Monster Fiction

John Birmingham is the master of alternate history adventure - and now he's mastered a new genre with the volcanically fast-paced and wildly inventive Dave Hooper urban fantasy series. The series is anchored by a thrilling high concept: An oil rig opens a rift deep in the ocean that unleashes terrifying monsters into the world. But perhaps its coolest asset is its hero, Dave Hooper, a tough, bleakly funny, down-on-his luck oil rig worker with an unlikely destiny as a monster-slayer and world savior.

A student’s investigation into a secret cult leads to madness.

A larval Great Old One is growing day by day in power and just about ready to pop. If Chad Gadenier can't convince "the powers that be" to get involved, not only New Orleans, but the entire world, is going to fall under the power of the nastiest of nasties. Now on the outs with the US government and in exile from his usual job of saving the world, Chad must rally the forces of light against the coming darkness. The problem is one guy with a sword and a sub-gun isn't going to solve this one.

Several months after a girls' trip, elves Lurielle, Ris, and Silva are still affected by their experiences at the resort and the orcs they met there. Lurielle discovers that being in a multi-species relationship presents its own unique challenges. When Ris returns to the resort, an unexpected encounter with a slightly familiar face upends this elf's desire to be a free as the wind. Silva must make a choice—will she follow the carefully mapped life of privilege her family has planned for her or throw it all away to follow her heart, for a man with his own heart full of secrets?

Rick Yancey won the Michael L. Printz Award for the stunning first entry in his Monstrumologist saga. In the series’ third entry, Will Henry is left behind as Dr. Warthrop and his eager new assistant Arkwright embark on a quest to find the “Holy Grail of Monstrumology.” But when Arkwright returns with news of the doctor’s demise, Will sets off on his own quest, to the Isle of Blood, to determine the truth.

The carnival arrived at dusk, bleeding rust and promising escape. For Lily, it was a one-way ticket out of her dead-end town. But when the moon rises, the main attraction is unleashed. The Carnival Nocturne is a predator, and its charismatic owner holds a monstrous secret. When a local boy vanishes and the first body is found mutilated near the Ferris wheel, Lily realizes the truth: the cheap tricks and rigged games are a cover for something ancient and hungry. A violent storm cuts them off from the world. The power dies. The screams begin. Trapped on the carnival grounds with a handful of ...

Some legends don’t want to stay hidden—and some secrets won’t stay buried. When a Navajo girl vanishes in the high desert of Arizona, Lux Branson is asked to help, even though this time the stakes are deeply personal. Her old friend Jackson believes his girlfriend was taken by a Skinwalker—an evil shapeshifter from Navajo lore. Skeptical but determined, Lux joins the search. The deeper they go into the red rock canyons and sacred lands, the more disturbing the evidence becomes. Something ancient is watching. And it doesn’t want them to leave. With time running out and local ...

The forest holds many mysteries, both terrifying and unexplained. Mysteries in the Forest is an anthology series by bestselling author Erik Lake, known for his works like Things in the Woods and Beyond the Path. This series delves into true personal encounters experienced by individuals in woods and forests, exploring a range of mysterious and often terrifying entities. Each episode focuses on a different creature or phenomenon, ranging from widely known cryptids like Bigfoot and the Dogman, to more obscure and chilling entities like skinwalkers and demons. Through gripping narratives and ...

Since she was a child, Taylor Dawson believed the lie her mother told her - that her father was a monster. But now she has a chance to get to know the real Clay while doing real work as an equine therapist, which includes helping two girls whose mother was brutally murdered. She might even find something deeper with her boss' handsome son, Ford Elkhart, who is dealing with his own demons. But just as Taylor feels her life opening up to new family, work, and friends, a danger lurks in the darkness - one that will show Taylor the face of true evil.

Amelia Scarcliffe’s monstrous brood, harbingers of Cthulhu, will soon spawn. Her songs spell insanity, death...and illimitable wealth. And Moriarty will do anything to get his hands on gold, even if it means tearing down the walls between this world and a realm of horrors. Meanwhile, after Sherlock Holmes’s last tangle with the Order of Dagon, horrifying monsters haunt the Thames, and madness stalks the streets of Whitechapel. Gang war between Moriarty’s thugs and the powerful cult can only bring more terror - unless Holmes and Dr. Watson can prevent it.

