convinced the one man she secretly cares for will never love her in return. Georgiana's domineering aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, has determined that Georgiana shall marry, and has a list of eligible bachelors in mind. But which of the suitors are sincere, and which are merely interested in Georgiana's fortune? Georgiana must learn to trust her heart--and rely on her courage, for she also faces the return of the man who could ruin her reputation and spoil a happy ending, just when it finally lies within her grasp.Georgiana Darcy's Diary is Book 1 of the Pride and Prejudice Chronicles and is approximately 67,000 words in length. It is appropriate for all ages. Views: 790
This collection of twelve short stories, with subjects ranging from sci-fi to spy thriller, from humour to history and from family to finance is written by the author of the trilogy of novels 'Cashback', 'Their Own Game' and 'Motorbike Men'. An entertaining anthology of easy reading.This collection of twelve short stories, with subjects ranging from sci-fi to spy thriller, from humour to history and from family to finance is written by the author of the trilogy of novels 'Cashback', 'Their Own Game' and 'Motorbike Men', also published by Smashwords. An entertaining anthology of easy reading, four of this omnibus of stories have already been published separately by Smashwords, and widely read. Views: 790
When Vance, Ava, and Remi claimed an abandoned space station, they left many of their problems behind. But even with an entire station to themselves, they still have to learn with one another.Symbiotes is the second story in the Horizon Station series. You can read it on its own, but it will probably be more enjoyable when read along with the other stories in the series.In the distant future, humanity has spread across the stars, and now the majority of people live in space stations. Almost all habitable planets have been converted to agricultural purposes and the promise of liberation through space colonization has been forgotten. But even in a universe where people live like insects in hive-like space stations and trade conglomerates have replaced governments, there is hope.When Vance, Ava, and Remi claimed an abandoned space station, they left many of their problems behind. But even with an entire station to themselves, they still have to learn with one another.Symbiotes is the second story in the Horizon Station series. You can read it on its own, but it will probably be more enjoyable when read along with the other stories in the series. Views: 790
AUTHOR'S NOTE: MUST READ BLACK PYRAMID BEFORE READING THE HALLOWEEN SPECIAL. Kiros wasn't sure why he accepted the invitation to Myaten's Halloween party. No, that part's a lie. Deep down he knew why. It was the one night out of the year when he could be somebody different. Some one that people wouldn't sneer, point and laugh at. He could pretend to be human... A tale within the Ancient BreedsAUTHOR'S NOTE: MUST READ BLACK PYRAMID BEFORE READING THE HALLOWEEN SPECIAL.Kiros wasn't sure why he accepted the invitation to Myaten's Halloween party. No, that part's a lie. Deep down he knew why. It was the one night out of the year when he could be somebody different. Some one that people wouldn't sneer, point and laugh at. He could pretend to be human... A special story that lives within the realms of Ancient Breeds. Follows Black Pyramid, Sands of Time (WIP) and continues in, Serpent's Revenge. Enjoy! Views: 789
Fly through this riveting tale. He lies in wait: a man hunted by many, feared by all and controlled by none . . . if, indeed, he is a man at all. Meet The Devil—With Wings. From Shanghai to Vladivostok, the mere sight of this black-garbed white creature has caused heart failure among the soldiers of the Rising Sun.Now the brooding specter who stalks the borders and skies of 1930s China has launched a personal invasion against the Japanese. Yet standing in his way is a beautiful and vengeful young woman who believes The Devil murdered her brother. Not only must this solitary avenger clear his name, he must get the woman out of the country alive—if only he can stop her from killing him first. "His stories also give the feel of experience and firsthand knowledge of the subject matter." —Baryon Views: 789
This collection of literature attempts to compile many of the classic works 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.This collection of literature attempts to compile many of the classic works 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: 789
In the royal household the lord's eldest son, Kan, lives a life of privilege. Chosen by God and fate, he will one day assume his father's throne. But in a land where divine providence comes with giant stature and dominion over the giant, shaggy beasts that toil on the Komasaru plains, Kan senses that something is wrong. What he discovers threatens the very foundation of his entire world.In the royal household of Niahn'si Pohl, the lord's eldest son, Kan, has lived a life of privilege. He has had the best education, been groomed in the courtly arts, and set upon the path of leadership. Chosen by God and fate, he will one day rise to assume his father's throne in loyal support to their great emperor.But in a land where divine providence comes with equally giant stature and dominion over the great, shaggy giants that toil on the Komasaru plains, Kan senses that something is wrong. When one of the massive beasts, a tahn-chen, breaks into the family compound, Kan is forced to face some disturbing implications that cast a dark shadow over the foundation of his entire world.Cover art by Louis Frank. Views: 789
Jarra is stuck on Earth while the rest of humanity portals around the universe. But can she prove to the norms that she’s more than just an Earth Girl?
