Fantasy Short Stories

When the UN invaded the Freehold of Grainne, the intent was simple: Force a noncompliant star nation back into the collective. What the politicians hadn't accounted for was that the Freehold had spent 200 years as the haven for every independent, rebellious, self-reliant adventurer in human space. Its military are scattered remnants, its bases smoking ruins, its cities occupied. But Grainne and its space habitats have resources beyond measure.

In her new collection, Story Prize finalist Maureen F. McHugh delves into the dark heart of contemporary life and life five minutes from now and how easy it is to mix up one with the other. Her stories are post-bird flu, in the middle of medical trials, wondering if our computers are smarter than us, wondering when our jobs are going to be outsourced overseas, wondering if we are who we say we are, and not sure what we'd do to survive the coming zombie plague.

I’ve always wanted to conquer the Big 5 dungeons ever since one of them took the life of my father nearly fifteen years ago. Nobody ever said the Path of Progression was easy, but my burning desire to dive can’t be quenched. I just never thought I’d be prohibited from getting a diving license just because I tried to help a bratty blonde girl get hers. Soon, we’re joined by a lovely brunette bookworm, and we start diving the dungeon on our own terms.

Space pirates! Words that conjure up rousing tales of adventure, derring-do, brave heroes battling the scurvy vermin of the galaxy. Those vermin have taken to pillaging cargo ships and, even worse, space liners, relieving the helpless passengers of their valuables, and worse with the comely women passengers, then spacing the lot - unless one or more of the aforementioned brave heroes arrive in the nick of time, and turn the tables, making the spaceways safe again for the innocent and helpless.

In a career spanning more than 50 years, Harlan Ellison has written or edited 75 books; more than 1700 stories, essays, articles and newspaper columns; two dozen teleplays; and a dozen movies. Now, for the first time anywhere, Troublemakers presents a collection of Ellison's classic stories—chosen by the author—that will introduce new listeners to a writer described by the New York Times as having "the spellbinding quality of a great nonstop talker, with a cultural warehouse for a mind."

Christmas is coming to Beechwood Harbor, but will the manor residents be ready for his magical visit? With mischief and mystery at every turn, Holly and friends have to rally to save Christmas before it's too late! A Very Beechwood Christmas includes four mini mysteries set around a wild and magical Christmas when the real Santa Claus comes to town!

In Zombies, the absurdity of both life and death are on full display as the best and brightest of a high school prep school become tragically addicted to the latest drug craze - electric shocks from cardiac defibrillators. Funny, caustic, bizarre, poignant - this story represents everything listeners have come to love and expect from Chuck Palahniuk.

If you're a fan of detective stories, look no further! I H Laking's debut novella will wrap you up in the new world of the Empire. Mrs Milliard is on the verge of financial ruin. With a business deal about to expire unless her mechanical baker remembers his secret recipe, Mrs Milliard turns to Inspector Ambrose for help. But as Ambrose soon discovers, no one in Mrs Milliard's neighbourhood is ready to talk. Will Inspector Ambrose uncover the truth before Mrs Milliard's midnight deadline? Can he solve a mystery that seems impossible on first inspection? The culprit is closer than it seems, ...

Five fantasy futa tales to titillate your senses. Sold to the Futa Gladiator: Futa-on-Female Priscilla was once a noble, but now she's nothing more than a merchant's daughter. Exiled from their once fruitful lives, the family has grown desperate to reclaim even a sliver of the wealth they once held. So desperate that Priscilla's father has decided to barter his daughter to the champion of the arena, Valencia, for one night. How will the fair Princess Priscilla fair against the brutish gladiator? Or perhaps Valencia isn't such the cutthroat thug that she imagines her to be? In either case, ...

"Yellowjacket Summer”, a story by Robert McCammon, was originally published in The Twilight Zone magazine, October 1986.

