System Fiction

In Robert Louis Stevenson’s haunting and introspective short story “Markheim,” a chance encounter on Christmas Day leads to a chilling exploration of morality, free will, and the struggle between good and evil. With gothic atmosphere and philosophical depth, Stevenson crafts a psychological tale that lingers long after the final tick. A masterwork of Victorian horror and spiritual suspense, "Markheim" invites listeners into the dark recesses of the human soul.

PRE-ORDER NOW! 'Superbly written… The plot twists and turns on the way to a nail-biting finale. A compelling read' The Sun ‘The eponymous young adult Ben is drawn with unflinching honesty by a writer with a masterful grasp of nuance and contradiction’ The Guardian 'Sad, chilling and...

They found ruins. Now they must build a future — or die trying. When Edwin and his weary band of survivors stumble upon the abandoned village of Greenreach, they uncover more than just ash and rubble. Signs of a brutal goblin raid mark the land — but so does the opportunity to start again. Armed with a mysterious Stronghold Stone and guided by a game-like System interface only he can see, Edwin has one shot to turn these ruins into a stronghold. But the village still hides secrets... and possibly traps left by those who came before. Goblins. Tragedy. A defiled shrine.

A Little Journey by Ray Bradbury is a poignant and quietly powerful science fiction short story that explores faith, aging, and the human hunger for transcendence. Written during Bradbury’s golden early-1950s period, the story follows Mrs. Bellowes, an elderly widow who joins a group of older women on what is promised to be a miraculous voyage to Mars—and ultimately, a path to God.

This dog’s about to blast off. Will his trip be out-of-this-world? Arthur can’t wait to make his first flight into outer space. Jumping for joy, he’s rocketing off on a mission to see the twinkling stars. And once he boards his ship, he’s eager to sniff out the most paw-some planets in our solar system. Flying to each of the heavenly bodies circling our sun, Arthur has to find out what makes each one so special. But from worlds with rings and moons to balls of gas and rock, he’s not sure how to choose his favorite place in space.

Peter Kraemer, a physics teacher with a passion for astronomy, makes a discovery that he himself can hardly believe: Stars disappear from one day to the next, with nothing left of them. The researchers he contacts provide reassuring and logical explanations for every single case. But when Peter determines that the mysterious process is approaching our home system, he becomes more and more anxious. He alone perceives the looming catastrophe. When he believes he has found a way to avert the impending disaster, he chooses to pull out all the stops.

"For a woman who thinks of herself as a New Yorker at this point, I buy a lot of clothes from companies named things like Shrimp & Grits. Why? Because identity is complicated." Elizabeth Passarella is content with being complicated. She grew up in Memphis in a conservative Republican family with...

Caleb Hanson assumed the most exciting part of his field trip scouting in Northern Minnesota would be a rare bird sighting. Instead, he was abducted by hive-minded hexapods and forced to be their children's teacher. Not the worst way to ride out the end of the world. Two years later, the apocalypse has finally come for Caleb. His savior-captors are murdered, leaving him as the last line of defense for the alien kids he's grown to know and love. Now, he'll have to bend his values or watch his students die.

From each according to ability, to each according to U-credit! The slogan of Sparta! "United points", the currency created by the guileful System. Lord Leo is building an inimitable just government, the only one around. Other Lords look upon him with anger and greed. They aren't just looking, either: blades and spears sharpen behind his back, desperate to bring a stop to the glorious rampage of the Spartans across the new world.

When Olivia flees her captor and crosses paths with Conan, the two embark on a perilous journey to a mysterious island haunted by pirates, monstrous beasts, and ancient ruins. Filled with action, intrigue, and Howard’s vivid prose, this fantasy classic captures the raw clash between civilization and barbarism while exploring themes of power, loyalty, and survival.

When Conan flees tyranny and joins the infamous pirate queen Bêlit, their fiery romance ignites a saga of blood-soaked raids, supernatural horrors, and tragic destiny. Set against a backdrop of cursed rivers, haunted lands, and ruthless battles, this early 20th-century sword-and-sorcery classic blends high-seas adventure with themes of love, honor, and loss.

Slengral is summoned back to the Aglatha shinara by none other than queen matriarch, Zathexa—who happens to be his mother? With his sister and heir to the shinara dead, Slengrala is commanded to return home not only to fulfill his duty to mate and breed a new queen but to answer to the charges made against him.

Glitches are appearing across the Minecraft server. Blocks are flickering unexpectedly and randomly disappearing. To make matters worse, villagers are claiming that their entire villages have mysteriously vanished, and they desperately need Gameknight999's help. What's causing the server to overload and glitch, and where have all the NPCs gone? The User-that-is-not-a-user suspects the two questions are related, and that somehow Herobrine's henchmen are responsible.

Venezuela's overcrowded prison system is hell on earth. Murders, corruption, and gang wars are nothing out of the ordinary. On a humid summer's day in the state of Vargas, a new prisoner arrives at "El Infierno," the country's most notorious gulag. Newcomers are subject to savage beatings. They're treated as slaves by the general prison population. But not this time....

When a stranded spaceship crew stumbles upon a strange town on an asteroid, what seems like a miraculous discovery soon unravels into a surreal nightmare. As they meet the enigmatic Mr. Greypoole and explore a seemingly idyllic community, the crew begins to question the boundaries between life, death, and illusion.

They couldn’t afford a ship or a fleet...and now they have a whole system to defend! Harmon Tomeral, along with friends Clip, Zerith, and the artificial intelligence Jayneen, were heroes. They’d brought back the battlecruiser Salvage Title from an unknown system and had defeated the alien Squilla and saved their home system of Tretrayon, not once, but twice. But now they have a system of their own, and the Bith are about to open it up to the galaxy at large.

The battle for Sar rages on. The Alliance offensive has failed, ammunition is running out, and only nuclear weapons have saved the players from utter obliteration. Ivan Susanin, also known as Vasily, found himself in a Lich trap and escaped by a miracle. Yet the mission continues as long as the return card has not been used. He can still return and find a way to reverse this seemingly hopeless situation. Retreat is not an option—the fate of two worlds rests in his hands. Victory or death!

THE TOP TEN SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER Could the courts really order the death of your innocent baby? Was there an illegal immigrant who couldn't be deported because he had a pet cat? Are unelected judges truly enemies of the people? Most of us think the law is only relevant to criminals, if we...

My new life in the states and dream job as a game tester just hit a massive snag. If I don't want immediate deportation on my to-do list, I need help, stat. Quickest solution - marry Lucas Walker, my cranky and oh-so-annoying coworker. Still, this can work. We’ll have rules and have to stick to them. I won’t think about his muscled arms or how stupid handsome he is even while he pushes all my hot buttons. It’s a marriage on paper only. I need to remember that.

The Adventure of the Lion’s Mane is one of Sherlock Holmes’s most unusual late-career cases—told entirely from Holmes’s own perspective after his retirement to the Sussex coast. When a local schoolmaster collapses on the beach, gasping the mysterious words “Lion’s Mane,” Holmes is drawn into a baffling investigation with no clear suspect, no human culprit, and clues that defy ordinary logic. As Holmes analyzes strange wounds, missing timelines, and the secret lives of seaside residents, he uncovers a deadly natural phenomenon as dangerous as any human adversary.