Science Fiction Monsters

Getting stuck in the hockey locker room was not how I envisioned catching my next story. After a fateful encounter with two of the hottest players in the NMHL, I'm swept into an unforgettable first date.

His name is Taylor McFadden, survivor of eighty-three trips into the ZOO. Now he's retired, and yet his country still needs his skills to save people in the country he calls home.

I was hanging out with some buddies, doing a little caving, when everything went south. When I woke up, I was in some kind of medieval dungeon. Totally naked and in the dark. Luckily, I had a neighbor in a cell near me. One with a decidedly sexy feminine voice. When she explained to me that she was due to be executed and I was in line to be brainwashed, there was only one thing to do.

Wells weaves a story of scientific excess into a high-speed thriller. Montgomery, a brilliant but twisted biologist, is delivering exotic animals to his private island when he rescues a shipwrecked man. An act of compassion, or another addition to his collection?

Have you ever wondered where monsters came from? Their origin has been kept a secret for centuries. As long as Halsey and Brigham, her cousin turned mission partner, were on the hunt, you didn't need to wonder, or worry. Till now. Keeping people in the dark is not so easy when supernatural things stop following the rules and the Clan Council doesn't want to accept that something is very, very wrong. It's a full moon, the Summer Solstice, and an ancient coffin has washed up on the beaches of Moher, Ireland. Could the Mother of Monsters really have returned? It's just not possible.

Alchemist Zoe Faust is no stranger to magical mayhem, but when her boyfriend's new tea shop is vandalized and his special tea blends stolen, she plunges into a baffling mystery to save him. The clues lead Zoe and her gargoyle sidekick Dorian to an eerie mansion high in the Portland hills, filled with creeping carnivorous plants and enigmatic topiary monsters. When they stumble across a corpse in the conservatory that appears to have been killed by sinister shrubbery, an estranged member of the family is implicated in the murder.

The small town of Beacon Point has always been plagued by eerie local phenomena. It’s a town where disappearances are common, strange creatures have been sighted with unnerving frequency, and a ghastly secret lurks in the woods. The adults in town are oblivious to these strange occurrences. Others prefer not to talk or even think about them. But over the course of several terrifying nights, a group of kids will come face to face with the horrors hiding within their sleepy town.

Josh yearns for a smidge of peace and quiet, but Mythelore has other ideas. Cassandra must learn to control her magic before she accidentally casts a world ending spell, and there is only one person who can help her. They must travel to the Elven land of Alianthia to seek out the old harmonic Simmalion—a handy coincidence as that is where the healer, Vella, comes from.

The High Republic continues in this fast-paced adventure that picks up from Escape from Valo, perfect for fans of sci-fi action. Think Sailor Moon meets Babysitter’s Guide to Monster Hunting by way of Star Wars . . . with a dash of Last Kids on Earth! The fearsome Nihil continue to spread...

After slaying a leviathan of the deep, and gaining a magic he barely understands, an ordinary fisherman finds himself entangled in a magical game of the gods with the fate of his planet as the prize. Dean becomes Oakley's champion, competing in the Minotaur's Maze. He travels through a portal to Mixonia, a city of wonders, filled with magic and monster girls of all sorts. As he levels up in his noble quest to save his home world, he will earn and lose fortunes, rescue a bevy of beautiful babes, and protect the innocents of planet Oakley.

Isolated in the northern wilderness, Hawkin—an adventurer turned hermit—is fulfilled by the small joys of his simple life. He hunts and forages for food, tends to a small garden, maintains his humble cabin, and patrols the meandering trail that leads down to the sea. After celebrating ten years alone in his woods, visitors begin to arrive. First an ancient monster, then a trio of monks with a peculiar set of skills.

Hades kidnapped me. Yeah, that Hades. Greek mythology is real, and I’m learning the gods are real dicks. I’m tasked with caring for the monsters in the Underworld. Oh, yeah, Demeter is pissed about the whole Persephone thing. She’s kidnapped her daughter and making the monsters fight for sport. Persephone is quite happy in the Underworld according to Hades pet dog...who has three heads and is kind of a goof. I’ve met a Kraken, a minotaur, a phoenix, and a black widow spider. I’ve also met Hephaestus, the God of the Forge, who has been abused by his family.

I'm determined to turn Quirky Kingdom into the showpiece it used to be. Problem is—more than just the rides need fixing. It's way more than I can handle on my own. I tap my new neighbor to help—Rexin, a hunky orc handyman who's also a single dad extraordinaire. Since it's summer, he brings his twelve-year-old son to the job with him.

The Horde has been raising hell and leveling cities from New York to Los Angeles, keeping Dave and his fellow monster killer, Russian spy Karin Varatschevsky, very busy. But when the legions of hell invade the small seaside town his boys call home, Dave has to make a call. Save the world? Or save his family? Not as easy a choice as you'd think, since Dave's ex-wife expects to be saved, too.

"Perfect deadpan marks the opening of Ali Simpson’s The Monster'" writes Susan Merrell of The Southampton Review in her introduction to this issue of Recommended Reading.

Over two decades ago, forty-eight young, gifted superheroes fell to Earth and were eventually marketed as opposing brands: heroes and villains. Now, one exceptionally gruff bad guy is looking to hop teams. Hello, PR director Vanessa Theriot. His real name is Roland Casteel a.k.a. the Pyro. First, swap that with the less incinerating the Wyvern. Next, put him in spandex to highlight that near-godlike body. Finally, give that hero in training a heroine—if Vanessa will play the part in a pretend romance guaranteed to make the city swoon. She’s game.

I've let myself become more of a monster than I ever wanted to. Now the shadowkind are flocking to my side, eager to stand with me. But I don't know if I'm strong enough to foil to the villain who's put the whole world in his vicious sights. This borrowed heart might have given me my powers, but using them has rushed me toward my inevitable end. I hate having to drag anyone else into this horrible battle with me...but if I can't find a way to build up my new army—and fast—the world as we know it will disappear.

Ghoulia lives in Crumbling Manor with her Auntie Departed and spends most of her time playing with Tragedy, her beloved albino greyhound. But things aren't as easy as they seem for this little zombie girl - all she wants is a real friend. She tries to venture past the manor's walls, but she can't hide her pale green skin or the deep purple circles under her eyes. The other children will be afraid of her, and no one will want to be her friend. But when Halloween rolls around, Ghoulia hatches a brilliant plan.

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.

If you are planning to learn all you can about Chinese Mythology, then check this audiobook out. It will give you insights into: The story of Pangu and the creation of the Earth, Nu Gua and the creation of mankind, how Nu Gua repaired the sky, myths of the Chinese festivals, the two Classic Chinese Myths: The Monkey King and The Lady White Snake, and more! If you are interested in culture and Eastern practices, then this audiobook is a great way to learn those myths and festival information.