Monster Fiction

There’s already been one death by the time the authorities ask Fin to go undercover to investigate a company that is creating extensive environmental damage to the ocean, threatening an octopus nursery, a shark mating area, and the endangered green turtles, all causes dear to her heart. How can she say no? It’s not until she’s on site that she realizes she’ll have to work with Liam and the team from his environmental remediation company. Working together will be awkward, but Fin is determined to do everything she can to stop the damage.

Monster Hunter International may have had its roots in the United States of America, but there are plenty of monsters in the big old world. And wherever there are monsters, humans will need monster hunters. Here then, stories of the things that go bump in the night and the men and women who bump back—focusing on the myths, legends, and folklore of Czechia, by Czech authors. Includes a new short story by Larry Correia.

Those four words are more than a death sentence. They’re proof that happy endings were never meant for people like me. I thought we’d gotten away with it. Ambrose is dead, and I should be celebrating with my men. Instead, I’m about to face the wrath of the Syndicate—and the only thing that will satisfy them is my blood. But even with the odds stacked against us, I’ll never go down without a fight. After all, I have something to fight for now: the men who’ve claimed me—body, heart, and soul. They’re my Princes of Carnage. And I’ll be their princess of vengeance.

A larval Great Old One is growing day by day in power and just about ready to pop. If Chad Gadenier can't convince "the powers that be" to get involved, not only New Orleans, but the entire world, is going to fall under the power of the nastiest of nasties. Now on the outs with the US government and in exile from his usual job of saving the world, Chad must rally the forces of light against the coming darkness. The problem is one guy with a sword and a sub-gun isn't going to solve this one.

Send living shadows to drag me to another world? They better be ready for a fight! I’ve always been a scrapper, so when I was snatched from my world by shadow creatures and hauled to another one, I did as I’d always done. I fought. But I still didn’t know anything about where I was. My luck was in, because I quickly had the good fortune of meeting a sexy prophetess and a gorgeous, blue-skinned, redheaded mage who said she was something called a moonwisp. Yeah, magic was a thing.

A light-hearted, humorous LitRPG adventure of monstrous proportions! Firefighting was tough, but Kevin took pride in it—until a factory fire landed him in a swamp with a monstrous new body and a mountain-sized cube dominating the landscape. Now, survival means more than just putting out fires. With an eldritch horror lurking in the dark, a desperate village in need of a hero, and some rather suspicious orphans causing mischief, Kevin’s got his work cut out for him.

It's time to party monster-style, and you're invited! Listen along as Vampirina and her family throw a scary fun party that's sure to go down in history.

Betrayed by goblins, attacked by ogres, vampires and the undead, they survived everything the Hangsane mountains could throw at them. But can Josh and his Misfits go all the way? Can they defeat the dread Grillons that followed him through spacetime? Will they fall at the last hurdle? And what is Vella’s true purpose?

In the wake of a disastrous affair with her married archeology professor, brilliant Wilhelmina Cooper arrives back at the doorstep of her hippie mother-turned-born-again-Christian's house in Templeton, New York - a storybook town her ancestors founded on the shores of Lake Glimmerglass. Upon her arrival, a prehistoric monster surfaces in the lake, bringing a feeding frenzy to the quiet town. And Willie learns she has a mystery father her mother has kept secret for Willie's entire life.

When marine private Oliver Chadwick Gardenier is killed in the marine barrack bombing in Beirut, somebody who might be Saint Peter gives him a choice: Go to heaven, which, while nice, might be a little boring, or return to earth. The Boss has a mission for him, and he's to look for a sign. He's a marine: He'll choose the mission. Unfortunately, the sign he's to look for is "57". Which, given the food services contract in Bethesda Hospital, creates some difficulty. Eventually it appears that God's will is for Chad to join a group called Monster Hunters International.

After my husband left, all I wanted was to find myself again. Turns out that's a lot easier said than done when my chronic pain has me canceling plans and everything I try reminds me of my inadequacies. Things only get worse when my attempt at exploring submission is a total disaster. But hope comes in the form of my stoic, stunning vampire friend, Blair. She offers to teach me, giving me a space to safely explore a side of myself I've kept locked away. It's meant to be platonic. Just one friend helping another. So then why can't I stop imagining what it would be like to take things further?

Justin Trimble's fantasies come to life when a couple of sexy, middle-aged professors give his virtual world a try and are transformed both in-game and out. As an AI researcher, Justin Trimble already has access to some of the most advanced technology on the planet. On his nights and weekends, he explores the capabilities of the virtual systems to invent an immersive game. To make the game more appealing, he modifies the immersion rigs to stimulate pleasure as reward for achievements.

Not all monsters are fantasy. Some are very real, and they walk among us. They're our friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers. They're the people we're supposed to trust...and they know it. Contained within this anthology are 35 never-before-published works by supremely talented authors and best-selling novelists. Brace yourself for the unexpected and unimaginable horror of...human monsters.

In the small town of Shadow Hills, Tennessee, paranormals and humans coexist on charming cobblestone streets. For tourists, it's the perfect place to visit and experience Halloween all year round. But for Raegan Baker, it's home. Living among werewolves, vampires, and other beings unlike herself is perfectly normal, and besides the small town drama, Raegan's life is peaceful. She's happy working at the local bookstore, Bound & Buried, and spending time with her two best friends, Jamie and Joanna.

Ben and Mira have driven the orcs off the deer women’s island, but the question is not if the orcs will return, but when. As if the orcs weren’t bad enough, Ben spots a simultaneously new and ancient enemy on the horizon.

Tormented as a child for being dark-skinned and the son of a womanizer, Ken Ferguson longed for that feeling of being loved. He promised himself that he wouldn't be a manipulating, deceitful man like his father, but after he is cheated on and dumped by the girl he thought he would one day marry, he begins his transformation. Fueled by anger and tired of being the "nice guy", Ken drowns himself in one-night stands, threesomes, and affairs with married women. He meets his match with Ashley. But Ashley turns out to do even more damage, wounding him deeply. Ken spirals out of control.

In Monsters, Inc., join monsters Mike and Sulley on a wild adventure that takes them from the Scare Floor at Monsters, Inc., all the way to the dangerous human world. Joined by the human child, Boo, the best friends must return the little girl before an evil plot prevents her from ever going home.

Oscar Tundale is not a hero. Anxious, indecisive, and awkward, he can barely get through a normal day. Now he’s about to find out monsters are real. Oscar’s friends—brave, stubborn Zara and hyperactive, paranoid Marcus—might help discover what hunts him and unravel the truth about the handsome doctor he pines for. But only heroes can save the world, so maybe the best Oscar can hope for is to not end it by accident.

The Aether Shift. An event that changed the world forever. Unleashing untold powers onto the minds and bodies of humans on Earth. Some were chosen, against their will, to become something new. Azaria, finally allowed leave the house on her own for the first time, ends up as a Dungeon Core, however, the situation gets turned sideways during the process and she's left alone for nearly a year. Lance, an individual with a hidden past has been struggling in the changed world that is Earth. Meeting Azaria through a twist of fate, what will change with the two brought together.

From almost the first day I arrived in Valorae, having been abducted by dark magical creatures, I’ve had one thing on my mind: kill the demigod Aeyr. For all those he’s slain, including my best friend. Here I am, with the friends and family I’ve gathered while fighting for my life in this strange world. A world so different from my own. One thing is universal, though. Tyrants whose sole purpose is to exploit and destroy people need to be put down. In Valorae, somehow, the task fell to me.