Urban Contemporary

Fresh off their victory over Graves and his followers, Marcus and his friends have managed to enjoy a few weeks of relative calm and peace as they continue to build Aldford, preparing the town for a new wave of settlers coming from Eberia. But as the days wear on with no new arrivals in sight, they begin to fear the worse, eventually setting out to search for their promised reinforcements and soon realizing that they weren’t as alone on the frontier as they thought they were.

In this dark and gritty collection - featuring short stories from Jim Butcher, Seanan McGuire, Kevin J. Anderson, and Rob Thurman - nothing is as simple as black and white, light and dark, good and evil.... Unfortunately, that's exactly what makes it so easy to cross the line.

Les sorcières sont parmi nous. Dans l'ombre, elles nous protègent de dangers que nous, simples mortels, pouvons à peine imaginer. Et cela dure depuis des siècles. Pourtant, le plus grand péril viendra de l'intérieur, de leur cercle même, le Royal Coven. Car un jeune sorcier aux capacités extraordinaires a été capturé par les autorités et semble menacer l'existence du cercle. Niamh, Ciara, Helena, Leonie et Elle, amies depuis l'enfance et puissantes sorcières, sauront-elles empêcher le monde de sombrer ? La vie d'une sorcière moderne n'a jamais été simple... mais elle est sur le point de devenir apocalyptique.

Since the day they unwittingly found themselves in the horror show of Carousel, Riley (the Film Buff), Antoine (the Athlete), Kimberly (the Eye Candy), Camden (the Scholar), and Anna (the Final Girl) have learned the rules of their horror-movie world. They've fought through story after story and come out alive—or at least preserved the storyline enough to come back to life. But their biggest challenge yet lies ahead.

In her 10th adventure, nothing can save vampire hunter Anita Blake from a twist of fate that draws her ever closer to the brink of humanity.

Once upon a time, there was a forgotten era of magic and monster. But the remnants—and all memory—of the old world have been replaced by the sane, the scientific, and the rational. But sometimes the magical past isn’t content to stay past. That’s where Jack Damian comes in. It’s his joy to protect our present from the supernatural remnants of an earlier time, a different history. It’s his job to make the past safe. Jack is called to the Tate Museum, where dozens of people have disappeared beneath the surface of a painting.

The city is abuzz with an international sorcerer's conference, and the mayor is cracking down hard on anything that might make him look bad. But Vince is out to get that bag. That means fulfilling his enforcer contract for the mob, police crackdown be damned.

Mercy Thompson's life has undergone a seismic change. Becoming the mate of Adam Hauptman—the charismatic Alpha of the local werewolf pack—has made her a stepmother to his daughter, Jesse, a relationship that brings moments of blissful normalcy to Mercy's life. But on the edges of humanity, what passes for a minor mishap on an ordinary day can turn into so much more.... After an accident in bumper-to-bumper traffic, Mercy and Jesse can't reach Adam—or anyone else in the pack for that matter. They've all been abducted.

My family was taken away from me. I was too young to know what went on, but now that I know, it's time to get it back in blood. Protecting my sister and my niece or nephew is more important than basketball. Making sure the man who was behind trying to end me is ended is more important. With mentors like Capone and Cappadonna behind me, I can't lose. My head is in the game. I'm focused, and I want revenge. I refuse to sit down until someone's blood is on my hands for taking Joie and our child away from me. I refuse to lose, and I'm making sure my family is protected by any means necessary.

Your neighbor is just as likely to be a vampire as they are to be a troll, human, elf, or a werewolf. Amber's parents never forgave her after her brother died. They were young and careless, but Amber left all that guilt in Texas when she fled to the pacific northwest to be a nurse. But when she decides to play hero, her life as a nurse is cut short. Newly turned wolves aren't easily trusted.

The Montoyas are used to a life without explanations. They know better than to ask why the pantry never seems to run low, or why their matriarch won’t ever leave their home in Four Rivers - not for graduations, weddings, or baptisms. But when Orquídea Divina invites them to her funeral and to collect their inheritance, they hope to learn the secrets that she has held onto so tightly their whole lives. Instead, Orquídea is transformed into a ceiba tree, leaving them with more questions than answers.

