Showing results for "Crank" in Science Fiction & Fantasy

The Stolen Bacillus and Other Incidents is a collection of fifteen fantasy and science fiction short stories written by the English author H. G. Wells between 1893 and 1895. It was first published by Methuen & Co. in 1895 and was Wells's first book of short stories. All of the stories had first been published in various weekly and monthly periodicals.

Everything Poppy has ever believed in is a lie, including the man she was falling in love with. Thrust among those who see her as a symbol of a monstrous kingdom, she barely knows who she is without the veil of the Maiden. But what she does know is that nothing is as dangerous to her as him. The Dark One. The Prince of Atlantia. He wants her to fight him, and that's one order she's more than happy to obey. He may have taken her, but he will never have her.

A decade ago Darrow led a revolution, and laid the foundations for a new world. Now he’s an outlaw. Cast out of the very Republic he founded, with half his fleet destroyed, he wages a rogue war on Mercury. Outnumbered and outgunned, is he still the hero who broke the chains? Or will he become the very evil he fought to destroy? In his darkening shadow, a new hero rises.

A decade ago Darrow led a revolution, and laid the foundations for a new world. Now he’s an outlaw. Cast out of the very Republic he founded, with half his fleet destroyed, he wages a rogue war on Mercury. Outnumbered and outgunned, is he still the hero who broke the chains? Or will he become the very evil he fought to destroy? In his darkening shadow, a new hero rises. Lysander au Lune, the displaced heir to the old empire, has returned to bridge the divide between the Golds of the Rim and Core. If united, their combined might may prove fatal to the fledgling Republic.

When a master craftsman dwarf is fired, he threatens retaliation. The rogues-for-hire known as Riyria are commissioned to find and stop him. Traveling to the paradise resort of Tur Del Fur, the two are granted a lavish allowance that, along with the easy job, promises to turn the trip into a vacation. Everything would have been perfect except that the disgruntled employee’s last name is Berling and the target of his wrath is the legendary towers of Drumindor.

With a formerly hostile mercenary company under their control and enough resources to work with freely, Adrian and Amelia can finally pursue the one true desire they both share: freedom. The threat of Amelia's father might still hang over their heads, but they are set on eliminating it. This requires them to muddle their way back to where it all began: the city's slums, and all the different actors exerting their influence there. But, if they're expecting Adrian to be easy prey, he's set on proving to them that he can more than just protect the new life he's started with the doctor's daughter…

Was the Hereditas Expedition doomed from the start? Led by Pontifex Bilrach, the Mahjarrat must find the artifacts of the dead god Tumeken and complete the Ritual of Rejuvenation, otherwise they face extinction. Forced to work together by Zaros, the Mahjarrat form an uneasy alliance, though they all have their own ambitions.

Dina Demille doesn’t run your typical bed and breakfast. Her inn defies laws of physics, her fluffy dog is secretly a monster, and the only paying guest is a former Galactic tyrant with a price on her head. But the inn needs guests to thrive, and guests have been scarce, so when an Arbitrator shows up at Dina's door and asks her to host a peace summit between three warring species, she jumps on the chance.

Casteel Da’Neer knows all too well that very few are as cunning or vicious as the Blood Queen, but no one, not even him, could’ve prepared for the staggering revelations. The magnitude of what the Blood Queen has done is almost unthinkable. Nothing will stop Poppy from freeing her King and destroying everything the Blood Crown stands for. With the strength of the Primal of Life’s guards behind her, and the support of the wolven, Poppy must convince the Atlantian generals to make war her way—because there can be no retreat this time.

Everything feels off—especially me. I’ve returned to Katmere Academy, but I’m haunted by fragments of days I have no recollection of living and struggling to understand who, or what, I really am. Just when I start to feel safe again, Hudson is back with a vengeance. He insists there are secrets I don’t know about, threatening to drive a wedge between Jaxon and me forever. But far worse enemies are at our doorstep.

Asgarnia's fate hangs in the balance. Disparate tribes unite under the banner of Lord Raddalin, and his enemies look on in fear and hatred. Raddalin's advisors—an uneasy alliance of Black and White knights—whisper of a discovery in the North that will give them the power to change everything. Caught in the midst of history, a lowly scribe and the son of a Jarl hold the fate of Raddalin's new kingdom in their hands.

After a cataclysmic interstellar war that came very close to exterminating humanity, the Daybreak Republic has risen from the ashes and embarked upon a mission to unite hundreds of human colony worlds under its banner. The Republic hopes to prevent a second and final conflict that will complete the destruction of the human race. But not everyone agrees that the empire's ends justify the means.

In this thrilling sequel to the magical and mystifying Forged for Destiny, Raul has a choice: embrace his fake destiny as the savior king or send his people on a path to certain doom. Cursed with the knowledge that his destiny as the hero of Estis is a lie, Raul still tries his best to lead a...

My name is Pamela, and I am a witch. I will protect Rylee’s pack, my family, at all costs. They are my greatest treasure, one I never dreamed to have. And I will defend them–even to the damning of my soul. The demons have been beaten back, but I can feel darkness lurking just beyond my sight. Darkness that is coming for those I love. To protect them, I will chance everything on a stranger.

Raul has a destiny: claim his birthright as the last surviving heir of King Balbainus and lead his conquered people to freedom. The signs are all there—his birthmark, in the shape of Balbainus’ halfmoon and dagger sigil, the gemstone-hilted sword he found in his parents’ inn, and the...

I guess trying to catch the bus with your laces undone isn’t such a smart decision after all… One fatal collision later, and I’m facing my judgment. As it turns out, I’ve been a lazy sob, and my short, uneventful life of playing games and getting up late wasn’t worth much. And so I don’t qualify to move on to the afterlife. I try to argue to the goddess in front of me that I do have skills, that it was hard work playing those simulation and management games. But she will not concede. In the end, I manage to get the benefit of the doubt, and a wager is made.

John, Scout, and the rest of Joyce's crew flee across the deserts and magical wastelands, holding the plans to make motivators: devices that provide unlimited magical power to any mage. Devices owned only by Greyshade, the man who saved the world after the apocalypse. Devices he blames for bringing the apocalypse in the first place. Devices he'll do anything to keep secret. Now, instead of bounty hunters, Greyshade is sending armies and magical assassins after them. And if that's not enough, he's leading this vast force himself.

It’s not just a box: it’s an ancient weapon capable of destroying entire cities. Deep within the badlands, warped and twisted by tainted magic and weirdlings, the box holds secret wisdom lost in the Cataclysm. The archaeologists who discovered it are selling it to the highest bidder. If it falls into the wrong hands, their fragile civilization’s uneasy peace will be shattered once and for all. John and his fellow adventurers are hired to steal this ancient artifact so it can be safely destroyed. Stealing it is one thing; surviving it is another.

Once, there was a shining civilization grounded on magic, with sorcerers, flying cities, iron ships, castles in the clouds, and wonders beyond the dreams of mortal men. Then, in a single cataclysmic moment fifty years ago, magic flared and the wondrous world came to an end. The few who survived are struggling to reclaim what they lost. Meanwhile, darker forces plot to shape the future to something more to their liking.

I draw the line at serving people grasshoppers for dinner. As luck would have it, on the same day I quit my job as head chef at Suzette’s, a fine-dining restaurant in Boston, I was offered an opportunity to open a restaurant at a castle in Scotland. But now that I’m here in Loren Brae, I’m not so sure this city girl can hack it.