Science Fiction Monsters

In a gauntlet-throwing essay at the start of this brilliant assemblage, Cynthia Ozick stakes the claim that, just as surely as critics require a steady supply of new fiction, novelists need great critics to build a vibrant community on the foundation of literary history. For decades Ozick herself has been one of our great critics, as these essays so clearly display. She offers models of critical analysis of writers from the mid-20th century to today, from Saul Bellow, Bernard Malamud, and Kafka to William Gass and Martin Amis, all assembled in provocatively named groups.

Syl has conquered the forest, survived goblin treachery, and infiltrated a town, disguised as an elf. Now Syl has set their sights upon the next big goal—conquer a flying island! Pegasus, harpies, ghouls and tricky pixies abound, all as Syl hunts for the elusive yellow slime. The allure of Lightning is too great, and Syl will stop at nothing to add the yellow core to their ever growing collection. What other secrets lie in wait for the slimy hero on this unexplored land?

In the shadows of Area 51's clandestine labs, the unthinkable has been unleashed: creatures engineered to decimate armies now roam free. Driven by a scientist's ambition, these beasts defy the bounds of nature, but at what cost? When ethical lines blur into oblivion, one scientist's desperate flight for survival awakens the beasts' taste for freedom. As they veer toward Alamo, Nevada, carving a swathe of carnage, the military scrambles to contain an error too fatal to admit. Created to be unstoppable on the battlefield, these creatures are unbound by human constraints, sowing fear with ...

What started as a contract becomes a collision of desire, dominance, and something neither of them expected—love. Autumn Blake thought she knew what she was getting into when she signed with the Alien Seed Syndicate—one pregnancy, one payout, and a second chance at motherhood. But from the moment her biodome collapses and she’s dragged from the wreckage by a brutal Trionis warlord, nothing goes according to plan. Sethar Vol didn’t want a human surrogate. He wanted a legacy, not a mate. But when Autumn's scent triggers a rare biological bond, he claims her—body, blood, and soul—...

Follow Luke as he's transported to a world of magic and monsters. A mysterious goddess has tasked the Earthly game warden with protecting an all-female tribe with strange animal features. Cast off from civilization, he must help this isolated jungle people fortify their village against the rapacious Rakhasa, confound a wicked witch, and breed the next generation of monster children.

The game has changed. After receiving a mysterious message from a famous Proxima developer, Chase Knowles takes a step toward an incredible future. With an important tournament coming up, everything seems to be working in his favor. But there are other forces at play, even if some of those forces are internal. Wanting more from his relationship with Lady C., Chase goes to extreme lengths to bring her digital form to New York City through an android shell.

Now that I've bonded with the mansion's dungeon core, I have a lot of work to do. Create new monsters. Build my dungeon. Prepare my team. And I have to do it all before the Technomancer comes for a visit. When he does, my mansion, my monster girls, and my creatures will be ready for him.

The God of Death is tired of dealing with the living, so he’s decided everyone should die. And he’s found allies. The Berru, an empire of dark mages, has unleashed a terrifying army of monstrous lyksvight upon everyone with a pulse. While the wealthy and powerful, the kings and queens, abandon the dying world, one group of misfits says no more. Through dogged determination and the ability to bind souls to their dead bodies, Aaslo and his friends fight on.

Kate Harker and August Flynn are the heirs to a divided city - a city where the violence has begun to breed actual monsters. All Kate wants is to be as ruthless as her father, who lets the monsters roam free and makes the humans pay for his protection. All August wants is to be human, as good-hearted as his own father, to play a bigger role in protecting the innocent - but he's one of the monsters. One who can steal a soul with a simple strain of music.

Rescued by a mysterious monster who vows her sanctuary, Evanthia must piece back together the woman that Birsha tore apart. Quiet sanctuary is no cure for her endless hunger, but the war brewing on the horizon is the last place she wants to be. Hiding with sleeping dragons and lonely monsters in a castle made from dreams might be a fantasy, but it’s not enough to keep the nightmares at bay.

