"Move over, X-Men and the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, here comes the Menagerie!" - The Barnes & Noble ReviewAvailable for the first time in a single volume, this special bundle includes all four books in the Menagerie series from New York Times bestselling authors Christopher Golden and Thomas E. Sniegoski.MEET THE MENAGERIEThey\'re as hodge-podge a mix of other-worldly beings as anyone can imagine. But a sorcerer, a scientist, a sixteen-year-old demon, and the others all have one thing in common: a hunger for justice -- no matter what the cost. They are beings of myth and legend. They possess powers beyond imagining. They are our only hope.This bundle includes these four full-length novels:THE NIMBLE MAN:Behind the facade of a stately Boston brownstone, humanity\'s last defenses are being marshaled. Called to action by the enigmatic, brilliant man known only as Mr. Doyle, they hail from all planes of existence and are born from an array of supernatural and otherworldly backgrounds and bloodlines. But as the group struggles to come to terms with their shadowy pasts, personal demons, and conflicting loyalties, their greatest challenge awaits them.Together, they will confront the minions of utter darkness, who have already begun their quest to resurrect the most malevolent of the fallen angels -- and whose wrath against mankind knows no bounds . . .THE TEARS OF THE FURIESWhen word comes to Doyle of a series of inexplicable deaths in and around Athens -- men and women turned from living flesh into cold stone -- he dispatches the Menagerie to investigate.But he soon follows when he realizes that he has sent them into a far greater danger than he imagined. For the queen of the Gorgons herself has risen. To defeat her, the group will have to descend into Hell itself . . . and some may not return. STONES UNTURNEDA powerful, demonic force has escaped from the infernal realm -- putting the human world in dire peril. It seeks an ally in Danny Ferrick, the youngest member of the Menagerie -- a changeling who is already tormented by his dark, primal urges, the legacy of his demon father.Tempted into sampling the horrific but thrilling existence of a full-fledged demon, Danny is on the edge of renouncing all that makes him human. Now time is running out for the other members of Doyle\'s team as they struggle to save their friend from falling into darkness -- and taking all of humanity with him . . .CRASHING PARADISEThe Legion of Doom is hell-bent on breaking into Eden, and they\'ve got the perfect captive to help them: Eve, mother of all humanity -- and all vampires. Only Doyle and the Menagerie can stop them from turning a blessed garden into a paradise lost."Fast, fabulous, and thrilling. . . . The Menagerie novels deliver like a mythical punch to the forehead."--Tim Lebbon, author of Dawn, Dusk, and Beserk"A non-stop, crazy-ass parade of two-fisted monster action! I want more!" - Mike Mignola Views: 346
William Wymark "W. W." Jacobs (8 September 1863 – 1 September 1943) was an English author of short stories and novels. Although much of his work was humorous, he is most famous for his horror story "The Monkey\'s Paw Jacobs was born in Wapping, London; his father was a wharf manager at the South Devon wharf at Lower East Smithfield. He was educated at a private school in London and later at Birkbeck College (then called Birkbeck Literary and Scientific Institution, now part of the University of London)In 1879, Jacobs began work as a clerk in the civil service, in the Post Office Savings Bank, and by 1885 he had his first short story published. His road to success was relatively slow: Arnold Bennett writing in 1898 was astonished that Jacobs turned down the sum of £500 for six short stories. Jacobs was financially secure enough to be able to leave the Post Office in 1899 Jacobs is now remembered for his macabre tale "The Monkey\'s Paw" (published 1902 in the collection of short stories The Lady of the Barge) and several other ghost stories, including "The Toll House" (published 1909 in the collection of short stories Sailors\' Knots) and "Jerry Bundler" (published 1901 in the collection Light Freights). However, the majority of his output was humorous in tone. His favourite subjects were marine life: "men who go down to the sea in ships of moderate tonnage" said Punch, reviewing his first collection of stories, Many Cargoes, which achieved great popular success on its publication in 1896. Michael Sadleir described Jacobs\' fiction thus: "he wrote stories of three kinds; describing the misadventures of sailor-men ashore; celebrating the artful dodger of a slow-witted village; and tales of the macabre Views: 346
Billy Cutshaw, a former astronaut who fell into madness, lives in a large castle that is actually an insane asylum for military personnel. Views: 345