Latro now finds himself in Egypt, a land of singing girls, of spiteful and conniving deities. Without his memory, his is unsure of everything, except for his desire to be free of the curse that causes him to forget. The visions Gene Wolfe conjures, of the wonders of Egypt, and of the adventures of Latro as he and his companions journey up the great Nile south into unknown or legendary territory, are unique and compelling.

Born before man recorded time, I lived for thousands of years believing myself to be something I’m not. Someone I’m not. Lied to and betrayed by gods, Daimons, and Dark-Hunters, I’ve struggled to find my way. Trained as a slayer and predator, I learned to fit in and stay low. Until I was sent to kill the one woman I couldn’t. My hesitation cost her her life. Or so I thought. I’ve learned that this world is an illusion and that my Phoebe still lives. Now I will have to travel into the very pits of Hades to try and save her.

Delia Spark is caught in a maelstrom. Her former life as a London theatre director is on the brink of implosion amid a scandalous divorce, a tarnished reputation, and, for reasons she cannot fathom, things keep spontaneously combusting around her. Her sixties were supposed to be peaceful, but now even her grown daughter won't return her calls. Escape is the only option.

Tout juste de retour au camp des Myrmes, Cassiopée affronte une première déconvenue : Gabriel est en mission espionnage et les deux amoureux sont brutalement séparés. Arrive alors Leo, un jeune homme mal en point qui ne tarde pas à révéler sa véritable identité. Ancien Myrme devenu Narque, il a un message à lui transmettre de la part de Manassé : Cassiopée est en danger au sein de son propre clan. Le mal serait-il vraiment du côté des Narques ? Gabriel est bientôt porté disparu. Tout porte à croire qu'il est mort, mais Cassiopée, convaincue du contraire, décide de suivre son intuition.

Sinnissippi Park, in Hopewell, Illinois, has long hidden a mysterious evil, locked away from humankind by powers greater than most could even imagine. But now the malevolent creatures that normally skulk in the shadows of the park grow bolder, and old secrets hint at a violent explosion. The brewing conflict draws John Ross to Hopewell. A Knight of the Word, Ross is plagued by nightmares that tell him someone evil is coming to unleash an ancient horror upon the world.

Hunted. Hated. Betrayed. Dagger Ixur is on the run for his life. As one of the most recognizable members of his royal house, he has a bounty on his head that guarantees him no quarter from any friend or even family. But surrender isn't in him. He will fight to the bitter end. A resolve that is sorely tested when he narrowly escapes a trap that leaves him severely wounded. With what he believes is his dying breath, he saves a boy born to an extinct race from a group out to enslave the kid for his legendary abilities.

The God Wars destroyed the city of Alikand. Now, a century and a half and a great many construction contracts later, Agdel Lex rises in its place. Dead deities litter the surrounding desert, streets shift when people aren't looking, a squidlike tower dominates the skyline, and the foreign Iskari Rectification Authority keeps strict order in this once-independent city - while treasure seekers, criminals, combat librarians, nightmare artists, angels, demons, dispossessed knights, grad students, and other fools gather in its ever-changing alleys, hungry for the next big score.

"Mom seems off." Her brother's words echo in Sam Montgomery's ear as she turns onto the quiet North Carolina street where their mother lives alone. She brushes the thought away as she climbs the front steps. Sam's excited for this rare extended visit, and looking forward to nights with just the two of them, drinking boxed wine, watching murder mystery shows, and guessing who the killer is long before the characters figure it out. But stepping inside, she quickly realizes home isn’t what it used to be.

A month has passed since Martin helped to defeat the evil programmer Jimmy, and things couldn't be going better. Except for his love life, that is. Feeling distant and lost, Gwen has journeyed to Atlantis, a tolerant and benevolent kingdom governed by the Sorceresses, and a place known to be a safe haven to all female time-travelers.