Paranormal Adventure

Roslyn Blackthorne is dead. Technically. I faked my death to get out of a loveless marriage, but that was only half the battle. To ensure my vampire duke can never find me, I have to run far and fast enough so he can’t catch me. Because if he does, it’s over. Not just my life—for real this time—but my entire family’s.

Logan Morrison always fought for everything he had, but it never was much. Growing up truly alone did that to you. One day, when taking on an extra tutoring gig to help out a cute chick with a quirky name, she ends up bringing him back to her place. Cool, right? Well, the next morning, Logan wakes up in chains and comes to learn that Cherry Cola is one beautiful and unhinged monster girl member out of three in a small Fresco City witch coven. Their plans for him? Servitude.

In The Book of Swords, acclaimed editor and best-selling author Gardner Dozois presents an all-new anthology of original epic tales by a stellar cast of award-winning modern masters - many of them set in their authors' best-loved worlds. Join today's finest tellers of fantastic tales, including George R. R. Martin, K. J. Parker, Robin Hobb, Scott Lynch, Ken Liu, C. J. Cherryh, Daniel Abraham, Lavie Tidhar, Ellen Kushner, and more on action-packed journeys into the outer realms of dark enchantment and intrepid derring-do.

As a wielder of domestic magic, Finlay Ashowan likes to keep his affairs as neat and orderly as his kitchen. But between his work for the King and Queen of Daxaria and a new (secret) relationship with Lady Annika Jenoure, his life is anything but tidy. For one thing, if Annika and Fin are to continue their romance, they’ll need to sort out the pesky issue of Fin’s being a commoner—before Annika is forced into a political marriage that interferes with her own carefully laid plans. For another, pressure is mounting as the war with Troivack draws ever closer.

Reyna Carpenter was promised paradise. She was delivered into hell. Giving up her body for money was supposed to be the hardest part of becoming a blood escort. She never expected to lose her heart to her dark, enigmatic boss, Beckham Anderson. After being taken by a depraved captor who plans to rule the world, Reyna will do anything to return to Beckham. She just has to find the will to survive this game.

The Tournament of the Sacred Sword sounded like exactly the type of thing Keras would enjoy: a series of challenges for thousands of contestants seeking a chance to fight for the Sacred Sword of Earth. He knew there would be challenges. It wouldn’t be a high-stakes tournament without a few high-profile assassinations and mysterious murders, after all. But Keras wasn’t ready to run into someone from his homeland, and he certainly wasn’t prepared for the revelations that came from their confrontation.

The Lowlands’ city states have lived in peace for decades, hailed as bastions of civilization. Yet that peace is about to end. A distant empire has been conquering neighbours with highly trained soldiers and sophisticated combat techniques. And the city states are its desirable new prize. Only the ageing Stenwold Maker – spymaster, artificer and statesman – foresees the threat, as the empires’ armies march ever closer. So it falls upon his shoulders to open the eyes of the cities’ leaders.

When magic is up, electricity dies, cars stall, and skyscrapers tumble; when it's down, phones and guns work, and defensive spells can't protect your house from the creatures who stalk the streets. Equally dangerous are the competing factions of The Pack - a highly organized and military clan who governs Atlanta's were-bears, -wolves, and -hyenas - versus the Masters of the Dead, power and knowledge-hungry necromancers whose minds control hordes of blood-crazed vampires.

Ophelia was born into a family of Hunters, tasked with protecting the humans from the creatures of the night who feast on their fear. Except Ophelia always found the idea of monsters kind of intriguing. She even made the grave sin of committing some X-rated monster thoughts to paper—which in hindsight may not have been the best idea because her parents were mortified—but you live and learn. Well, everyone finds out your secret, you get banished from society, and then you learn.

Atticus O’Sullivan, last of the Druids, doesn’t care much for witches. Still, he’s about to make nice with the local coven by signing a mutually beneficial nonaggression treaty - when suddenly the witch population in modern-day Tempe, Arizona, quadruples overnight. And the new girls are not just bad, they’re badasses with a dark history on the German side of World War II.