Only the handicapped live on Earth. While everyone else portals between worlds, 18-year-old Jarra is among the one in a thousand people born with an immune system that cannot survive on other planets. Sent to Earth at birth to save her life, she has been abandoned by her parents. She can’t travel to other worlds, but she can watch their vids, and she knows all the jokes they make. She’s an ‘ape’, a ‘throwback’, but this is one ape girl who won’t give in.
Jarra invents a fake background for herself – as a normal child of Military parents – and joins a class of norms that is on Earth to excavate the ruins of the old cities. When an ancient skyscraper collapses, burying another research team, Jarra’s role in their rescue puts her in the spotlight. No hiding at back of class now. To make life more complicated, she finds herself falling in love with one of her classmates – a norm from another planet. Somehow, she has to keep the deception going.
A freak solar storm strikes the atmosphere, and the class is ordered to portal off-world for safety – no problem for a real child of military parents, but fatal for Jarra. The storm is so bad that the crews of the orbiting solar arrays have to escape to planet below: the first landing from space in 600 years. And one is on collision course with their shelter. Views: 789
A love story with bite …...
Walking home after a night out drowning her sorrows with her best friend, Carrie, Alexandra Jones stupidly takes a phone call from her cheating ex-boyfriend, Eddie, and in her anger hurls her phone into the forest before her.
But when Alex goes to retrieve her phone from the undergrowth, she and Carrie come face-to-face with a monster they never even knew existed, a Vârcolac (a nightmarish vampire-werewolf hybrid) and he's in search of fresh blood. The next thing Alex knows, she is staring at the impossibly handsome but mysterious Nathan who has helped bring her back to life, but not to the life she left.
To her horror, she discovers she has now become a blood-drinking Vârcolac herself and she is the only female of her kind, with the potential for breeding a whole new army of Vârcolacs if they can only track her down and press her into service.
And while Alex gets to know Nathan and his shape-shifting family as they offer her the protection she so desperately needs, unbeknown to all of them, the Vârcolacs are getting closer …
Readers please be advised that the author has dropped this series and will not be writing the final book in the trilogy. Views: 789
The stories collected here, written between August of 1987 and May of 1990, demonstrate that I still believe in the classical unities. Of course, what seems to us a unity now might not have appeared that way when H.G. Wells was writing his wonderful stories in the nineteenth century. Wells might have argued that my 'To the Promised Land' is built around two speculative fantastic assumptions, one that the Biblical Exodus from Egypt never happened, the other that it is possible to send rocketships to other worlds. But in fact we've sent plenty of rocketships to other worlds by now, so only my story's alternative-world speculation remains fantasy today. Technically speaking the space-travel element of the plot has become part of the given; it's the other big assumption that forms the central matter of the story.
--Robert Silverberg, from his Introduction
Table of Contents
Introduction
The Dead Man's Eyes
Enter A Soldier. Later: Enter Another
To The Promised Land
Chip Runner
A Sleep And A Forgetting
In Another Country
The Asenion Solution
We Are For The Dark
Lion Time in Timbuctoo
A Tip On A Turtle Views: 789
Within the FBI, there exists a team of psychics whose powers cannot be denied. But these agents are feared—by a cabal of conspirators with only one weapon: to blind the psychics to the evils all around them.
