A couple of years ago, I made a pact with my two best friends, Nolan and Jacob. We decided that we would spend the last night before the end of the world partying in my garage. And that's just what we did.A short story by Scott Semegran.Toronto has been decimated by the plague that has ravaged the rest of the world. During the day, the few survivors salvage what they can to survive in the dead city. At night, the things beneath emerge. This short story follows Jacob, one of the few remaining humans, as he attempts to avoid the monsters that lurk under the streets.

He’s back. Despite absolutely no requests at all, Sir Apropos of Nothing—he who was spawned from the violent assault of a tavern wench by a group of drunken knights—has returned. This time his voyages take him to the land of Rogypt, a surprisingly ancient realm where the tragic people known as the Shews labor endlessly in building pyramids for their masters. When Apropos inadvertently interferes with he who is destined to be their savior, no less than a deity reaches down and points His fickle finger upon him, informing him it is now his responsibility to liberate the people. All that stands in his way? An unpredictable young ruler, his insanely duplicitous sister and, oh yes, an ancient mummy’s curse. So basically, just a typical day for the roguish Apropos. ** About the Author Peter David is the author of more than one hundred books, almost all of them published. He has written such fantasies as Howling Mad and Knight Life as well as an assortment of bestselling Star Trek® novels including Imzadi and the popular New Frontier series (which he co-created with John Ordover). He also co-created the TV series Space Cases with Bill Mumy, and has written for Babylon 5 and Crusade. His comic-book career spans more than a decade and includes an award-winning run on The Incredible Hulk. Sir Apropos of Nothing is his longest single work, mostly due to the use of the word “the.” He lives in New York with his wife, Kathleen, and his four daughters, Shana, Gwen, Ariel and Caroline.

The Floating Island of Madness By Jason Kirby

Swot and Gemma - two unsuspecting schoolchildren - are chosen by enchantress Zophenas, to help her escape from the Underearth. They have to bring her three items that might do the trick; the soul of Waldo the warlock, the magic ointment that enables a witch to fly and a woman who has turned into a two-tailed cat. In return they will receive a starflash opal and six wishes.Zophenas is an enchantress but is trapped in the Underearth. How can she escape? She has heard of three possible ways; to find the soul of Waldo the warlock, to secure the magic ointment made by a witch, enabling her to fly and to capture a woman who has turned into a two-tailed cat.For these tasks she recruits two schoolchildren - Swot, with a gift for maths and his sister Gemma. They find Waldo, who recalls hiding his soul in a bird. But which one? They retrieve it but the ointment - guarded by giant toads - is still needed. Zophenas helps by turning the children briefly into black beetles. The ointment is secured and unbaptised babies, used to bind it - and now also black beetles - rescued from the home of Hagatha the witch. Swot and Gemma also capture the woman who turns into a two-tailed cat. But when Zophenas is freed and the children are offered the starflash opal and the wishes, they make a surprising and wise decision.

On the battlefields of Aexe Cardinal, the struggling forces of the Imperial Guard are locked in a deadly stalemate with the dark armies of Chaos. Colonel-Commissar Ibram Gaunt and his regiment, the Tanith First-and-Only, are thrown headlong into the living hell of trench warfare, where death by an unseen enemy is always just a moment away. The only chance for Gaunt and his lightly armed scouts to survive is to volunteer for a mission so dangerous that no one else dares accept it!

