From the critically acclaimed author Ausma Zehanat Khan, A Solitude of Blood is the devastatingly powerful new thriller featuring beloved series detectives Esa Khattak and Rachel Getty.In the aftermath of a mass shooting at a mosque in Quebec, the local police apprehend Amadou Duchon—a young Muslim man at the scene helping the wounded—but release Etienne Roy, the local priest who was found with a weapon in his hands. The shooting looks like a hate crime, but detectives Esa Khattak and Rachel Getty sense there is more to the story. Sent to liaise with a community in the grip of fear, they find themselves in fraught new territory, fueled by the panic and suspicion exploited by a right-wing radio host.As Rachel and Esa grapple to stop tensions shutting the case down entirely, all the time, someone is pointing Esa in another direction, a shadowy presence who anticipates his every move.A Solitude of Blood is... Views: 574
For both Zane and Darby, their small town roots hold a terrible secret. Now, decades later, they've come together to build a new life. But will the past set them free or pull them underZane Bigelow grew up in a beautiful, perfectly kept house in North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains. Strangers?and even Zane's own aunt across the lake?see his parents as a successful surgeon and his stylish wife, making appearances at their children's ballet recitals and baseball games. Only Zane and his sister know the truth, until one brutal night finally reveals cracks in the facade, and Zane escapes for college without a thought of looking back...Years later, Zane returns to his hometown determined to reconnect with the place and people that mean so much to him, despite the painful memories. As he resumes life in the colorful town, he meets a gifted landscape artist named Darby, who is on the run from ghosts of her own. Together they will have to teach each other... Views: 574
The Giving of Things Cold & Cursed is a haunting tale by critically-acclaimed horror author, Terry M. West. Baker Johnson is a flawed parapsychologist in the year 1925. After the death of Richard Johnson, Baker inherits his uncle's estate and moves into the legendary psychical researcher's home."[The Giving of Things Cold & Cursed is] beautifully written, superbly edited and trying to explain the incredible depth of aesthetic in this particular short is like trying to explain the virtues of a well aged Scotch vs moonshine."-Heather Omen, The Horror NationThe Giving of Things Cold & Cursed is a haunting tale by critically-acclaimed horror author, Terry M. West. Baker Johnson is a flawed parapsychologist in the year 1925. After the death of Richard Johnson, Baker inherits his uncle's estate and moves into the legendary psychical researcher's home. But he soon discovers that the Black Room of the property, the place where haunted items are safely contained, has been emptied. Views: 574
Izzy was a normal girl living in Chicago as a bike messenger before that fateful day. She delivered one package and set into action a chain of events she never could have expected. Now she is running for her life from the Corporation, her best friend is not at all who he seemed, and to top it all off she keeps having visions. Will she survive to navigate the waters as a Seer?Izzy Boone thought about a lot of things while navigating the streets of Chicago as a bike messenger –What should I have for dinner? Don’t hit that tourist. Should I try online dating? Watch out for that car. Will this time of year ever get easier? Someone waited too long to throw that out.One thought that never crossed her mind, though, was just how much a single package could change her life and turn her world upside down.Looking back, she really wished she had considered it. With her well-documented overactive imagination, she just might be better prepared for the hostile new world before her. Instead, her best friend blindsides her with who he really is; she’s running for her life from an organization bent on destroying the world; and she’s having horrible visions offering more questions than answers.Suddenly thrown into a world that contradicts everything she’s ever known, Izzy must come to terms with her new reality – fast – as she joins the ranks of Seers and Guardians to fulfill her destiny in the fight to save the world.Book One: See How She RunsBook Two: See How She FightsBook Three: See How She FallsBook Four: See How She AwakensAlso available: The Chronicles of Izzy, The Complete Series Views: 574
An orphan girl named Mol wakes in the middle of the night to music. Enchanted, she follows the sound into the forest of Arden, where she is taken captive by a man known only as the Erlking; a man who rules a kingdom of monsters. Leaving her life as an urchin far behind, Mol becomes part of the Erlking's Bower for reasons she cannot understand, her only guarantee a future shrouded in mystery.An orphan girl named Mol wakes in the middle of the night to music. Enchanted, she follows the sound into the forest of Arden, where she is taken captive by a man known only as the Erlking; a man who rules a kingdom of monsters. Leaving her life as an urchin far behind, Mol becomes part of the Erlking's Bower, where she is among hundreds of other children just like her who are forced to follow the commands of the Ilyn that rule over them. But there is a deadly secret lurking behind the Bower, and with growing certainty Mol finds that she was taken for a reason - a reason that might kill her. Views: 574