In the new world, power reigns supreme. Those that evolve their class, their race, or even their attributes rule those below them. Being given a class is not a guarantee. For some, it takes years, and for others they never reach the Pylons. For Gabe, it was a path of lost patience. He has a dream. He needs to grow stronger. He'll fight, kill, and even sell himself out if it means reaching his goal. The day comes that he finally receives his class. Only the Multiverse has decided to give him the finger alongside nearly fifty thousand others. The only bright side is that he was given the ...

She came to carry his child, not bare her soul. But now that he’s touched it, she doesn’t know if she’ll ever get it back. Librarian. Surrogate. Survivor. Isabella Greene didn’t plan to fall for the alien warlord assigned to her. She only came aboard the Starliner Amour to escape Earth’s crushing debt and repair her broken body. What she didn’t expect was to be matched with Drex Xarn—a battle-scarred Velkari warlord who sees her as more than a vessel. He sees her as his. Her contract is clear: carry his child, receive a fertility cure, walk away free. But Drex doesn’t do ...

For 200 years, monsters have terrorized the wilds. The only thing keeping humanity safe: Monster Tamers. Orphaned during a wild monster attack when he was young, Dirk has always wanted to join the Monster Tamer Academy. Becoming a Tamer involves bonding with a monster to unlock one’s access to magic. As a Tamer raises their bond, both the Tamer and their monster grow stronger.

Zee went missing for a year. And when he came back, he was...different. Nobody knows what happened to him. At Zee's welcome home party, Justin and the neighborhood crew play Hide and Seek. But it goes wrong. Very wrong. One by one, everyone who plays the game disappears, pulled into a world of nightmares come to life. Justin and his friends realize this horrible place is where Zee had been trapped. All they can do now is hide from the Seeker.

For well over a century, Monster Hunter International has kept the world safe from supernatural threats small and large - and, in some cases, very, very large. Now, join us as MHI opens their archives for the first time. From experienced hunters on their toughest cases, to total newbies' initial encounters with the supernatural, The Monster Hunter Files reveals the secret history of the world's most elite monster fighting force.

What if the only boy you ever truly loved was taken from you by a monster? Leopold the Lonely Vampire is a queer gothic drama that begins in Gold Rush-era San Francisco, where 17-year-old Leopold Beringer, a gay heir to a wealthy closeted Italian family (Beratelli) fortune, hides his forbidden romance with Li, a Chinese boy escaping racial violence and forced labor. But when a mysterious figure murders Li and turns Leopold into a vampire, his world collapses. Thrust into an immortal life filled with loss, secrecy, and slow-burning sorrow, Leopold searches for meaning and love in a world ...

Noah and Violet, treasure hunters and protectors of the Overworld, are back in this fifth installment of the League of Griefers series. When skeletons corner Noah and Violet, the duo escapes through a portal to the Nether. Trouble brews as Noah accidently leaves the portal open, and the mobs from the Overworld enter the Nether. Noah and Violet must battle hostile mobs from both worlds to survive. Taking shelter in a Nether Fortress, they befriend treasure hunters who help them battle the mobs.

Sixteen-year-old Charlie Ovid, despite a brutal childhood in Mississippi, doesn't have a scar on him. His body heals itself, whether he wants it to or not. Marlowe, a foundling from a railway freight car, shines with a strange bluish light. He can melt or mend flesh. When a jaded female detective is recruited to escort them to safety, all three begin a journey into the nature of difference, and belonging, and the shadowy edges of the monstrous. What follows is a story of wonder and betrayal.

Learn all about ancient Greek mythology - for kids, teenagers and even adults - a must read! Prepare to be whisked away on an extraordinary adventure to ancient Greece. Perfect for young readers, this captivating book guides readers through the spectacular tales of gods, goddesses, heroes, and monsters that have inspired generations. We’ll uncover a rich tapestry of stories & myths: • Discover the formidable Zeus, ruler of the gods, who commands the skies with his thunderbolts • Witness the wisdom of Athena, goddess of wisdom and war • Tremble before the fearsome Medusa, whose gaze ...

When a known Komran outpost that has recently been upgraded shows signs of staging an invasion, there are only two options: commit to a full-force assault and lose many lives and ships to take the base, or send in a small, elite team to take on an entire base by themselves. The council believes the barbarian has done well so far. Why not risk his team’s necks first and see how it goes before scheduling that assault? Joe and his team must make their way to a planet that has been under Komran control for decades.