Fantasy Science Fiction Adventure

Raphael was born with the mark of the dragon. His foster father taught him a mysterious and ancient magic unlike anything seen since the last dragon left the world.

A journey far from home. Becoming enslaved. Giving in to your inner monster. Having survived the first wave of invading players, Oren now seeks to strengthen his clan. With the Breeder’s Den destroyed and most of Goblin's Gorge's resources devoted to rebuilding, his best hope lies in creating an army of golems. But for that, he needs Viridium, a rare metal that can only be obtained from hobgoblin towns, where Oren and his clan of goblins are viewed as nothing more than potential slaves. To make his way in the game, and to defeat his former guild, Oren’s ingenuity alone will not be enough.

Humans call them Monument-Makers. An unknown race, they left stunning alien statues scattered on distant planets throughout the galaxy, encoded with strange inscriptions that defy translation. Searching for clues about the Monument-Makers, teams of 23rd century linguists, historians, engineers and archaeologists have been excavating the enigmatic alien ruins on a number of planets, uncovering strange, massive false cities made of solid rock. But their time is running out.

Jason and Sophie are teachers at a rural high school north of Tampa, Florida. When an EMP attack spreads chaos and lawlessness, they are unexpectedly left responsible for a group of their former students. Without electricity, phones, or transportation, civilization collapses, and terror reigns. Jason's background as a decorated Army Ranger former officer and his history as a prepper help them. But can they survive in a world where organized predators prey on the young and innocent?

Corin Cadence is on the run. After meeting with the Emerald Council, Corin has made himself some new enemies—most notably the Dalenos Six, a group of the most powerful representatives of the nation of Dalenos. He's also made a dangerous deal. A place of safety, if he can reach it. One where he can finally have one of the resources he needs most: time. But while that strange place may hold the key for Corin to make his final preparations for a long-awaited rescue mission, it also holds hidden dangers. And one final secret tied to the Cadence household.

With The Best Science Fiction of the Year: Volume 3, award-winning editor Neil Clarke provides a year-in-review and 27 of the best stories published by both new and established authors in 2017.

As a wielder of domestic magic, Finlay Ashowan likes to keep his affairs as neat and orderly as his kitchen. But between his work for the King and Queen of Daxaria and a new (secret) relationship with Lady Annika Jenoure, his life is anything but tidy. For one thing, if Annika and Fin are to continue their romance, they’ll need to sort out the pesky issue of Fin’s being a commoner—before Annika is forced into a political marriage that interferes with her own carefully laid plans. For another, pressure is mounting as the war with Troivack draws ever closer.

For a decade, Darrow led a revolution against the corrupt color-coded Society. Now, outlawed by the very Republic he founded, he wages a rogue war on Mercury in hopes that he can still salvage the dream of Eo. Lysander au Lune, the heir in exile, has returned to the Core. Determined to bring peace back to mankind at the edge of his sword, he must overcome or unite the treacherous Gold families of the Core and face down Darrow over the skies of war-torn Mercury. But theirs are not the only fates hanging in the balance.

The present world is not the one Logan left behind, but it can be reforged in the hands of the last War Wizard. Logan Grimm, an Elderwood Ranger, fought valiantly against a tide of orcs, only to die among the rest of his men. He stayed dead for 2,000 years, but he's now returned to the world of the living. As the only surviving ranger, he's become a War Wizard, and he plans on using this new magic to take back the continent from the orc scourge. Joined by a caravan of elves, he seeks out the gods who can grant him power.

Aeons once ruled the world. Now, their empire lies in ruin, and the survivors hide on the fringes of society. Nahlia is a librarian's apprentice who's obsessed with Aeon lore, scavenging for hints of their legendary power. But others are searching too, including the Templars who seek to hunt down the Aeon survivors. When the Templars attack her family, Nahlia is forced to infiltrate a secret academy and rise beyond everything she's ever known.

In the fourth installment of the Star-Crossed Series, we find Eden Matthews a prisoner in the very household she set out to destroy. She is without magic and engaged to the same boy who betrayed her and everyone she loves. With her wedding looming on the horizon, conditions for her people continue to worsen, and her goal of offering her kingdom freedom seems further away than ever. Her brother is free, however, and building a rebellion that hopes to rescue her.

Ryan's life sucks. His brother is a jerk, his mom is sick, and his legs are next to useless thanks to a neurological disorder. Plus the world ended two centuries ago from nuclear war. Now the only escape from reality being the massive VR world of Crystal Shards Online. But even in the game, Ryan's life sucks. He works as a miner, earning not nearly enough to afford the operation that will save his mom. When Ryan discovers an item that grants the ability to dodge any attack, however, he has the chance to become one of the game world's most elite and sought after players: a Dodge Tank.

Paul Watkins always wanted to believe in the supernatural. Poltergeists, werewolves, witches, he desperately wanted them all to be real. Then he discovered they truly do exist—and it’s his task to protect them. After a beautiful woman who claims to be hunted by dangerous men catches a ride, his life changes forever. He’s taken to a strange and magical mansion, told that he’s its new owner, and that he has the power of Talismancy: he can enchant objects, places, and people, infusing them with magical power.

The system came. The apocalypse ended. Now new worlds have merged with Earth. For Bain Lee, it means leveling his Ocularist class beyond its previous limits. With this strange class and the ability to see into the inner workings of the system, he may find the magic skills needed to earn his redemption. Not only that, but he might discover the secret behind the system itself.

The year is 2375, and the world has been drained of most of its natural resources. In order to preserve their dying planet, the government puts The Digital Life Initiative into action. Those deemed of low economic value are placed into a state of cryogenic sleep, their minds connected to a myriad of virtual worlds. They become digital citizens, living out their lives in virtual cities. Kadia Greene wasn’t someone who had any interest in the virtual worlds, unlike her brother who spent his days wasting away in a VR capsule.

Lee is a quiet and unassuming office worker who leads a life of solitude, comfort, and routine. Day in and day out, he shuts off his brain, keeps his head down, and goes about doing his job and minding his own business. That is, he does until a drunken god shows up randomly one day and whisks him off into another world, demanding that Lee serve as his pawn in a game between the gods. Now, trapped in a completely different world full of danger, magic, and creatures, Lee has to figure out how to stay alive long enough to make it back home.

Dealing with monsters is old news. Now comes the thing even monsters fears. After defeating the hobgoblin threat, Oren is now faced with an even more tenacious enemy: the players themselves. His old guild have discovered his village's location and a deadly strike force is closing in. With time running out, Oren must build up his clan and recruit an army of monsters if he's to have any hope of withstanding the coming attack.

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I'm the new owner of a magical mansion. This mansion, well, it's not your typical building. It's a dungeon from another world, masquerading as just another private residence in the suburbs. It has enchanted rooms, can craft powerful items, build lethal traps, and produce incredible monsters. And it's my mission to protect and evolve its monstrous inhabitants.

Earth was invaded. Earth was conquered. And humanity was summarily subjugated, as 400,000,000 people were culled. The terrifying part was this only took the Peacekeepers a second. There wasn't even a chance for us to fight back. In the blink of an eye, questions like whether or not we're alone in the universe or at the top of the food chain were answered. We were not. Not by a long shot. Despite the mass murder, the Peacekeepers promise they're benevolent. They don't want to rule Earth. They don't want to control humanity. They just want us to stop playing around with AI and genetics.