Why run from death when you can make a deal? A short story about a woman who's looking to make an exit on her own terms.Riley is a workaholic veterinarian. She's approaching her 30th birthday and her loneliness is becoming more apparent and painful. She wants to start dating, but doesn't have any free time or knowledge on how to start. The subjectGarrett is a 32 year old widower. Even though he's a pack oriented wolf shifter, he hasn't been involved with the pack since his mate died three years earlier. But when he meets Riley, he realizes they are meant to be together. The only thing standing in their way is the Wolf Shifter Elder Council. Garrett needs to receive their permission to break the first law and tell Riley, a human, about the existence of the supernatural. If not, it could mean both of their lives.Will the council grant his request? Views: 576
Amelia's life is about to crumble into the Dreamscape, where Seth is her captor and anything is possible, except escape. Seth needs Amelia to break the curse that keeps him bound to the Dreamscape. He must convince her to join him for if Seth fails Earth will be lost to the Netherworld where the evil Erobos wait to consume human life force. If he fails, Seth will lose Amelia.When Amelia Blake falls asleep on the eve of the darkest day of her life, she hardly expects to be kidnapped. Much less whisked away to the underworld where Seth and his brothers oversee dreams. Seth says Amelia not only agreed to go willingly, he claims she has a power he needs to fight the Erobos, dream-givers possessed by the dark remains of a primordial god. Even though Seth ignites a fire within her, Amelia doesn’t trust him, and she certainly doesn’t remember making any kind of compact with her immortal captor.Amelia soon learns Seth is telling the truth. She’s trapped in an alternate dimension where dreams are real and darkness lurks around every corner, eager to claim her very soul. With no other option to gain her freedom, Amelia sets out to help Seth find the key that will unlock his realm and potentially save the world. But when Amelia secretly crosses the barrier between Seth’s realm and the Dreamscape, her power draws the dark leader of the Erobos, who wants her for his own designs. And now, Amelia is truly being hunted. Can she learn to trust Seth soon enough to find the key and gain her freedom? Or will her hesitation unleash the Erobos on Earth? Views: 576
Trapped by MagicStuck in the form of the knight who supposedly slew him, the dragon Tzavalantsaval is forced to live as a man. Surrounded by humanity his only ally is a loathsome goblin steward. Trapped by Politics As he struggles to navigate the Kirresci royal court, and humanity itself, he finds himself ensnared by the games being played by those around him. Trapped by DestinyTzavalantsava tries to navigate the Kirresci royal court, and the politics and intrigues he scarcely understands, even as the southern kingdoms push nearer to war. Views: 576
When asked to choose his “very best” stories, Charles de Lint went directly to his fans, who helped him select this collection of timeless, magical tales. From his beloved Newford to the streets of modern Ottawa, these stories take you effortlessly to a place where mystery and myth are right next door. To quote his readers: “His stories are good for the heart and soul…he reminds you of hope and strength and Beauty and Grace that you may have forgotten.”
“Just as Charles de Lint’s pen drips magic and enchantment, he is also never afraid to write about the darker and painful side of life, and he writes it in a way that moves you. Give this wonderful book a chance; I promise you it won’t disappoint you. Even more, I can assure you, you won’t be the same person when you are done with it: de Lint will have changed you with his magic.”
Reviews:
Contemporary fantasist de Lint built this winning compilation with help from his readers, who voted on their favorite stories. The result is an outstanding and widely varied collection of 29 tales. The delightfully light-hearted "Pixel Pixies" adds magic and mischief to innocent online interactions. ("If you're lucky, [the pixies are] still on the Internet and didn't follow you home.") "Merlin Dreams in the Mondream Wood" investigates the nature and meaning of memories. The heart-wrenching "In the House of My Enemy," later developed into the novel The Onion Girl, narrates the decisions made by a pregnant girl with an abusive past. Longtime fans and newcomers alike will fall in love with de Lint's graceful, poetic language and characters like "an old man who wore the shape of a red-haired boy with crackernut eyes that seemed as bright as salmon tails glinting up the water."
