Showing results for "Short Stories" in Action & Adventure

For well over a century, Monster Hunter International has kept the world safe from supernatural threats far and wide. Now, join us as we delve some of the wilder stories from the library archives which have never seen the light of day. The Monster Hunter Files Vol. 2 continues the secret lore and mythical battles against the forces of evil, and the fallout from these conflicts.

As a newly awoken healer, Karzon's magic is unexpectedly rare. When the kingdom of Arlenia crumbles under monsters rising from corrupted gems, Karzon realizes all will fall without him, because his magic alone can destroy the source. Thankfully, he's not alone. Among the fantastic women fighting by his side are Briena, the lithe, silver-haired elven warrior, and Aisri, the breathtaking fire-mage. Together they'll discover the truth behind the dungeon gems and their combined power will face its greatest test in this high-stakes adventure.

Taken from my old life with little memory of what brought me here, I wake up in a high tech capsule. A wrinkly old elf tells me that my soul is incomplete and has been fused with that of a Solar Dragon to give me a second chance at life. Where? When? An urban metropolis filled with fantasy races, erected atop the back of a giant asteroid. Meteoropolis. And millions of years in the future, to boot. But that's not all. I've got super powers, too. To add to the excitement, I end up hosted by an anxious unicorn elf named Pinky Peach who is basically a professional gamer girl.

Stories with depth, strong protagonists, high tension, all told while pulling at your heartstrings, or making you smile with understanding. In this anthology, you'll find fifteen stories, including many novelettes. Go on adventures with heroes old and young, a couple of war pigs, and visit many new fantasy worlds. Watch out for the dragons! Deep Magic: Volume 3 has stories that will satisfy your hunger to escape.

The four rules of freelance villainy are as follows: 1. Always wear a mask 2. Never hurt civilians 3. Never kill the heroes you’re paid to fight. 4. And the bad guy always loses. Victor, better known as the super villain Magneron, always played by those rules. He fought the bad fight, got beat, and got paid. And that worked well for him and the many women who loved him. What it didn't work for was the Guild of Villainous Foes, the premiere bad guy organization on the planet!

A nearby lightning strike triggers an ancient stone portal, whisking Alex away to a mysterious alien world teeming with magic and danger. Elves, Orcs, monsters, and fantastic beasts abound in this realm of endless adventure and limitless potential. And as Alex discovers, he possesses a powerful gift that sets him apart from the rest. With his newfound strength coursing through his body, Alex embarks on a perilous journey to carve out his place in this strange new world.

No resources. No memories. No help. Jak awakens, cold and confused, on the shore of an unknown island at the beginning of a dangerous nightfall. With nothing but his name and a head drained of memory, he stumbles into the nearby forest and is quickly forced to fight for his very survival. When he meets Niri, a beautiful elf exiled from her people and left to die in the wilderness, he begins the quest to build his own tribe in a land of blood, brutality, and wild adventure.

Dwarves, beat whisperers, steel sentinels, reborn in simulations, battles, space, post apocalypses, the end of the world, and trials of Odysseus–each author created their own legend and tale. Every story is its own self-contained adventure, and an excellent opportunity to sample the work of many bestselling authors in one book. Grab your copy today!

'Louise Hegarty can do anything. She's fearless. And I loved these playful, clever, perfect stories' - MARIANA ENRIQUEZ 'Phenomenally talented' - THE SUNDAY TIMES 'Borges for the CMAT generation' - THE IRISH TIMES Are you ready to play? Have you ever found yourself doom-scrolling, worrying about...

I’ve always wanted to conquer the Big 5 dungeons ever since one of them took the life of my father nearly fifteen years ago. Nobody ever said the Path of Progression was easy, but my burning desire to dive can’t be quenched. I just never thought I’d be prohibited from getting a diving license just because I tried to help a bratty blonde girl get hers. Soon, we’re joined by a lovely brunette bookworm, and we start diving the dungeon on our own terms.

The last time Matteo tried out for the Rangers, he lost an arm. In a world plagued by monstrous threats, Matteo is granted a second chance to join the elite Rangers—the monster hunters protecting the city atop a giant turtle. With the promise of wielding a powerful magical artifact, he vows to excel in boot camp and make this opportunity count. Yet, as he endures the grueling trials of the Ranger training, a dark revelation surfaces: their ranks are thinning at an alarming rate.

Ethan didn’t believe in magical swords until one transported him to a fantasy world. A world with monsters, martial arts guilds, and elemental powers beyond imagining. In fact, it’s almost like he died and went to heaven. If heaven contained rivals bent on killing him, elf tutors who want to bed him, and a feisty spearmaiden with something to prove.

After Dylan moves to Osaka, a strange interaction grants him the power to see demons and monsters from Japanese folklore. Burning with a desire to help the people being harmed by these terrible forces, Dylan finds an answer in the devastatingly beautiful and mysterious Ayane. Through her, Dylan learns there are more sinister and deadly monsters than anyone could imagine. Evil yokai have plagued Japan for centuries and the threat is escalating. But not all yokai are evil. Will his new-found power be enough to protect the innocents and vanquish the spawn of the abyss?

An android who knows nothing besides his work in a factory is given one final week to explore the world before he is forced to undergo mandatory reprogramming in this bittersweet precursor to TJ Klune’s In the Lives of Puppets, now available in trade paperback! A Macmillan Audio production...

A mysterious island, a tribe of lovely monster gals, and a fight for survival. Troy Thunder, ex-US Secret Service, finds himself stuck on a mysterious island with nothing more than a knife and the shirt on his back. To survive, his skills will be put to the test.

Jordan Cash woke up in the heart of a Pinnacle Dungeon with no memories, a dead adventurer at his feet, and a Legendary Tablet fused to his hand. The Dungeon Core offered him a deal: take the fallen warrior's power, rescue the low-level adventurers trapped in its depths, and destroy the Demon Core threatening the Fae Wilds. In exchange, Jordan gained the Battle Scholar class—a team-management specialization that lets him control the skill trees and class abilities of every party member under his command.

Mixed Martial Arts + Cultivation + Monster Girls = Oh My!

Deep in the elbow skin of the Fae Wilds, far from the teeming fortress of the Goblin King and the glittering palace of the King and Queen of the Elves, there lies a forgotten hideaway of crumbling single-wides and rusty Airstreams. A lonely clan of beautiful women, clad in tube tops, overall shorts, and tacky Asian-print house-dresses, yearn for a man who can unstop their sewer lines and get the internet working again. Torn from his mundane life on Earth, Colton Winchester could be that man.

From the New York Times bestselling author of the Shades of Magic series, The Near Witch, and The Archived, comes "Warm Up," a Tor.com Original prequel story to V. E. Schwab's Vicious It's been 297 days since David died--and came back. He may have survived the avalanche, but the aftermath has...

Damien was a simple man, cruising on the highway of life. A goddess of temptation lures him into a deal he scoffs at. To him, superstition is for the foolish. Small problem: she's real, her ritual works, and Damien is magically teleported into a strange new realm. He awakens in Nordan, a land of myth and magic. A realm where humans battle legendary creatures for the amusement of the gods. In a war between man and myth. Damien's powers set him above the rest, a lord of life and death - enemy of all. Stranded, but not alone, will he perish, or conquer his way home?