Monster Fiction

Ben is really coming into his title of Draco Rex. Not only has he discovered a new species of dragon, but now Jemma has bonded to the baby fire-breather named Tirian. And there are more dragons out there just waiting to be found.

This collection highlights the imaginative brilliance of Ray Bradbury, one of the most influential voices in science fiction. Spanning over 15 stories, the anthology offers a window into Bradbury's unique ability to blend futuristic ideas with profound human emotions. Featured stories like The Monster Maker, Morgue Ship, The Irritated People, Pillar of Fire, Zero Hour, A Little Journey, and Asleep in Armageddon showcase the author's wide-ranging themes, from space exploration and dystopian futures to the darker sides of human nature.

On a volcanic island, in the middle of shark-infested waters, stands the Cruel School. The lessons are appalling, the school dinners are revolting and the teachers are terrifying—especially the mysterious science teacher Doctor Doktur. When Larker is sent to the school, she quickly realises something very odd is going on...something involving Doctor Doktur, a pair of strange spectacles and a ‘Monsterfication Machine’. And ultimately she finds herself face to face with a real life Megamonster.

When a young boy’s hunger gets the best of him, he must conquer the Hungry Monster before he eats all the food in the cafeteria! Will the boy be able to get his monstrous hunger under control before he eats his best friend, too?

Her name is Sarah. She's blonde, blue-eyed, and Jewish in 1939 Germany. And her act of resistance is about to change the world. After her mother is shot at a checkpoint, 15-year-old Sarah meets a mysterious man with an ambiguous accent, a suspiciously bare apartment, and a lockbox full of weapons. He's part of the secret resistance against the Third Reich, and he needs Sarah to hide in plain sight at a school for the daughters of top Nazi brass, posing as one of them.

Alone for too long, the last of vampire Draven’s humanity is slipping away. Needing a mate to anchor him and keep the monster at bay, he strikes a bargain with a young hunter to find him a bride. Newly widowed, historian Charlotte is desperate for a fresh start. When she's presented with the unusual proposition of becoming a vampire's bride for a year, she cannot pass up the chance to speak with one of the oldest creatures on the planet.

Horror fans will get their thrills in this collection–from werewolves to vampires to zombies–all the time-worn horror baddies are there. But so are predators of a distinctly American variety–the horrors of empire, of intimate partner violence, of dispossession. And so too the monsters of Rogers’ imagination, that draw upon long-told Cherokee stories–of Deer Woman, fantastical sea creatures, and more.

Jack Miller has spent his entire nine years in the same house on the same street in the same town with the same best friend. One day, while delivering papers on his same ordinary paper route, Jack finds himself amidst a very unordinary world. A world where strange and silly monsters become his friends. In this story, Jack and Annabelle face off with the a very difficult monster called Iris. What they learn while inside the house will change everything.

I'm in a predicament of historic proportions. I've learned I can't inherit my grandfather's highly profitable business unless I'm married? Yes, an entirely ridiculous rule. I live with a herd of rescue cats and nary a boyfriend in sight. I'm also considered plain, sharp-tongued and overweight. And I've never, once been interested in marriage. Hence my reason for applying for a mail-order husband. The next morning I scream with fright when I find a huge, satanic-looking alien lurking on my doorstep.

Malem has joined the forces of good and wages war against the vast host of Vorgon, the Balor who has come to destroy the world. Malem has four beautiful women fighting at his side, one of them a former general of Vorgon's army - a night elf tamed by his unique skill. He also has a few hill giants and other monsters ready to follow him to the gates of hell itself.

So . . . I didn't handle the zombie apocalypse well. I used to be a third-grade teacher, but since the Gorging, my life has been . . . kinda rotten. I lost my group to the undead, became indebted to one of the gangs, and now I've been sold as a blood-slave. My new owner is Atlan, one of the vampire warriors who guard Blue City's walls and defend us from the zombies. The vampires are like celebrities around here. It's my job to provide Atlan with a clean blood source and any other services he needs.

I'm lost in the middle of nowhere on a freaking alien planet. Running away from the Hyrrokin mafia. It's as terrible as you can imagine. I haven't eaten in two days and it's raining in the wildlands. Lightning strikes overhead and thunder rumbles in the distance. I slip and fall in the mud. And then I sit at the bottom of a ravine, crying. There's a blur in the distance. Is that a mirage? No, its a deadly, satanic-looking male with a bare chest, huge black horns and a barbed tail racing right for me. I scream as this monster looms overhead.

Auroro, the man with a countdown on his life and his two assets, the wildland elf, Rynissie, and the strange catgirl, Chesheer are finally nearing Cerulean-in-the-Mountain. Auroro is set on accomplishing the task given to him by the woman he's smitten with, but things aren't so easy when one is easily distracted by the strange delicacies offered by the city with the most toxic hospitality.

Darkness and bitterness have become my constant companions. Even though I'm angry, what else can I do but watch from the darkest corners of Screaming Woods while everyone goes on? I'm not expecting a light to appear. Caroline isn't all monster, but, as a child of our resident wolfman and his mate, she's not all human either. As much as I want to give into the pull to her, I've spent far too long existing within the shadows.

Sunny has spent years of her life hiding from her own desires and hiding them from those she loves. Forced to face the idea of denying that part of herself forever, Sunny takes a nose dive out of her routine and into her fantasies. All she needs is the help of Monster Smash Agency and one exceptionally talented Orc. Khell'ar has mastered his work with Monster Smash Agency, satisfying his clients with perfect expertise. Guiding inexperienced Sunny into a new realm of extreme pleasures should be easy, simple. All he has to do is follow her requests, play his part, and not form a mating bond.

Sacrifice your soul? Check. Die to protect those you love? Check. Come back as something the world hasn't seen since the dawn of mankind? Check. Make those who hurt me wish the Gods had never created them? I'm still working on this one.... Are you ready to play? I'm coming back. I'm more, darker, deadlier, and I'm pissed.

Roland Nair calls himself Scandinavian but travels on a U.S. passport. After ten years' absence, he returns to Freetown, Sierra Leone, to reunite with his friend Michael Adriko. They once made a lot of money here during the country's civil war, and, curious to see whether good luck will strike twice in the same place, Nair has allowed himself to be drawn back to a region he considers hopeless.

A System apocalypse has ripped humanity away from its home planet, Earth-73, firing the starting pistol on a marathon race for survival against beastly odds. And in the violent magical worlds of the System's "Orientation," it's getting harder to tell the monsters from the savage humans.

If there's something wrong with your tentacle monster, who are you going to call? Dale Clearwater: Monster Whisperer. With her own ship and a menagerie of tentacle monsters, she travels from world to world, rehabilitating monsters and training the people who love them. From the amorphous, fluid Kritzoan to the stonelike Nalcheka, Dale embraces the monsters and records her encounters for a reality show that broadcasts to countless worlds.

Three complete stories in one collection! This volume includes The Growling Bear Mystery, The Mystery of the Lake Monster, and The Mystery of Peacock Hall.