Showing results for "The Media Book" in Science Fiction & Fantasy

Five short stories that give glimpses into the lives of Griffin, Jorie, and the other characters from Second Nature.

Dragons were dying. All over the world, a curse was taking us out one by one, and nobody knew how to stop it. I watched my mother burn, I watched my little brother fall sick. That's when Robby practically falls into my lap, with his big brown eyes and charming smile and his penchant for being hunted by vampires. After saving him twice from certain death, we soon come to realize that there's a reason he's being hunted. And that reason may be the answer to all our problems, and the start to a whole new set of them.

One hundred years ago, a sheriff's posse killed dark warlock Rhyfel Gremory, but his witch-disciples escaped, and their magic made them nearly immortal. To keep their power, each year one of the witch-disciples kills a descendant of one of the men in the posse, a 12-year cycle that has cost dozens of lives, including that of Seth Tanner's brother, Jesse. Seth uncovers a cycle of ritual murders that feed the witch-disciples' power, and he saves Evan Malone, one of the warlock's potential victims. Neither Seth nor Evan expected to fall in love.

After two thousand years of providing peace for his people, Notalus was ready to pass on his kingdom to his heir and live out the rest of his days gardening in his fields in the land of Autumn . . . alone. But the Gods had other plans for him. Notalus knew he should've stayed away from the Earth realm after Dustin Constus Hill—the handsome wolf and harvester for the Volkov pack-lands—had imprinted on his soul. Falling for such a divine mortal could not have come at a worse time.

Saba Vasili, a scholar of the astral sea, faces a harrowing accusation: an arcane device he designed has malfunctioned and an entire district of the city has been obliterated and a foreign dignitary has been killed. Charged with murder, Saba is incarcerated on the orders of Byrengrad's ruling council, the Triad. Ambassador Luan Zek of the Rezwyn Empire is dispatched to take custody of the alleged murderer of his countryman. But seeing Saba's pathetic state, Zek questions whether Saba is truly guilty or only the Triad's scapegoat.

A witty, witchy fantasy murder mystery packed with ancient magic and fiendish puzzles. When Cornelia's twin sisters are taken by the Wickermere Reaper, Mallory, Diana, and Theodore must race against time to uncover the buried secrets of the Broadwicks before it's too late.

Orpheus can't believe it's come to this. After helping his childhood friend conquer the realm by raising an army of hell-beasts, the befuddled dark sorcerer finds himself banished when the price of his magic endangers the palace. Isolated and betrayed, the feared spellcaster isn't exactly thrilled when his irritating and handsome rival keeps stepping between him and certain doom.

Medium and clairvoyant Simon Kincaide owns a Myrtle Beach boardwalk shop where he runs ghost tours, holds seances, and offers private psychic readings, making a fresh start after his abilities cost him his lover and his job as a folklore professor. Jaded cop Vic D'Amato saw something supernatural he couldn't explain during a shootout several years ago in Pittsburgh and relocated to Myrtle Beach to leave the past behind, still skeptical about the paranormal. But when the search for a serial killer hits a dead end, Vic battles his skepticism to ask Simon for help.

Five months after they stopped The Whistler, business is booming for the Undetectables. Just not work that requires magical forensic investigators. So when Diana's ex asks them to solve a murder—her own—Diana, Mallory, and Cornelia can't say no.

The United States of America has been gone for over a century. In its place, The Unified American Territories—a nation divided, the impoverished and the wealthy are separated by a looming steel wall. In the Northern Territories—The Vault, as it is known by its inhabitants—the government rules with an iron fist: All citizens are tested for intelligence and aptitude, thrust into compulsory higher education and saddled with insurmountable debt.

A young royal from the far north, is sent south for a political marriage in an empire reminiscent of imperial China. Her brothers are dead, her armies and their war mammoths long defeated and caged behind their borders. Alone and sometimes reviled, she must choose her allies carefully. Rabbit, a handmaiden, sold by her parents to the palace for the lack of five baskets of dye, befriends the emperor's lonely new wife and gets more than she bargained for.

