mike O

This short story collection will take you into the depths of Beck’s dark imagination: from what happens when the deepest bore hole on Earth has just passed nine miles and hits a strange open space – and it's hellishly hot down there; to an Antarctic research team examining fragments from a deep ice glacier and discovers a tiny seed that, once thawed, grows into something terrifyingly unexpected.

The dragon plague has scoured the land of living things, and Troyson Strom lives on his small boat, staying on the move, and gathering supplies when he can. But he has a plan – save enough provisions and sail back to the coast of Greenland and search for the mighty rift in the ice wall that leads through Odin’s Gate, and then on to Lemuria.

Two astronomers have detected a strange, pulsing signal from deep space. Within hours, the US government goes into lockdown, restricting airspace and scrubbing scientific data. Was the signal an intercepted communication revealing alarming plans for an enemy’s military strike? Or has humanity at long last found proof of extraterrestrial life?

Xyándor, a figure of immense evil and depravity, wants all of those creatures dead. But without the whales, there will be no more time. Our universe will cease to exist. Now the whales are decidedly huge—as large as an average galaxy. But with the application of sufficient cruelty and technology, they can be killed. Existence, once again, hangs in the balance.

In the serene backdrop of New Hampshire's Franconia Notch, Micah Taylor, an ex-Army Ranger, finds solace with his loyal golden retriever, Grover. Their peaceful existence is suddenly shattered when a first date with his old friend, Jess Bender, takes an unexpected turn. Bright lights descend from the sky, leading them into the dark woods and a shocking discovery: the Kylonari, an advanced alien species with a special connection to Micah, here on a quest to find "The Lost Tribe"—a colony that vanished millennia ago.

In the heart of the South Pacific lies Point Nemo, the most desolate and remote place on Earth. At its core is a dead zone, devoid of life, where government agencies crash their obsolete satellites and space stations, confident they won't harm a soul. When the International Space Station suffers a catastrophic failure and plummets through the atmosphere, it's here that Mission Specialist Julie Rohr, an astrobiologist studying living space dust called xylem, finds herself marooned. Julie's only hope for rescue lies in the hands of her estranged father, Dr. Finn Maddern, a renowned mycologist.

It all starts with a single dead person coming back to life. Within three days, the undead have taken over most of town. Despite heroic efforts and swift initiatives from the government, disaster keeps spiraling. Soon, the infection reaches the nation's borders, threatening to become a worldwide pandemic.

Cate Granger and Jack Monroe are enjoying life far away from the deep-sea horrors of their past...but the ghosts still haunt them. Russian billionaire and former friend Sonya Borashev tells them of a newly discovered cave in Antarctica that leads deep beneath the frozen continent. It's from these icy depths that Sonya believes a remnant species of megalodon shark has been set loose and that these ancient monsters are not only alive but thriving. With a recent spate of horrifying attacks, Sonya leads an expedition to put an end to the monsters for good.

Jon Ryan has some unfinished business. Since he caused the universe to reboot, well, he can't seem to find his wife of two billion years. That's one great big oops. He also can't find the massive time ship Aramthella and her human crew. Double oops. And then there's the matter of not knowing whey why there are several copies of key people in the new reality he must navigate. Triple oops. He actually knows one whole heck of a lot less about his current situation than seems healthy. But he's Jon Ryan, former fighter pilot turned android warrior for humankind.

The end of the world looks a whole lot different when you’re eight inches tall. Cheech and Daisy are small, spoiled and cute. Unfortunately, spoiled and cute are overrated when a pack of flesh-eating creepers are closing in fast and chasing you through the streets. Being small? Well, that might help. A pair of seasoned Army Rangers, a teenaged Latina, a deranged serial killer, and two lost Chihuahuas come together to match wits and battle a city full of the undead. Oh, and be forewarned: This ain’t no cutesy Beverly Hills Chihuahua-type story. It’s a straight forward, blood and guts, ...