Showing results by narrator "Neil Hellegers" in All Categories

A student’s investigation into a secret cult leads to madness.

Follow Clyde on his continuing adventures, as he gets back to Glaton—wait, he promised to visit the City of Darkness. Right. City of Darkness and then back to Glaton. Except . . . wait. What's wrong with the small coastal town of Furtaxo? Okay, first Furtaxo. If Clyde can get that mystery figured out, then he can move on to the next quest.

Celebrating the 100th anniversary of the first issues of Weird Tales Magazine, 100 Years of Weird is a masterful compendium of new and classic stories, flash fiction, essays, and poems from the giants of speculative fiction, including R. L. Stine, Laurell K. Hamilton, Ray Bradbury, H. P. Lovecraft, Tennessee Williams, and Isaac Asimov.

Betrayed by those closest to him, Viktor's soul couldn't move on for decades. Pitied by one of the Gods, he was given the chance to participate in the next round of bets between the gods. It was an eternally violent game known as Towers and Rifts. The world he found himself in was nothing like the one he'd spent centuries cultivating and becoming stronger. He was right back at the bottom along with everyone else but for the knowledge he retained.

Now a Level 3 village, Tine has grown considerably since that fateful day Charles Morris got thrown in Liora by mistake and decided to become its Champion. With threats of uprising behind him, Charles could focus on bringing the Satisfaction and Happiness rates higher than ever, while also adding the basic structures that would generate enough weekly income to keep Tine growing steadily. But as with the companies he used to run in his previous life, he'll find that the bigger a village gets, the bigger the problems.

For almost thirty years, Shirley Jackson Award–winning horror author Gemma Files has consistently served up tale after tale celebrating monstrosity in all its forms: the imperfect, the broken, the beautifully alien, and the sadly familiar. Her characters make their own choices and take their own chances, slipping from darkness into deeper darkness yet never losing their humanity—not even when they’re anything but.

Ever since his 16th birthday, disaster has loomed over Micah Silver’s head, threatening him and everything he loved. Twice he tried to deny his fate, only to suffer for his hubris. Finally, he made the sacrifices necessary to confront the danger facing him head-on. Micah succeeded. At the head of an army of daemons, he defeated the Durgh Khan and saved Basil’s Cove from disaster. Only, it wasn’t to be.

I don’t agree with many of the words you’ve used, but I will give you this: They do have a way of looking at you sideways that can be unsettling. So begins a letter from Nathaniel, a PhD candidate who’s recently moved from the east coast to Orinda, California. Nathaniel knows that his brother, Brice, who still lives near their mother in Michigan, couldn’t possibly understand the nuances of his and Cate’s new life: their eclectic community, their work in academia, and the liberal, alternative thinking that shapes the way they’ve handled their fertility issues.

While officially a first-year student at the prestigious Academy, Shane's true battles are waged in the shadows of the Wish Curse Palace. But his most immediate challenge, the scavenger hunt, is only just beginning. Shane and his allies will need to fortify their base, hunt their assigned objects, and subdue the competition. The scavenger hunt covers a vast territory and features many deadly foes. But where there’s a wish, there’s a way.

Since that free-for-all that saw every Champion hurry to claim as much land as they could, many of the weaker rulers have been eliminated. As a result, the whole land of Liora is now under the control of eight single coalitions. Can they be trusted to keep to themselves and play nice, or should they be treated like threats and dealt with accordingly? That is one of the main questions Charles and his allies intend to answer when they meet up to finalize their own union.

The Tradesmen are no more. With the help of his allies, Charles finally managed to oust the nefarious guild and free Liora of its iron grip. Yet, the destruction of the Tradesmen had an unexpected effect. The vast territory they were controlling is now up for grabs, triggering a race for all Champions to claim as much land as possible. And in that rush, new dangers and enemies arise.

When Glenn’s old friend, Zack Silverstone, and the fugitive Soulseer, Anna Bronzelight, uncover an ancient threat that could destroy Wolfpine, Rebecca Coldbreaker and her fellow Blazers are called to action once more. Circumstances arranged by the Gods will set Glenn, Zack, and the Blazers on a path that may end up costing all of them their lives. Even if they manage to save Wolfpine, none will ever be the same... and some may not survive.

When a down-on-his-luck engineer ends up coming into possession of a rundown suit of power-armor, he sees an opportunity to make some quick cash by selling it off to the nearest supervillain. Unfortunately for him, what should have been a quick and easy sale to pay off his debts quickly grows into an ongoing series of events that serve only to drag him deeper and deeper into the criminal underbelly of the city he calls home.

Was there any particular reason that, near the end of your lives, you suddenly stopped buying Bounty paper towels? So begins the first question from Bounty’s market research representative to Paul and Maggie. In this unique short story, a couple who died suddenly in their 50s recounts their use of Bounty paper towels and their sudden switch to a bargain brand near the end of their lives. What appears to be a run-of-the-mill spat between spouses at the Stop & Shop is revealed to be a defining moment of a marriage years in decline.

The time is now. Ever since he first set foot in Liora, Charles had to suffer the Tradesmen's criminal practices, but now is the time for him to strike back and take them down for good. But as our dear Champion gets ready to make his move, his plans are smashed to bits. While he counted on his trading with Liskoa to bring him the money needed to fund his retaliation, he can only watch as a pirate ship sinks one of his vessels, cutting off the cash coming in.

Dying the first time sucked. Matt's trying to avoid a repeat performance. Having to save the world after being reincarnated is rather enjoyable. In a soul-crushing responsibility kind of way. For Matt, joining Earth's last line of defense in a magical realm might just be what he was re-born for.

Being a necromancer is kinda cool until you wake up half dead in a dumpster. Cisco Suarez is into something bad. Wanted by police, drenched in the stink of dark magic, and nether creatures coming out of the woodwork. Is resurrection overrated or what? This box set contains the first three Black Magic Outlaw novels ( Dead Man, Shadow Play, and Heart Strings) all at one special omnibus price.

Charles' crazy wager paid off. After facing near annihilation, he managed to upend Nicos the warmonger and secure a new strip of land near the coast. With Tine growing steadily, he can now turn his attention to developing this new village and turning it into a new powerhouse. But as always, nothing ever goes as planned. For one, the borders of his new territory do not quite reach the water, so he cannot build a Seaport until he levels up his village. He cannot even access the resource tiles such as the fish, making this place completely depend on Tine for food.

To be on a starship that's just sustained serious damage in a space battle and lost its thrusters and to find yourself in a totally different galaxy.... You might think that would be cause for panic or, at the very least, despondency, right? Not at all! Gnat maintains optimism, gradually gets his space frigate back in working order, and even finds upsides to what happened.

On Karell, you are either blessed by the gods, granted a unique power and the ability to gain experience and levels, or you are forgotten. Micah Silver was a boy picked for greatness. Chosen by the gods to bear a mythic power, he longed to take his place amongst the heroes and legends he grew up reading about. Unfortunately, his primary blessing only allows him to travel into the past by sacrificing his class, wealth, and levels - a psychological burden that Micah is reluctant to shoulder. But, even if Micah is unwilling, fate has a way of forcing you to face your destiny.