Teo never thought he could be a Hero. Now, he doesn’t have a choice. The sun is gone, the Obsidian gods have been released from their prison, and chaos and destruction are wreaking havoc on Reino del Sol. All because Teo refused to sacrifice a fellow semidiós during the Sunbearer Trials. With the world plunged into perpetual night, Teo, his crush Aurelio, and his best friend Niya must journey to the dark wilderness of Los Restos, battling vicious monsters while dealing with guilt, trauma, and a (very distracting) burgeoning romance between Teo and Aurelio.

When Grace sees her name flashing on the TV screen, she knows this is the last day of her life. She’s being drafted as this year’s sacrifice to the monster that lurks beneath her world. It will keep her people safe, prevent her sisters from being the one chosen instead, even if it means she’ll be eaten whole once she’s lowered into the ground. They put her into a softer dress than she’s ever worn, feed her a meal she could never afford otherwise, and tell her what an honor it is to have been selected. Then she’s placed in the shaft that will take her to her fate. Only, once ...

The most terrifying predator in the ocean isn't hungry. It's smart. And it wants revenge. For marine biologist Mira, a week on the open ocean was an escape from a stalled career. For estranged brothers Jack and Rob, it was a final, desperate attempt to mend a family shattered by tragedy. Aboard the gleaming yacht Sea Pulse, they sought a quiet horizon. But the ocean had other plans. When a storm of unnatural ferocity rips their vessel apart, they are left adrift, clinging to a fragile life raft in an endless expanse of water. Their ordeal has just begun. They are not alone. The creature ...

Jack Miller has spent his entire nine years in the same house on the same street in the same town with the same best friend. One day, while delivering papers on his same ordinary paper route, Jack finds himself amidst a very unordinary world. A world where strange and silly monsters become his friends. In this story, Jack and Annabelle meet Orville, who will stop at nothing to keep the humans from returning to Monster World.

Everyone has a reason for joining the Moltov-Human mating system. Some do it for wealth, some do it for endless pleasure, but I just want to find someone to fulfill my fantasies. Over two centuries ago the Moltovs came to Earth. We thought it was an invasion, but they were a peaceful race. All they wanted were humans. There was a need inside of them that burned hot and deep, a fire that consumed their soul when they found their perfect match. On Earth, I’m a chubby twenty-five-year-old who can barely score a kiss. On Hades, my innocence is desired and revered. The choice is easy. When I ...

Leah asks Shimmer and Shine for a haunted house on Halloween—and gets a spook-tacular surprise when a real monster shows up!

Washington D. C., 1925. Clara Johnson talks to spirits, a gift that saved her during her darkest moments in a Washington D. C. jail. Now a curse that’s left her indebted to the cunning spirit world. So, when the Empress, the powerful spirit who holds her debt, offers her an opportunity to gain her freedom, a desperate Clara seizes the chance. The task: steal a magical ring from the wealthiest woman in the District.

Having discovered the monstrous secret of his origins, Archie Dent is no longer certain that he is worthy to be a member of the League of Seven. But with new enemies to face, he realizes that he may not have the luxury of questioning his destiny. Wielding the Dragon Lantern, the maniacal Philomena Moffett has turned her back on the Septemberist Society, creating her own Shadow League and unleashing a monster army on the American continent.

My life is out of control. Raphael is now my lover, Mygi is trying everything they can to kill me to get him back, and I’m still a ruler of a dying people with enemies lurking in every shadow. And for all of that, I only have a single lead that could unravel the mysteries of Raphael’s past. His mysteries, which are also the secrets of Mygi, a company very much willing to kill to keep those secrets. All I can do is focus on one problem at a time, follow the threads, and connect the dots. I need to take the fight to them and I won’t be stopped.

Betrayed by goblins, attacked by ogres, vampires and the undead, they survived everything the Hangsane mountains could throw at them. But can Josh and his Misfits go all the way? Can they defeat the dread Grillons that followed him through spacetime? Will they fall at the last hurdle? And what is Vella’s true purpose?