Seraphina took the literary world by storm with 8 starred reviews and numerous “Best of” lists. At last, her eagerly awaited sequel has arrived—and with it comes an epic battle between humans and dragons. The kingdom of Goredd: a world where humans and dragons share life with an uneasy balance, and those few who are both human and dragon must hide the truth. Seraphina is one of these, part girl, part dragon, who is reluctantly drawn into the politics of her world. When war breaks out between the dragons and humans, she must travel the lands to find those like herself—for she has an inexplicable connection to all of them, and together they will be able to fight the dragons in powerful, magical ways. As Seraphina gathers this motley crew, she is pursued by humans who want to stop her. But the most terrifying is another half dragon, who can creep into people’s minds and take them over. Until now, Seraphina has kept her mind safe from intruders, but that also means she’s held back her own gift. It is time to make a choice: Cling to the safety of her old life, or embrace a powerful new destiny? Praise for Seraphina:   A New York Times Bestseller An Indie Bestseller Winner of the William C. Morris Debut Award Winner of the Cybil Award for Teen Fantasy and Science Fiction An Amazon Top 20 Teen Book of the Year A Chicago Public Library Best Book of the Year A Kirkus Reviews Best Teen Book of the Year A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year A Library Journal Best Young Adult Literature for Adults Selection A Booklist Editors’ Choice An ABA New Voices Pick A Publishers Weekly Flying Start Author An ALA-ALSC Notable Children’s Book An ALA-YALSA Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults Book Recipient of 8 Starred Reviews   “Beautifully written, well-rounded characters, and some of the most interesting dragons I’ve read in fantasy for a long while. An impressive debut novel; I can’t wait to see what Rachel Hartman writes next.” —Christopher Paolini, New York Times bestselling author of Eragon   “A novel that will appeal to both fans of Christopher Paolini’s Eragon series and Robin McKinley’s The Hero and the Crown.” —Entertainment Weekly

An Iraqi suicide bomber had taken his legs and an eye. Now, years later, as Mike Hurst enjoys a quiet life of retirement, he is accosted and put to sleep by an alien. When he awakens, he has his legs back and his eye. But he is no longer on the planet. When the alien tells him why he was kidnapped, he is quite skeptical. He is extremely reluctant to become the savior of all humanity.Saving the human race proves to be far more difficult than he could ever have imagined. Mike Hurst, a former Army Sergeant, is thrust into a role that should be handled by someone use to dealing with major military organizations and politicians.His new alien friend, Jonelle, is certain that he is more than capable, especially after he is upgraded with some very unique abilities. He is now able to communicate to other upgraded people, without speaking; and his mind can handle hundreds of complicated tasks simultaneously. Also, there is a great deal of self confidence to be had by possessing three times the strength of a normal human being.Mike knows that he must recruit good people. Jonelle urges him to pursue other old combat vets, who will be upgraded and brought into the warrior class. But Mike realizes, while that is important, perhaps of greater impact would be the recruitment of senior military leaders, such as an old General, whom he hated.He begins to build a staff, by kidnapping the old General, as well as one of his men from Iraq and his badly injured son and daughter-in-law. They would form the first members of his staff. Yet, in spite of small, awkward successes, he fears their progress is far too slow and nothing mankind can do will prevent the complete destruction of the human race.

In Chris Wraight's Homebound, Ilya Ravallion must choose between the decimated White Scars and living out what remains of her life in peace. An embattled Ahzek Ahriman must race against time to learn what he can of the warp before its gates close to him forever in Ex Libris by John French. Featuring tales from Dan Abnett, Aaron Dembski-Bowden, Guy Haley and many more, this anthology follows mighty Custodians, scheming sorcerers, and the lowly footsoldiers of the Imperial Army as all negotiate the devastating aftermath of Humanity's greatest reckoning.CONTENTS– Introduction by Jacob Youngs – Angels of Another Age, by John French– Fulgurite, by Nick Kyme– Fragments (All We Have Left), by Dan Abnett– Ex Libris, by John French– System Purge, by Gav Thorpe– After the Dawn, the Darkness, by Guy Haley– Homebound, by Chris Wraight– The Carrion Lord of the Imperium, by Aaron Dembski-Bowden

The Great Angel, Sanguinius, lies slain at his brother's hand. Terra burns as reality itself unravels, and the greatest bastion of civilisation teeters on the brink of annihilation.Desperate defenders gather, banding against the rabid traitor hordes. The Hollow Mountain, host to the pilgrims of Euphrati Keeler, is one of the last redoubts held by the Dark Angels while the unclean host of Typhus lays siege. Malcador the Sigillite sits ablaze on the Golden Throne, trying to buy his master more time. But time is running out...Guilliman races across the stars to reinforce the Throneworld. Will he return to ashes, where a Warmaster of Chaos has ascended to godhood, or will the Emperor have triumphed? And at what cost?