Freeing Londyn: Londyn has been in and out of foster homes since she was 3. A few weeks after her 18th birthday she is taken prisoner to become a breeder for a power-hungry alpha of the Phoenix pack, Damien. After 2 years of enduring unimaginable abuse, Londyn, with the help of Damien's daughter, Aria, escape to another pack. At Hidden Park, she quickly makes a home, under the watchful eye of the Alpha Tristan, whom she can't seem to get out of her thoughts. Tristan is a strong alpha of the Hidden Park Pack, his twin brothers, and his baby sister is all that is left of his family. He ...

This sequel to the Hugo and Audie Award nominated METAtropolis features interconnected stories by today’s top writers of speculative fiction – performed by a galaxy of Star Trek stars. As the mid-20th century approaches, the Pacific Northwest has been transformed - politically, economically, and ecologically - into the new reality of Cascadia. Conspiracies and secrets threaten the tenuous threads of society. And the End of Days seems nearer than ever.

The undersea city of Etrusia has been deliberately infected with the plague. With no one to man the controls, the air supply is severely compromised. Implosion is imminent. Draggar took over when the provisional government failed, and is trying to save the lives of as many people as he can, but without help, he knows his task is futile. Rumor has it that Quildor commissioned the refitting of a Great Ship that can leave the planet. If it exists, can Draggar find it in time? And if so, can it get to the surface before the aftershocks of implosion destroy it? In this essential companion to The...

Jane Yellowrock and the Younger brothers, partners in Yellowrock Securities, are hired by the state of Louisiana to track, hunt, and dispatch a small pack of marauding werewolves. They may be part of the larger pack that Jane destroyed in the novel Mercy Blade. The job sounds easy on the surface, but is anything ever easy for Jane or her Beast?

When a God of War barged into his apartment, Jake had no idea what to expect... but it wasn't being forced into a never-ending war against evil invaders, or that the battle would strangely resemble the MMORPG games he loved. Working hard and building himself up from almost nothing, Jake would need every bit of knowledge and preparation to master his new class of Summoner. Joined by a sly Demoness with an ancient past and a shy Valkyrie hoping to prove herself in battle, they'll find excitement and enjoyment as they level and grow in power.

Moon, Jade, and other favorites from the Indigo Cloud Court return with two new novellas from Martha Wells, who continues to enthusiastically ignore genre conventions in her exploration of the fascinating world of the Raksura. Her novellas and short stories contain all the elements fans have come to love from the Raksura books: courtly intrigue and politics, unfolding mysteries that reveal an increasingly strange wider world, and threats both mundane and magical.

A collection of bedtime stories to read to your children before they go to bed! Ray Savage, in collaboration with Evelyn Flanagan, has written a collection of bedtime stories to read to your children at night. The themes were designed by listening to children tell their own stories and suggest their own themes. Ray and Evelyn took these ideas and wrote the stories in a unique way as it is explained in the book. ✓ Approved for all ages! © Ray Savage 2024 No artificial intelligence of any kind was used in the writing of this book. The illustrations were created by Ray Savage, but then AI ...

Over 30,000 words of passion in this BILLIONAIRE BABIES BUNDLE COLLECTION This is a 3 book Step sibling Romance collection that contains an explosion of HOT and INCREDIBLY SEXY stories sure make you sweat and get your heart pumping!! This collection includes: 1. Having His Twins 2. The Billion Dollar Baby 3. Sugar Daddy's Baby Add this sizzling collection to your Kindle library today!

Fearful Rock and Other Precarious Locales is the third volume of Night Shade Books' five volume "Selected Stories of Manly Wade Wellman." This volume is made up of eight novella length stories. It includes Wellman's "Judge Pursivant" and "Sergeant Jaeger" stories, as well as a lost classic from Strange Stories (1939).

Grim leads those who have passed into the next life across the river to be judged. His work is endless and his life dull...until he meets Isabella. Read this cute romantic short story that is sure to have you hanging on for dear "life."