Science Fiction Western

Kjell of Jeru had always known who he was. He'd never envied his brother or wanted to be king. He was the bastard son of the late King Zoltev and a servant girl, and the ignominy of his birth had never bothered him. But there is more to this man than his parentage. More to this man than his blade, his size, or his skills, and all that Kjell once knew has shifted and changed. He is no longer simply Kjell of Jeru, a warrior defending the crown. Now he is a healer, one of the Gifted, and a man completely at odds with his power.

As Harold draws his way in and out of adventure, children become fascinated by the wondrous magic of the purple crayon

Step right up to see the oddities and marvels of The Blackstone Family Circus and Travelling Wonder Show! Gasp at pit wasps the size of a man's forearm. Beware the pumpkin-headed corn stalker, lest it plant its roots in you! Annie Pearl is the keeper of oddities, the mistress of monsters. Her unique collection of creatures is one of the circus' star attractions, drawing wide-eyed crowds at every small frontier town they visit. But Annie is also a woman running from her past...and the mother of a mute young daughter, Adeline, whom she will do anything to protect.

The angel Azazel is miserable in Heaven. In the aftermath of Satan's fall, the angels live in the reconstructed ruins of an old utopia, oppressive and paranoid of any new rebellion. The angel Samyaza is content in Heaven, but he longs for the eternal city's former glory. Watching the feeble humans below, wallowing in sin for centuries after Adam and Eve, he sees opportunity to earn back the Lord's favor. On Earth, the Watcher angels arrive to lecture on God's love, but the love of a human soon begins to seem much warmer.

Alex Khan finished his military service and enrolled in college with the money he’d earned, ready to major in history. But when a nearby lightning strike activates an ancient stone portal, Alex is torn away from Earth. He finds himself on an alien world full of wonder and danger.

In The Book of Swords, acclaimed editor and best-selling author Gardner Dozois presents an all-new anthology of original epic tales by a stellar cast of award-winning modern masters - many of them set in their authors' best-loved worlds. Join today's finest tellers of fantastic tales, including George R. R. Martin, K. J. Parker, Robin Hobb, Scott Lynch, Ken Liu, C. J. Cherryh, Daniel Abraham, Lavie Tidhar, Ellen Kushner, and more on action-packed journeys into the outer realms of dark enchantment and intrepid derring-do.

This planet is the pits. I'm being handed off to different aliens one after another like I'm a dog-eared novel. My latest captors are about to take me off planet when a big blue alien botches the rescue mission. Now we're both prisoners of a fierce lizard species who will let us free on one condition, and I think our life span is looking bleak.

Alex’s last clear memory was of racing into battle, on a desperate mission of mercy. Before waking up with a collar of steel about his neck, stripped of all weapons and armor, soon to be sold at auction. Never had Alex faced such steep hurdles to achieving his dreams. Never had he been more determined to make those dreams come true. So marks the beginning of a perilous journey that would see Alex facing down vile slavers, corrupt merchants, ferocious spirit beasts, and bloodthirsty cultivators eager to see him fall.

When the world ended, Henry just wanted to rebuild peacefully...to bring people together in a new, better way. But when a group of violent fanatics with their own far darker plans for the world after the virus attacks, Henry is forced to turn away from peace and take up the mantle of war. But even if his clan wins, will there be anything left standing out of which to rebuild a new order?

After countless trials, Lucian has collected multiple Orbs, and has almost proven himself to be the true Chosen of the Manifold. Only one person stands in his way: Xara Mallis, the Psion of Darkness.Lucian is not ready to face her. With each Orb he gains, the Shadow that follows him grows ever stronger.

He bursts into the battle, his leather jacket billowing and his huge silver sword flashing. Amber has no idea why this windswept warrior would rescue her, but there he is... fighting the same demon who’d killed her sister. Though he is a stranger, she immediately senses he’s come to protect her. And with the first touch of his lips on hers, she knows he is bound to her, his body meant for her. Yet the shadow of evil is spreading quickly....

Marauders shot Yuan in the head and buried him in a ditch. They thought it would be enough to put him down. They were wrong. Rising from the dead by the will of the Gun, demigod of revenge and firearms, Yuan only has one goal in mind: track down his murderers across the Unmade World and slaughter every last one of them. With the bullet-core stuck in his skull marking him as a Gunsoul, he can finally teach these arrogant cultivators a lesson they’ll never forget.

The red aliens make me a deal I can't refuse-help them fight their enemies and they'll rescue my friends. I agree to act as bait to lure the blue Drixonian leader. But the heated, knowing look in his violet eyes makes me suspect I made a bargain with the wrong aliens . . .

St. Louis in 1880 is full of ghosts - mangled soldiers, tortured slaves, the innocent victims of war - and Jacob Tracy can see them all. Ever since Antietam, when he lay delirious among the dead and dying, Trace has been haunted by the country's restless spirits. The curse cost him his family, his calling to the church, and damn near his sanity. He stays out of ghost-populated cities as much as possible these days, guiding wagon trains west with his pragmatic and skeptical partner, Boz.

A boy called Christopher is visiting his reclusive grandfather when he witnesses an avalanche of mythical creatures come tearing down the hill. This is how Christopher learns that his grandfather is the guardian of one of the ways between the non-magical world and a place called the Archipelago, a cluster of magical islands where all the creatures we tell of in myth live and breed and thrive alongside humans. They have been protected from being discovered for thousands of years; now, terrifyingly, the protection has worn thin, and creatures are breaking through.

The armies of Alesso di’Marente and Valedan kai di’Leonne are massing in the Terrean of Averda for the battle that will at last determine the rule of the Dominion. The Sun Sword is about to be delivered by Serra Diora to its “rightful” holder, Valedan, last surviving heir of the clan Leonne. But whether Valedan will be able to wield the sword, or—like the form kai el’Sol—will be consumed by its magic, remains to be seen.The demon kin are gathering as well, and a dread spell is being worked which will finally open the way for the Lord of Night.

The Art of the Argument shocks the dying art of rational debate back to life, giving you the essential tools you need to fight the escalating sophistry, falsehoods, and vicious personal attacks that have displaced intelligent conversations throughout the world. At a time when we need reasonable and empirical discussions more desperately than ever, The Art of the Argument smashes through the brain-eating fogs of sophistry and mental manipulation, illuminating a path to benevolent power for all who wish to take it.

I was hanging out with some buddies, doing a little caving, when everything went south. When I woke up, I was in some kind of medieval dungeon. Totally naked and in the dark. Luckily, I had a neighbor in a cell near me. One with a decidedly sexy feminine voice. When she explained to me that she was due to be executed and I was in line to be brainwashed, there was only one thing to do.

A brutal war between demons and humanity has raged across Europe for over a century. At its heart are two elite soldiers: Selene Alleva, a powerful exorcist trained at the prestigious Vatican Academy, and foot soldier, Jules Lacroix, unrivalled in battle. When their paths cross, despite initial distrust – then unwelcome attraction – Jules and Selene discover a terrible secret at the heart of the holy Vatican City . . . Soon Jules is forced to question everything he’s ever known – including himself.

After the battle on Sharr that closed We Hunt the Flame, Zafira and Nasir return to a ghostly Sultan’s Keep, low on resources and allies alike. The dark forest has fallen, but the kingdom teems with fear of the Lion of the Night’s return. As Nasir fights to command the dark power in his blood, Zafira fights against a very different darkness festering through her bond with the Jawarat.