Tom, Dick, and Harry need help rescuing a princess, and Todd happened to be on his back porch.Todd has cancer and is about to give up on life – until three inept aliens abduct him because they think he can be an action movie star. Now Todd has to save an intergalactic queen from a bloodthirsty military, and his only allies are three aliens called Tom, Dick, and Harry. Views: 345
It’s the most wonderful time of the year. The season for mistletoe, Christmas lights…and a killing spree. When Secret’s friend, Detective Mercedes Castilla, asks for help to solve a series of murders longer than a string of lights, Secret resigns herself to the fact her holidays will be anything but peaceful. It seems someone is killing New Yorkers in an unusually gruesome way, and as the bodies pile up faster than presents under the tree, the police are no closer to finding the killer than Secret is to finding the perfect present for one of her boyfriends, Lucas. Tracking down a monster in Manhattan the week before Christmas is almost as difficult as shopping for her ever-expanding collection of loved ones. When tragedy strikes close to home, Secret must do everything in her power to put an end to the horror in time for Santa to come down the chimney. Warning: Contains a less than merry McQueen with a sword and a reason to use it; a festive new use for mistletoe; and a promise that will haunt Secret like the Ghost of Christmas Future. Views: 344
Texas Hold'em: A Wild Cards Novel is an adventure in the bestselling shared-universe science fiction superhero series, edited by #1 New York Times bestselling author George R. R. Martin.San Antonio, home of the Alamo, is also host to the nation's top high school jazz competition, and the musicians at Xavier Desmond High are excited to outplay their rivals. They are also jokers, kids with strange abilities and even stranger looks. On top of that, well, they are teenagers, apt for mischief, mishaps, and romantic misunderstandings.Michelle Pond, aka The Amazing Bubbles, thinks that her superhero (and supermom) know-how has prepared her to chaperone the event. But when her students start going wayward, she’ll soon discover the true meaning of “Don't mess with Texas.”Texas Hold'em features the writing talents of David Anthony Durham (Acacia Trilogy), Max Gladstone (the Craft Sequence), Victor Milan (Dinosaur Lords series), Diana Rowland (Kara Gillian and White Trash Zombie series), Walton Simons, Caroline Spector and William F. Wu.The Wild Cards Universe*The Original Triad*#1 Wild Cards2 Aces High3 Jokers WildThe Puppetman Quartet**#4: Aces Abroad5: Down and Dirty6: Ace in the Hole7: Dead Man’s HandThe Rox Triad**#8: One-Eyed Jacks9: Jokertown Shuffle10: Dealer’s Choice11: Double Solitaire12: Turn of the CardsThe Card Sharks Triad**#13: Card Sharks14: Marked Cards15: Black Trump16: Deuces Down17: Death Draws FiveThe Committee Triad**#18: Inside Straight19: Busted Flush20: Suicide KingsThe Fort Freak Triad**#21: Fort Freak22: Lowball23: High StakesThe American Triad**#24: Mississippi Roll25: Low Chicago26: Texas Hold 'EmAt the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.**ReviewPraise for the Wild Cards series“Perhaps the most original and provocative of the shared worlds books.” ―Peter S. Beagle, author of The Last Unicorn"Delicious...Everything I hoped for in a new Wild Cards book. The character interactions and plot twists have exactly the complexity, surprise, and unsentimental realism I'd expect out of a George R. R. Martin project." ―Austin Grossman, author of Soon I Will be Invincible on Inside Straight“This is a wild ride of good, blood-pumping fun that packs a surprisingly emotional punch for a book that looks on the surface like just another superhero adventure.” ― Publishers Weekly on High Stakes“Emotionally powerful. Wild Cards deals up the variety of short fiction without losing the continuity of a novel.”―The Seattle Times“A delightfully imaginative speculation.”―The Toronto Star"Martin has assembled an impressive array of writers. . . . Progressing through the decades, Wild Cards keeps its momentum to the end." ―Locus"The shared-world series known as Wild Cards has had a long and illustrious history of contributors and achievements." ―SciFi.com"New readers and fans of the long-running series will both love the fast-paced plotting and the ever-expanding history of the Wild Card virus on this alternate Earth, where even the superheroes are human." ―Shelf Awareness on Lowball"Highly recommended." ―SFRevu on LowballAbout the AuthorGEORGE R. R. MARTIN is the author of the acclaimed, internationally bestselling fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire, which is the basis for HBO's popular Game of Thronestelevision series. Martin has won multiple science fiction awards, including four Hugos, two Nebulas, the Bram Stoker, the Locus Award, the World Fantasy Award, the Daedelus, the Balrog, and the Daikon (Japanese Hugo). Views: 344
