Fantasy Science Fiction Adventure

After serving two terms in the Iron Army's Building Division, Flint Woodson is done with it all. With his four-legged friend at his side, he wants nothing more than to find a remote settlement, work as a guard or a builder, and find a wife. He doesn't care about filling his remaining nodes with Skill Stones or wasting his life looking for a Class. Wyldbloods like him aren't destined for greatness. But the realm is at war. The Fae are sick of humankind violating their treaties, their Wyld armies taking to the fields.

Pete is a simple man who enjoys a good drink amongst good friends. Not too much to ask, right? Now, he's trapped in a fantasy world far from home, stuck underground and inside the body of a smelly dwarf with fantastic facial hair. The worst part? The swill that the dwarves are falling all over themselves to drink. It's flat, it's watery, and it has the alcohol content of a rancid coconut. Can Pete save the dwarves from their own sour fate, or will he be forever doomed to plink his pickaxe away in hopes that he hits the motherlode?

Disaster. There was no other word to describe how Operation Olympic had changed in a flash from a triumph to the worst failure the Merry Band of Pirates had ever experienced. A failure that meant the fight was over. Unless the Pirates could perform a miracle, without Skippy.

Hunting pirates is hard…especially when your only assets are an unarmed ship, two ex-naval officers, a makeup artist, and a couple of pistols. But that’s exactly what Brad Mendoza and Jessica Lin have signed up to do on the edge of the Fringe: to help a bunch of farmers on a dead-end planet fight the pirate threat! Quickly, they find that they really don’t know what they’re doing…and not everything is what it seems.

Every light casts a shadow. Ronan Renzo is that shadow. Ronan Renzo lives a somewhat pampered life as the son of a merchant, but all that changes when his family home is visited by a strange, black-clad man. This man's clothing is so dark that it seems to swallow light, and he bears the symbol of the crescent moon upon his breast. He is, according to Ronan, a member of the Night Guild. A guild of thieves and assassins, who commit dark deeds in homage to the one they serve: the Night God.

They would roast marshmallows that turned into their favorite candy, and the animals would tell stories that made them dream deeper than any bedtime story from the outside world. But the most fascinating element of Kids' Kingdom was the secret heart, a crystal lake in the middle of the country that didn't reflect the sky but the children's aspirations. When they looked into the water, they didn't see their own faces. Instead, they saw images of the experiences they wanted to have, the friends they wanted to make, and the places they wanted to construct.

Charlie is good at her work. As a hard-charging drug rep with the brains and talent to make it to the top, she has the world at her feet. Then, the lights go out, and everything changes. An EMP decimates the United States, leaving the country in the dark. With modern technology suddenly and permanently turned off, society's dark side quickly takes over. Caught on the road, she teams up with two new companions and they fight their way towards safety and freedom. Criminals, gangs, and worse stand between them and the safety of a friend's farm.

A colony survives among the icy rings of a planet, hiding from alien robots determined to destroy them … at a remote site on the edge of the Arctic Circle, a group of scientists, engineers, and physicians gather to gamble humanity’s future on one last-ditch experiment … a man who can’t feel pain has been bioengineered to be a killing machine, but he refuses to give in to his fate … a man is contacted by three future versions of himself, each trying to save their world from destruction.

Shifted by quantum entanglement from Earth to an alien planet, military contractor Zander Greaves and his squad would have to adapt—and quickly—if they wanted to live. As they tried to understand what was happening, the stark truth of their new reality thrust itself on the shaken humans. Giant machines of war were attacking an equally humongous bug. And, quite unfortunately, the giant bug had a lot of little friends.

A hideous beast with glowing red eyes ambushes Bryn on his way home through the forest. After a narrow escape, the sixteen-year-old must flee with his foster father Gerald to the only place that promises safety: Âlaburg University, where humans, dwarves, elves, and orcs come together to study the colors of magic.

There are Seekers of tigers, lions, monkeys–all the creatures under the sun. But a Seeker of the Dragon? Such hasn’t been seen for centuries. Until Jaden of Lessertown. Jaden dreamt of his Legendary Beast on the morning his life changed forever. Enlisted to become an Imperial Seeker and serve the cruel Emperor, he is thrown into an initiation ceremony that is brutal beyond comprehension. But it doesn’t last for long, because there are others who wish to train Seekers, rebels from within the mysterious Hidden City.

Today is the day that I, Luciano Fjorborn, First Paladin of Berella, go out into Yurnip County to push back the forces of darkness with a few vigorous thrusts of my mighty lance! Who’s Berella? Why, she’s the goddess of love, tenderness, and hot rumpy-pumpy, of course! As her loyal servant, it is my mission to go out of my cloister and show the world Berella’s divine love. Repeatedly. And in multiple positions! But it’s a cruel world out there, especially for a Paladin who doesn’t believe in violence.

Erin is running an inn outside the city of Liscor, but she’s no longer alone. Ryoka Griffin, the City Runner, has business in the south of Izril; she’s out on a dangerous delivery of her own. Yet while both young women have finally found their calling, more and more people are beginning to realize that these visitors from Earth don’t belong here.

Hundreds of years ago, the realm walls collapsed, and Earth was flooded with mythical creatures. Now, dungeons dot the landscape, releasing demons that terrorize and destroy everything in their path. If they aren’t stopped, humans won’t be the only endangered species. To preserve life and win the war against demons, protectors from different species all over the world have downloaded level-up programs to help them fight.

But Jason Asano is settling into his new life. Now, a contest draws young elites to the city of Greenstone to compete for a grand prize. Jason must gather a band of companions if he is to stand a chance against the best the world has to offer. While the young adventurers are caught up in competition, the city leaders deal with revelations of betrayal as a vast and terrible enemy is revealed. Although Jason seems uninvolved, he has unknowingly crossed the enemy’s path before.

After Trent Marston reunites with Princess Victoria and secures her base of operations, Victoria receives an urgent missive from Princess Ivy of the necromancer nation of Corrin. Ivy now feels Corrin has lost its way, and after years of war with Dalry and Hesia, the death mage princess wishes to forge a new alliance with Victoria... but only if Victoria’s agents can free her from imprisonment in a remote magic academy.

Simon is the best delivery boy that Mr Edwards’s restaurant has ever had. He’s on time every time, and he’s gotten nothing but good reviews. But he needs more money. His mother’s medical treatment won’t pay for itself, and his father is already working three jobs to try to make ends meet. But it might just be his lucky day: Mr. Edwards has another job for him. It’s more delivery work, but not the usual kind. You might even say that it’s out of this world. Oh well. Beggars can’t be choosers, and the pay is fantastic.

The best of the year's science fiction and fantasy stories as selected by the multiple award-winning editor Jonathan Strahan. Distant worlds, time travel, epic adventure, unseen wonders, and much more! The best, most original and brightest science fiction and fantasy stories from around the globe from the past 12 months are brought together in one collection by multiple award winning editor Jonathan Strahan.

Daniel was Gifted by the gods at birth, able to heal with a touch even the most grievous wounds. Born in a mining camp, he's unable to still his restless heart and journeys to a nearby dungeon town to take his first steps as an Adventurer. Follow his journey in a world filled with monsters, dungeons, and a leveling system.

Sakamori Kagami was one of the top players in the VRMMO Ark Earth Online as Danblf, a veteran summoner with the gravitas to match his elite status. When he falls asleep playing one day, he's transported to a world where the game is reality—but instead of his all-powerful avatar, he's stuck in the body of a cute young girl! He can't let anyone know that this little cutie is really Danblf, so he takes the name "Mira" and claims to be Danblf's disciple. If this gets out, he'll never live it down!