Fantasy World

Shapeshifter Mercy Thompson has friends in high places—and in low, dark, scary ones. And in this must-have collection of short stories, you’ll meet new faces and catch up with old acquaintances—in all their forms... Includes the new stories... “Silver” “Roses in Winter”...

A lonely planet circles a star on the very border of Province 921. Critical resources produced there are claimed by both the Mogwa and the Skay. War between the Galactic giants becomes more likely every day.

When the Earth is invaded by a rival empire, James McGill's legion must defend the Home World. The top brass has complex plans, but none of that matters much to McGill, who chooses his own unique path. Traveling to star systems no human has ever visited, he searches for a technological edge to beat the enemy before it's too late. Along the way he unleashes new terrors, triggering the biggest battles in human history.

When a back-alley brawl leaves me marked with a bizarre Celtic crest on my back, I become a beacon for all things whacked and weird. My dad is obviously freaked when he sees the tat, but he won't discuss it. So, I do what any stubborn redheaded lass would - I ignore all advice and fly to the Emerald Isle to get answers. And yeah...you know that saying about hindsight being 20/20? True story.

Kevin Greene, whose nickname is Kermit (courtesy of his teasing brothers) has red hair and is small, almost lost in his busy family, when two tiny beings from outer space convince him to return to their kingdom to help save it from the Devastators, who wish to destroy their planet.

In the ancient South Pacific world of Oceania, Moana, a born navigator, sets sail in search of a fabled island. During her incredible journey, she teams up with her hero, the legendary demi-god Maui, to traverse the open ocean on an action-packed voyage. They encounter enormous sea creatures, breathtaking underworlds, and ancient folklore.

Leon heads off to study abroad in the Alzer Republic, accompanied by Marie and the idiot brigade (a.k.a., her love interests). Leon's just praying that Marie keeps her hands to herself--if she meddles in the plot of the sequel, she may force him to save the world. Again. Unfortunately, the original story has already flown off the rails. The new protagonist has a twin sister who wasn't in the game! On top of that, some high and mighty noble's son, backed by the power of Alzer's Holy Tree, is baring his fangs at Leon.

Leonard Dunning wakes up in a home he doesn't remember—and to a face in the mirror he doesn't recognize. He soon discovers he attends Blue Cherry High with his best friend, Josh Bernstein, who seems to be the most popular boy in school, with several girls competing for his attention. As the girls collide and clash over the oblivious Josh, Leo realizes each of them displays quirks of characters found in an anime harem comedy. So if Josh is the story's protagonist, what does that make Leo?

Your tenth birthday on another planet? Sounds cool, right? Young sunling Gustafer Yellowgold’s year in the Minnesota woods runs both hot and cold as his local-hero status is pushed to its limits when Leech Lake’s weather patterns take drastic turns. Dynamite Ice Balls? Spontaneous Blaze Pockets? In the third and final chapter of the “melancomic” musical adventure, enraptured fans back home on the sun watch Gustafer’s daily video-diary broadcasts until our young hero falls into the claws of someone who may put his entire journey - and life - in danger.

Atlanta was always a dangerous city. Now, as waves of magic and technology compete for supremacy, it’s a place caught in a slow apocalypse, where monsters spawn among the crumbling skyscrapers and supernatural factions struggle for power and survival. Eight years ago, Julie Lennart left Atlanta to find out who she was. Now she’s back with a new face, a new magic, and a new name - Aurelia Ryder - drawn by the urgent need to protect the family she left behind.

On a secret military base tucked in a remote desert mountain, a dangerous machine lies hidden from the American public. Known as the Actuator, this machine is capable of transforming entire communities into alternate realities. In theory, these often terrifying realities are reversible. The scientists in charge of this machine employ operatives called Machine Monks, who attune their minds to manifest single ideas from the realms of fantasy and science fiction.

Uncertainty plagues Azeroth’s ancient guardians as they struggle to find a new purpose. This dilemma has hit Kalecgos, youngest of the former Dragon Aspects, especially hard. Having lost his great powers, how can he―or any of his kind―still make a difference in the world?

Jeb Trapper tried to kill himself. The gun jammed. Two months later, the vet is now participating in underground trials of ecstasy to treat his PTSD. Everything seems to be going great until Jeb is teleported into a tutorial, along with everyone else on Earth. Now, he has to choose the level of difficulty. There's just one problem: He's high as a kite, and nothing seems impossible.

A freak accident casts Joe Colsco naked onto another planet inhabited by humans with technology circa 1700. In time, Joe, now known as Yozef Kolsko, makes the difficult acceptance of a new life. But he has become embroiled in a struggle beyond any dream he could have had. The Narthani are a militant society intent on subjugating the Caedelli, the people he's come to identify with. Unwittingly, the Narthani themselves are creating an opponent unlike any they have ever faced, an enemy beyond their conceptions.

The body of young, paralyzed Luca, a boy killed by cruel bullies, becomes home to an interdimensional traveler. This is the 99th world for this traveler who has spent an entire life in each of his previous worlds. And now, he is out of lives, his previous misdeeds leaving him with a negative balance of points and preventing him from reincarnating anew. Once he realizes that he must spend his final life in a poverty-stricken family in a backward world, he awakens the consciousness of the deceased Luca and ends his own physical existence, leaving all his abilities to his heir.

Magic and myth inhabit these chapters in figures both familiar and strange. Giant trolls and talking animals are everywhere. The winds take human form. A one-eyed old woman might seem reminiscent of the Norse god Odin. We meet sly aunts, resourceful princesses, and devious robbers. These stories, set in Norway's majestic landscape of towering mountains and dense forests, are filled with humor, mischief, and sometimes surprisingly cruel twists of fate. All are rendered in the deceptively simple narrative style perfected by Asbjørnsen and Moe.

Michael finds himself in the realm of the Forever Kingdom, with no memory of how he got there and who he is. Even so, he must participate in the Grand Game and forge a new destiny for himself. Dropped into a dungeon of monsters and strange magics, would you survive in a game where to lose means death? Alone, and with little more than his wits to aid him, Michael must advance as a player, slay his foes, and gain experience. All while navigating the intrigues around him and discovering his purpose.

Grim Batol: Its dark legacy stretches back into the mists of Azeroth's past. But most know it as the site of a terrible tragedy - where the vile orcs corrupted the hatchlings of the noble Dragonqueen, Alexstrasza, and used them as weapons of war. Though a band of heroes, led by the enigmatic mage, Krasus, defeated the orcs and freed the captive dragons, the cursed mountain stands as another ravaged landmark within the....

Matthew's life takes a crazy turn when a simple holiday visit turns into a crazy adventure. Swapping his marketing desk for an unexpected inheritance—the bookstore left behind by his uncle—he's led to a hidden portal. This isn't just any portal; it leads to a realm. A new world of dungeons, quests, and game-like mechanics. Matthew emerges on the other side to find himself not only in the realm of Dunnishire but also as a Royal Duke in the land of Inneshys. As he navigates courtly life, he inadvertently sets off ripples that threaten to disrupt the delicate balance in the new world.

In the second elven world of Naz'arán, chaos reigns in the south as the demi-god Arzen and his revenant army threaten to destroy everything in their path. Only one elf has the power to turn the tide of war—but he can't even remember who he is. Feldar was brought back to life by the Master Dominie, but his memories are slow to return. In time, he must join the Order of Shirán and find a way to stop Arzen from annihilating Elvendom. But first, he must win the greatest battle of all: the battle raging in his own mind.