Science Fiction Monsters

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.

Earth as Riven knew it has merged with Zazir and Elhisterii to form the post-apocalyptic creation of the Elysium known as Panu. Here, errant goblins and vulnerable elves battle it out, ungodly monsters spawn like crazy, suicide zombies run wild, and the streets are strewn with human remains. On a mission to find his sister, Allie—out there somewhere battling her own demons—Riven quickly learns that every time he kills his bloodlust only increases, bringing him ever closer to becoming a full-blown harbinger of doom. But maybe a vampiric hero is just what this mad new world needs.

Vir is in chaos, and soon Amber will be at the center of it all. The Sacred Forest, that is Amber’s destination after her attempted exile in the capital. But her journey won’t be simple. The Black Rose wants her for an important plan that will happen at her destination. A plan that will endanger those involved, and unbeknownst to her draw the ire of an Archmage—a mage capable of using Level 400 magic. And as if that wasn’t enough trouble, a high-level member of the Arcane Council wants something from her.

"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.

On a class trip to New Orleans, Catalina Cat Duran and her friends find themselves in the middle of a voodoo mystery.

Two weeks ago, I was writing press releases in a cubicle. Now I’m hunting giant crustaceans to feed a tribe of beautiful women. I awoke on a strange shore, far from Earth, with a new power raging in my muscles. In this primitive world, helpless women look to me for protection against goblin slavers and wild beasts.

In the second book of this series, a forest monster shows up looking for help with an embarrassing problem, and Zoey is sure it will be a simple fix. But her first two tries at helping him fail, and she has a sobbing monster on her hands! Will Zoey and Sassafras solve the problem in time for Gorp to go to the annual Monster Ball?

Robert "Bubba" Brabham never wanted to hunt monsters. He mostly wanted to drink beer, hunt deer, and chase women, like every other giant redneck in the world. But life interfered, and Bubba found himself holster-deep in the family business: monster hunting. Now he's the Southeastern Regional Hunter for the Holy Roman Catholic Church...Bubba has to save the world from the things that go bump in the night! Just as soon as he's done with his beer. And maybe after one more lap dance.

Each day, Owen rises with the sun. Creatures cheer as he shovels food into the trough. Enchanted plants dance and sway while he waters their stalks. This is a strange, wild world. A place where mushrooms can sprout sentience. A place where forest slimes make the best pets. It’s cozy. Simple. But that’s the tip of the monster-farming iceberg. The more his creatures work, the stronger they become. They grow and grow, morphing into unbelievable, frightening beasts.

Syl hat den Wald bezwungen, hinterlistigen Goblin-Verrat überlebt und sich–als Elfe getarnt–in eine Stadt eingeschlichen. Nun hat Syl das nächste große Ziel vor Augen: eine fliegende Insel erobern! Überall wimmelt es von Pegasi, Harpyien, Ghulen und listigen Pixies, während Syl auf der Jagd nach dem schwer fassbaren gelben Schleim ist. Der Reiz der Blitzeigenschaft ist einfach zu stark, und Syl wird vor nichts zurückschrecken, um den gelben Kern ihrer stetig wachsenden Sammlung hinzuzufügen.

When Mike Radley's magical home grew another floor, he thought he knew what to expect. He didn't expect a kingdom of portal-chewing rats to be living between his walls. He really didn't expect to discover that the wardrobe down the hall was a prison world for a murderous kitsune. And he definitely didn't expect all of his enemies to converge on his house all at once, intent on his destruction. Welcome to Radley's Wardrobe. Expect the Unexpected.

Bucky Drake literally just got his managerial position at McDaniel’s, but he’s already been promoted to "Hero" whether or not he's interested in the job. Dragged against his will through a yawning purple vortex by a mouthy catgirl, he finds himself in another world full of vivid colors—and peerless beauties. Cowgirls, lamias, satyresses, unicorns, and even elves of all colors of the rainbow make his acquaintance early and often...and he handles them pretty darn well for a random fast food worker in over his head.

Dr. Hoo has been kidnapped! The mentor of the young heroes has been taken into the hidden kingdom of the enemy. The teens decide to descend deep underground to rescue him, but they are not prepared for what awaits them in the darkness below.

Ben and Mira have set off on their raft to travel to the nearest island. There, they encounter a race of beautiful, long-legged deer women, and Ben meets the woman his daughter Marella foresaw in a vision. But this isn’t just a fun vacation. The voyaging duo will be put to the test against aquatic sea monsters, rabid bunnies, vicious wargs, and Ben’s mortal enemy: The orcs.

With the successful conclusion of the monster subjugation campaign, Eizo returns home with a new addition to the family—Lidy! However, his days of battling beasts aren't quite over. During a chance encounter with Samya's childhood friend, Jolanda, the family learns of another corrupted bear that's stalking around the Black Forest. Jolanda also mentions a tantalizing rumor about a magical knife, which Rike and Eizo are eager to investigate. Could this be a new product to add to Forge Eizo's lineup?

Quinn: After Rowan and I escape Mercer’s hold, we have to get the pack somewhere safe, but my only option is a pride run by a controlling alpha. With everyone safely inside the walls of Winterhaven, Rowan and I attempt to search for the truth, but we’re being hunted and driven further from the answers we need. I want to do everything to protect my mate, but as I learn more about his past, I realize that I might need to protect him from more than just Mercer.

Jack Wilder’s life of big game wrangling in Africa got upended once chosen by the Goddess Artemis and transported to the magical world of Navishala. His life since then has been interesting, to put it mildly. He’s won the love of both a dryad maiden and the dragonkin daughter of the kobold realm. But Wilder’s also inherited a heap of trouble in rebuilding the wildlife sanctuary, regaining the trust of the locals, and dealing with a gang of murderous thugs called Jackdaws. Wilder must re-create the stash of magical potions and remedies left by the last warden.

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.

Jack Miller has spent his entire nine years in the same house on the same street in the same town with the same best friend. One day, while delivering papers on his same ordinary paper route, Jack finds himself amidst a very unordinary world. A world where strange and silly monsters become his friends. This is the complete series of adventures that Jack and his best friend, Annabelle, will have in the secret world that Jack discovers that fateful day.

When a mysterious dungeon portal opens, tamers and domineers alike rush to be the first ones in to claim its treasure. But the dungeon’s gatekeeper gives strict rules: only two teams of four may enter from each group. Despite knowing the domineer teams will use any means necessary to gain the advantage, Dirk can’t wait to face the dungeon’s monsters and trials.