Fantasy War

New research has uncovered deeply buried military secrets—both the Allied and Axis special operations during WWII included monsters. Did the Soviets use a dragon to win the Battle of Kursk? Did a vampire fight for the Canadians in Holland? Did the US drop the second atomic bomb on a kaiju? This collection takes real events from World War II and injects them with fantastical creatures that mirror the “unreality” of war itself. Each story—and two poems—feature mythical, mystical, and otherwise unexplainable beings that change the course of history.

When a ruthless commander takes over the moon, he has it out for Carter Ash. The commander sends him to a tiny settlement to defend it with the worst soldiers for the job. Carter’s only support comes from an unexpected place: an enticing alien diplomat. That’s not all, however—the meager soldiers he has are being hunted and killed by something outside the colony.

Personal tragedy drove Callum McRae to join the Order of Saint Casimir 15 years ago; now he’s in charge of a hold he hasn’t lived in for years. Supplies are scarce, he has no knack for dealing with people, and the Gols are at the gates. To make matters worse, he’s also battling an attraction so powerful and forbidden that it imperils his very soul....

The year is 1940 and war is blossoming across the globe. The Battle of Britain enters its last phase, and it remains to be seen if the Germans will be able to master the proud British into submission. Large air fleets fight for supremacy in the English skies, and the civilians pay the price with the British cities in flames.

The war will come - it is inevitable. After centuries of struggle, the ISF Intrepid has finally brought its colonists to New Canaan, a star system better than any they imagined. They made landfall and began to build their new home, far from the troubles of Sol and the Inner Stars. Yet no one in the Orion Arm has forgotten that the colonists possess the most valuable technology known to humankind, least of all Tanis Richards - as she secretly prepares to defend New Canaan against any and all aggressors.

After scant days in his “real” world, Thomas Covenant finds himself again summoned to a strange world of magic and Earthpower. There, 40 bitter years have passed, while Lord Foul, immortal enemy of the Land, moves to fulfill his prophecy of doom - his countless minions are already on the march, cutting a devastating swath of destruction across the Land. The Council of Lords find their spells useless, however, now that Foul the Despiser holds the Illearth Stone, the ancient talisman of evil.

War heroes aren't usually called out of semi-retirement and sent to the far reaches of the galaxy for a routine investigation. So when Colonel Carl Butler answers the call from an old and powerful friend, he knows it's something big - and he's not being told the whole story. A high councilor's son has gone MIA out of Cappa Base, the space station orbiting a battle-ravaged planet. The young lieutenant had been wounded and evacuated - but there's no record of him having ever arrived at hospital command.

Retired from his fighting days, John Perry is now village ombudsman for a human colony on distant Huckleberry. With his wife, former Special Forces warrior Jane Sagan, he farms several acres, adjudicates local disputes, and enjoys watching his adopted daughter grow up. That is, until his and Jane's past reaches out to bring them back into the game — as leaders of a new human colony, to be peopled by settlers from all the major human worlds, for a deep political purpose that will put Perry and Sagan back in the thick of interstellar politics, betrayal, and war.

Aiyana and Kendra Cassidy never anticipated becoming the key to humanity's survival. As leaders of the Heavy Lift Corporation, their objective is clear: secure humanity’s future among the stars. Politics? Who needs it, when the galaxy is calling? The consequences of failure are stark: three-quarters of Earth’s population face starvation within decades, and the Solarian Union’s dominance could become unassailable. Success, however, means a rebirth for humanity—a chance to explore the stars, establish new colonies, and reclaim control over their destiny.

Macrath Mor and Ceana MacRae fought valiantly to win their temporary titles as prince and princess of Sìtheil during the bloody war games. A burgeoning love and countless hopes and dreams for the future of Scotland fill the daytime hours, and passion holds them at twilight. Just married and given only five years to rule before the next set of savage games begins, Macrath and Ceana have vowed to take down the royal council in charge of the war games, but before they can move ahead, they first have to conquer their enemies.

At a time when Humans were just starting to venture forth into the Galactic Union as mercenaries, Martin Quincy survived long enough to do something no one else had - he retired. There was only one problem: He got bored. After battling aliens for many years - killing aliens and getting paid - retirement didn’t suit him, and he decided to strap on the combat armor and go back to the stars. Along with his old friend Kal, Martin joined Cartwright’s Cavaliers, humanity’s best merc company. Life was exciting! But he got bored. Again.

For many people at Pierce Point and the rest of Washington State, the upcoming New Year is a time for hope, and belief that life is going to improve and the Collapse will end. For Grant Matson and the 17th Irregulars, the New Year means only one thing - war. The time has come, and they have received their orders from HQ. Grant must come clean with Lisa and tell her the truth about his work as he plans to abandon his family once again.

Peu de gens sont aussi rusés et cruels que la reine du sang, Casteel en est parfaitement conscient. Mais personne, pas même lui, n'aurait pu se préparer à ses stupéfiantes révélations et à la cruauté de ses actes.

While battles rage across the Transcend and the Inner Stars, Tangel's focus shifts to Orion space.

At the end of the 24th century, war is fought in a civilized manner: Each side hires mercenaries to engage in combat in specifically designated areas. To the victor go the spoils - whatever they maybe. After a couple of assignments involving more intrigue and skullduggery than the Cutter Force Initiative ever wanted, the unit is looking forward to being part of a straight-up, short-term industrial war on Earth.

The Planeswalkers have defeated Nicol Bolas and saved the Multiverse - though at grave cost. The living have been left to pick up the pieces and mourn the dead. But one loss is almost too great to bear: Gideon Jura, champion of justice and shield of the Gatewatch, is gone. As his former comrades Jace and Chandra struggle to rebuild from this tragedy, their future, like the future of the Gatewatch, remains uncertain.

Carter Ash should be a celebrated hero, instead he’s leading a doomed mission on a backwater moon, wondering what went wrong. His assignment is impossible—take over the whole moon with a handful of soldiers fresh out of Basic Training. It’s the kind of thing that takes an army, and his commanders won’t give him one. But Humanity’s position in the great galactic Game is worse off than ever, and they need the resources this colony could provide, so Carter isn’t going to sit idly by. He’ll have to fight an army of zombie aliens, plane sized vultures, and worse. Even alone, if he has to.

The end of the world has been and gone. There was no one great natural disaster, no all-consuming world war, no catastrophic pandemic. Only scores of storms, droughts, and selfish regional conflicts. Humanity was not granted a heroic end. Instead, it bled to death from a thousand cuts. But where Earth fell apart, Mars pulled together. Engineered men and beasts, aided by Bees – an outlawed distributed intelligence – survived through co-operation, because there was simply no alternative.

Although the exciting military career she hoped for never got off the ground, Ky Vatta ended up seeing plenty of combat when she took the helm of one of the commercial transport vessels in her family's fleet...and steered it into a full-blown war. Now the lessons she learned in that trial by fire are about to pay off - because this time, the war has come to her. Someone has launched a full-throttle offensive against Vatta Transport Ltd., Ky's father's interstellar shipping empire.

Clay Jaeger finally has the chance to become the spellslinger he always wanted to be—the one his family needs him to be to survive the dangers of the wasteland. A teacup pig claiming to be a cursed Great Blue Wyrm has offered them a quest to take out a Dungeon Lord with the exact power set Clay’s been looking for. There’s just one problem. The Dungeon Lord can steal the souls of his enemies and summon them to fight his battles for him. Clay is more than willing to lay down his life to protect his family, but is he willing to risk his eternal soul on a gamble that might not pay off?