System Fiction

A bounty hunting survivor. A Galactic dark elf. A woman who has given up her humanity to become something more. These stories and more are available in the first short story anthology for the System Apocalypse, covering year one on Earth. When the world ends, humanity steps up, finding new ways to survive in a world with classes, magic, and monsters. The anthology features exciting, new stories by five new writers and a new, never publicly released short story by Tao Wong.

Taj was looking forward to his two-year sabbatical from the Sol System Enforcers. At the young age of 62, he was hoping for another 50 years as an Enforcer, but right now, he needed time off. Taj, and his partner Taddy, were planning travel to Festival City in the Asteroid Belt. But, evil never rests. As Taj prepared for a peaceful retreat, his enemies had a different plan. Someone very powerful wanted Taj dead and wasn't afraid to target his family to prove their point. All Taj knew was that he must present himself in Armstrong City of Luna in a single day, or Taddy would die on the Carousel.

Moving and suspenseful, Lisa Ballantyne’s The Guilty One is a psychological thriller about the darkness in each of us. It explores how we are all tied to our pasts, and what it means to be guilty. Solicitor Daniel Hunter is called to defend 11-year-old Sebastian who has been charged with the...

Benjamin's life was perfect. He'd just graduated from college and landed his dream job; he was finally ready to make his own way in life. However, before he could do that, he and his buddies decided to go on one last camping trip that changed everything. Suddenly, the five of them were ripped from their campsite on Earth by powerful magics, brought face-to-face with the might of the rune mages, and forced to become pawns in larger schemes.

Asleep in Armageddon by Ray Bradbury is a haunting and atmospheric science fiction tale that explores the thin boundary between consciousness and madness. After crash-landing on a desolate planetoid, space traveler Leonard Sale finds himself trapped in chilling isolation—until disembodied voices of ancient warriors begin to invade his mind.

Discover Philip K. Dick's chilling post-apocalyptic masterpiece "The Defenders," where humanity hides underground while robot "leadies" wage nuclear war above. But when humans venture to the surface, they uncover a shocking conspiracy that challenges everything they believe.

In the rugged shadows of New Mexico's Sangre de Cristo mountains, Berkeley consciousness researcher Jacob Chen chases a cryptic email to reclusive genius Aurelius Moth—and uncovers a mind-shattering secret: awareness isn't limited to human brains. It's alive in the neural networks of ancient rock formations, storm systems, and even the stars themselves.

Two souls, Tah and Abigeiru, are bound by a love that transcends space and time, and they embark on a transformative journey through a shimmering portal that takes them back to their celestial home planet, Maia. They are met with devastation and destruction, and they embark on a perilous journey to uncover the truth behind the tragedy and save their planet.

Detroit, 2087. Nothing unexpected ever happens. Every coin lands exactly as physics predicts. Three million people living without the possibility of surprise. Zephyr Calculus used to be the best Momentum Raider alive—a thief who could steal fortune from lightning strikes. Now she’s down to her last 47 kilolucks, barely enough to find her keys in the dark. When she learns Kairos Infinitum has drained seventeen cities to build his “Singularity”—a world without random tragedy, but also without joy—Zephyr assembles one last crew.

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.

The Willows by Algernon Blackwood is a haunting masterpiece of early supernatural fiction, blending psychological horror with the eerie majesty of nature.

The Adventure of the Blanched Soldier by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is one of the later Sherlock Holmes stories, first published in 1926. Told uniquely from Holmes’s own perspective rather than Dr. Watson’s, this gripping mystery follows the famed detective as he investigates a haunting case of friendship, fear, and secrecy.

Dennoch wird es für Hal Mason kein Kinderspiel sein, die System-Apokalypse zu überleben. Während er einen Kautionsflüchtling dingfest macht, unterbrechen ihn durchsichtige, blaue Fenster. Sie kündigen es an: Das System – eine Welle strukturierter mystischer Energie, die Galaxien umspannt, alle Elektronik zerstört und der Menschheit Fähigkeiten aus Videospielen verleiht.

Kira's worries are only just beginning. She has a newly minted alien alliance to nurture, a settlement to run, and Skills to master, all while wrangling her children in an apocalypse. Hemmed in by continually respawning mutations, the settlement threatens to outgrow its borders, pushing their safe zone into monster-held territory. They can't stop growing and Leveling, but neither will the monsters.

Nicknamed Dewey Decimal for his obsessive attempts to bring order to the New York Public Library in the wake of disastrous events in the city, the hero of this series earns his keep as a bagman and enforcer for unscrupulous politicians and underworld figures. Now, he’s stumbled upon information concerning the gruesome murder of a prostitute that involves a prominent US senator - and finds himself chasing ghosts and fighting for his life, pursued by private military contractors and the ever-present specter of his own past....

Rocket Summer by Ray Bradbury is a haunting and visionary science fiction story that explores humanity’s uneasy relationship with progress. As the first rocket to the Moon prepares for launch, anticipation electrifies the world—but beneath the celebration lies unease. William Stanley, the man behind the mission, wrestles with the moral and existential weight of humanity’s leap into space.

The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is a gripping Sherlock Holmes mystery that captures the essence of early 20th-century crime fiction.

Hey, you! Adam and I are organizing a holiday retreat this winter for all our friends. We are so excited to invite you, too. We've rented a place in the mountains. There will be skiing, other snow sports, and all kinds of fun. The whole gang will be there: Jordan and April, William and Jenna, Lucas and Katya, Heath, and of course, Adam and me. Please come along with us! It’ll be epic.

It once seemed like the world had been shaken by the coming of the System, leaving no chance for humanity to survive. But the System didn't always mean death! Yes, it had killed the majority of the population on the planet, making horrifying monsters out of the dead, who, in addition to everything else, had a tendency to evolve right in front of your very eyes. But that had also given people the opportunity to develop!

Discover the eerie brilliance of "And the Gods Laughed" by Fredric Brown, a classic science fiction novella from the Golden Age of sci-fi. Set in a future of interplanetary exploration, this suspenseful tale follows space miners who encounter a mysterious race on Ganymede—only to uncover a chilling secret about possession, identity, and alien intelligence. Blending dark humor, paranoia, and psychological intrigue, Brown crafts a compact yet powerful story that questions what it truly means to be human.