Modern Science Fiction

Scratch Sullivan just wanted to survive the apocalypse in peace...but when the undead bring their war right to his doorstep, it's time to ranger up and rain hell down on his enemies! It's been eight years since the bombs fell and the dead rose, and the world has become a very dangerous place. But unlike most folks, former Army Ranger Scratch Sullivan is getting by just fine. Sure, it's hell on earth, but Scratch seems to fit in. He makes his living by hunting the dead, vampires and zombies alike, with the odd revenant thrown in for good measure.

Hat, ribbon, bird rose. To the people on the island, a disappeared thing no longer has any meaning. It can be burned in the garden, thrown in the river or handed over to the Memory Police. Soon enough, the island forgets it ever existed. When a young novelist discovers that her editor is in danger of being taken away by the Memory Police, she desperately wants to save him. For some reason, he doesn't forget, and it's becoming increasingly difficult for him to hide his memories. Who knows what will vanish next?

Morli is a prince on a mission - but he’d rather be baking. Baxter is a lonely production artist stuck in a pandemic lockdown. They are literally universes apart. But with a little help from a magic shop, a raven, and a dead great-aunt who was possibly a witch, Morli and Baxter are joined together on a cross-worlds adventure. Battling killer brambles in order to rescue an enchanted princess seems simple compared to their real challenges: Discovering their strengths and creating a future together.

Kick back and enjoy this mini-anthology of spine-tingling short stories from Diane Wing, author of Thorne Manor And Other Bizarre Tales and Coven: Scrolls of the Four Winds.

In this modern retelling of Hansel and Gretel, 13-year-old foster children Griselda and Holden escape from their abductor after three years of brutal captivity and try to cross the Shenandoah River on foot. Tragically, one of them makes it to safety, but the other is left behind. Ten years later, Griselda's boyfriend drags her to a fight club grudge match, and her world is turned upside down when she watches Holden step into the ring.

As a hunter in post-apocalyptic central Texas, Scratch Sullivan has survived zombies, vampires, and rogue military units. Heck, he's even the only human ever known to go hand-to-hand with a werewolf, and survive. But what’s a man to do when the local ‘thrope pack destroys your town and abducts your best girl?

Two murderous Celtic goddesses...a journeyman druid on the run...and a sealed grimoire that holds the key to his survival. Can Colin unlock it in time to save the people he loves? Colin McCool here, junkyard druid and trouble magnet extraordinaire. Recently, I fought the giant king of Jotunheim in a bid to save my druid master’s life. I failed in that task - now it’s up to me to keep druidry alive. Problem is, the Mórrígan and her sorceress sidekick Fuamnach are out to erase me from the face of the Earth.

Frankenstein es una historia en la que Víctor, un joven ávido de conocimientos científicos, se obsesiona por lograr el mayor reto posible en el mundo científico: dar vida a un cuerpo muerto. Su éxito será su condena, la creación de un monstruo estremecedor que, en respuesta a su rechazo por todos se entrega por completo a saciar una sed de venganza hacia su creador, culpable de su desgracia, y hacia todo lo que éste ama, tornando en muerte todo alrededor de Víctor.

Mad scientists have never had it so tough. In super-hero comics, graphic novels, films, TV series, video games, and even works of what may be fiction, they are besieged by those who stand against them, devoid of sympathy for their irrational, megalomaniacal impulses to rule, destroy, or otherwise dominate the world as we know it. It’s just not fair. So those of us who are so twisted and sick that we love mad scientists have created this guide.

Wandering a desolate post-apocalyptic landscape, speaking a broken-down English lost after the end of civilisation, Riddley Walker sets out to find out what brought humanity here. This is his story.

Acclaimed author M.A.C. Farrant has been hailed as “a brave iconoclast” by Publishers Weekly and is well known for her pithy wit and maverick sensibilities. Broken into three sections, The Strange Truth About Us is a fusion of fragmented prose, probing questions and caustic satire. The result is both a meditation on absence and a commentary on the human penchant for complacency.

Dr. Victor Frankenstein, an ambitious young scientist, is consumed by a fanatic desire to create a living being. He fashions an eight-foot-tall creature and succeeds in animating him, but, horrified by his visage, perceives his creation to be a monster and frightens him away. The monster, wandering in search of human companionship, is spurned and repulsed by all he approaches and learns to hate and to kill.

Tiger-shifter Lord Bane Dunsaney released Nick Fairfax from the deal that bound the young man to his service for a year. Then Bane fled, afraid that the beast inside of him would harm Nick if he stayed. He never thought to see Nick again. Little did Bane know, Nick has chosen to stay at his estate, Moon Shadow, to await the return of the lord who has his heart.

A crew of experienced astronauts nearing the completion of a 20-year mission in space discover that their ship is being followed by an unknown craft on their way back to earth. In this science fiction novelette, the crew debates an impossible decision on whether to lead the craft back to earth and risk all of humanity, or veer off into space to protect the earth but ensure their own demise. Short story/novelette 13,000 words Science fiction From 13 Acorns-Modern Short Stories for Thoughtful Adults

I'm Colin McCool, world-class trouble magnet and druid apprentice extraordinaire. I survived my final confrontation with the Dark Druid by the skin of my teeth. But that stunt attracted the attention of some extremely nasty gods who now consider me a threat to their very existence. Hashtag FML, amirite? Now, I'm in a race to master the ways of druid magic, all while staying one step ahead of the immortal assassins trying to kill me.

The Society for Magickal Heritage’s best agents are heading back into paradise. Giddy Gods help them all. No one ever said heroic adventure would be easy, but this is ridiculous. Magickal wonderlands aren’t meant to have a dark side. Heroes aren’t meant to get stranded there, either. Ves may be up for anything, but she hadn’t expected that pretty much anything would be up for her. And with a horde of unhappy spirits enjoying a direct line to Zareen’s psyche, it’s lucky she’s unbreakable... right?

Best-selling urban fantasy and paranormal suspense author M.D. Massey welcomes listeners back to the world of the Junkyard Druid for his third short story collection. Blood Bound includes "Voodoo Ball", "Prince Mark's Price", and "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do".

At the dawn of the Victorian era, life moves leisurely in the sleepy village of Wall. Young Tristran Thorn has lost his heart to the beautiful Victoria Forester and, to win her love, vows to bring her a star they see fall from the night sky. It is an oath that sends him over the town's ancient wall and into the mysterious land of Faerie - a world that is dangerous and strange beyond imagining....

Four sci-fi short stories where you'll find good computers, people who regret their past, and an explanation for something you're familiar with.

The name’s Crowley, but the fae know me as Fuamnach’s Hound. She’s the Tuath Dé sorceress who abducted me as a child, making me her slave in Underhill. For decades, I languished under her thumb, suffering torturous abuse while she molded me into her own personal magical assassin and saboteur. After years of slavery, I finally broke free, earning her ire and the attention of her death squads. Now, I'm searching for my human family and the doppelgänger who stole my identity. I intend to gain back what was lost by killing the faery who is living the life I was meant to have.