When Naomi Woodward's doctor recommended her for a clinical trial, it seemed like the answer to her prayers. She was finally able to get her gender confirmation surgery and the surgery was a resounding success. She finally looked and felt like the woman she always knew she was.

The Wolf's Point werewolf pack, born from the magic that calls small groups of middle-aged women to embrace their inner and outer wolves, has been protecting the town for generations. Now Becca Thornton and the Pack have their hands (and paws) full of all the trouble they can handle. Plus a bit extra. Pack member Erin Adams just found a dead body in the trunk of her car and confessed to murder. But no one's sure who the victim is and Erin can't remember what happened. Did Erin fall off the wagon and murder a former foe? She doesn't trust herself and Becca's beginning to have her doubts.

As the aftermath of the war against Avalon settles and life in the lands of Sparo returns to a semblance of order, the matron of the library, Emily, also known lovingly as the Queen of the Scrolls, decides it is time for her to return home. It was revealed in the war that Emily possessed magic and had come from lands faraway to observe the people of Sparo and document their culture as the First Seeker of her Sect. Her homeland, New Cali, lay far to the south beyond the Fringe and out into the Uninhabitable Lands.

Shattergirl, Earth's first lesbian guardian - a brilliant but aloof alien superheroine who can hurl and destroy large objects - is refusing to save people and has gone off the grid. Lena Martin, the street-smart tracker with a silver tongue and a disdain for the rogue guardians she chases, has only days to bring her home. As the pair clash heatedly, masks begin to crack and brutal secrets are exposed that could shatter them both.

Ondry and Liam have settled into a good life, but their trading is still tied up with humans, and humans are always messy. When political changes at the human base lead Ondry to attempt a difficult trade, the pair find themselves entangled in human affairs. Liam wants to help the people he left and the worlds being torn apart. He also wants to serve Ondry with not only the pleasures of the nest but also by bringing human profits. Ondry has no hope of understanding human psychology in general, he only knows that he will hold onto his palteia with the last breath in his body.

Affected by the Druid's power, something dark lurks within Hadrian Vulmar, threatening the existence of those around him. Following a lead, Zacriah and Nyah head into the forest on an expedition to cure him. When they are ambushed by living dead - bodies controlled by shadow - covered in Druid marks, they know the Druid did not perish in the sea as they thought. The Druid is back. The three known Dragori are sent on a dangerous quest to stop this dark magick before Hadrian gives into his new power and the shadow beings end more innocent lives.

Zacriah Trovirn is concerned with two things in life: hunting and dodging Petrer, the boy who broke his heart. Heartbreak becomes a distant concern when Zacriah is taken to the Elven capital of Thessolina, where he is forced into King Dalior's new legion of shapeshifters. But Zacriah isn't a shapeshifter. In truth, he doesn't know what he is. Zacriah joins forces with new friends and they soon find themselves embroiled in a clash between the three Elven continents. With war on the horizon, Zacriah must learn to use his latent power to fight and protect those he loves before they are destroyed.

Almost 3,000 years after an extinction-level event on Earth, mankind seeks to regain its former glory in a new world where magic and technology collide. Laney and Celeste, Templars of Sparo, embark upon a mission of mercy to a far-off land to aid a people thought lost to time before the Altii even found the Lower Ten. The Westlands are found along with a new enemy that Sparo may not be able to stand against: Avalon. Can this new threat be the Great Wizards of the Before Times? New alliances will be forged, and hearts will be held and broken as Laney faces her biggest challenge yet.

Rescued from slavers, healer novice Jaime Buchanan finds himself alone and free in Pyrderi, a kingdom of magic, mythical creatures, and a culture as open and kind as his homeland was cruel and close-minded. Despite his rescue, Jaime is not left without scars, both mental and physical. Traumatized by his experience and hiding his gift, Jaime struggles to earn his place in the kitchens of Angharad Palace, the heart of Taliesin City. His former life as a student of the healing arts leaves him at a disadvantage in the kitchens, and his damaged state is becoming more apparent by the day.