Showing results for "Spirits" in Fantasy

Nineteen sparkling stories that weave between the lands of the living and the lands of the dead. Spirits Abroad is an expanded edition of Zen Cho’s Crawford Award winning debut collection with nine added stories including Hugo Award winner “If at First You Don't Succeed, Try, Try Again”. A Datin recalls her romance with an orang bunian. A teenage pontianak struggles to balance homework, bossy aunties, first love, and eating people.

Demons, fairies, and fallen angels are everywhere. They lurk at crossroads, crouch behind doors, hide in trees, slip into beds, wait in caves, hover at weddings and childbirths, disguise themselves as friends, relatives - even disguise themselves as you. They are powerful; they are protean; they are enchanting. And, to the uninformed, they are often invisible. This guide - the first of its kind - reveals the remarkable permutations of the demon and fairy species worldwide.

In an alternate Renaissance Italy where the church regulates magic and licenses magicians, fiery Fiametta Beneforte wants to be more than her goldsmith-mage father's unpaid apprentice. But when the Duchy of Montefoglia is laid under military and magical siege, she unexpectedly must join with Thur Ochs, a young Swiss miner and foundryman, to tap their skills in both metalwork and necromancy to rescue her father's soul and combat an evil sorcerer.

Once the brightest star in the Imperium and always first among his primarch brothers, Horus has dragged the Space Marine Legions into the bloodiest conflict that the galaxy has ever seen. While their allies wage war on a thousand different fronts, the XVIth Legion descend upon the Knight world of Molech - home to the ruling House Devine, and a principle stronghold of the Imperial Army.

Danny Hook is a directionless twenty-something-year-old fresh out of therapy. Dealing with his disappointed family and dead-end career, he's sure things couldn't get much worse, until a drink-driving accident leaves his best friend Nudge dead. Danny also discovers he can see ghosts - but only when he's drunk. Saddled with a best friend who can't leave his side, they must figure out what's going on and why Nudge can't cross over. Can Danny negotiate family life, therapy and a ghost that refuses to fade into the background before time runs out?

Fresh from the success of capturing Gwain’s Keep, Alpha Company is in high spirits. Flush with coin, everyone is eager to get better gear and see what new zones they can go fight in. Not everything is roses though, as the first testing phase is about to come to an end. A number of those who ventured forth with the guild are about to return to their regular lives, and the next wave of testers brings even more players to embrace Alpha World as their new reality, if only for a limited time.

I thought killing the head of the mage council would finally give me a sliver of peace. Instead, it cost me everything: my safety, my sanity, and the man I love. While we race to find a way to save Archer, Lua is preparing to destroy the world's magic. If she succeeds, Earth will die, and the universe will follow. To stop her, I'll need every ounce of my volatile magic, the strength of my found family, and the courage to risk everything. Draining her magic might not be enough. I might have to take her soul.

Falling for the ghosts of murdered gangsters who were your imaginary friends once upon a time? I'll admit it's a little unusual. But they're back and totally real, and it's hard to argue with their admittedly obsessive level of devotion. Unfortunately, their violent dedication isn't enough to bring down the powerful man who hurt my little sister. I have to take matters into my own hands. I just wish I had a better grip on this marshy magic I've discovered in myself.

Shadow, a deadly fey warrior with little patience for mortals, ends up stranded in White Haven after her ride with the Wild Hunt ends in disaster. Gabe is one of seven Nephilim, newly arrived from the spirit world where they have been trapped for millennia. He has a violent history that haunts him, and a father he wants answers from—if he ever finds him. They all have skills that mere mortals don’t—superior strength, agility, speed, and dubious morals that give them flexibility in their work.

This is a book of fun fiction, or is it really fiction? It targets possible answers about this mythical creature. Where did Sasquatch come from? Why are the Sasquatch vastly more aware than humans? Why do they live three to four times longer than humans? What happens to their bodies after death? How do they fade in and out of our reality?

