Modern Fiction

Scratch Sullivan just wanted to survive the apocalypse in peace...but when the undead bring their war right to his doorstep, it's time to ranger up and rain hell down on his enemies! It's been eight years since the bombs fell and the dead rose, and the world has become a very dangerous place. But unlike most folks, former Army Ranger Scratch Sullivan is getting by just fine. Sure, it's hell on earth, but Scratch seems to fit in. He makes his living by hunting the dead, vampires and zombies alike, with the odd revenant thrown in for good measure.

As a hunter in post-apocalyptic central Texas, Scratch Sullivan has survived zombies, vampires, and rogue military units. Heck, he's even the only human ever known to go hand-to-hand with a werewolf, and survive. But what’s a man to do when the local ‘thrope pack destroys your town and abducts your best girl?

This is a story from the Canterbury Tales I: Modern Verse Translation collection. Chaucer's greatest work, written towards the end of the fourteenth century, paints a brilliant picture of medieval life, society and values. The stories range from the romantic, courtly idealism of "The Knight's Tale" to the joyous bawdy of the Miller's; all are told with a freshness and vigor in this modern verse translation that make them a delight to hear.

Savushun chronicles the life of a Persian family during the Allied occupation of Iran during World War II. It is set in Shiraz, a town which evokes images of Persepolis and pre-Islamic monuments, the great poets, the shrines, Sufis, and nomadic tribes within a historical web of the interests, privilege, and influence of foreign powers; corruption, incompetence, and arrogance of persons in authority; the paternalistic landowner-peasant relationship; tribalism; and the fear of famine.

Cinderella married the man of her dreams - the perfect ending she deserved after diligently following all the fairy-tale rules. Yet now, 13 and a half years later, things have gone badly wrong, and her life is far from perfect. One night, fed up and exhausted, she sneaks out of the palace to get help from the witch who, for a price, offers love potions to disgruntled housewives. But as the old hag flings the last ingredients into the cauldron, Cinderella doesn't ask for a love spell to win back her Prince Charming. Instead, she wants him dead.

Lucy is a lapsed Catholic whose adolescent pretentions to sainthood are unexpectedly revived. It all starts when her cousin Zoltan, in hospital following a bizarre incident at a party, offers her a disturbing deathbed confession. Lucy's grief takes an unusual turn: Zoltan's death appears to have turned her into a magnet for the unshriven. Lucy is transformed into a self-described "flesh-and-blood Wailing Wall" as strangers unburden themselves to her. She becomes addicted to the dark stories and finds herself jonesing for hit after hit.

At 17, Anna K is at the top of Manhattan and Greenwich society (even if she prefers the company of her horses and dogs); she has the perfect (if perfectly boring) boyfriend, Alexander W.; and she has always made her Korean-American father proud (even if he can be a little controlling). Meanwhile, Anna's brother, Steven, and his girlfriend, Lolly, are trying to weather a sexting scandal.

An inventive, satiric modern retelling of the classic fairy tale provides an incisive and biting commentary on the absurdities and complexities of modern life.

Yousef is the golden child to his strict Pakistani parents, overshadowing his younger sister, Rehana. As he finishes his medical degree in London, Yousef’s life appears to be mapped out for him: become a doctor, marry a suitable girl of his parents’ choosing and, above all, make his family proud. Then Yousef meets Jess. A fellow medical student, Jess presents a complication to the plan. Suddenly, Yousef finds himself torn between two worlds – keeping each a secret from the other. Then, as graduation day looms, Yousef’s mother informs him that she’s started looking for his wife.

Agent Tony Mendoza has a sleeping problem… every time he falls asleep, he dreams of her. But it’s not any cozy, cuddly encounter his subconscious conjures, nor some kinky, carnal congress. Instead, Tony’s nights are haunted by nightmares of his supernatural stalker bleeding him dry. He’s also seeing things. Shadows flitting at the edges of his vision, cloaked figures lurking in darkened doorways, and a 7-foot-tall homeless man who accosts him and disappears. Except, the leviathan vagrant turns out to be real—and he’s killing people close to home.