Months ago Sarah Gallagher woke from a coma with psychic abilities she couldn’t control. They changed her life and cost her the man she loved. And now, someone is playing games with Sarah’s mind.
It begins with Sarah’s home being destroyed by fire—an act of arson that draws novelist Tucker Mackenzie into Sarah’s confidence. But he has other reasons for pursuing a woman who can see what others can’t. So does a mysterious enemy intent on eliminating Sarah, and everyone she cares about. Because it’s only a matter of time before her visions lead her and Tucker to a secret many will kill to hide. Only then will they begin to discover the scope of a terrifying conspiracy so deep and complex they can trust almost no one. Views: 788
Sixteen-year-old Margaret Beverly hates her old-lady name, but reconstructing a new identity is proving difficult. Introverted and covered in zits, Margaret's quest is immediately tested by her new Satanic stepsister, a gossiping class bully, and a flirtatious young man who doesn't care how nerdy she is. But is juggling really the answer? Or will she be doomed to nothingness forever?Sixteen-year-old Margaret Beverly hates her old lady name. Fortunately - or maybe not - a loophole in her mother’s latest divorce rips it away from her. But reconstructing a new identity is proving difficult. Introverted and covered in zits, Margaret develops a New Me project that is immediately put to the test by her new Satanic stepsister, a gossiping class bully, and a flirtatious young man from choir. But how can he like her, when she can’t even like herself? Is juggling really the answer? And if the New Me project fails, will she be doomed to nothingness forever? Views: 788
In the 21st Century, the world is filled with industry and technology, and yet still governed by magic. The elves, masters of the magic, stand in charge of governments and industries. The humans, masters of technology, run civil service, film, and hold administrative positions under the elves. The dwarves, steeped in honor and tradition, are the laborers. Can some rise above the castes?In the days before civilization, the days when dark things combed the landscape, three races of people fought for control of their lands. Among them were the elves, smart and blessed with the gift of magic. Their greatest foes, even more hated than the ferocious creatures that preyed upon living flesh, were the dwarves. Steeped in honor and tradition, the dwarves felt that all magic was black magic. Warriors by nature, the cleansed the lands of the monsters and yet the elves looked upon them as little more than animals themselves. Eventually there was war.Caught between the aggressive dwarves and the scheming elves, the humans tried to broker a peace and bring about a society in which all three races could coexist. Some say their ideas were unrealistic . Others feel they were downright foolish. Either way, the idealistic nature of the proposed treaty was mocked by both the dwarves and the elves.Mocked, but not dismissed.While the dwarves laughed at the idea of peace, the elves dissected the humans' proposal bit by bit. A Constitution, they called it. Indeed, there were sensible ideas. But much better to have the elves in charge rather than the soft hearted humans. The elf leaders got together under one banner and formulated a plan. Bringing the full power of their magic to bear against the other two races, they brought the war to a swift conclusion.Some called it peace. Others called it subjugation. A new version of the Constitution was given to all the people of the three races. It granted rights to the dwarves and other rights to the humans and still other rights to the elves. Mostly, though, it brought forth four tenets.All dwarves are created equally.All humans are created equally.All elves are created equally.All people are not created equally.Over the years and decades and centuries, society evolved. Amendments were made to the Constitution. Dwarves, humans, and elves found their places in society. With their combined efforts, the monsters of the world were all but eradicated. But with the long lifespans of both the elves and the dwarves, old grudges remained. While the elves ran civilization and dwarves fed it, it was the humans who drove it. Blessed with no outstanding physical attributes, they were the Earth's best innovators. The telegraph, the radio, television, and computer were all constructs of human innovation. Guns, bombs, cars, and trains all came about from human ingenuity. But for all their creative ability, they held little control or wealth. It was the elves, always the elves, with the keys to the kingdom.Owen Keefe is a policeman who has done his best to keep his place in the human controlled department. When a late call takes him into an unlikely and dangerous situation, his life is changed and he starts down a dangerous and slippery slope that may ultimately shatter the castes forever. Views: 788
