Fantasy Adventure

Epheria is a land divided by war and mistrust. The High Lords of the South squabble and fight, only kept in check by the Dragonguard, traitors of a time long past, who serve the empire of the North. In the remote villages of Southern Epheria, still reeling from the tragic loss of his brother, Calen Bryer prepares for The Proving - a test of courage and skill that not all survive. But when three strangers arrive in the village of Milltown, with a secret they are willing to die for, Calen’s world is ripped from under him and he is thrust headfirst into a war.

When summoned to a fantastical world and granted powers by a broken System, most freshly minted protagonists would strap on their big-boy boots and get ready for their stats to start climbing. But Fischer isn't like most MCs. In fact, he doesn't want to be a hero at all. Fame? Fortune? Power? He had enough of all that in his old life. Discovering forbidden fishing techniques and petting every cute animal that comes within scritching distance? Now that's a good time.

A queen now in exile as a traitor, Lara has watched Ithicana be conquered by her own father, helpless to do anything to stop the destruction. But when she learns her husband, Aren, has been captured in battle, Lara knows there is only one reason her father is keeping him alive: as bait for his traitorous daughter. And it is bait she fully intends to take. Risking her life to the Tempest Seas, Lara returns to Ithicana with a plan not only to free its king, but for liberating the Bridge Kingdom from her father’s clutches using his own weapons: the sisters whose lives she spared.

Larek Holsten is different from most people, living in the Kingdom of Androthe where his 7-foot-tall frame is looked at with suspicion and anger from its shorter residents; but as long as it helps him become the best Logger he can be, he doesn’t let it bother him all that much. He and his best friend, an axe with a powerful Fusion that causes it to become sharper and stronger than a normal tool, are feared by the trees in the magical forest north of his home, as he can fell the quickly growing monoliths faster than anyone else in the community.

It’s 2555 and the remaining members of the Phoenix colony, both convicts and astronauts, have fully integrated since they were originally downloaded from cryogenic suspension. Now, as the countdown to Earth's final day approaches, two groups of colonists prepare to leave on separate missions.

Alex is broke. He's pretty much always been broke. A misspent youth led to mistakes that led to convictions and plea deals. No career, no education, no hope. Now he has a chance to make things right for him and his family when the newest immersive MMO comes with the ability to convert money earned in the game into real currency. Well, it's cryptocurrency, but that's real-ish, right?

Rune Tellarus always wanted to become a Guardian: a powerful warrior bonded to a magic-wielding woman known as an Adeptal Mage. Except he failed the test as a youth. He thought he would never get the chance to study at their Academy nor learn magic. But after a terrible tragedy in a nobleman's home, he finds himself suddenly bonded with the nobleman's daughter, Narcissa. This bonding is an irrevocable merging of two spirits that grants both Mage and Guardian magical gifts.

The water spirit listened in quiet, its huge, shimmering tail trailing behind it. Then it offered a soft nod, which made the water ripple. It told Orion that danger was coming, especially at the Crystal Ravine, where shadows had just begun to move because the fallen Starling's light had gone the wrong way. The ghost warned that even if the Starling was beautiful, its brightness would attract bad beings who fed on fear and uncertainty. Orion took a deep breath and felt a flutter of fear in his chest, but when he saw the Starling's trusting radiance, he felt courageous again.

When an invitation to try a cutting-edge game promising darkly sensual adventure drops in Abram's lap, it's an offer he can't refuse. After all, as an agoraphobe who never leaves his apartment, his social life is defined by, and limited to, games. Yet an interesting premise quickly shows its dark side as his mind is filled with memories of unspeakable torment, forcing him to rely on his meta-knowledge just to stay sane. The game is like nothing he's ever played: It has no tutorial, no HUD, no levels, no experience system, no respawns, and no mercy.

A soft, musical voice drifted from inside, seeming to echo in his mind rather than reaching his ears. "The moment is upon us, Orion. We must bring back what has been lost," it said. Orion was dumbfounded. He'd seen magic all his life, but he'd never heard anything like this. He inhaled deeply, a strange excitement coursing through him, and stepped upon the gleaming stairs. The usual sounds of the village faded as he went down, giving way to a soft glow that wrapped about him, a celestial embrace.

