I led a quiet life, peacefully ruling the underworld until that mother of *** showed up with her people and angels. They destroyed everything I'd built with so much effort and nearly killed me. But I managed to return! Wait . . . My only disciple and candidate for a new body is a sick kid who's about to die? Are you serious?!

I've traveled back twenty-two years to rewrite the future and stop the nightmare threatening Earth. An apocalypse looms, promising total annihilation. No one will be spared. Now the weight of the world rests on my shoulders; I'm the one tasked with changing everything. I have come back to the past, and in five days, on the twenty-sixth of April, the day of reckoning will arrive. The event that will happen will be known as the Eclipse in the future. It will divide the history of the Solar System into a before and after.

I used to be the greatest Earth Mage in my world. The head of the entire Order of Architects. But the older you get, the more you come to realize that at some point, you need to retire, so that you can have the chance to enjoy a peaceful life and to cede your place to the young, some of whom have already turned two thousand years old . . .So that's what I did. But I failed to account for one thing: during the course of my long life, I'd accumulated too many enemies, and they had decided to spoil my retirement. So they died along with me. And I hope their deaths were final. But mine was not!

Bernt might have graduated from the Mage Academy, but not everyone has the money or connections to launch a prestigious career as a mage. Bernt finds himself working in the city sewers as an Underkeeper among the other rejects of Halfbridge's magery. He may spend more time unclogging pipes than fighting monsters, but hey, it's a stable job, and that's what counts. With the help of his unregistered soul-devouring demonic familiar, he'll save enough to launch his career as an adventurer—just as soon as he can afford some proper gear.

Freddy Stern, a twenty-one-year-old cashier, has lived a plain, albeit harsh life. Having been orphaned—twice—he's spent the last ten years working and staying out of trouble. His only aspiration is to save enough money to become an archhuman. His dream gets the jump on him when he barely survives a near-death encounter and finds himself in possession of 1% Lifesteal, a bizarre talent with numerous contradictions and just as many uses.

I had lain down in my crypt to rest for a few decades, but when I awoke, centuries had passed. My castle is in ruins, my clan is gone, and necromancers are considered just a fairy tale for children. They take me for a healer. That's because the world is sick. And it's time for strong medicine.

Are you a sociopath and dissatisfied with your life? Don't know what to do about it or where to begin? In that case, we have the solution.

Thomas Lowe was destined for a life of mediocrity, working a dead-end job in rural America. But fate seemed to have other plans for him. One card changes everything. While he's gifted a power beyond imagination, he also unlocks a prophecy that puts him in the crosshairs of Ancient Clans and Noble Houses that have existed since the dawn of the first era.

The stronger his opponent, the harder he hits. Saving an innocent from a drug-crazed superhuman should've left Nil broken. Instead, it wins him the Nexus' attention. Nil is done feeling small and watching his family scrape by. He now has the opportunity to make a difference. Apocalypse Arena holds the key; where the multiverse's champions battle and keep the Scourge at bay. Pain, death, and heartbreak await all who run the gauntlets, but Nil has what it takes to grapple his way to the top.

Dan has accidentally "Noclipped" into the Backrooms—a bizarro, extra-dimensional Alice-in-Wonderland world, overrun with horrific nightmare creatures known as the Dwellers. No one ever gets out. Hell, forget about leaving, if Dan wants to survive the week, he's going to need to harness the strange game-like magic of the Backrooms, make some very sketchy allies, and carve out a little safe haven to call his own.

I was the most powerful healer in my world—the best, having devoted my entire life to mastering the art of healing. And yet, for whatever reason, my brother feared that I sought to claim his throne, and he marshaled his forces against me.

Being a last-year high-schooler who is four feet, eight inches (142 cm) in height is one thing, but having the muscles of a bodybuilder and the face of a middle-aged biker at the same time is another. And don't you dare to bring up shaving in front of him. Did I mention that the boy's favorite hobby is smithing?

Have you ever come across those stories with heroes who knew just how to get things done? The ones who were masters in five different martial arts, and knew ten ways to skin a bear after killing it with their bare hands? Yeah, that wasn’t me. Hell, I had trouble asking a girl out on a date. But someone in clerical must have made an error. Because I got ripped from an airplane on my way home after my last day in the Coast Guard. I mean, come on, I wasn’t even in one of the hardcore branches of the military or anything!