Yanko and his friends must escape a Turgonian prison and find passage back home before their enemies claim an advantage that could change the world. And not for the good of the Nurian people.But even more trouble awaits at home. Civil war has broken out, Yanko's family is in danger, and the man who sent him on his mission has disappeared.If Yanko can't find Prince Zirabo, he'll forever remain a criminal and be hunted down by his own people. Worse, his only chance to survive and redeem his honor may be to rely on the one person who's been trying to kill him since his adventure began. Views: 574
Enid’s adventures in the world of light and shadows is about to come to an end as all hell breaks loose. Literally. The trail of the missing mystics leads them to the Paranormal Society where they find skeletons hidden in the archives. Old foes make their reappearance and old allies come to the rescue as Enid faces who, and what she is, in order to win victory for the forces of light. Views: 573
Imperial law enforcer Amaranthe Lokdon is good at her job: she can deter thieves and pacify thugs, if not with a blade, then by toppling an eight-foot pile of coffee canisters onto their heads. But when ravaged bodies show up on the waterfront, an arson covers up human sacrifices, and a powerful business coalition plots to kill the emperor, she feels a tad overwhelmed....Imperial law enforcer Amaranthe Lokdon is good at her job: she can deter thieves and pacify thugs, if not with a blade, then by toppling an eight-foot pile of coffee canisters onto their heads. But when ravaged bodies show up on the waterfront, an arson covers up human sacrifices, and a powerful business coalition plots to kill the emperor, she feels a tad overwhelmed.Worse, Sicarius, the empire's most notorious assassin is in town. He's tied in with the chaos somehow, but Amaranthe would be a fool to cross his path. Unfortunately, her superiors order her to hunt him down. Either they have an unprecedented belief in her skills... or someone wants her dead. Views: 573
Humor and heart shine in this middle-grade fantasy about a girl who attends a boarding school to learn how to use music to create magic, perfect for fans of Nevermoor and The School for Good and Evil series.Amelia Jones always dreamed of attending the Mystwick School of Musicraft, where the world's most promising musicians learn to create magic. So when Amelia botches her audition, she thinks her dream has met an abrupt and humiliating end—until the school agrees to give her a trial period. Amelia is determined to prove herself, vowing to do whatever it takes to become the perfect musician. Even if it means pretending to be someone she isn't. Meanwhile, a mysterious storm is brewing that no one, not even the maestros at Mystwick, is prepared to contain. Can Amelia find the courage to be true to herself in time to save her beloved school from certain destruction? Views: 573
Captain Chatir of the mersoldier Third Brigade must overcome her years-long unrequited love and defend the merrealm of Zurolind against human attackers.Seeing ghosts is so passe anymore. A whole cottage industry of capturing and publishing them in a blizzard of mediums and outlets has exploded in popular culture. Even speaking to them has had the whole eerie mystery sucked right out of it by reality show mediums What if the dead desperately needed something other than communion with the living though? What if there were consequences for ignoring them? Deadly consequences. How much or who would you sacrifice to avoid their demands? Views: 573
I am not who I thought I was. I am not a regular sixteen-year-old girl. I am a witch. A real, ancestral witch. My parents are not my biological parents. My sister and I share no blood.
Even in the coven, I am too powerful now, too different to belong.
I am alone except for Cal. Cal tells me he loves me, and I need to believe him. Views: 573
A dark fantasy e-short of 4,500 words.‘What Doesn’t Kill You’ is one of the 11 short stories of science fiction, fantasy and horror collected in Transient Tales Volume 1.A dark fantasy e-short of 4,500 words.‘What Doesn’t Kill You’ is one of 11 short stories of science fiction, fantasy and horror collected in Transient Tales Volume 1.They evacuated people, in the the early days of the Blight. They sealed off the affected areas and posted guards. They provided protection, issued reassurances. They put their top scientists to work on finding a solution. They don’t do any of that anymore.But even if everyone else is giving up, Olivia’s determined to find a way to survive. To adapt.Because what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Or different, at least. Views: 573
Nebula Award–winning author Elizabeth Moon makes a triumphant return to science fiction with a thrilling series featuring Kylara Vatta, the daring hero of her acclaimed Vatta’s War sequence.
Summoned to the home planet of her family’s business empire, space-fleet commander Kylara Vatta is told to expect a hero’s welcome. But instead she is thrown into danger unlike any other she has faced and finds herself isolated, unable to communicate with the outside world, commanding a motley group of unfamiliar troops, and struggling day by day to survive in a deadly environment with sabotaged gear. Only her undeniable talent for command can give her ragtag band a fighting chance.
Yet even as Ky leads her team from one crisis to another, her family and friends refuse to give up hope, endeavoring to mount a rescue from halfway around the planet—a task that is complicated as Ky and her supporters find secrets others will kill to protect: a conspiracy infecting both government and military that threatens not only her own group’s survival but her entire home planet. Views: 573