Cunning man Hiram Woolley and his son Michael carry an itinerant preacher across the border into Mexico. Hiram is haunted by the specter of a bloody-faced man that stalks him in his dreams, but also by doubts about what lies ahead in the Mormon colonies around Nuevo Casas Grandes—this is the country Hiram's father fled to when he abandoned young Hiram and his mother.

Leon Jäger has never been one to back down from a fight—but this time, the battlefield is a city that wants nothing to do with him. When a friend is taken deep into the heart of the elven lands, Leon follows, prepared to carve through whatever stands in his way. But in a nation that reveres bloodlines and the purity of spirit, his very existence is an offense. Among ancient grudges and political schemes, he must navigate a treacherous game where words cut deeper than swords—and where his every step risks sparking conflict.

Victor has seen better days. He just barely survived a savage showdown with the lethal warrior woman Rellia, which left her minus a foot and apparently cost him the life essence of his trusted magical axe, Lifedrinker. Then, much to Victor's surprise, Rellia asks him to visit her. And she does so not as an enemy but as an honorable opponent who owes him for sparing her life. Rellia wishes Victor's aid in claiming her family's land stake in a dangerous far-off realm. In return, he'll receive his own land and a place among the elite.

When Clara first arrived in Rowan Vale to visit her new boyfriend, Jack, she had no idea her life was about to change forever. After being a stay-at-home mum for years, Clara has an opportunity to start a new business and maybe find herself again. But when fate intervenes, all her hopes seem shattered, and as she and Jack struggle to cope with their new reality their relationship has never been more precarious.

My secret's out. The mage council knows about my forbidden magic, and they plan to make an example out of me and everyone who knows the truth. Everything I feared for so many years is coming true. Running from my power didn't protect my secret or those I care about. So, I have to embrace my magic and all the death and destruction it leaves in its wake. The only way to evade the council is by working together with my mates as we travel to another realm.

From Dickens's A Christmas Carol to the ghost stories of M.R. James, the tradition of a haunted tale at Christmas has flourished across the centuries. The twelve stories of The Winter Spirits are all centred around Christmas or Advent, boldly and playfully re-imagining a beloved tradition for a modern audience. Taking you from a haunted Tuscan villa to a remote Scottish island with a dark secret, and drawing inspiration from festive traditions from all around the globe, these vibrant haunted stories are your ultimate companion for frosty nights.

In the ancient land of Equestera, where magic reigns supreme and alicorns hold sway, two Fulmenian siblings, Masha and Feyn, embark on a journey of discovery. As mysterious spirits start to haunt their world, Masha faces her Protector exam with her mother while Feyn delves into arcane research alongside his father. Their journey unveils secrets that could tip the balance of their world.

Sheriff Jeff McQuede is called in to investigate the death of Evan Spence, multi-millionaire and owner of Spirit Lake Resort, recently found dead when his boat crashed into rocks. Instead of leaving his vast fortune to his son, Oliver, Spence has formed a trust which includes seven members. Spirit Lake has long been rumored to be the home of a mysterious lake serpent fondly called Jessie, which is similar to Scotland’s infamous Loch Ness Monster.

My name is Isabel Gallagher, and I have a secret. I can see ghosts. If anyone discovers my ability, everyone I care about will be killed. To keep my secret, I have to pretend to be magicless. Since mages value power above all else, I'm the town of Hawthorne Grove's favorite punching bag. I only have a year left here. Then, I can move away to a normal human town and forget that other mages exist. My five-year plan of staying alive and remaining undetected is on track. Until one night at the gym, I met them.

Elbryan and Pony - soul mates from childhood who grew even closer over time - fervently hope that the tide of darkness is at last receding from the land of Corona. Yet if evil is on the retreat, why are hordes of goblins and bloody-capped powries slashing their way ever deeper into civilized lands? A sinister threat now looms over Corona, for the power of the demon dactyl was not entirely vanquished by the sacrifice of the monk, Avelyn Desbris.