The Kingdom and Empire: a thousand worlds across the galaxy called the Heart, linked by magic-driven Gates.
A Goddess who isn’t content to just sit back and watch.
DarkFire: Crown Prince and Heir Presumptive. Warlord. Battle mage. Bearer of the Sword of Souls, and Speaker for its Voices. Black of hair and eye, and heart as well, if the rumors are true. Dangerous. Driven. Extremely drunk as he looks down on the crowded ballroom floor at the Summer Ball. Wondering if his plan to catch those behind the botched spell will work. Wondering how the plan can possibly work since it relies on Niallan. Wondering if he will ever be free of the damned prophecy.
Jerril: A flame-haired commoner just arrived on the Throne World. The Empire’s new High Bard, a man with a Goddess-granted Gift of music. His first performance is later this evening. In the meantime, he leans against a pillar and looks up at the man on the balcony in Imperial black and silver. Wonders why the Warlord is so very drunk, and how he could possibly know that. Wonders if the Warlord had really just looked at him and then pretended not to. Wonders what in the Nine Hells is going on.
The Warlord and the Bard are about to meet. The Kingdom and Empire will never be the same. Views: 125
When seventeen-year-old Ishmael wakes up from stasis aboard the Pequod, he is amazed by how different this planet is from the dirty, dying, Shroud-covered Earth he left behind. But Ishmael isn't on Cretacea to marvel at the fresh air, sunshine, and endless blue ocean. He's here to work, risking his life to hunt down great ocean-dwelling beasts to harvest and send back to the resource-depleted Earth. Even though easy prey abounds, time and again the chase boat crews are ordered to ignore it in order to pursue the elusive Great Terrafin. It's rumored that the ship's captain, Ahab, lost his leg to the beast years ago, and that he's now consumed by revenge. But there may be more to Captain Ahab's obsession. Dark secrets and dangerous exploits swirl around the pursuit of the beast, and Ishmael must do his best to survive—if he can. Views: 125
When Emma's interference in her friends' lives backfires, will the consequences be more than she bargained for?Emma Weaver is twenty-one years old and has found a passion for playing matchmaker with her Amish friends. Her neighbor, Gideon King, warns her about interfering in people's lives, but she disregards his advice and plans to set up Paul, the son of the Amish bishop, with her friend Hannah. But when Paul misinterprets Emma's attention, believing she has feelings for him, he begins asking her to ride in his buggy after Sunday singings and shows up at her house for Friday evening visits. As she tries to repair the damage that's been done and mend the hearts that have been broken, she finds herself in trouble with the community. Will she learn her lesson and stop meddling in the affairs of others? Will she find a love of her own? Views: 125
San Francisco 1976: While Israel Wren looks after his friend Harvey Milk's apartment he is astonished to find a very famous movie star nervously smoking cigarettes in the front room. After hearing the man's story Israel becomes involved in tracking down a serial killer who sketches his victims before he murders them. Views: 124
In the third special "power play" edition, readers must choose the right power objects to bring to the creepiest show on Earth—or risk becoming a real sideshow freak! Views: 124
Policemen Harpur and Iles get mixed up in the criminal world of fine art dealingDetective Chief Superintendent Colin Harpur feels a sort of warmth towards Jack Lamb, a brilliantly prosperous but profoundly dodgy fine arts dealer. Lamb is the greatest informant Harpur has ever dealt with – might be the greatest informant any police officer has ever dealt with – and although Jack ended this arrangement some time ago, Harpur still feels indebted to him.Lamb's posh manor house is stuffed with expensive paintings, ripe for the pinching . . . and small-time thief George Dinnick and his crew intend to relieve him of a few. But their plans are complicated by local big-time crook Ralph Ember, who is on the lookout for some art to elevate his gentleman's club, The Monty; and who else would he visit to procure this art but Jack Lamb? Add to the mix odd-job man and stolen-art procurer Basil Gordon Loam – aka Enzyme – who Harpur and... Views: 124
Life after death, time travel, teleportation. The things that are impossible now—these are things that aren’t just possible in the Ninth World, but probable. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a noble, a thief, a tinkerer, or a serial killer, when you come face to face with impossibilities becoming realities, you must make hard choices. In these stories, even the smartest, fiercest characters find themselves challenged when they go beyond the limits of the possible.More Tales from the Ninth World is an anthology of three short stories set against the evocative world of Monte Cook’s Numenera roleplaying game. The Ninth World is filled with stories. Come explore it. Views: 124
Lisel Span has dreamed only of wonderful things in her future. Living with her father, sister, and brother in a cramped apartment in Berlin, the small family shares what seems to be an unbreakable spirit of love and security. However, with the rise of the Nazi party and approaching dark clouds of war, any kind of future grows increasingly uncertain. Knowing little of hate and destruction, Lisel is ill prepared as the storms of battle erupt in full fury and loved ones are taken from her as her beautiful city is reduced to rubble. With fear and despair rising within, it is through her quiet, compassionate father that Lisel discovers faith and hope. Now, in a desperate journey to find her sister, Lisel and her neighbor flee Berlin and the advancing Russians for Frankfurt, a city under the protection of the Allies. But their flight to safety is filled with pain, hunger, and terror. However, with spiritual lessons and blessings from her father, the support of departed loved ones,... Views: 124
This is the story of Olga, a retired mathematician, and Mateo, a college student passionate about robotics, and their plot to influence Google."This is a beautifully written, endlessly provocative meditation on humanity's relationship to technology, monopoly, memory and fate."— Dave Eggers, author of The Circle and The EveryAfter a chance encounter at the public library, two new friends begin to meet up regularly. Together they decide to submit an application for Google sponsorship to an elite technology-training program. Hoping to stand out, they frame their submission as a direct appeal to the "conscience" of the seemingly all-powerful corporation.Olga, a retired entrepreneur, and Mateo, a college student, find unexpected connection and solace in their conversations. Ideas and arguments open into personal stories as they debate the possibility of free will, the existence of merit, and the role of artificial... Views: 123