Lasia's fate is a short story of the legend of Saint George and the Dragon retold through the eyes of both George and the Princess.Lasia's Fate tells the story of one of the most famous tales in Christian legend, that of Saint George and the Dragon. The story is neither trying to make the reader believe or disbelieve in the existence of God but rather to enjoy the narrative as a knight does battle with a mighty dragon.

Inquisitor Gregor Eisenhorn has spent his life stalking the darkest and most dangerous limits of the Imperium in pursuit of heresy and Chaos. But how long can a man walk that path without succumbing to the lure of the Warp? Is Eisenhorn still a champion of the Throne, or has he been seduced by the very evil that he hunts? Warhammer 40,000's most beloved anti-hero finally returns in a stunning new novel that pits him against his oldest and most constant foe, and forces him to confront the true darkness of his own self. For the first time ever, the Black Library presents the definitive casebook of Gregor Eisenhorn, collecting all of Dan Abnett's celebrated Inquisitor short stories into a single epic volume. The stories, some of which have never been in print before, have been compiled and introduced by the author to serve as an indispensable companion to the acclaimed Eisenhorn trilogy, and to act as an essential prologue to The Magos, a brand new, full-length Eisenhorn novel.

Quickly in and quickly out. That was the plan. It had been over an hour.Scar Tissue is the first novel in a projected series of detective/mysteries in the spirit of Raymond Chandler and Robert B. Parker. Robert “Lucky” Lucas, a fifty year old retired police Detective and widow from Southern California, has relocated in San Francisco to be near his son’s family. As a favor to his daughter-in-law Kathleen, Lucas reluctantly agrees to speak with Ray Rhodes, a childhood friend with prison record who has been arrested on weapons and drug charges, but adamantly proclaims his innocence. During his investigation, Lucas becomes convinced Rhodes is the victim of jealousy and crooked cops, and is trapped in the middle of a disturbing and dangerous family history, a history that will lead to murder and attempt on Lucas’ life. Mark Gummere lives in San Francisco, teaches classes in Cinema Studies, and is a former San Francisco Private Investigator. The second Lucky Lucas novel, The Damage, has just been released, and is also available on Smashwords as a downloadable ebook. The third Lucky Lucas Novel is underway.

On an open-ended assignment for one of Hollywood’s mainline studios Raymond James, private investigator, and his partner Miss Suzuki develop an understanding of the communist conspiracy plaguing America. Her experiences lead Miss Suzuki to predict the future capture of our country through promotion of a cult-of-personality figurehead fronting for a shadowy cabal of entrenched domestic enemies.It’s 1947 in America. Enemies foreign and domestic working under explicit orders in service to the Soviet Union have infiltrated virtually every institution. In these times free Americans have not yet succumbed to the doctrines and deceits of political correctness. Engrained with common sense and rational thought, they could never foresee that so many would someday yield to such blatant manipulation after only a few decades of indoctrination and conditioning.Yet one among them does.Newly returned from the Pacific War and Japanese occupation, private detective Raymond James hangs out his shingle in Hollywood, hires on Miss Yuki Suzuki, ex-internee of Manzanar, and works his way onto the studio lots. Neither expects that an unusual assignment will plunge them deep into the heart of darkness of the American communist conspiracy. What starts as a simple case of mistaken identity grows into a cross-country odyssey of treason, murder, duty, honor, and courage before just one communist plot is discovered and run to ground.Join Ray as his adventures take him from the docks of Los Angeles Harbor through the studios of Hollywood and the defense industries of New Mexico to a nest of vipers hidden deep in the high society of Tampa-St. Petersburg. Obtain glimpses of the moral dangers inherent in an alien, inhuman system that brooks no dissent and relentlessly enforces its tenets by any means necessary. Share the vision of Ray’s partner Yuki who understands better than any what the future holds.

For hundreds of years, the Ironship Trading Syndicate was fuelled by drake blood–and protected by the Blood-blessed, those few who could drink it and wield fearsome powers. But now the very thing that sustained the corporate world threatens to destroy it. A drake of unimaginable power has risen, and it commands an army of both beasts and men. Rogue Blood-blessed Claydon Torcreek, Syndicate agent Lizanne Lethridge, and Ironship captain Corrick Hilemore, spread to disparate corners of the world, must rely upon the new powers and knowledge they have gained at great price to halt its forces–or face the end of all they know.