Science Fiction City

Thirty years ago, the world as we know it was lost. Now humans live like rats, desperate for food and safety, the wall towering before us as a mocking reminder of what happened… A wall I find myself running to for refuge. I've spent my whole life uncovering the truth, telling the world the reality behind the stories that they watch. I'm the one on their screens, the adrenaline junkie, the mayor's perfect daughter. Until one day, I pick up the wrong story. With no other choice, I run and hide in the one place I will be safe from those hunting me—the wall.

Here is Old Man's War author John Scalzi's sendup of the heroic fantasy genre, now a finalist for the Hugo Award for Best Short Story.

The Marigold, a gleaming Toronto condo tower, sits a half-empty promise: a stack of scuffed rental suites and undelivered amenities that crumbles around its residents as a mysterious sludge spreads slowly through it. Public health inspector Cathy Jin investigates this toxic mold as it infests the city’s infrastructure, rotting it from within, while Sam “Soda” Dalipagic stumbles on a dangerous cache of data while cruising the streets in his Camry, waiting for his next rideshare alert.

In this thrilling collection of original stories, some of today’s hottest paranormal authors delight, thrill and captivate readers with otherworldly tales of magic and mischief.

Arnau de Vallbona and his fellow Templar Brother Ramon are bound for the Holy Land to take part in the great Crusade when fate intervenes. Delayed in Cyprus, they learn of a growing rift in Christendom: the crusading army has diverted from its course and threatens Rome's allies in the Byzantine Empire. Arnau and Ramon, alongside the irascible Preceptor Bochard, race to Constantinople, encountering a grand and crumbling world of alliances and betrayals, emperors and armies.

Paige has no interest in being a demon’s plaything. She shouldn’t even be in the Fallen City of Elisium, but all it takes is one Nephilim jerk proclaiming her to be tainted and that’s exactly where she winds up. The demons she encounters there are vile, wicked beings, though none more so than Kincaid: The cruelest and most powerful of them all. To ensure her safe return home, Paige must strike a bargain with him. Forty days in exchange for her freedom.

In The Golden City, Twelve Hawks delivers the climax to his spellbinding epic. Struggling to protect the legacy of his Traveler father, Gabriel faces troubling new questions and relentless threats. His brother Michael, now firmly allied with the enemy, pursues his ambition to wrest power from Nathan Boone, the calculating leader of the Brethren. And Maya, the Harlequin warrior pledged to protect Gabriel at all costs, is forced to make a choice that will change her life forever.

Leo never imagined that time travel might really be possible, or that the objects in H. G. Wells' science fiction novels might actually exist. And when a miniature time machine appears in Leo's bedroom, he has no idea who the tiny, beautiful girl is riding it. But in the few moments before it vanishes, returning to wherever - and whenever - it came from, he recognizes the other tiny rider: himself!

Far over the Edge, a mighty storm is brewing - a whirling vortex of immense power and unimaginable ferocity that is essential to the survival of the Edgelands. In its path is Sanctaphrax - a magnificent city built on a floating rock and tethered to the land by a massive chain. Sailing over the Edge and into the maelstrom itself, Twig - a young sky pirate captain - is the only Edgelander to learn of the approaching danger. But the perilous voyage destroys his sky ship, hurling his crew far into - and beyond - the Deepwoods, and robbing Twig of all memory.

The Apocalypse is on its way to Earth. I don't have time to care. Ironic since I have the ability to stop time, I suppose. Having escaped capture by Ivicka and her dragon, I've barely had time to get used to my new class before the rules change again. Apparently, undead catgirls here can throw bolts of lightning and levitate chunks of earth the size of my mom's old Toyota. They're not even part of the official training dungeon! Still, who hasn't had to annihilate a few undead catgirls on occasion?

Halloween Night, 1954. A young, film-obsessed scriptwriter has just been hired at one of the great studios. An anonymous investigation leads from the giant Maximus Films backlot to an eerie graveyard separated from the studio by a single wall. There he makes a terrifying discovery that thrusts him into a maelstrom of intrigue and mystery - and into the dizzy exhilaration of the movie industry at the height of its glittering power.

Set in the world of Larry Niven’s popular The Magic Goes Away, The Burning City transports listeners to an enchanted and ancient city bearing a provocative resemblance to our own modern society. There, Yangin-Atep, the volatile and voracious god of fire, alternately protects and destroys the city’s denizens. In Tep’s Town, nothing can burn indoors, and no fire can start - except when the Burning comes upon the city. At that time the people, possessed by Yangin-Atep, set their own town ablaze in a riotous orgy of destruction that often comes without warning

No longer stuck in Woodhaven, the survivors must race against the clock in order to get Mia to the City of Light before her delivery. Along the way, they meet a former resident of the City, and with this new acquaintance's help and guidance things begin looking up for Grady and company.

When someone sent distress signals to outer space from the planet Tschai, it was Adam Reith's misfortune to be sent from Earth to investigate. Because when his ship came close to Tschai, it was torpedoed - and Adam escaped to the surface with his life and nothing else.

In a city of the dead, long since ruined and far from human civilization, lives a single human child. His name is Will, and he's being raised by three undead: the hearty skeletal warrior, Blood; the graceful mummified priestess, Mary; and the crotchety spectral sorcerer, Gus. The three pour love into the boy, and teach him all they know. But one day, Will starts to wonder: "Who am I?"

Sukie's been lonely since the death of her big sister, Kitty - but Kitty's ghost is still with her. At first that was comforting, but now Kitty's terrifying anyone who gets too close. Things get even weirder when Sukie moves into her family's ancestral home and an older, less familiar ghost challenges her to find a treasure. Her classmate Cole is also experiencing apparitions. Fortunately an antique broom's at hand to fly Sukie and Cole to the New York Circulating Material Repository's spooky Poe Annex.

“[The] writing style and voice are gritty, engaging, and entertaining. [Bill Garwin] is a master at dialogue and action scenes. They grabbed me so intensely that I had to put the book down at times in order to catch my breath. It had me laughing out loud at times. This is a thrilling, roller-coaster read. It has mystery, suspense, and characters that grip you." Judge, 9th Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published E-Book Awards The Feds commandeer Northern California for the Great Experiment. Legalized drugs, renewable power, self-driving vehicles, satellite borders and so much more are put ...

When a tragic accident cuts my lonely life short, instead of heaven or hell, I’m stolen away to a terrifying city of warring shifter clans—the Nimali and the Fai. The Nimali mistake me for their missing princess. Her father, the dragon king, is identical to my own. But in this world, he dotes on me with the love and affection I always craved. And in a land with no tolerance for outsiders, feigning amnesia and impersonating shifter royalty may be the only way to survive.

She was never meant to be seen. Now the whole city is watching. In the neon-drenched sprawl of Valtropolis, Cinder Vega is nothing more than a shadow—an unregistered mechanic, a ghost in the system, a girl trapped under the boot of her ruthless guardian. By day, she repairs black-market tech in the slums. By night, she dreams of escape. But when an encrypted invitation to the city's most elite gala lands in her hands, she sees her chance to disappear for good. Lucien, heir to the most powerful corporation in Valtropolis, never expected the masked girl in the glowing dress to be his ...

Taj is the most talented of the aki, young sin-eaters indentured by the mages to slay the sin-beasts. But Taj's livelihood comes at a terrible cost. When he kills a sin-beast, a tattoo of the beast appears on his skin while the guilt of committing the sin appears on his mind. Most aki are driven mad by the process, but 17-year-old Taj is cocky and desperate to provide for his family. When Taj is called to eat a sin of a member of the royal family, he's suddenly thrust into the center of a dark conspiracy to destroy Kos.