This collection of dark poetry and flash fiction wants you to come and play. After all, even the things that live in the dark get lonely . . .The spaces between the connect and the disconnect are in concert when a young psychiatric intern, Doctor Pierce, faces the many challenges that the state run institution of Westwood presents to him. There he meets Paige, a frail and catatonic patient, that forever changes both of their lives. Through cryptic passages and heavy metaphor, the story unfolds to a bewildering and unnerving ending. Views: 344
This is the new world.Not the old.The dead walk, demand human flesh, and howl at the wall surrounding a Fort on a hill.A group of Texans stand against the zombie hordes, fighting to create a new community in a dead world. Unknown to them, their legend is starting to spread far and wide. Emma Valdez's life was forever changed when the zombies destroyed the world. She spent all her time and energy systematically killing all the zombies in her town while searching for her missing son. After a yearlong search, she finally put him to rest, and planned to take her own exit from the zombie-infested world. But a dream about a mysterious woman with raven black hair wearing a red sweater compelled her to seek out a community of survivors in Ashley Oaks, Texas. Little did she realize this was the start of a new season in her life. The Fort inhabitants, meanwhile, deal with the aftermath of the battle they fought against a massive horde of... Views: 344
A story of love between a dragon and a human.After struggling with the death of her mate of over a century, Tara sees a dragon intruder attack a shepherd. She intervenes and saves the young man from certain death. Breaking a two hundred year old pact between man and dragon forbidding contact, a powerful bond grows between the dragon and her boy.A short story. Stories two and three out soon!A story of love between a dragon and a human.After struggling with the death of her lifemate of over a century, Tara spends what the leaders of her clan considers an unreasonable amount of time in finding another. The clan needs offspring, they insist.While soaring over a meadow, Tara sees a dragon intruder attack a shepherd. Outraged, she intervenes and saves the young man from certain death. Breaking a two hundred year old pact between man and dragon forbidding any contact between the two, a powerful yet dangerous bond slowly grows between the dragon and her boy.A short story/episode. Stories two and three of Dragon and Her Boy will be available shortly! Views: 344
Everyone has to live through an event which, whether they like it or not, defines who they are. This event may result in an extraordinary action or reveal an internal demon that has to be dealt with. Each story in this collection says, "this is who I really am" and asks, "what do I do now?"Runaways Jai and Ceder set sail in a boat full of holes, with a plan full of holes, searching for anything to hold onto in a world where nothing is what it seems. Never did they imagine their desperate voyage would ignite a maelstrom of primeval forces roiling to the surface at every turn, churning the fate and free will of every friend and foe they meet into a proper froth. Following a boy and girl who have never met before the night they flee a life of slavery and begin their journey across the open sea, Riverlilly is at heart a simple tale of young love struggling to stay afloat. Steered by waves they set in motion centuries past, leaving in their wake ripples that will rock their trusty boat a thousand years hence, together Jai and Ceder struggle to hold course against the tide of an inescapable truth: the farther away they try to run, the faster they will be reeled back to the beginning.Riverlilly is a YA Fantasy. Jai and Ceder's adventure takes place in a world not unlike Oz or Wonderland, with a wide cast of colorful characters that can be as startlingly wise as they are whimsical. There is an almost fairy-tale form of logic that underpins this world, and Jai and Ceder are as new to its quirks and Quixotisms as the reader, although most fantasy fans will get a fuzzy tinkling of familiarity throughout. Mind you, this is not an Epic, End-All Battle Between Good and Evil; there are no knights in white armor or damsels in distress, no wizards, no elves, no dwarves, no dragons (at least not in the traditional sense.) This is a smaller, more personal story, yet the pages are absolutely dripping with magic that drives the story forward at every turn, but as a powerful a narrative force as it can be, most often the existence and influence of the supernatural remains out of sight and out of mind, like the invisible currents below the surface of the sea that carry Jai and Ceder's little skiff from one shore to the other. Mystery, humor, and suspense abound, but at its core this is the adventure of a lifetime for two wide-eyed kids who have never so much as dipped a toe in the ocean but find themselves stranded on a boat full of holes by the end of the first chapter. Are you ready to set sail? Views: 343
