Old Fantasy

It is the year 1967 in the magnificent and dreamy St. Petersburg. The world is ruled by the magic of aristocrats, the sounds of rock and roll are blasting even in the palace of Her Imperial Majesty, and Russian Volgas are successfully going up against American Pontiacs on the wide avenues at night. Another frantic unauthorized race under the stars ends in tragedy. Doctors and healers, who have already announced the death of the sixteen-year-old Prince Alexander Gorchakov Jr., attribute his miraculous salvation to his suddenly awakened gift.

After disappearing amidst a spray of bullets, antiques dealer Sarah Lester leaves behind no body, only questions. Sarah’s friends are left dealing with the aftermath of her disappearance, including an investigation into the provenance of her antiques, which threatens to crush The Old Curiosity Shop. As Sarah struggles to reunite with her father, she continues the search for her mother, unaware the violent colonial past has followed her home, putting herself, and those she loves in danger.

There are stories about people who want to live forever. This is not one of those stories.... Alfie Monk is like any other nearly teenage boy - except he's 1,000 years old and can remember the last Viking invasion of England. Obviously no-one believes him. So when everything Alfie knows and loves is destroyed in a fire and the modern world comes crashing in, Alfie embarks on a mission to find friendship, acceptance and a different way to live...which means finding a way to make sure he will eventually die.

The traitors hiding under the roof of their family home were found and punished. But where do the threads woven into a sophisticated tangle of conspiracy lead? The young Prince Gorchakov will have to confront rogue guardsmen, outraged rebels, the people sent by the German Kaiser to aid the crisis, and one legendary general who went over to the dark side. Sometimes, all of them at once.

With considerable effort, the young prince Alexander Gorchakov managed to prevent a large-scale war between St. Petersburg’s old royal families. However, he got into a lot of trouble in the process and his actions did not go unnoticed by Her Imperial Majesty. Now, as his punishment, Alexander is forced to put on a uniform and enroll at a military school...and not at the most prestigious one, for that matter.

These five tales are absolutely perfect as bedtime stories. From an old but very kindhearted train to flying cows, from an elegant and very ambitious elephant to some surprising cauliflowers, these tales really have it all. Imaginative, amusing, charming, and fun. This five-tale collection is perfect for children of almost any age and not a few adults, too!

Having successfully driven off an assault and freed captives of Kelvanis, Sistina begins fortifying to defend those she cares about from further attacks. Yet with all her power within her halls, she cannot grant those under her protection true freedom. To truly bring hope to her love, Sistina must delve into who she once was, and bring forth every scrap of magic she has to become a shining beacon of hope.

Sixteen all-new stories by science fiction's top talents, collected by best-selling author George R. R. Martin and multiple-award-winning editor Gardner Dozois.

The girl doesn't remember a thing about her life, but the intricate tattoo on her arm is proof that she's from the Dragonfly Territories and that she's protected by the king. Which means a reward for Piper if she can get the girl home. The one sure way to the Territories is the 401, a great old beauty of a train. But a ticket costs more coin than Piper could make in a year. And stowing away is a difficult prospect - everyone knows that getting past the peculiar green-eyed boy who stands guard is nearly impossible.

Sarah Lester's mother is missing, and the Indian uprising holds her father captive. The police want to question her, and even the church is demanding its pound of flesh. Her return to The Old Curiosity Shop raises more questions than answers. Waiting in the shadows is a vengeful Richard Grey. After discovering Sarah’s ability to travel through time, nothing will stop him from restoring his name to its former glory. Not even time. Can Sarah reunite her scattered family before Grey closes the doorway to the past?

When a princess' commoner true love is kidnapped to coerce her into a political marriage, she doesn't give in - she goes to rescue him. When her warrior father, King Sendoa, mysteriously dies, Princess Amarande of Ardenia is given what would hardly be considered a choice: Marry a stranger at 16 or lose control of her family's crown. But Amarande was raised to be a warrior - not a sacrifice.

Bruton. Prince of the Aurelian Empire, eight-foot tall of brutal, muscled strength, flanked by the alien warriors of his triad. He is no royal. He is a savage, a colossal warlord who commands through pure violence. And my fate is in his hands. He believes I hold the keys to victory. His triad storms into my research station drenched in blood and sweat to judge my life’s work. And when my creations go haywire and nearly kill us all, the threat to the Prince must be answered.

Mysterious spores spread across the Earth, unseen, undetected. They embed in the sinuses, move to the brain, and colonize the entire nervous system. When the takeover is complete, they kill the host and animate the body, making them truly undead, flesh-devouring zombies.

Bathsheba is a woman who longs for love. With her devout husband away fighting the king's wars for many months at a time, discontent and loneliness dog her steps - and make it frighteningly easy to succumb to King David's charm and attention. Though she immediately regrets her involvement with the powerful king, the pieces are set in motion that will destroy everything she holds dear. Can she find forgiveness at the feet of the Almighty? Or has her sin separated her from God - and David - forever?

As two lethal elemental gods set out to destroy Mytica, sworn enemies must become allies in the final fight to save the kingdoms. Jonas continues to willfully defy his destiny, but the consequences of plotting his own course are drastic. Lucia knows there's something special about her daughter, and she'll do anything to protect her.

Here be an oracle. Despair all ye who seek her. Magic will have its cake and eat it, too. Okay, well. So I was mixing metaphors. I was new to the gig. But as far as I could tell, there were three kinds of people. Those who wanted confirmation that they’d chosen the correct path. Those who wanted to deny there was any sort of destiny at all. And those who wanted to tear it all down. So why was it always the third type that showed up at the door to my 1975 Brave Winnebago, dragging me into their power struggles and using my past against me?

The Beaverton High School Breakfast Club show up for what they thought would be cleaning the locker room with a toothbrush when the morning goes horribly wrong, and they fall victim to a deadly, dark spell. Some jerkwad moon mage shoves the consciousness of Petra's three-year-old into the body of a musclebound barbarian, and she is transformed into a halfling. The kids get stuck as a cleric, fire mage, and other stalwarts of your typical fantasy gaming party.

As a snowfall blankets 8th century Mosul, a Persian noblewoman arrives at the home of the scholar Dabir and his friend the swordsman Captain Asim. Najya has escaped from a dangerous cabal that has ensorcelled her to track down ancient magical tools of tremendous power, the bones of the old ones.

Imagine a school where you meet your own unicorn and have amazing adventures together! That's what happens for the girls at Unicorn Academy on beautiful Unicorn Island. Ariana loves her unicorn, Whisper, but hopes that their differences don't get in the way of their bond. When all the animals start to leave the Verdant Forest, Ariana and Whisper will need to gather all their courage and work together to help protect their friends and bring the animals home.

On Al Chaudhury’s 12th birthday his beloved Grandpa Byron gives him a letter from Al’s late father. In it Al receives a mission: travel back to 1984 in a secret time machine and save his father’s life.