Belissar has always lived a peaceful life, if not a particularly easy one. Though he lost his parents, he was taken in by a kindly villager who taught him his life's calling: beekeeping. But one day the local lord's ruthless son, Ruckanos, comes to their humble village to claim his own tower, slaughtering everyone. Luckily for Belissar, as he lies dying with an arrow in his back, a tiny worker bee decides to interfere, and he wakes up not only alive but a whole new bee-ing.

I was a Hunter, and I honored the Code. For my services to humanity and for leading a "proper" life, I was to be rewarded. A new life after death, and a new world to give me some well-deserved rest. But something went wrong. Once again, I must fight. The Monsters that face me here are far more terrifying than those of my past life. They are cleverer, crueler, more unpredictable. And their name is.

Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission - and if he fails, humanity and the Earth itself will perish. Except that right now, he doesn't know that. He can't even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it. All he knows is that he's been asleep for a very, very long time. And he's just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company.

Compiled by intrepid journalist Neve Pride, this archive of recordings spans the months after dragons emerged on earth, chronicling the communities that sprang up amid the destruction, the scientists, military leaders, and experts searching for a defense, and those steadfastly seeking the missing. Neve and her young daughter Bex travel among the wreckage speaking to those left behind and surviving, against all odds. Neve records everything for history, and in the hopes of locating a clue as to where the dragons came from and how one might stop them.

Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars. Now, he's sure he'll be the first person to die there. After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive - and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive. But Mark isn't ready to give up yet.

Annie has always had high hopes for her future. But the reality of her life just isn’t measuring up. She loves her fiancé, Greg–doesn’t she? She’s going to get her degree and open her own business–won’t she? Then, a strange old woman shows up outside her house, and she seems to know a lot about Annie. An awful lot. Annie could tell the old woman to get lost. Yet there’s something about her Annie just can’t shake. And what she learns could change her life forever–but is it the life she envisioned?

Inheriting your uncle's supervillain business is more complicated than you might think. Particularly when you discover who's running the place. Charlie's life is going nowhere fast. A divorced substitute teacher living with his cat in a house his siblings want to sell, all he wants is to open a pub downtown, if only the bank will approve his loan. Then his long-lost uncle Jake dies and leaves his supervillain business (complete with island volcano lair) to Charlie. But becoming a supervillain isn't all giant laser death rays and lava pits.

Belissar has always lived a peaceful life, if not a particularly easy one. Though he lost his parents, he was taken in by a kindly villager who taught him his life's calling: beekeeping. But one day the local lord's ruthless son, Ruckanos, comes to their humble village to claim his own tower, slaughtering everyone. Luckily for Belissar, as he lies dying with an arrow in his back, a tiny worker bee decides to interfere, and he wakes up not only alive but a whole new bee-ing.

On a day like any other, an alien descends to Earth, unleashing untold death and destruction. Alistair watches the live news footage of the carnage, his eyes glued to the image of impossible power made manifest. The alien’s arrival kicks events into motion that no one could have predicted. Earth is prematurely initiated into a universe-spanning empire of cut-throat cultivators, beasts, and entities of ungodly power–all guided by a mysterious AI System. The System’s first quest? Kill someone.

Greg walked into a bar hoping to wash away the sour taste of a bad day at work. What he got instead was a bartender offering him the opportunity of his dreams—with a catch. A ticket to purchase a class that could make him the strongest being alive. If he can afford the asking price. Thrust into a world he knows nothing about, Greg will need power on another level entirely. To get ahead, he'll need the kind of power only deities possess.

Seventeen-year-old Mei Nakamura’s life takes an unexpected turn when she inherits a seemingly ordinary jade dragon figurine from her grandmother. Little does she know that this seemingly simple object holds the key to a breathtaking adventure, transporting her from the familiar comfort of her modern life to the turbulent world of feudal Japan. This is a world far removed from her own, a land of sharp-edged swords, shimmering kimonos, and creatures born from myth and legend.

Dan has accidentally "Noclipped" into the Backrooms—a bizarro, extra-dimensional Alice-in-Wonderland world, overrun with horrific nightmare creatures known as the Dwellers. No one ever gets out. Hell, forget about leaving, if Dan wants to survive the week, he's going to need to harness the strange game-like magic of the Backrooms, make some very sketchy allies, and carve out a little safe haven to call his own.

