Fantasy Adventure Short Stories

Imagine that your father is one of New York City’s top gangsters, and that you want nothing to do with him or his criminal empire. Now imagine he’s been murdered...and the only person who gives a damn is you. Meet Mat Lawrence, a stand-up guy who’s got one thing on his mind: revenge. The last place Mat wants to go is back to New York, but that’s where the killers are, and he won’t stop until they’re dead...or he is. And there’s only one man who can help him track them down: his father’s criminal attorney - the Mouthpiece.

The Japanese military has turned the once-thriving Chinese city of Nencheng into a reeking pile of blood and ash. And now the Japanese Rising Sun threatens to scorch the ancient - and oil-rich - Kingdom of the Silver Lake. Can the Chinese survive the onslaught? Do they have a prayer? The answer is about to fall out of the sky. He is The Falcon Killer.

This omnibus collection contains the books New Player in Town, Mech Hunt, and Showdown at Craydon, as well as a previously unpublished prologue story, "Final Days"!

Alex McLeod paid dearly during the war for independence from Earth. It left the detective disfigured, jaded and alone. In the aftermath of victory, Alex seethes as criminal factions and cold-blooded killers clash over control of the newly-liberated confederation. In his crusade for justice in the free states, he's willing to break more than a few rules along the way...

The only home Alex knows is the slums of Slab, an orbiting city teeming with lowlifes, back-stabbers and gene-spliced monstrosities. From the grimy streets of his city to the lawless Asteroid Belt, Alex goes toe-to-toe with a sharp-clawed vigilante, a mythical serial killer, and a gorgeous vampire with an ominous message. His quest won't end until his homeland earns the freedom it was promised…

But even Alex may not be able to stop the impending Reckoning and a voyage to the one place he swore he'd never return: Earth...

La Isla que no Estaba en los Mapas de Clark Ashton Smith es un cuento fantástico que transporta a los lectores a una isla misteriosa que desafía la navegación convencional. Cuando un grupo de intrépidos exploradores tropiezan con la isla, se ven arrastrados a un mundo de paisajes enigmáticos, criaturas extrañas y ruinas antiguas. A medida que profundizan en los secretos de la isla, descubren una civilización oculta y encuentran extraños fenómenos que desafían su comprensión de la realidad.

Copilots Msizi and Tariro are testing a newly constructed wormhole jump that presumably leads to unsettled habitable worlds. Then an explosion sends them off course, far from where they started and with little chance of ever making it back. Now they’re stranded on their new home for the diaspora. It’s called Malcolm X-b. But they’re beginning to wonder how many light-years from civilization they really are.

Wrongfully accused, Spar has been condemned to suffer the brutality of the guards and the conditions on Devil’s Island. But they haven’t broken his will, and now, escaping, he has one mission in life: revenge. Spar’s out to kill the man who put him into the devil’s hands. But he’ll have to take on a gallery of rogues who are as treacherous as the waters of the Caribbean.

That is Fanner Marston’s mantra—his reason for being—and while he knows a little about the first and a lot about the second, he may well be on the verge of learning everything there is to know about the third. Power. He may, in fact, be about to uncover the key to gaining absolute control over the entire universe. The only problem is, Fanner is certifiably insane.... His starship has crash-landed, and he’s the sole survivor, which doesn’t matter to him.

When it comes to big dreams and schemes, young Chuck Lambert would give Walter Mitty a run for his money. In fact, Chuck’s biggest dream of all is really out of this world. Because he’s got his eyes on a prize in the sky. Chuck wants to buy a planet of his own.... Madman Murphy, the King of Planetary Realtors, is more than happy to oblige. He’s got a whole galaxy of planets for sale. All Chuck needs is money . . . and a lot of it. Eleven years later, saving every penny he can scrape up, Chuck’s dream comes true. He takes possession and takes off for Planet 19453X...

Cooky was just going on about her business, heading home on her birthday. And those meanie assassins showed up out of nowhere. How rude.