I’ve been known by many names...Junkyard Druid. Justiciar. God-Killer. And now, Trickster. That’s because I’ve thrown my lot in with the Trickster Gods’ Local #113. This merry band of defecation-stirring deities and demigods includes the likes of Sun Wukong, Loki, Heyoka, and the immortal magician formerly known as Gwydion—who happens to be my mentor.

This is a story from the Canterbury Tales I: Modern Verse Translation collection. Chaucer's greatest work, written towards the end of the fourteenth century, paints a brilliant picture of medieval life, society and values. The stories range from the romantic, courtly idealism of "The Knight's Tale" to the joyous bawdy of the Miller's; all are told with a freshness and vigor in this modern verse translation that make them a delight to hear.

Med school dropout Lena is desperate for a job, any job, to help her parents, who are approaching bankruptcy after her father was injured and laid off nearly simultaneously. So when she is offered a position, against all odds, working for one of Boston’s most elite families, the illustrious and secretive Verdeaus, she knows she must accept—no matter how bizarre the interview or how vague the job description. By day, she is assistant to the family doctor and his charge—the sickly, poetic, drunken heir to the family empire, who is as difficult as his illness is mysterious.

One druid against the apocalypse. Hell on earth doesn’t stand a chance. Now that I’ve dealt with Badb and proven to the Celtic gods that I’m a force to be reckoned with, it’s time to address some unfinished business....

Even one year ago, no one would have recognized Jack Felgate at a bar. But after his steamy breakout TV role, he's surprised to be swarmed by fans during a night out with friends. When the practical bartender CJ intervenes to fend off his admirers, he's grateful—and more than a little eager to stick around for an after-hours drink–turned–tryst. Five years later, Jack shows up to set for his starring role in (yet another?!) adaptation of The Great Gatsby only to find CJ is the film’s production designer.

London, England. Charlotte Connors is tired of asking for a man, only to find coal in her stocking. Emboldened by a little liquid courage, she gives up on Father Christmas and uses her grandmother’s old book to summon a faerie plus-one for the holiday party. But when against all odds it actually works, Charlotte finds herself face-to-face with a foul-mouthed, hungover hitman. Bain was looking to sleep it off after taking revelling to new heights at the Winter Solstice. Instead, the acerbic assassin is stuck with a naïve, pathetic human who doesn’t even have a target in mind.

Natalie and Neil everything they could want: a stylish London house, two high-flying careers, a close-knit group of friends and family. And best of all: an ideal marriage. Having children, they’ve agreed, would only disrupt their carefree lives. But then Neil turns thirty-five, and suddenly he’s longing for a baby. However, Nat has not had a similar change of heart. As they no longer agree on this fundamental issue, their once perfect relationship starts to crumble. Nat starts to think about her exes and wonders if one of the men she has loved in the past can offer her a future.

Colin McCool here, everyone’s favorite smart-aleck druid and all-around trouble magnet. Something supernaturally weird is going on in my town. I leave for six months to another timeline, and the place is on fire when I get back. As in, literally…on…fire. Now my girlfriend is missing, the vampire and werewolf factions are at war, the local fae queen has become a lock-in, and a strange cult has popped up that’s somehow connected to this whole mess.

Colin McCool here, everyone’s favorite druid master and trouble magnet extraordinaire. Everyone except the gods, that is, who seem to enjoy messing with me just a little too much. Which is how I ended up in an alternate timeline, trying to save humanity from a vampire apocalypse. After getting my tail kicked by the top leech in Dallas, I decided it was time to level up before round two. That’s why I’m headed to Underhill to bond with a druid oak in this timeline so I can win this war. To do that, I’ll need to recruit the help of the Dagda, leader of the Celtic pantheon....

Alex Foaly, Morgan Tyron, and Vinny Jensen are wanted terrorists. Luckily for them, they are presumed dead. Mostly. In the months since the sinking of the MV Aguilar in the Hudson Bay, the three contractors-turned-"terrorists" have gone to ground, waiting it out and biding their time as they develop a plan to clear their names for an attack they did not commit, but the world blames them for.