A New Star Wu Ji, unlike the other children at his age, couldn't cultivate. He didn't give up even after failing the awakening ceremony. His consciousness holds something, which took him years to reach. Every word he endured, every beating made his will stronger to reach it, the key to unlocking his cultivation. Follow Wu Ji in his starting path of cultivation into the Myriad Stars. Watch him grow stronger, making innumerable enemies. Young Masters, Clan princesses, genius talents... nothing can rival the monster Wu Ji is destined to grow into. Devil Plane He will find a new path to grow ...

Eleven years after the Mana Apocalypse, nineteen-year-old James Summers has more on his mind than just the flailing economy and a country full of monsters. Orphaned and living with his grandparents, he's given up on college in favor of working at the Coney Island Home Depot while pining for Sally, his cool, beautiful colleague.

Freddy Stern, a twenty-one-year-old cashier, has lived a plain, albeit harsh life. Having been orphaned—twice—he's spent the last ten years working and staying out of trouble. His only aspiration is to save enough money to become an archhuman. His dream gets the jump on him when he barely survives a near-death encounter and finds himself in possession of 1% Lifesteal, a bizarre talent with numerous contradictions and just as many uses.

One week. If you survive, you choose a Cosmic Power ... If you survive. Jace isn’t one to give up. Not when his sister dies. Not when he loses his legs. And definitely not when The Cosmic System takes over Earth. With nothing more than his street smarts, the clothes on his back, and a river otter companion, he must survive a planet full of vicious predators that see him as an easy meal. If he can survive? He gets to choose a Cosmic Power and a Class. A path to ascension. A way to bring his sister back.

Subei and his brothers have been raised on stories of the Great Khan, their ancestor who conquered the world with might, mind, and fearsome magic. But the Great Khan is long dead, and his power vanished. The brothers live by his laws still, even as infighting consumes their once-proud people. When a sacred artifact is destroyed in an attempt on their lives, Subei, Bataar, and Kashi find themselves imbued with slivers of the Great Khan's magic—and they're not alone.

Eliza Scaggs (not Scraggsies, thank you very much) is tired of all the rumors about her. Sure, she’s looking a bit haggard as of late, but she’s been working herself to the bone on a secret government project to prove that she, the only woman in the wizard’s guild, belongs there. So, maybe she’s got some gray in her hair, but she’s not old, not old-old— and the only thing she’s made a pact with is her purveyor of rot brew tea. Okay, the pet monster thing is true, but Throat Ripper hasn’t caught anyone, not yet.

What if Sherlock Holmes never truly defeated the Baskerville Hound? What if they’re still embroiled, still vying, still wrestling for control? Varti Weller’s promising career as a badge ended the day he was cursed by an Olde Childe to only speak in lies. While others from his cohort protect the city, Varti’s consigned to the evidence lockers in the Bastion’s several basements. Until a string of grisly murders bring him face-to-face with a monster and a legend and a job offer. Because Sherlock Holmes is in fresh need of a new assistant.

Alistair’s life is turned upside down when he is abruptly separated from his friends and family. As the universe slowly transforms and new laws take hold, everyone within his universe is cast into the trial—a crucible of survival and transformation. Before being set on his path, Alistair encounters a system avatar—a brief and enigmatic guide who offers little explanation, guidance, or aid before sending him and the rest of his universe into the unknown.

The stronger his opponent, the harder he hits. Saving an innocent from a drug-crazed superhuman should've left Nil broken. Instead, it wins him the Nexus' attention. Nil is done feeling small and watching his family scrape by. He now has the opportunity to make a difference. Apocalypse Arena holds the key; where the multiverse's champions battle and keep the Scourge at bay. Pain, death, and heartbreak await all who run the gauntlets, but Nil has what it takes to grapple his way to the top.

Close your eyes and imagine for a second that there is a being who has been alive since the beginning of time. They've witnessed the creation of the universe. They've seen countless legends come and go. They've observed the creation and destruction of communities, species... entire planets. They've even caused the rise and death of literal gods. Such an existence would be scary, yes? Terrifying, even. Now open your eyes, because you don't need to imagine it. That person is real, and his name is Fang Huo. Enjoy this great Xianxia Cultivation novel. Myriad Stars is an universe filled with ...