The history of science fiction and fantasy is filled with stories by what we like to call "Davids of Distinction". Now, for the first time, an anthology by people named David, for everyone. Even if your name is anything but David! Listen along as editor David Afsharirad guides you through the strange, wonderous imaginations of the great Davids of the field, past, present, and future.

Two tours of Iraq and Navy SEAL training couldn't prepare Erik for the night half his house was destroyed by a Florida sinkhole. What he finds at the bottom of that new chasm will lead him on an interplanetary journey that questions not only his reality, but that of the human race.

When Edward’s big brother gets lost during the Halloween raid, he decides to sneak inside the pumpkin looming over London and become a raider himself. But will he manage to survive Halloween night, when the challenges he faces seem to have changed since last year, when his best friend is also missing inside the witch’s house, and when the aliens seem to have turned this whole thing into some sort of video game?

The Starlight Express has a reputation as the wildest, most exotic alien bar, in two dozen galaxies. So, when Noah and Caleb want to kick back for a few hours on the night before Noah’s nuptials, it’s the obvious choice. And the wrong one. See, aliens tend to be the quirky sort, and humans haven’t quite gotten the hang of them yet - which is why no one should be surprised when a friendly disagreement, over one too many drinks, goes sideways. Now, a jailbreak, a police chase across seven galaxies, and an exploding ship have to get them out of this mess.

William Brighton is graduating from the Warner Naval Academy. His world should be perfect, but someone is out to keep him from accepting the chance of a lifetime. What can a born explorer do when he's unjustly grounded? Monica's family has discovered a serious problem, one that could spell ruin for everyone. Now she's being asked to sacrifice everything to save the rest. At 16, she's always given whatever the family needs, but this time, are they asking too much? Cadets Hayes and Mitchell go camping and hiking for their senior year break from the Warner Naval Academy.

In a landlocked galaxy that tunnels through our own, the Entire is a bizarre and seductive mix of long-lied quasi-human and alien beings gathered under a sky of fire, called the "bright". A land of wonders, the Entire is sustained by monumental storm walls and an exotic, never-ending river. Over all, the elegant and cruel Tarig rule supreme. Into this rich milieu is thrust Titus Quinn, former star pilot.

American Ann Halliday is as fiery as the Sahara sun. And now she’s feeling some real heat, as the prize captive of the Berber leader Abd el Malek also known as “The Killer”. But Abd el Malek wants Ann alive - and in chains - subject to his every whim and fantasy. Dusty Colton, however, an American deserter from the French Foreign Legion, has a different idea, and he’s determined to give “The Killer” a taste of his own bloody medicine. The only problem is Dusty himself is wanted for murder.

A collection of faerie tales and adventure stories from two worlds parallel to each other. One is a world filled with fae folk and monsters, and the other is place of clockwork and alchemy. Both are brimming with magic, mystery, and mortals who must find their places within. Between the pages of these worlds, a boy learns his childhood friend is a dyrad, a lady must sneak away from her own ball to provide the cure to a plague-infected village, a siren has to solve a murder, and more.

This short story prequel sets up the world of the Rift Jumpers, the pioneers of interstellar space. Follow the story of Commander Jane Henningsly in her research ship, Dauntless, as she develops the first Faster Than Light (FTL) drive. Her and her crew set the groundwork for mankind's expansion into the void, making us an interstellar species. The future of the Rift Contingent will never be the same with the development of the first Rift Jumper-class vessel in space.

Dreams of Unity: Michael's Extraordinary Journey is a captivating tale that explores the remarkable odyssey of Michael, a paraplegic man, who embarks on an extraordinary adventure beyond the confines of his wheelchair. Through the power of lucid dreaming, he discovers a hidden world, where dreams hold the key to transcending limitations and reshaping reality. With the support of a mysterious dream-world companion, he faces challenges, confronts prejudice, and ultimately strives to bridge the gap between two interconnected realms—the waking world and the dream world.