Fantasy Patrick

Look outward beyond the stars with six stories from bestselling visionary authors. An AI awakens to its purpose. A researcher seeds a thousand new worlds for one more chance at love. A murder rocks the crew of an interstellar ship. With a sweeping sense of wonder, these stories explore the galaxy . . . and the horizons of humanity’s potential.

Aoth Fezim and his mercenary company have restored their tarnished reputation and attracted new recruits for their depleted ranks. But they still have one big problem: Too many griffon mounts were killed in the battles in Thay Chessenta. If "the Brotherhood of the Griffon" is to be more than a name, new mounts must be found. As it happens, the masked witches in Rashemen have griffons available to a worthy few who can slay the undead that are committing atrocities throughout the land. Aoth volunteers his band, as do other groups who are in the market for the fighting beasts. But things are not as they seem.

When the Colonial Marines set out after their deadliest prey, the Xenomorphs, it's what Corporal Hicks calls a bug hunt - kill or be killed. Here are fifteen all-new stories of such "close encounters", written by many of today's most extraordinary authors. Set during the events of all four Alien films, sending the Marines to alien worlds, to derelict space settlements, and into the nests of the universe's most dangerous monsters, these adventures are guaranteed to send the blood racing - one way or another.

When murderous bands of militiamen begin roaming the western United States and attacking government agencies, it will take a dedicated group of the nation's finest and toughest civilian airmen to put an end to the homegrown insurgency. U.S. Air Force Lieutenant-General Patrick McLanahan vows to take to the skies to join the fight, but when his son, Bradley, also signs up, they find themselves caught in a deadly game against a shadowy opponent. With A Time for Patriots, the New York Times bestselling master of the modern thriller Dale Brown brings the battle home....

The best-selling Extinction Cycle series by Nicholas Sansbury Smith first introduced listeners to a world ravaged by an engineered virus that turned men into monsters. Humanity's only hope was not a cure, but another bioweapon. When deployed it killed 90 percent of the infected, but the remaining 10 percent transformed into even more terrifying creatures called Variants. Here's a collection of Extinction Cycle short stories that explore the human spirit and the fight for survival in the face of overwhelming odds from some of the leading voices in the post-apocalyptic genre.

A pack is only as strong as their Alpha. After an attack injures our Alpha, a rival pack tries to take control of the Midwest Pack. I have to consider the unimaginable to protect my pack - challenge our Alpha. A challenge against the pack's Alpha is a challenge to the death. Am I prepared to do this? Loyalties are divided, and our pack is ready to implode. Saving my pack from self-destruction becomes impossible when Sky's relationship with an enigmatic vampire puts a price on her head, and Josh's continued use of dark magic brings on the wrath of the witches and earns him new enemies.

In November 1939, a German anti-fascist named Georg Elser came as close to assassinating Adolf Hitler as anyone ever had. In this gripping novel of alternate history, he doesn’t just come close - he succeeds. But he could never have imagined the terrible consequences that would follow from this act of heroism. Hermann Göring, masterful political strategist, assumes the Chancellery and quickly signs a non-aggression treaty with the isolationist president Joseph Kennedy that will keep America out of the war that is about to engulf Europe.

It’s been six months since Cha Ming’s clash with the White-Eyed Tiger Clan. His growth has stalled to nothing, and his search for an heir to the Golden Dragon has come up empty. When two angry city lords come looking for revenge, an unlikely group decides to shield him. The price for his safety is a single mission that requires no less than twisting the web of fate.

What happens in Vegas...could kill most of the human race. When all trails lead Chris, Tanya, and their entire team to the desert gambling mecca, the stakes become the highest possible. Facing a hybrid demon werewolf, his death witch mother, undead strippers, and pregnancy cravings, Chris must rely on his team like never before if he's to have any chance at saving the race of man, not to mention a spot in preschool for his unborn kids.

