Science Fiction Monsters

After leaving the army, I thought the hardest thing I’d face was the job market. But then one night, my sister and I saved a beautiful blonde woman being attacked in an alley, and we discovered that magic was real. The supernatural was real.

With the threat posed by the orcs gone and the whispers of war reduced to distant murmurs, Ryker and the women at the Magic Touch Inn feel as though they're entering something of a golden age. Indeed, business is booming despite everything, and they have a powerful new ally in the form of the Elven duchess Elmielstra.

It’s the summer of 1969, and the shock of conflict reverberates through the youth of America, both at home and abroad. As a student at a quiet college campus in the heartland of Indiana, Terry Ives couldn’t be farther from the front lines of Vietnam or the incendiary protests in Washington. But the world is changing, and Terry isn’t content to watch from the sidelines. When word gets around about an important government experiment in the small town of Hawkins, she signs on as a test subject for the project, code named MKULTRA.

"Perfect deadpan marks the opening of Ali Simpson’s The Monster'" writes Susan Merrell of The Southampton Review in her introduction to this issue of Recommended Reading.

Jodie loves visiting her grandparents' farm. Okay, so it's not the most exciting place in the world. Still, Grandpa tells great scary stories. And Grandma's chocolate chip cookies are the best. But this summer the farm has really changed. The cornfields are sparse. Grandma and Grandpa seem worn out. And the single scarecrow has been replaced by twelve evil-looking ones. Then one night Jodie sees something really odd. The scarecrows seem to be moving. Twitching on their stakes. Coming alive...

Mirabelle is part of a very unusual family. Between Uncle Bertram transforming into a ferocious grizzly bear and Aunt Eliza’s body being made entirely of spiders, it’s safe to say they are an extraordinary lot. To the human residents of Rookhaven Village, the family is a threat. So long ago, a treaty was reached between them - in return for sundries and supplies, the monsters won’t eat the townspeople - and an invisible glamour was set around the perimeter of the Manor to keep strangers out. But it also keeps Mirabelle and her family hidden from those who would do them harm.

What’s better than three monstrous hotties? How about four.... While helping the trio of sexy-as-sin monsters who followed me home, I lost my apartment, my sense of security, and more blood than was really healthy. Somehow my new lovers make me feel like I’ve gotten the better part of the bargain. Unfortunately, their newly-rescued boss isn’t so keen on humans. I get the feeling he’d rather rend me limb from limb than give me the time of day. Too bad for him my mortal skills are just too useful to toss aside.

The Labyrinth behind him, Terry and company arrive on the Eastern Steppes in the midst of a carnival, and a fateful decision puts him under a dire curse. Stripped of his bond powers and exiled to the dreamlike Wildervast, he must find and free the ultimate witch, then kill an invincible man. Meanwhile, those left behind must face the machinations of the tauren herd leaders, whose law allows them to take a template for common use, and the remnants of Theseus' bonds in search of revenge.

Somewhere within a distant constellation, in adrenaline-filled romps through space, aliens are coupling with human heroines. This science fiction romance collection contains Taken to Heimo, Taken to Kor, and Taken to Lemora.

I’m the Hyrrokin High Priest of a remote monastery on the planet Salo. I spend my days in quiet contemplation, keeping my flame-throwing banked and nursing my war wounds. And I take my vows of silence and celibacy very seriously. Very. Seriously. Then one day a mouthy, gorgeous human female is dumped onto the stone steps of the main altar. And suddenly I’m tempted like never before.

London, 1861: Ten-year-old Nell belongs to a crew of mudlarks who work a stretch of the Thames along the Ratcliffe Highway. An orphan since her mother died four years past, leaving Nell with only broken dreams and a pair of satin slippers in her possession, she spends her days dredging up coals, copper and pieces of iron spilled by the river barges – searching for treasure in the mud in order to appease her master, Benjamin Murdstone. But one day, Nell discovers a body on the shore. It’s not the first corpse she’s encountered, but by far the strangest.

There is something weird happening in Fever Swamp. Something really horrible. It started with the strange howling at night. Then there was the rabbit torn to shreds. Everyone thinks Grady's new dog is responsible. After all, he looks just like a wolf. And he seems a little on the wild side. But Grady knows his dog is just a regular old dog. And most dogs don't howl at the moon. Or disappear at midnight. Or change into terrifying creatures when the moon is full. Or do they?

Will refused to admit to the HR lady at Radical Interactive that he'd never played their debut virtual reality MMORPG The Realm. With the company's failed attempt at entering the gaming industry, they switched their sights to focus on smaller scale educational programs. Being a beta tester for Radical Interactive was not the dream job that Will had envisioned, but he had hoped it would get his foot in the door to one day becoming a graphic designer for the company. He never realized that he was literally signing his life away.

What do you do when you accidentally trigger a cross dimensional machine created by a mad scientist and teleport to a different version of Earth every 72 hours? Well, you obviously start recruiting beautiful monster girls and construct a fort, because these worlds are crazy deadly and you’re going to need all the help you can get to survive.

Sky and her crew plunge into the shadowy depths of Goldenrod Space Station, unearthing ever-darker secrets and confronting horrific echoes of the unknown past. Loyalties begin to crack as they explore the station's nightmarish underbelly, and Sky's quest for truth takes a harrowing twist. Meanwhile, on Alpha, another group of survivors embark on a perilous journey to reach the McEagle's wreckage. Alien monstrosities and the twisted remnants of human ambition stand in their way as they struggle to survive in a world defined by hubris and despair.

This three-book omnibus includes the first three books in the Charlie Rhodes Cozy Mystery series. Included are: The Bigfoot Blunder, The Chupacabra Catastrophe and The Werewolf Whoops. Sit back and enjoy the ride. The laughter and tears will stick with you long after the story ends.

Cerulean-in-the-Mountain is safe, and Auroro's party has reunited. But now, they've learned of Princess Veerie's precarious situation and that Auroro may have endangered her life. Nothing is certain, but as far as Auroro's concerned, her brother and the Hero of the forest elves, Virid, is the one that needs to be listened to.

I'm determined to turn Quirky Kingdom into the showpiece it used to be. Problem is—more than just the rides need fixing. It's way more than I can handle on my own. I tap my new neighbor to help—Rexin, a hunky orc handyman who's also a single dad extraordinaire. Since it's summer, he brings his twelve-year-old son to the job with him.

Celestine is a land of beauty and horror where the heroic souls of men are tempted to fall from heights mere mortals were never meant to attain. Terrence Mack has managed to survive in this brutal world, gathering bonds of great power and ability, passing trials and tribulations that would crush lesser men. Yet his own unwillingness to let others share his burdens may be his undoing, and his greatest challenges are yet to come. To even reach his destiny, Terry must once again cross the Wildervast, a dream world where desires rule fate.

My indentured servitude is almost over and freedom is a heartbeat away! Until some alien guy buys me because he needs a nanny, quick. What? I’m not even good with kids. I’ve never changed a diaper in my life. But the beings at the employment agency won’t listen. “Hew-mans are hot right now. Everyone wants a hew-man nanny”. Great. And since there isn’t another human available...I’m hired on the spot. Yay, me. And on day one of my new job I’m having a panic attack because I finally meet my new boss and he looks like Satan himself.