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Into the fire! The first Earth Girl prequel novella featuring Jarra.
Only the handicapped live on Earth. While everyone else uses interstellar portals to travel between hundreds of colony worlds, 17-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, abandoned by her parents to be raised a ward of Hospital Earth, she lives a regimented life in one of their impersonal residences.
Tortured by the knowledge the stars are forever out of her reach, Jarra dreams of learning to fly a plane so she can at least make the skies of Earth her own. She gets her chance to become a qualified pilot, but learning to fly turns out to be far more difficult and dangerous than she imagined, sending her into a literal trial by fire.
EARTH AND FIRE is a prequel novella, set in the distant future of the Earth Girl trilogy (Earth Girl, Earth Star, and Earth Flight).
Note that the first two chapters of EARTH AND FIRE have appeared as the title story in the EARTH 2788 short story collection. The other fifteen chapters are entirely new. Views: 574
In the darkness of the pit
The light shines brightest
Drums summon the chieftain’s powerful son to slay a man in cold blood and thereby earn his place among the warriors. But instead of glory, he earns the name Draven, “Coward.” When the men of his tribe march off to war, Draven remains behind with the women and his shame. Only fearless but crippled Ita values her brother’s honor.
The warriors return from battle victorious yet trailing a curse in their wake. One by one the strong and the weak of the tribe fall prey to an illness of supernatural power. The secret source of this evil can be found and destroyed by only the bravest heart.
But when the curse attacks the one Draven loves most, can this coward find the courage he needs to face the darkness? Views: 574
The best assassins learn their magic at the Academy of the Subtle Arts. Everyone joins for their own reasons: to give death her proper due, to acquire outrageous fortunes, or to know that history bends to their blade.
Zayn Carter joined the Academy to save his family.
In the sleepy town of Varna, an ancient evil lurks, preying on the townsfolk and keeping them enslaved by her poison. This arrangement has lasted for centuries because to kill the Lady is to guarantee the death of every man, woman, and child in the town. Faced with this impossible conundrum, Zayn vows to take down the Lady, and all that support her. He'll save his family from this horrible fate—or die trying. Views: 574
[Siren Ménage Everlasting: Erotic Consensual BDSM Ménage a Trois Romance, M/M/F, spanking, caning, sex toys, HEA]
Sarah, aka kitten, has a wonderful BDSM play relationship with Ray and Oot. She knows they aren’t looking for anything other than play and friendship, and she loves being a submissive and sex toy to them. But when Ray enlists a good friend to help out with play at the club one night, she soon sees another side to Ray and discovers what a lucky kitten she is.
Ray and Oot love playing with kitten at the club and in their bed, but neither are they planning on adding her as a permanent third. Then a night at the club changes Ray’s perspective when he realizes they’re not the only one with their eyes on kitten. Now he’s about to find out that when you have a kitten by the tail, she just might steal your heart.
*APP Exclusive Views: 574
Harlan Ellison's masterwork of myth and terror as he seduces all innocence on a mind-freezing odyssey into the darkest reaches of mortal terror and the most dazzling heights of Olympian hell in his finest collection.
Deathbird Stories is a collection of 19 of Harlan Ellison's best stories, including Edgar and Hugo winners, originally published between 1960 and 1974. The collection contains some of Ellison's best stories from earlier collections and is judged by some to be his most consistently high quality collection of short fiction. The theme of the collection can be loosely defined as God, or Gods. Sometimes they're dead or dying, some of them are as brand-new as today's technology. Unlike some of Ellison's collections, the introductory notes to each story can be as short as a phrase and rarely run more than a sentence or two. One story took a Locus Poll Award, the two final ones both garnered Hugo Awards and Locus Poll awards, and the final one also received a Jupiter Award from the Instructors of Science Fiction in Higher Education (discontinued in 1979). When the collection was published in Britain, it won the 1979 British Science Fiction Award for Short Fiction.
His stories will rivet you to the floor and change your heartbeat...as unforgettable a chamber of horror, fantasy and reality as you'll ever experience.
-Gallery
"Brutally and flamboyantly shocking, frequently brilliant, and always irresistibly mesmerizing."
-Richmond Times-Dispatch Views: 574
The most evil book ever conceived falls into the hands of the leader of the Spanish Inquisition in this ingenious bibliomystery from the bestselling creator of Repairman Jack.
In the fifteenth century, the Spanish Inquisition spreads terror throughout the land, with Prior Tomás de Torquemada serving as the ultimate judge of who will live and who will be consigned to the purifying flames. Never has Torquemada questioned his own faith or his sacred duty to rid the world of heretics, blasphemers, and nonbelievers. Now, however, an extraordinary volume has come into his possession—an ancient book that radiates pure evil. The prior realizes this abomination must be destroyed along with anyone who has come into contact with it, for it is surely the devil’s work, corrupting and possessing all those who touch it. But whom can Torquemada trust to help him achieve his mission now that The Compendium of Srem has passed through numerous hands . . . including his own?
F. Paul Wilson is a writer who is at home working in many different genres, from medical thriller to science fiction to mystery to urban fantasy to horror. Now he travels back centuries in time to explore the secret history of a book of great and terrible power, an ancient volume of eldritch lore that plays a substantial role in the author’s popular Repairman Jack series of novels: The Compendium of Srem.
The Bibliomysteries are a series of short tales about deadly books, by top mystery authors. Views: 573
"The world of Shiuan was doomed. Rising waters and shattering earthquakes due to the coming of a vast and strange new satellite had sealed the fate of its peoples—flee or die with their world. Their sole escape routes were the Gates, the passages between worlds established by a forgotten cosmic race. And just as this knowledge dawned on the desperate tribes and cities there appeared the woman Morgaine—whose mission was to seal Shiuan's Gates."
