Contemporary Science Fiction

Bree Waters has escaped the town that took her magic, but claiming her power was only the beginning. Merfolk exist at sea, and Bree has found them. Approaching the Luna pod for help defeating corruption back home was supposed to be a simple task, but their people are fighting a battle of their own. To obtain the help she needs, Bree must assist the seafolk in return. Bree should be able to access the full range of her magic, but when her mermaid tail and siren call fail to appear, the merfolk prince is tasked with training her to wield the incredible power of her ancestors.

The science fiction genre has become increasingly influential in mainstream popular culture, evolving into one of the most engaging storytelling tools we use to think about technology and consider the shape of the future. Along the way, it has also become one of the major lenses we use to explore important philosophical questions. The origins of science fiction are most often thought to trace to Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein, a story born from a night of spooky tale-telling by the fireside that explores scientific, moral, and ethical questions that were of great concern in the 19th century - and that continue to resonate today.

I killed four people. At least, that's what the jury decided. The night my family's curse detonated, it shattered every future I had planned—college, medical school, a life that made sense. Instead, I got eighteen months in prison and a felony record that won't let me forget. Now I work at a junkyard-adjacent coffee shop and train under Colin McCool—the most dangerous druid in Texas—learning to control the power that nearly destroyed me. Because magic answers to will—and mine has already failed once. So I'm trying to stay invisible, keeping my nose clean while I get my life back on track.

The last in a proud line of witches, he’s come to test his small magic in the big city. Stealing enchanted artifacts pays the rent, but the competition is fierce. And handsome. And great at magic too.

“An exciting action-adventure fantasy that will please fans of the Dirk Pitt series and the Indiana Jones franchise. A story that not only engages readers but also provokes thought.” †¢ Ibrahim Aslan for Reader’s Favorite †¢ Ibrahim Aslan for Reader’s Favorite AN IMMORTAL WARRIOR. A HIDDEN WAR. A CITY THAT NEVER SLEEPS. By day, Franklin Barbarossa is an eccentric NYU professor. But behind the books and lectures stands Fahlgrim Firebeard —battle-worn dwarf, last cleric of a forgotten god, and the final guardian in a war that has faded into myth and legend.

Anastasia Esposito Romano’s family moves in the highest echelons of Alpha-Prime society, yet she is content with her position at one of the planet’s most exclusive galleries. When her iron-fisted uncle orders Ana to chase after her wayward younger sister, she has no choice but to follow the trail to Earth—where she also hopes to find the mysterious artist whose paintings are the talk of the planet.

Trapped in a dead-end town and a dead-end life, Amy Nettle dreams of escaping her abusive father and starting over, somewhere far away. The arrival of a black envelope heralds just that, in a way she never could have imagined. Whisked away to the Saunders Academy, a Gothic manse in the heart of an eternal storm-tossed ocean, Amy is one of dozens of teenagers plucked from dozens of parallel Earths and selected for an education in witchcraft. It seems too good to be true... except. Except no one will tell them why they were chosen, or what happens after graduation.

Working as a quality-assurance grunt in the gaming industry sounds like fun, right? You get to play the coolest new games before anyone else. And all you have to do is to find, reproduce, and report bugs before the last pixel is locked in and the games are launched to an eager public. Sure, there’s the unpaid overtime, the office politics, and the ever-present threat of layoffs. But you get to game!

Commander Scott McNabb and the remaining crew of the ill-fated Hermes survey ship, journey to Earth to an area formally known as death valley, now an irradiated wasteland. Their mission is to connect the quantum intelligence, Athena, into the pan-solar communications network, enabling the QIs to rollback control of Earth by the seven and their AI servants. But their shuttle is damaged as it enters Earth’s atmosphere and it lands far from their intended location.

Charles Henderson Chip Proctors life is filled with cash, supermodels, and success. Enjoying the fast lane of the wealthy elite, the prominent NY investment executive can't believe it when his brother and sister-in-law die in a car crash that makes him guardian of their children. And it just gets worse after he discovers his four-year-old niece and six-month-old nephew are the secret half-Fae heirs to an enchanted throne.

As the fight for Boran-al's Citadel draws to a close, Dave's learned one important lesson: To protect what he cares for, he's going to have to become stronger. He can't just sit back in Cliff-Hill and take things easy. Emerilia is filled with danger as well as possibilities. It's time that Dave becomes a Master Smith.

Born without magic, Mackenzie Little has few prospects. In a futile attempt to break her out of the null caste, her mother ropes her into participating in a charity auction, where anything can be bought with enough money.

Conrad has a lot in his in-tray. Douglas Geldart is dead, and in dying he confirmed that there is an organisation whose roots go deep, and whose mere existence threatens the King’s Peace. The Akademia. Who is Homer? Conrad has to pull at a thread which has lain buried for thirty years, and in doing so he is going to make new enemies and upset old friends.

Fürst Bobschildt von Liechtenstein war vom Imperator selbst eingesetzt worden, um in dem kleinen Fürstentum für Recht und Ordnung zu sorgen. Aber der Herr des Imperiums hatte die Rechnung ohne die menschliche Gier und Geltungssucht gemacht.

Xenia doesn’t have a choice. Omegas never do. With her Alpha gone and his brother intent to claim her, Xenia is forced to endure her heat under clinical supervision—safe, controlled, and anonymous. She expects that to be the end of it, but a month later an impossible word stares up at her. Armed with her mysterious Alpha’s name, she goes in search of him… only to find his three unmated fathers and the news that their son is dead. Heartbroken as her grief compounds two-fold, she tries to flee, but a treacherous snowstorm forces her into their home and as the time passes, into their hearts.

The second instalment in the best-selling Obernewtyn series. Since their takeover of Obernewtyn, the secret community of Misfits has flourished, protected by their remoteness. Led by Elspeth Gordie, whose extraordinary powers set her apart even among her Misfit friends, an expedition sets out to rescue a powerful Misfit in a distant part of the Land. Only she knows the enormity of their task.

Watch out - the Earth just fell into a dark sun's orbit! Or maybe you'd rather visit a theme park called Hell? These are just two of the strange and unnerving tales you'll find in this collection of great science fiction and fantasy stories.

Life sucks. Gabe Harris has been clued into this fact for a long time now. In his mid-twenties, life has been nothing but low paying jobs, petty power-tripping bosses, and the worst roommates mankind has to offer. Bills, debt, and misery have haunted him for his entire adult life and, to make matters worse, it feels like his dream of being a writer is dead on arrival. One fateful night, he decides to take control of his life and make his dream a reality.

A rich and varied collection of contemporary short stories, extracts from novels, and poetry that will go a long way toward informing the English-speaking world of the latest developments in Iranian literature. This sampling - or to use the Farsi term golchine, a bouquet - provides a window onto an important but sorely neglected segment of world culture. We hope it will also serve to awaken further interest in the work and in translations of Iranian novelists and poets.

Nothing sucks the romance out of world travel like a boyfriend who may or may not have broken up with you in a hotel room in Brussels. Jane Jameson's sexy sire Gabriel has always been unpredictable, but the seductive, anonymous notes that await him at each stop of their international vacation, coupled with his evasive behavior over the past few months, finally push Jane onto the next flight home to Half Moon Hollow -- alone, upset, and unsure whether Gabriel just ended their relationship without actually telling her.