Fantasy Short Stories

"Rescue Party" was first published in the May 1946 issue of Astounding Science-Fiction.

Sir Arthur C. Clarke (1917-2008) is regarded as one of the most-influential science fiction writers of all time. He was named a Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, and was inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame.

Not one to let being banged up in Sick Bay stop her, Max has had a brilliant idea. But she needs Markham to execute it on her behalf. The subject of this cunning plan is Peterson, struggling with another bereavement and not doing very well. What’s needed to get him through it is sympathy, sensitivity, tact and understanding. Step forward Mr Markham, for whom sympathy, sensitivity, etc., are things that happen to other people.

Italo Calvino's beloved cosmicomics cross planets and traverse galaxies, speed up time or slow it down to the particles of an instant. Through the eyes of an ageless guide named Qfwfq, Calvino explores natural phenomena and tells the story of the origins of the universe. Poignant, fantastical, and wise, these 34 dazzling stories - collected here in one definitive anthology - relate complex scientific and mathematical concepts to our everyday world.

A conspiracy looms that threatens Cascadia itself. So why is Reg, a demolition crew worker, the last, best hope to stop it? Because there’s more to Reg than meets the eye…

Bridging Infinity puts humanity at the heart of these vast undertakings - as builder, as engineer, as adventurer - reimagining and rebuilding the world, the solar system, and even the entire universe. This continuation of the award-winning Infinity Project anthology series features bold new stories from Stephen Baxter, Elizabeth Bear, Gregory Benford, Zachary Brown, Pat Cadigan, Kameron Hurley, Scott Lynch, Vonda N. McIntyre, Hannu Rajaniemi, Allan Steele, and many more.

Master storytellers Robin McKinley and Peter Dickinson, the team behind Water: Tales of Elemental Spirits, collaborate again to create five captivating tales incorporating the element of fire.

Dive into BDSM Short Stories: Filthy Fantasies of Raw Domination and Soaked Submission, a blistering anthology of five depraved tales crafted to make your pussy throb and your body beg for release. Each story is a wet, pulsing plunge into the darkest corners of desire, where leather-clad dominants and trembling submissives collide in orgies of ropes, whips, and relentless fucking. From moonlit beaches to shadowy libraries, these pages drip with sweat, cum, and the screams of women surrendering to their filthiest fantasies. Packed with every kink you crave—bondage, flogging, spanking, oral...

In his hugely influential and tempestuous career, Robert E. Howard created the genre that came to be known as sword and sorcery - and brought to life one of fantasy's boldest and most enduring figures: Conan the Cimmerian, reaver, slayer, barbarian, king. This volume gathers together three of Howard's longest and most famous Conan stories.

Abby’s best friend had set her up on a date at a new restaurant in the city she has never been to before. She got lost and was late. When she finally arrived, her blind date was gone. Instead of leaving, she starts chatting up the server Katie and invites her to have dinner with her after her shift was over. The two women have a good time together talking and they exchanged numbers to meet again later in the week. Throughout the weeks after their first meeting, Abby’s feelings for her new friend start to change into something more than just friendly. Abby also finds out that her new ...

Brothers torn by magic. A sorceress with dragony aspirations. A wolf king, a royal wizard, a squire fleeing with a coveted sword. What could possibly go wrong when they all collide in Highwander, where the very bedrock is formed of the powerful substance known as Wardstone? After reading all three of the Wardstone novels I find myself wanting more. I love Hyden, Mikahl, and Phen. This is a great fantasy trilogy. Well written and worth every penny. The characters may never leave me. - Liz Corwell Book One - The Sword and the Dragon Book Two - Kings, Queens, Heroes, and Fools Book Three - The...

The Northern Alliance and its southern neighbor, Tressor, have been at war for generations. Almost since the war began an assassin has stalked the northern lands, quickly becoming a legend among the people for both its skill and its elusiveness.

In this story from the Jane Yellowrock universe, undercover agent Rick LaFleur has been working on gaining access to Leo Pellissier, Master of the City of New Orleans. But he wakes up naked and bound in an old barn, at the mercy of a magic-working tattoo artist and an insane vampire.

Lucy inherits an Oxford knitting shop...and so much more. Like the vampires who live downstairs and pop up to the shop when they run out of wool, or for their late-night knitting club. They've even offered to help Lucy learn how to knit. She discovers she's a witch and has some quirky relatives she never knew about. Her grandmother's supposed to be dead, but keeps showing up. It's enough to send Lucy screaming back to Boston, except there's a mystery to solve and Oxford and her new vampire friends are kind of growing on her....

Every woman wants them. Only one can have them. I never thought the four alphas would notice me. I'm plain. Average. Boring. And they're... incredible. When I attend their mating ball, I expect them to ignore my presence. All of a sudden, all four of them are claiming me. And they won't take no for an answer. They're best friends. They do everything together. Why shouldn't they take a mate together, too? And when they make me theirs, what heights of erotic bliss can they show me? (Mating Their Omega is a standalone paranormal reverse harem romance with dark elements. For mature readers only!)

In Her Body and Other Parties, Carmen Maria Machado blithely demolishes the arbitrary borders between psychological realism and science fiction, comedy and horror, fantasy and fabulism. While her work has earned her comparisons to Karen Russell and Kelly Link, she has a voice that is all her own. In this electric and provocative debut, Machado bends genre to shape startling narratives that map the realities of women's lives and the violence visited upon their bodies.

Every novella by Ursula K. Le Guin, an icon in American literature, collected for the first time - and introduced by the legendary author - in one breathtaking volume. Ursula K. Le Guin has won multiple prizes and accolades, from the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters to the Newbery Honor, Nebula, Hugo, World Fantasy, and PEN/Malamud awards. She has had her work collected over the years but never as a complete retrospective of her longer works.

They'll make me their mate. All I ever wanted was to be like everybody else. But I'm not. I'm an omega, subject to my pack's rules and traditions. Without my knowledge, my parents promised my hand in marriage to two alphas. Each. Now all four alphas are saying I'm theirs, and I'm bound by shifter law to be their mate. If they can unlock my submissive nature, maybe they can make me fall in love with them. But does love even matter when I was promised to the alphas? (Promised to the Alphas is a standalone paranormal reverse harem romance with dark elements. For mature readers only!)

Aspen is a Norm. A non-magic. A human. And in this supernatural city, that's a quick way to wind up dead. Or worse. She didn't plan on becoming an apprentice to Lucien Dunadine, one of the strongest members on the Council of Mages. She really didn't plan on taking part in a deadly competition against Isak Uchida, her handsome, aggravating, deadly opponent. But with something sinister going down in the magic boroughs, they'll all have to work together if they want to uncover the source of an ancient evil threatening their home.

This collection features Howard at his finest and Conan at his most savage. Truly heroic fantasy at its best, this volume contains "The Servants of Bit-Yakin", "Beyond the Black River", "The Black Stranger", "The Man-Eaters of Zamboula", and "Red Nails", which is perhaps Conan's most famous adventure.

Hunting vampires is her legacy. Detective Rainey Astor walks a dangerous line between the human and supernatural worlds. As a vampire hunter, she's a formidable opponent, having killed hundreds of their kind. Yet, when her latest foray into the supernatural world goes terribly wrong, she finds herself rescued by the very creature she's vowed to kill.