Showing results for "Monstrous Fictions" in Fantasy

“Wickedly satirical . . . nothing short of brilliant.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review) New York Times bestselling author Sir Terry Pratchett explores the inanity of war, sexual politics, and why the best man for the job is often a woman in this acerbically funny and poignant Discworld...

It’s really hard to pretend like life is normal when you’re staring a monster in the eyes, though he’s both tempting and irritating in his human form. I put my days as a hunter behind me, unable to cope with the death and pain anymore, to become an upstanding citizen and for what? To assist Lake, a man who claims he’s not a monster but keeps talking about me like I’m edible and–even worse–wants to woo me?

My role as Moric—ruler of a small and prosperous fiefdom in a quiet corner of the world—has always been painfully dull and stifling. Until a beautiful, otherworldly creature with pink skin and a mane of golden hair falls through a strange void that has appeared in my guestroom. I am instantly captivated by him. I have never seen anything like him. I have no idea where he came from, and what else is through that unsettling void—another world filled with soft-skinned, defenseless creatures like him? No tails, no horns, no claws, no sharp teeth. Tiny clothing, rounded ears, bright blue eyes.

From the beaches of Orkney to the Welsh mountains, and the Derbyshire peaks to the Cornish moors, Britain is home to many strange creatures of folklore. Some are ancient, as enduring as the forests and mountains they inhabit. Others live among us, in our cities, creating new legends as they scuttle through the shadows. And none of them are to be trusted.

When I—along with my best friend and his big purple monster boyfriend—come across a fortress-like raider camp while journeying across the monster-infested Wastes, we stop to deliver a message. Somehow, that simple pit stop turns into a seemingly impossible quest to get this camp's missing leader out of the prison where he's being held and forced to fight monsters and other humans. I know exactly where it is because I've been there. Problem is, I'm making this journey with the prickliest and most arrogant guy I've ever met, who seems to hate me on sight. Oh, and he's also half-monster.

Catch up with the original monster-human couple, Danny and Wyn, in their Wastes-style adventures. Witness Moth and Wyn's blossoming and potentially concerning friendship. Find out all the new ways Edin has been frustrating Hunter (lovingly) since their story ended. And join Lor and Jugs in welcoming a new furry addition to their monster-world family.

The North American Pack was always meant to be Ember's birthright, but she grew up far away from shifter culture in a sanctuary city for monsters. Her wolf yearns to scout pack lands and socialize with other wolves, but Ember understands the risks, especially considering female shifters are nearly endangered nowadays. So, she keeps her distance, even if she has to fight her wolf at every turn... And that works until Ember's team is called in on a mysterious case for the paranormal council.

Los Angeles brims with opportunity in 1959—though not for aspiring fashion designer Cordelia Mai Yin, the first-generation child of Vietnamese immigrants, who finds the city unkind to outsiders and as dispirited as her own family. When Cordi rents a cheap loft in an old apartment building, she quickly warms to kindred souls Tessa, Audrey, and Silly. They also want better things and have pasts they’d rather forget. That they all share the same middle name makes their friendship seem like destiny.

It would be an understatement to call Trevon Beaumont an accomplished monster slayer. He's traversed the European countryside upholding the legacy of his clan one completed mission at a time for the whole of his adult life. Now he's on his most perilous quest yet: slay the cruel but beautiful Countess Dracula. Just as the two of them seem ready to conclude their final battle, however, an unexpected act of betrayal sends them hurtling together through time—bloodbonding them, thus entwining their fates.

A masterpiece of the sexual gothic, this is the story of Andrew Halfnight, whose life, part dream, part nightmare, begins with a mother's tragic choice and ends with a lover's embrace. In between he experiences tempests at sea, on land and in the mind; and relatives who kill for love and lovers who sacrifice their bodies; as all the while he moves ever closer to the central mystery of his and all existence.

""Wickedly satirical . . . nothing short of brilliant.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review) The 31st entry in Sir Terry Pratchett’s internationally bestselling Discworld series about the art of war and the brave women who wage it. This new audiobook recording is narrated by Katherine...

Life as a single mom to a kid that's an entirely different species isn't easy, but Charity is chugging along, doing the best she can. Keeping up with a precocious dragon shifter and working at The Monster's Den account for all her free time. And she's mostly okay with that, if a little lonely. Only the universe seems to love to keep Charity on her toes… She has a shifter stuck in wyvern form living in her courtyard, an antagonistic dragon residing next door, and a djinn who won't stop following her around. They all have one thing in common—they claim Charity is their mate.

She spends her days chasing around her high-energy, half-shifter toddler and her nights working full-time trying to make ends meet. Oh, and add in the absolute cluster of a situation her ex dumped in her lap on his way out? Well, that's just icing on the cake. With virtually no options left, Emerson heads for Haven, a sanctuary city for monsters and humans alike. Survival means taking a job at The Monster's Den—a club that caters to the inhuman residents of her new home. But freedom comes with complications of its own.

When Nadia is called to help deliver a human woman's little elven babies, she knows she can't say no. After all, she's masquerading as a fertility witch since blood witches were hunted out of existence several generations ago. But North Falls isn't like any other sanctuary city Nadia has been to, and the differences are enough to make her blood boil.

Aline knows better than to meddle. The runaway Princess of Faere learned the hard way what happens when others see what her magic can do. No, it's far better to focus on her own problems, like running The Monster's Den and staying off the paranormal council's radar. Tragedy strikes Haven as things are finally starting to come together for the lonely fae, and Aline has no choice but to intervene.

I've already mentally prepared myself to kill the screaming, murderous monster in the cage outside our camp. I'm used to it. It's what I do here. Kill monsters and other people. This monster, Seraph, is particularly unstable—has been since the moment he arrived from Collector Mary's monster menagerie to the west, where the military stashed him away. He's in pain. I can see it. But he's not a mindless beast. Not like some of the others think. When I start guarding him in his cage every night, I begin to see the person beneath the agony that tortures his every waking moment.

It would be an understatement to call Trevon Beaumont an accomplished monster slayer. He's traversed the European countryside upholding the legacy of his clan one completed mission at a time for the whole of his adult life. Now he's on his most perilous quest yet: slay the cruel but beautiful Countess Dracula.

Royal alchemist Kaethe knows two things. One: Drinking tea made from steeped riverhearts will cure almost anything. Two: Never, ever trust an orc. When a rumor that she believes pertains to her missing brother has her leaving the safety and warmth of King Arkain and Queen Elvie's court, she finds herself in the heart of the orc's territory. Brokenbone Mountain is rumored to be filled with unspeakable danger. If you can survive the harsh elements, those foul creatures that call the mountain home will enjoy feasting on your bones. Delightful.

Joel Barker is a small town vet and licensed pet groomer, and he used to own his own pet supply store. He's a bit of a renaissance man like that. He's always been good with cats and dogs and things like that, but imagine his reaction when a pale little girl with a pair of suspiciously sharp fangs visits his shop with her big brother, the Grim Reaper. The pet they ask him to help? A three-headed fire-breathing dog from the line of Cerberus.

As a princess of the light of elves, their two kinds have been separated since before her birth. When a royal messenger arrives inviting them to a ball hosted by the king of the dark elves, Elvie knows she cannot pass up on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Even after the warnings from her father, Elvie knows this will be a night she’ll never forget. She expected to end the night with sore feet from the endless hours of dancing…not to be engaged to the king himself!