Psychological Science

On a dying world, salvation lies 87 light-years away. As Naratu's atmosphere fails, geneticist Ayathesti holds the key to her people's survival: creating a hybrid species on a distant planet called Earth. The mission is clear - collect DNA, establish a colony, and secure a steady supply of gold to save their world. But what begins as a desperate bid for survival will unlock an adventure spanning two worlds.

The year is 2024, and the residents of the Tower, a virus-proof apartment building, live in a state of permanent lockdown. The building is controlled by James, who keeps the residents safe but incarcerated. Behind bricked-up front doors, their every need is serviced; they are pampered but remain prisoners. This suits Eugene just fine. Ravaged by the traumas of his past, the agoraphobic ex-detective has no intention of ever setting foot outside again.

When Abigale inherits her uncle's curiosity shop she is thrust into the world of the occult. Where strange rituals are performed and cursed antiquities change hands. In this, she finds an entity of untold power. A primeval being of aeons past shouting to be freed. An old tome acting as a latched door opened a crack, outlining a rite requiring exotic ingredients and acts of questionable morals. He promises an answer to her family's dark secret in exchange for her help.

The year is 2035, and the crew from the first expedition to Mars is returning to Earth. The crewmembers are anxious to get home, and ennui pervades the ship. The mood is broken by a series of mysterious events that jeopardize their safety. Someone or something is threatening the crew. Is it an alien being? A psychotic crewmember? A malfunctioning computer? The truth raises questions about the crewmembers’ fate and that of the human race.

Over the last four years, Jacob Sloan has lived naked and alone within an abandoned island hotel, smoking cannabis, eating squirrels, and swimming in a lake that contains a dark secret. As memory slowly begins to flower in his brain, Jacob recalls the traumatic events that lead him to the island, describing a childhood of evangelical Christian horror, constantly fearing bar codes, the Antichrist, and being abandoned in the ever-nearing rapture.

Jude is dragged out of alt-country obscurity, out of the dismal loop of booze and sadness baths and the boundless, insatiable loneliness, to scrub up and fly to Australia for a last, desperate comeback tour. Hardly worth getting out of bed for - and he wouldn't, if it weren't for Coreen. But Coreen is dead. And, worse than that, she's married. Jude's swan song tour becomes instead a terminal descent into the sordid past, into the meaning hidden in forgotten songs, and into Coreen's madness diary, there to awaken something far worse than her ghost.

A man awakes on a boat at sea with no memory of who or where he is. He's not alone - there are six others, each with a unique set of skills. None of them can remember their names. All of them possess a gun. When a message appears on the onboard computer - Proceeding to Point A - the group agrees to work together to survive whatever is coming. But as the boat moves through the mist-shrouded waters, divisions begin to form. Who is directing them and to what purpose? Why can't they remember anything? And what are the screams they can hear beyond the mist?

The man couldn't help himself. His captor was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Her powerful eyes held his attention and made him forget that she had him confined in a basement, his hands and feet bound with duct tape. She fed him when he was hungry and kept him alive for the telling of her horrific tale. After getting past the terror and discomfort, he reasoned that there was nothing to worry about for the moment.

Denise Berg, a professor of psychology, and her molecular biologist husband, Gabe, expected an intelligent child. When Denise gave birth to Zack, they were thrilled. They were not surprised to find that Zack had physical and mental gifts but were astounded by their magnitude. By every parameter Zack was extraordinarily gifted, and they took pride in their genes and their good fortune.

Rick Timber was a small-time con-artist living in either high-end hotels or out of his car. He was a loner. Who needs friends when you have split personalities to keep you company? One of Rick's alter egos, Tim Bricker, was fearless. He had an eye for curvy women and nerves of steel when it came to the short con. Tim wasn't afraid to put Rick into dangerous, even deadly circumstances. Egor, on the other hand, was more cynical, always looking for a fight. Rick created the characters to help him, but now they seemed more interested in helping themselves.

