System Fantasy

In this concluding volume of Neal Stephenson’s epic work, “Half-Cocked Jack” Shaftoe must escape the noose of Jack Ketch; the rivalry between Newton and Leibniz comes to a head; and Daniel Waterhouse pursues his dream to build the Logic Mill

With more than 10 stories from exciting new voices and a few veterans of the universe, the second anthology highlights the lives and struggles of humanity's best and worst years after system advent.

Marc and his party are seeking the sarcophagus that they were sent on a quest to find, only to discover that it is now protected by far more than just the Guardian they'd been told would await them. When they return to Any Port, Marc discovers that Bastet's obsession with Beggar has reached new heights, forcing Beggar and Marc into taking action to foil Bastet's plan to kidnap the raccoon.

For Marc and his party, their current quest seems to drag on and on. Clearing the Labyrinth, defeating Circe, destroying Medusa, and more have become a grind. The main factor that keeps them going is that Zeus is keeping his promise by helping their levels shoot up. Meanwhile, Marc's Safe Zone, Any Port, and the accompanying Safe Zone network continue expanding and growing. They keep him busy whenever he manages to get back home on breaks from the quest.

A mysterious object threatens to destroy our solar system. The survival of humankind is at risk, but nobody takes the warning of young astrophysicist Maribel Pedreira seriously. At the same time, an exiled crew of outcasts mines for rare minerals on a lone asteroid. When other scientists finally acknowledge Pedreira's alarming discovery, it becomes clear that these outcasts are the only ones who may be able to save our world, knowing that the Hole hurtles inexorably toward the sun.

Claire has survived the devastating beginning of Merge Prime, imprisonment by the anomaly-hunting organization SHOCKS, and a trip to a dying world. Now reunited with her friends and family, and with her sister bonded to a powerful anomaly of her own, Claire must turn to unexpected allies if she wants to save their lives. The new leader of SHOCKS reaches out to her with a deal—and a way to fight back against the apocalypse. He believes that by combining several anomalies with Claire's unique, System-given powers, she can target worlds that are merged with Earth and break them free.

The Incursion Event has been announced, and sapient races from across the multiverse are invading the newly integrated planet Earth. These beings have decades, centuries or even millennia of experience living within The System and wield powers far beyond the mutated Beasts and mana-spawned Monsters Drew and his friends have faced in the past.

The vampires that once haunted Wichita are gone, reduced to ash. But Terry’s real war is only beginning. Topeka is burning, caught in the ruthless crossfire of S-ranked tyrants locked in a game of conquest. While the city suffers, the supers wage war.

Commander Jay Luckrun is a bit more than a dorky weirdo these days. He's a dungeon crawler of the multiverse and a relentless killer of thousands of men and monsters. People think he's to blame for the spread of the apocalypse, too! Some of that might be true, but Jay still thinks of himself as a hero of comedy. But when a secretive group of villains gets empowered by the System and attacks the people close to Jay, he might have to lean into his infamy more. He might have to go all out to seek vengeance.

In an instant, life as it was known is gone, replaced by a System called The Connection. It doesn't come quietly as earthquakes rock the planet, the chosen survivors falling unconscious as the Connection takes their bodies and Adapts them. Lochlan Brady and his family were on their way home from a camping weekend when the Connection appears. He awakens with a new Adapted body, finding his wife missing. Now Loch must survive and thrive in this new world with his two teenage daughters, Harper and Piper. All Loch wants to do is protect his daughters and find his wife.

Ten years ago, the world changed. The System brought dungeons and monsters to earth. Billions were lost. While most try to rebuild, Claire chooses to take revenge on the people who took advantage of orphans in the chaos—100 names, 100 targets. In this often brutal story about a world in chaos, Claire will kill every target on her list. No matter what it takes.

In the middle of climate-change crises, there is no mood for space-exploration stunts - but Reid Malenfant, elderly, once a shuttle pilot and frustrated would-be asteroid miner, decides to go take a look anyway. Nothing more is heard of him. But his ex-wife, Emma Stoney, sets up a trust fund to search for him the next time the Kernel returns...By 2570 Earth is transformed. A mere billion people are supported by advanced technology on a world that is almost indistinguishable from the natural, with recovered forests, oceans, ice caps.

Getting hit by a truck didn't Isekai Arthur Ward, but he did wake up in a world forever changed. When Earth evolves, passing a threshold few even knew existed, humanity is whisked away by the Grand System to engage in an educational Tutorial to bring them up to speed, the introduction of the new energy source that has been made available: Ether.

Two weeks have passed since the System's descent. Humanity is adapting, some thrive, whilst others struggle to survive. Arthur Ward has made quite a name for himself as one of the premier healers in all of America. Things are going well. He's growing into his strength and making strides towards unlocking a powerful class. Missing the Tutorial is quickly proving to be the best thing that's ever happened to him. Unfortunately, peace cannot last. Nefarious groups have started coming out of the woodwork, people with no qualms about what or who they must sacrifice to fulfill their goals.

No more cute koala bears, bouncy kangaroos, or fuzzy wallabies. Now, everything is mutated and aggressive? Who made the spiders so big? The world's most dangerous continent just got a lot more dangerous, and no one, not even the alien Galactics who arrive, are ready for it.

After saving the world and defeating his enemies, Sloan has gained an incredible title and unmatched power in the system. Enjoying a decade of peace, his calm life is suddenly disrupted, pushing him towards a new journey and a new mission. A new enemy, known only as the Architect has emerged, causing chaos and breaking the balance. As new rifts appear, Sloan must explore unknown realms, find strong allies, and learn ancient secrets to stop the Architect's plans.

Arthur Ward is no stranger to loss. Life has taken from him time and time again. With the descent of the Grand System, he almost believed things might have changed. Unfortunately, the world is not so kind a place. Arthur finally knows why he's been struggling so much with his magic, and the answer reveals a fate more dire than anything he could have ever imagined. Ether is the least of his worries when death itself looms on the horizon, the destruction of his very being.

Ominous obelisks land on Earth with a single message: Join the games to give humanity a fighting chance to survive... Or roll over and die. Too bad for them, Warren isn't the rolling-over type. Cancer may be kicking Warren's a$$, but he's not about to let aliens destroy his home and everything he loves (which is mostly just his dog, Buck). Besides, what does he have to lose? Better to die with sword in hand, bleeding out from a head wound than in some hospital bed...

The elves took everything. Following a bloodied slaughter of her whole race, and struggling to stay alive, she had no choice but to survive on her own. That was until the world changed. Her entire planet; a whole cluster was introduced to the vast universe by The System, or perhaps God. A universe filled with endless beings and civilizations that fought for power and dominance. After the integration, Blair finds herself in a forest surrounded by unknown beasts, peril lurking, alone. Alone and with nothing but the mentality to survive, she will have to get stronger in this unforgiving world.

The Connected System has changed Earth forever. It has brought the apocalypse but also brought other stronger enemies from the wider universe. Lochlan Brady and his daughters have found shelter in a new and growing community. Loch has found himself put in charge of the fledgling Clan Brady. It is not a position he wanted, but with his greater power it is one he has the responsibility for. Together with a Council of knowledgeable and skilled people in the Clan, the Bradys work to set themselves up to survive through the coming winter and the dangers from the changes brought by the Connection.