War Short Stories

Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Johnny Trescott is as smart, tough, and fearless as they come. But he’s about to lose everything - his boat, his freedom, and his identity. Johnny’s mission is to track down drug runners in the Gulf of Mexico, and he’s got his eye on the biggest fish of all - Georges Coquelin. But an SOS from a downed plane that’s sinking fast leads him straight to disaster. Coquelin springs a trap. Stranding Johnny and the plane’s passengers on a deserted island, the drug smuggler commandeers Johnny’s boat and his name.

In the last days of pre-World War II China and the rise of Communism, Jim Dahlgren, representative of the Amalgamated Aeronautical Company, has had enough of the fatalistic brand of diplomacy from other nations that claim to want a united China, one that can resist invasion from without and treason within - but which refuses to intervene and prevent it's demise. When Dahlgren disappears - purportedly to find a mysterious aviator, the man called "Wind-Gone-Mad" - he ignites a series of actions which just may spell disaster.

One of the greatest of all horror writers, Edgar Allan Poe (1809-49) also composed pioneering tales that seized upon the scientific developments of an era marked by staggering change. In this collection of 16 stories, he explores such wide-ranging contemporary themes as galvanism, time travel and resurrection of the dead.

A young girl, caught up in an inner-city gang war, crosses the line from victim to avenger.... An innocent man is hunted by government agents for an unspecified crime....

In what many refer to as one of the first and greatest science fiction thrillers, a mysterious stranger wanders into an inn, wrapped head-to-toe in bandages. What lies beneath the bandages is something even more mysterious. As Wells tackles issues of identity, deception, and the deterioration of the human mind, listeners will be drawn into the story of the mysterious man, whose own mistakes end up whisking him into a whirlwind of deceit, terror, and even murder. In the end, the question will be asked: when your sense of self and identity vanish, who will you become?

Mistakenly kidnapped as part of a years-long family feud, Ellen must do whatever it takes to protect herself from her cruel captor, Mischa. Will he show her mercy and kindness - or will he break her? Listen to the completed trilogy.

Herbert George Wells (1866-1946) was a prolific English writer who wrote dozens of novels, short stories, and works of social commentary, history, satire, biography, and autobiography. Wells is now best remembered for his science fiction novels and is often called the "father of science fiction", along with Jules Verne.

The Iron Kingdoms is a land dominated by mighty warcasters, arcanists who command the terrifying war machines called warjacks. While these epic figures lead armies and shape the futures of their nations, other powerful individuals, no less skilled, forge their own destinies in steam and steel. Called to Battle is a collection of stories focused on the Iron Kingdoms’ unsung heroes, its skilled mercenaries, and even the horrifying villains who haunt its darker reaches.

Spring has come to White Bear Landing - and so has the law, in the firm hands of Royal Mounted policeman and pilot Bob Dixon. Dixon's gruff, tough and good-looking, and in this outpost halfway between the arctic mines and civilization, he's known for taking the law to extremes. More than once Dixon has meted out his own brand of rough justice with hard fists and hot lead, but now the tables have turned. The past has come back to haunt him, he's been set up as a murder suspect, and a rogue's gallery of enemies are lining up to settle old scores.

In his first-ever collection, the award-winning author of the Billy Boyle World War II mysteries presents an eclectic mix of new and previously published mystery stories rife with historical detail and riveting wartime storytelling. Full of terror, action, amusement, and bliss, The Refusal Camp is a must-have collection from one of historical crime fiction’s most acclaimed authors.

Felix lives in a convent orphanage high in the mountains in Poland. He is convinced his parents are still alive and that they will one day come back to get him. When Nazi soldiers come to the orphanage Felix decides to escape and make his way home. The journey to find his parents is a long and difficult one, as all of Poland is occupied by the Nazis and a dangerous place for a Jewish boy.

Winchester Remington Smith is a crack shot. Problem is, surrounded by roller coasters and merry-go-rounds, his talent is going to waste, knocking down ducks in a carnival shooting gallery. Win wants some real action, and he’s running off to join the US Marines to fight a guerilla insurgency south of the border. In the jungles of Central America, Win takes a different kind of roller-coaster ride. Quick and quiet, he’s now a runner. It’s a vital role, but he feels like a messenger boy, unable to put his rifle to good use.

This unforgettable, very short fictional memoir relates the incredible suffering of Gershon and his Jewish family in Europe. The inspirational short, historical fiction story about a survivor, tells the remarkable courage and determination during his struggle to survive. With the onset of World War II, Gershon’s life changes completely. His loving family understands that their happiness has come to a brutal end when forced out of their home and into a ghetto. They have no idea what awaits them, but they know that doing nothing is not an option.

In The Mountain, Paul Yoon displays his subtle, ethereal, and strikingly observant style with six thematically linked stories, taking place across several continents and time periods and populated with characters who are connected by their traumatic pasts, newly vagrant lives, and quests for solace in their futures. Though they exist in their own distinct worlds (from a sanatorium in the Hudson Valley to an inn in the Russian far east), they are united by the struggle to reconcile their traumatic pasts in the wake of violence, big and small, spiritual and corporeal.

Jack and Maggie Harris are adrift on ravaged streets during the London Blitz. Their home is gone. They have nowhere to go and nothing left to lose. With only the memories of their greatest loss - the death of their child during a Christmas years before - Jack and Maggie settle in a seemingly deserted mansion for the night.

With his harrowing debut, Luke Mogelson provides an unsentimental, unflinching glimpse into the lives of those forever changed by war. Subtle links between these 10 powerful stories magnify the consequences of combat for both soldiers and civilians as the violence experienced abroad echoes through their lives in America.

Deep in the Maya Biosphere Reserve, a huge protected tract of rain forest in Northern Guatemala, lies the mythical Temple of Priests. Only one man knew of the temple's location, but he was killed before he could relay the coordinates. Now, newly reinstated Taskforce operator Pike Logan has the grid location of the ruins, and he's convinced Jennifer Cahill to travel to Guatemala in search of the Mayan temple her uncle died trying to find. But Pike and Jennifer are not the only ones heading into the rain forest in search of hidden treasure.

Lieutenant Wilfred Louis, fresh-faced intelligence officer, embarks on a mission to hijack code technology from rival nation Trionvice. A successful mission could upend the global intelligence hierarchy. And while briefing details are sparse, he suspects their survival is not high on the list of mission objectives.

In Guardians of the Eternal Sky, the world's skies are safeguarded by a legacy of fearless fighter pilots and their spectral guardian, the Phantom Aviator. As a new generation takes flight in 2030, they inherit the courage and honor of those who came before, defending against unknown threats with the unwavering belief that even in the darkest of times, a guardian of the skies will always appear when needed most.

Leedswick Castle has housed the Alnwick family in the English countryside for generations, despite a family curse determined to destroy their legacy and erase them from history. Three beloved authors share stories of the Alnwick family through the generations, revealing how love and war can change a place—but only its people can unshackle it from the misdeeds of the past.