When his wife, Hannah, is found dead on the road near the carcass of a fawn, Rod Demsey sets out on a journey to find her killer (with his dog who seems to be able to communicate with spirits). His grief causes his faith to wither until an unexpected turn brings Rod face-to-face with the only person who can tell him what really happened to his wife.

1952. Soviet troops control British streets. After the disastrous failure of D-Day, Britain is occupied by Nazi Germany and rescued only by Russian soldiers arriving from the east and Americans from the west. The two superpowers divide the nation between them, a wall running through London like a scar. When Jane Cawson calls in to her husband's medical practice and detects the perfume worn by his former wife, Lorelei, she fears what is between them. But when Jane rushes to confront them, she finds herself instead caught up in the glamorous actress' death.

Evil men conspired to have a starship destroyed to hide the evil they had done. They intended for its crew to disappear forever without a trace. They flew an unmarked ship into space docks and marked it for destruction. They thought that was the end of it, but in all of that chaos, the anoza found me. They chose me to save the Five Moons. I didn’t know any of that when I bought a ship that was never meant for sale. I didn’t know any of that when I first stepped foot upon its decks and changed everything.... But I know it now. And save the Five Moons? Damned straight I will. I am Dallas Blake, outworlder to the nines.

When is a suicide not a suicide? You Can Leave, a novel by Laurie Calhoun, portrays a dark, disturbing, dystopic world where dissenters are permanently silenced whenever perceived of as threats by ruthless sociopaths occupying the highest corridors of power. The narrator relays her experiences at the hands of “the new mob”, a coordinated network of operatives enlisted from all walks of life on a “need to know” basis to carry out what appear to be trivial tasks for enticing sums of money. Lost in the labyrinth of an insane bureaucracy run amok, the heroine charts her path to survival using the only available means: her capacity to think. But will that be taken away from her as well?

Gabriel is running out of time. Desperately clinging to his humanity, the 21-year-old half-demon is determined to deny the dark destiny his father insists he fulfill. And if he can’t exorcise the manipulative, vile thing driving him to atrocities by his next birthday, the mortal world is doomed. Earth is the last place Aura wants to be. She escaped this nightmare once, and she definitely doesn’t want to go back just to help some monster control his urges.

When cyber security defender Owen Dylan MacIntyre is forced from behind his computer screen to investigate a potential terror threat to the Pacific Northwest, he gets more than he bargains for when he crosses paths with the unpredictable and tragic figure of Tomás Chen-Diaz and the latter's brother, the enigmatic Francisco. A wealthy global plutocrat, Francisco is also a brilliant amateur biotech scientist with many powerful associates and a few dark family secrets—secrets he's ready to kill over to keep hidden. Drawn into Chen-Diaz’ web of international conspiracies, MacIntyre finds ...

Noul roman al lui Ian McEwan, Coajă de nucă, lansat simultan în Marea Britanie și SUA la începutul lunii septembrie 2016, este o poveste clasică despre crimă și trădare, relatată din perspectiva unui narator cu o viziune și o voce unice în literatura ultimilor ani – un fetus a cărui mamă și-a înșelat soțul cu fratele acestuia și acum plănuiește să-l otrăvească.

The Background. After an atomic explosion obliterates the warship Bellingham, a Lieutenant Commander regains consciousness in New York City and is astounded to discover himself inhabiting the body of a dissolute stockbroker. Unable to articulate his true identity, he endeavors to assimilate into the stockbroker's lifestyle. Complications arise when he becomes entangled with the stockbroker's spouse, his fiery-haired mistress, and his alluring personal assistant. Three women prove to be an overwhelming burden. His prior knowledge of the Bellingham's demise and other highly classified ...

Half Life is a triplet of supernatural stories which journey to worlds that linger between life and death. Fear, disappointment, and loneliness permeate these worlds, forcing each character to face up to the dark side of human existence. An original blend of horror, pathos, and humour, these curious stories will cause disquiet, heartache, and a thrilling sting of pleasure.

Seven strange stand-alone tales involving unusual people caught in disturbing circumstances are presented in this collection.