Based on her unique upbringing, Jolie decides to join the USP military, requesting to be assigned to the Tasmanians SFG, an elite all male unit. The military brass agree to let her enter the school, thinking she couldn't possibly succeed and plan to make an example of her when she fails. Although Jolie is small, she is not what she appears. But can her martial arts enable her to survive the treachery of the military brass, the grueling of the school, the prejudices of the instructors, and the testosterone of an all-male class.

The faint buzz of the woods turned into a low, unclear murmur as Mira, Elion, and their friends stood beneath the huge trees that led to the entrance. The air seemed cooler and more curious, as if it were waiting for their footsteps. Mira promised the Lantern of Light in her heart that she would protect her kingdom from whatever had begun to stir.

After the battle to save King Lars and Queen Kennedy’s throne against Stavros, a tragic loss shatters what was left of Croygen’s heart, and the Silver Tongue Devil returns to his first love—the sea. Trying to regain his title as the King of pirates, Croygen hears of another who is challenging his claim—the woman pirate known as Puss in Boots. Ruthless as she is beautiful, men desire and fear her.

The orcs have been driven back, and Ironshore still stands. But for Elijah Hart, victory rings hollow without his family. Ready to resume his search for them, he'll trek across monster-infested wilds, to magical rifts that spill nightmares into the world, and through the ruins of a shattered Earth. Each battle sharpens his power, drawing the attention of Thor Gunderson—the most dangerous hunter alive—who has marked Elijah as his prey.

Due to unusual circumstances, Randidly starts in an isolated dungeon far beyond his level, forced to rely on the mysterious Traveler Shal in order to learn and survive with the dangerous new status quo for his world. But survive he does, only to leave the dungeon and discover that while he experienced several hellish months in the dungeon, only half a day passed on Earth. Randidly's capabilities are now more than enough to help build a small enclave of survivors, but that doesn't mean balancing his sense of responsibility against the plots of an unfriendly town will be easy.

Ryan Rosa has had a run of bad luck, but when he receives a VIP package for the newest and hottest game to come out in years, his luck takes a turn for the better. But his good luck ends when he's stabbed in the back by a guild of players who betray him for a unique weapon he possesses. Ryan contemplates doing the one thing every player hates doing: rerolling his unique character and starting over. But even starting over won't save Ryan in New Realm Online.

After a bait and switch, Frank ends up transformed into an HI. That's a hybrid intelligence: part AI, part organic. He finds himself at the mercy of the system fulfilling the role of an ogre shaman meant to create fun opportunities for the purely organic players. Except not everything is what it seems to be. The very system may not be what he thinks it is. Breaches into the game world prove there are other forces at work. This game may be more of an isekai.

The usual result of a human taking a runaway semitruck head-on is a very sudden, very fast track to the pearly gates. But for one newly noncorporeal man, there's another option: become a dungeon. Feeling sorry for the desperate angel assigned to him, the man relents. Heck, if it doesn't work out, he can always chat with Saint Peter about it later. Next thing you know, he's a dungeon. Admittedly, a small run-down, somewhat unimpressive dungeon (more of a house, actually), but you gotta start somewhere, right?

Zachary Quinto - best known for his role as the Nimoy-approved Spock in the recent Star Trek reboot and the menacing, power-stealing serial killer, Sylar, in Heroes - brings his well-earned sci-fi credentials and simmering intensity to this audio-exclusive novella from master storyteller John Scalzi. One day, not long from now, it becomes almost impossible to murder anyone - 999 times out of a thousand, anyone who is intentionally killed comes back. How? We don't know.

The Wizard's Council of Tarador was supposed to tell young Koren Bladewell that he is a wizard. They were supposed to tell everyone that he is not a jinx, that all the bad things that happen around him are because he can't control the power inside him, power he doesn't know about. The people of his village, even his parents, are afraid of him, afraid he is cursed. That he is a dangerous, evil jinx.