Winner of the John W. Campbell Award for the best new writer of the year.
This is the story of Morgaine, and of her henchman, Nhi Vanye, and of their relentless enemy, Chya Roh, who followed them to the drowning planet. Views: 573
This is the companion teacher's guide to The Secret in the Hidden Cave, a middle grade novel for children ages 9 - 12. The questions, discussion prompts and activities were created by the author, a 30 year veteran teacher. This teacher's guide is appropriate for use in public, private and home school settings and may be reproduced or condensed as deemed necessary.This is the companion teacher's guide to The Secret in the Hidden Cave, a middle grade novel for children ages 9 - 12. The questions, discussion prompts and activities were created by the author, a 30 year veteran teacher. This teacher's guide is appropriate for use in public, private and home school settings and may be reproduced or condensed as deemed necessary. There are over 130 choices which can be modified to meet the teacher's needs or objectives. The activities cover musical, artistic, spoken and written categories. Views: 573
Bestselling author Garth Nix's amazing Seventh Tower series is back--now with a great new look!
The dream world Aenir is not a safe place. One wrong step can lead to danger, entrapment...or death. Tal and Milla must fight their way through this shifting landscape. They are searching for the Codex, a magical object that will decide the fate of their worlds. Many creatures stand in their way--from the cloud-flesh Storm Shepherds to a swarm of venomous Waspwyrms to a horrifying figure named Hazror. Tal and Milla cannot leave Aenir without the Codex. But finding it might endanger them more than they've ever dreamed... 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
After saving Earth from the threat of V'Ger, James T. Kirk is called again to the final frontier with the mission to lead a valiant group of settlers to a distant world and explore the diverse mysteries and dangers of a strange new world in the Star Trek universe. Far from the Federation, a newly discovered M-class world has been eyed as a potential home by a group of hardy and determined colonists. Starfleet can spare only one starship to escort the would-be settlers on their perilous voyage, and that ship is none other than the legendary Starship Enterprise, commanded by the most well-known captain in the quadrant. Now Kirk finds himself responsible for the lives of 30,000 men, women, and children—a task that grows all the more difficult when the expedition is caught in the middle of an ancient feud between two dangerous alien races. Views: 573
Alex Bledsoe’s first novel, The Sword-Edged Blonde, drew rave reviews for its ingenious blend of fantasy and hard-boiled detective fiction. Now Bledsoe returns with an all-new tale of mean streets and medieval intrigue.Above Angelina’s Tavern in down-and-dirty Neceda you’ll find the office of Eddie LaCrosse, a freelance sword jockey who, for twenty-five gold pieces a day, will take on any task short of murder for hire. Eddie’s on his way back from a routine investigation when his horse almost runs down a half-naked blonde in serious trouble. Against his better judgment, he promises to protect the frightened young woman, only to find himself waylaid by unknown assailants and left for dead beside her mutilated body.Eddie isn’t the kind of guy to just let something like this pass. But who killed Laura Lesperitt? Eddie’s quest for payback leads him to a tangled mystery involving a notorious crime lord, a backwoods dragon cult, royal scandals, and a duplicitous femme fatale who has trouble keeping her clothes on. As bodies pile up, attracting the unwelcome attention of the king’s guards, Eddie must use all his wits if he hopes to survive . . .At the publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management software (DRM) applied.From Publishers WeeklyStarred Review. Proving that 2007's The Sword-Edged Blonde was no fluke, this sequel gives every evidence that Bledsoe's combination of sword and sorcery with hard-boiled detection will have a long and successful run. Eddie LaCrosse, a former noble who gave up his title and now works as a freelance sword-jockey, is flagged down by a damsel in distress, Laura Lesperitt. Before LaCrosse can get Lesperitt to safety, they are ambushed, an encounter that leaves her dead. When he recovers, LaCrosse's search for those responsible for the murder brings him into contact with powerful thug Gordon Marantz, the king's Special Office of Domestic Security and a dragon-worshipping cult. Bledsoe effortlessly draws readers into his created world and manages to stay true to both fantasy and mystery traditions. (Nov.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Review“Hardboiled high fantasy--what’s not to like? Bledsoe keeps me reading from the first page, and I’m always eager for the next installment when the last page is turned.”--Charles de Lint on *Burn Me Deadly“An entertaining, well-crafted melding of fantasy and hard-boiled detective fiction. . . . Aficionados of tough-guy mysteries will find much to enjoy, and fantasy fans will appreciate the swordplay and the fully realized medieval society Bledsoe has constructed. Best of all, it’s not necessary to have read the first installment to enjoy this one.”--Kirkus Reviews on Burn Me Deadly"This hardboiled high fantasy with its clever, twisty plot and smart-alecky protagonist is a worthy literary successor to both Fritz Leiber and Rex Stout.”--Ekaterina Sedia, author of The Alchemy of Stone* Views: 573
A six-pack sampler of short fiction by Alan Annand: humor, crime and WW2 adventure.A six-pack sampler of short fiction by Alan Annand: humor, crime and WW2 adventure.Bananarama: Reformed meat-eater embarks on a 15-day bananas-and-orange-juice diet, with surprising side effects. The Date Square Killer: Mild-mannered hit man finds love, social justice and the meaning of life in non-random acts of murder.River Girl: Middle-aged bureaucrat takes a detour on his morning jog that leads him to an unexpected rendezvous with Fate.Specimen: A wealthy butterfly collector visits his twin brother, warden of a penal colony, who is building his own unique collection.The Bassman Cometh: My night with Margaret Atwood: Hapless university graduate student in 1975 ruins famous Canadian author's poetry reading.The Naskapi & the U-Boat: A German U-Boat in WW2 visits northern Quebec to install a weather station, but a native family compromises their secret mission. Views: 573