Growing up in an orphanage, Leila was bullied for being different. She turned her hardship into skill by becoming an escape artist - a valuable trait when belonging to a group of magical best friends. But when a famous psychic comes to town, Leila and her pals won't be able to escape the big mystery heading their way. Whether chasing mad monkeys or banishing ghosts from haunted hotels, these six friends will do their best to keep Mineral Wells safe - but can they still protect themselves in the process?

Now that I know what Dracula has planned for me, the pressure is on. Failure is hardly an option.... At the same time, if I'm supposed to one day preside over the Wallachian Vampires, how am I supposed to prove myself to those that are centuries older than me? I have to get stronger, be smarter. I have to succeed. Meanwhile, my rivals in House Wolf seem likely to call off the truce at any moment. Actually, that's the least of my worries. It turns out that there are legendary beings from other worlds trying to steal the Netherveil away from Dracula—and it's going to be my job to help defend it.

Dan Davis, an electronics engineer, had finally made the invention of a lifetime: a household robot that could do almost anything. Wild success was within reach, but then Dan's life was ruined. In a plot to steal his business, his greedy partner and greedier fiancée tricked him into taking the "long sleep": suspended animation for 30 years.

For small-time street hustler Cam Alvarez, the choice is simple. He has no family, no friends, no place in the world...nothing to lose. When his latest con results in the death of a cartel hitman, Cam opts to join the Marines and leave Earth to fight a vicious alien enemy.

The war with the Tahni has dragged on for over two years, taking its toll on the lives of all involved. On the Aphrodite colony, Marine turned cybernetic commando Ryan Hendrix is readying his civilian militia to make one final strike against the enemy, in what they know could be a suicide mission. Back in Commonwealth space, Travis Miller and his task force have finally been given clearance to take back the occupied colony system, but the Tahni have had a year to prepare their defenses and the price in blood will be dear.

Not bound as a book. Free. Like Unfettered before it, the contributing writers of Unbound were allowed to submit the tales they wished fans of genre to hear - without the constraints of a shackling theme. The result is magical. Twenty-three all-original stories are sure to captivate you - some will move you to tears while others will keep you listening long into the night. The power of Unbound lies in its variety of tales and the voices behind them. If you are a fan of discovering new writers or hearing the works of beloved authors, Unbound is for you.

The world is collapsing. Planesfall is imminent. Cha Ming and friends have returned to the Inkwell Plane. They are much strengthened from their experiences in the Heartforge Realm and ready to make a difference. But it's not just them who have returned—their enemies have as well. What's worse, the Churches of Jezeriah and Harid Dej have captured the Monkey King. It falls to his student, Cha Ming, to save him.

In the twelve unforgettable tales of Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century, the strange is made familiar and the familiar strange, such that a girl growing wings on her legs feels like an ordinary rite of passage, while a bug-infested house becomes an impossible, Kafkaesque nightmare. Each story builds a new world all its own: a group of children steal a haunted doll, a runaway bride encounters a sea monster, a vendor sells toy boxes that seemingly control the passage of time, an insomniac is seduced by the Sandman.

Micah the Unwilling, fae King of the Forgotten, can tame even the most violent of beasts. Forged on the battlefield, this iron-willed warrior considers his soldiers his family, and he will stop at nothing to reclaim their dispossessed land. Gearing for war with a sadistic enemy, he is disciplined and focused—until a feral beauty he encountered long ago wanders into his camp.

Join scholar and spell-caster Everson Croft in this five-book urban fantasy set, from the discovery of his magic in the prequel novella, Book of Souls, to his battle against a mind-warping evil in the shocking finale, Death Mage.

Cameron Alvarez and the crew of the Orion are hot on the trail of the Seekers, following the Predecessor faction on their quest to find the source of the Skrela infestation. But the crew is close to the breaking point, and their commander, Colonel Hachette, is long past it. The death of Sgt. Major Campbell has left him devastated and unable to lead.