Loren Oldrych is just a goblin from Kilahead, living a simple life of hunting and avoiding beasts. While out on a hunting trip, he wakes up to find his world’s been turned upside down. A strange entity calling itself a Guardian tells Loren that his world’s been destroyed. What’s Loren to do now? As he goes on a journey to find out what happened to his friends and family, Loren battles monsters, squabbles with orcs, and near-death situations become part of his routine. But every defeated monster and each completed quest means Loren gets stronger, and his mana shoots up.

An all-new Dresden Files story headlines this urban fantasy short story collection starring the Windy City's favorite wizard. From the Wild West to the bleachers at Wrigley Field, humans, zombies, incubi, and even fey royalty appear, ready to blur the line between friend and foe. In the never-before-published "Zoo Day", Harry treads new ground as a dad, while fan-favorite characters Molly Carpenter, his onetime apprentice, White Council Warden Anastasia Luccio, and even Bigfoot stalk through the pages of more classic tales.

A mercenary in magic-torn Atlanta who cleans up after magic gone wrong, Kate Daniels has seen it all - and some things she couldn't even have imagined. Normally, waves of paranormal energy ebb and flow like an ocean current. But once every seven years, a paranormal flare comes and brings magic like a tidal wave. Now Kate faces problems on a much bigger scale: a divine one.

When a Druid lives as long as Atticus does, he’s bound to run afoul of a few vampires—make that legions of them. Even his former friend and legal counsel turned out to be a bloodsucking backstabber. Now the toothy troublemakers—led by power-mad pain-in-the-neck Theophilus—are no longer content to live undead and let live. Atticus needs to make a point—and drive it into a vampire’s heart.

The Mediator series has earned #1 New York Times best-selling author Meg Cabot unrivaled praise for her portrayal of a smart, courageous heroine. Suze Simon, a mediator who guides ghosts to the afterlife, is having a great time with her best friend from New York. But then four ghosts, the "RLS Angels", show up looking for revenge. The angry spirits died in a car accident and they blame Michael Meducci, a nerdy boy who has a crush on Suze.

Wesson is still years from becoming a man when an immense darkness stirs within his core. The sinister power bursts free during a confrontation with an old enemy, and Wesson’s tranquil life is left in tatters. Forced to flee a murderous mob, Wesson stumbles onto a tumultuous path where he must confront the destructive power he has awakened. He must learn control over the power he wields or risk being consumed by it. As he wrestles with his training, an assassin stalks his every move.

As a child, I was nearly killed by a demon, and ever since, the only thing I've cared about is becoming a blood knight. Using the mana inside my blood to protect others from the monsters that plague the world. Eight years I devoted to training, and finally, I was ready to be tested. My blood was measured and assessed, laid bare for all to see. And it was found wanting. I was given the lowest rank possible, just barely meeting the requirements to take the prestigious Sanguine Academy entrance exam. But I aim to prove them wrong.

A sizzling sequel to Rebel of the Sands that will make you question everything you thought you knew about the land of Miraji! The gunslinger Amani al'Hiza never wanted to be a hero or a revolutionary, but now she's become a key member of the rapidly growing rebellion against the Sultan of Miraji. After Amani is captured by the Sultan's army and imprisoned in his palace, she realizes she's there not to be questioned as a rebel but used as a Demdji.

They arrive in a land both familiar and strange. A continent where there have been no dragons for generations. One where human civilization now exists in shrinking cities that are increasingly squeezed in by dead lands. Here, the bold and desperate risk it all for the promise of cards.

Elorion is back from the vampire realm. Aeris and the girls have returned from training. The Head Mistress was true to her word. She kept them alive for a purpose. Joining the succubi has gained Elorion and Aeris an illusionary freedom at best, and it will come at a heavy price. There is no safety without power. No future without strength. Soon, they'll be leaving for the succubi capital. Sanctuary must progress or be abandoned. Will it become a city on a shining hill or be extinguished forever?