—Publishers Weekly
When it comes to urban waifs and strays, Ottawa fantasy writer Charles de Lint has his own unusual take, creating in his fiction a fantastic world populated by artists, musicians, booksellers, scholars, runaways and, well, magic. With The Very Best of Charles de Lint, the author, who is also a musician, has created a greatest-hits set with a twist. To determine which stories to include (from a body of work spanning 25 years), he asked his fans for their favourites via Facebook and Twitter. The resulting volume is more than 400 pages of the finest urban fantasy fiction of the past three decades, characterized by de Lint’s deep and passionate humanism.
—Robert Wiersema, National Post
There are a number of stories here—quite an impressive number of them—that are simply perfect. By that, I mean that they hit the mark they've aimed at. (And de Lint never aims low.) They've achieved the intended effect. An artistic balance has been achieved between lyricism and clarity of language, consistent and well-developed characterisation that propel the plot at a good pace, and the elements of myth dosed out carefully enough that they retain the elements of mystery. And it's easy to miss that exquisite feat of craft in sheer enjoyment of the story, and the set of feelings the author has evoked. And that, my friends, is storytelling at its best.
—Green Man Review Views: 576
The second Lightning Bolt book. Views: 576
Dark elf Acbain Shadowlyre has been commissioned to seal the Crossblade - a powerful, legendary sword - away before it falls into the wrong hands. But doing so might come at the ultimate price. Will he fulfill his destiny or die along the way?Acbain: Sealer of the Crossblade is the prequel to Crossblade.A worldwide pandemic creates the need for cities to build walls to quarantine the healthy. Those who have caught the virus are tossed outside the walls like trash. This short read follows the parallel stories of one man exiled in the days of the plague before the cure, and another man two hundred years later who seeks his own exile from a bleak and corrupt society. Exiled is a short companion story to the novella GLORY by ME Wynne. Views: 576
“There’s something out in that water. Be ready to take the people you love and leave when it comes onshore.”
For three months, Lyric Walker has been trapped in the hunting grounds, the Alpha city at the bottom of the ocean. But Lyric Walker, Brooklyn girl, is not going down without a fight. She makes an unlikely alliance with her jailor, a Rusalka named Husk. Husk reveals the truth about what actually resides in the Great Abyss. The Great Abyss is not some Alpha god but belongs to an unknown clan of monsters, ones who think in a hive mentality and believe anyone who cannot hear their voice is broken and must be destroyed. And Lyric has just woken them.
After a death-defying escape, Lyric makes her journey back to the mainland to prepare humanity for another monster invasion. Once reunited with her parents, Bex, and hot-nerd-with-potential Riley, Lyric has to break the terrible truth.
Lyric was just a girl when the Alpha arrived in her hometown. She was a soldier in the second attack that saved her world. What will she have to become now, and who will she have to leave behind? Views: 576
Neraka is hiding a secret... A deep, dark secret...*
Reunite with the Shadians in Book 4 of Season 7, and prepare for a roller coaster ride through the darkest depths of Neraka...
Pre-order now.
Beware of spoilers in the reviews below that are without spoiler alerts Views: 576
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Dutch and Tulip are in love and famous because of it. Yet they've never even kissed. As the world's largest Dutch kissing couple, Dutch and Tulip are the larger-than-life version of the cute little statues you see in people's yards. But when a storm damages Dutch, Lily Mein knows she must save them and her dream of marrying beneath the 57-foot couple.Dutch and Tulip are in love. And famous because of it. Yet they've never even kissed. As the world's largest Dutch kissing couple, Dutch and Tulip are the larger-than-life version of the cute little statues you see in people's yards. For decades, Dutch and Tulip have stood at the entrance to the town park, blessing couples as they married under their loving eyes. They are Holland, Indiana's claim to fame. But when a storm damages Dutch, the small town considers selling the aging couple. Discovering that Dutch and Tulip are in danger, Lily Mein knows she must save them and her own dream of getting married beneath the 57-foot couple. Problem is...not everyone wants Dutch and Tulip saved. Even bigger problem...Lily has no groom. Oh sure, she's found one; he just doesn't know it yet. Views: 576
