Science Fiction Monsters

"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.

Eighteen-year-old Myla Lewis is a girl who loves two things: kicking ass and kicking ass. She's not your everyday quasi-demon, half-demon, and half-human, girl. For the past five years, Myla has lived for the days she gets to fight in Purgatory's arena. When souls want a trial by combat for their right to enter heaven or hell, they go up against her, and she has not lost a battle yet.

Kit may be the youngest wizard ever, but she sure doesn’t feel like the best wizard. Her magic just keeps going wrong, and other weird stuff is happening too: talking animals, exploding fireballs, and a strange new arrival in the local park. Even Dogon (the half dog, half dragon) is droopy! So Kit and her two best friends - animal-whispering Alita and studious Josh - set off with Faith the librarian to investigate this wild magic that’s causing so much commotion. Their journey takes them to a Scottish loch, where they meet an eco-conscious wizard and some very grumpy mermaids.

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.

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.

Keith once again finds himself facing impossible odds as he goes up against the most terrifying force in the Frigid Seas. The Primordial's presence threatens the very existence of the System's rule and stands in his path to the final continent of Monstros. Even with the fourth World Monster dead, there's still more to do. Allies to gather, elixirs to craft and monsters to hunt. Especially if Keith wants to launch a successful raid into the uncharted lands of the most dangerous and inhospitable continent in the world of Raiah.

Yuki's been reborn in another world as a demon lord—and his new life is going swimmingly! He continues strengthening his dungeon with his makeshift family of monster girls until, one day, a heroine arrives on their doorstep to take down the demon lord. Or, at least, that's what she says before breaking into tears because the traps are too scary! Curious and unable to resist lending a helping hand, Yuki heads out to welcome the hapless heroine.

Rowan Bennett has always been the lighthouse of his family; steadfast, dependable and constantly putting himself last. But when a malicious entity attaches itself to him, his life takes a disastrous turn.

Nath Dragon—the fiery son of the Dragon King—is a legend in the making. With a heart full of justice and a temper that scorches mountains, he roams the realm slaying dragon poachers, crushing slavers, and searching for redemption. But when his wrath gets the better of him, he’s cursed by the gods and cast into a world teetering on the edge of ruin.

Dan’s first tournament may have ended, but life goes on. His luck is still with him in his regular life as well, and it seems to be endless. However, he is surrounded by very smart people, and surely one of them is going to start doubting his talents, at least a bit? Especially now, with a new game about to start. The latest foes are even more dangerous than the last and the rules are still unfamiliar to him. Dan wonders how reasonable the rules are in the first place. Is it really possible to take a competition that lasts a couple of hours at most seriously?

Cyril woke up in a hospital bed with a ruined body and no memory of how it happened. His only chance at a normal life was agreeing to a splicer's experiment with a twisted condition: he was forbidden to learn the circumstances surrounding his injuries. Rose saved a life and wound up exiled from her gang, friendless and broke in Oolytau. Given an out by a notorious mob boss, she found herself in the Tracts working with a man who might be everything she never knew she needed.

As Kelvin, the battle junkie Summoner hailing from another world, continues his extraordinary exploits, Goddess Melfina finally returns to his side, finally having completed her artificial body. When she grants him her blessing, he gains the power to summon a Hero of his own . . . who wants to become his stepsister?! As Kelvin and his party grow stronger by the day, he receives a summons for his Rank S promotion exam. The contents of the exam involve saving an elven settlement from the threat of a terrible monster, but just how much is the militaristic nation of Trycen involved?

An existence spent being forced to kill others to satiate a monster. Where the only thing to look forward to was the blessed, if brief, period of time between paying that bribe. Except that very same monster is and isn’t Rene. It just happened to live inside his own mind and force him to do what it wanted - rather than him being an actual monster. That was Rene’s entire life until a fateful day changed that. A day that his career as a hitman for hire built on the monster’s needs will end. Where Rene will be forced to atone for his actions. To be held accountable and judged.

An existence spent being forced to kill others to satiate a monster. Where the only thing to look forward to was the blessed, if brief, period of time between paying that bribe. Except that very same monster is and isn’t Rene. It just happened to live inside his own mind and force him to do what it wanted.

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.

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.

Kaiju Rising: Age of Monsters is a collection of 23 stories focused around the theme of strange creatures in the vein of Pacific Rim, Godzilla, Cloverfield, and more. The anthology opens with a foreword by Jeremy Robinson, author of Project Nemesis, the highest selling Kaiju novel in the United States since the old Godzilla books - and perhaps even more than those. Then, from New York Times best sellers to indie darlings Kaiju Rising: Age of Monsters features authors that are perfectly suited for writing larger-than-life stories.

The Labyrinth behind him, Terry and company arrive on the Eastern Steppes in the midst of a carnival, and a fateful decision puts him under a dire curse. Stripped of his bond powers and exiled to the dreamlike Wildervast, he must find and free the ultimate witch, then kill an invincible man. Meanwhile, those left behind must face the machinations of the tauren herd leaders, whose law allows them to take a template for common use, and the remnants of Theseus' bonds in search of revenge.

All over the country, a strange phenomenon is happening. Some teenagers who die aren't staying dead. They are coming back to life, but they are no longer the same - they stutter, and their reactions to everything are slower. Termed "living impaired" or "differently biotic," they are doing their best to fit into a society that doesn't want them. Fitting in is hard enough when you don't have the look or attitude, but when almost everyone else is alive and you're not, it's close to impossible.

Joan ha fallito. Non è riuscita a fermare Eleanor, e ora il mondo appartiene ai mostri. In questa nuova realtà, le regole sono cambiate: gli umani vivono nel terrore, rinchiusi in gabbie d'oro, schiacciati da leggi crudeli e puniti aspramente. E il tempo è diventato un'arma. Solo pochi ricordano la verità e, tra loro, Joan, Nick e Aaron sono gli unici a sapere che esisteva una realtà diversa. Nick, una volta eroe e cacciatore di mostri, è consumato dal rimorso per la scelta che ha condannato il mondo.