Showing results for "The Odds" in Science Fiction & Fantasy

The apocalypse happened, but no one knows how. What’s left is a barren world ruled by a high-powered caste of bookies, The Odds. Scurrying around underneath is our hero, Eldridge - a big-hearted, bumbling drifter with an estranged family he loves dearly. He’s deep in debt and deathly sick, so he places a bet predicting the day he’ll die. If he wins, he can go to his grave knowing that his family will be safe, but when he returns to his hometown to collect, he gets some bad news: He’s going to live. So it’s on to plan B.

Odd Thomas is back where it all started…because the time has come to finish it. Since he left his simple life in the small town of Pico Mundo, California, his journey has taken him to places strange and wonderful, mysterious and terrifying. Across the land, in the company of mortals and spirits alike, he has known kindness and cruelty, felt love and loss, saved lives and taken them - as he's borne witness to humanity's greatest good and darkest evil.

Only a handful of fictional characters are recognized by first name alone. Dean Koontz’s Odd Thomas is one such literary hero, who has come alive in listeners’ imaginations as he explores the greatest mysteries of this world and the next with his inimitable wit, heart, and quiet gallantry. Now Koontz follows Odd as he is drawn onward, to a destiny he cannot imagine. Haunted by dreams of an all-encompassing red tide, Odd is pulled inexorably to the sea, to a small California coastal town where nothing is as it seems.

Amid the dizzying rides, tantalizing games of chance, and fanciful attractions of a state fair, two teenage sweethearts on the cusp of life and love's pleasures find their way to a shadowy carnival tent brimming with curiosities. There, from the bizarre and enthralling Gypsy Mummy, a mechanized merchant of dreams and prognosticator of tomorrows, the young couple learns what fate promises for them. But fate, for Odd Thomas and Stormy Llewellyn, is something altogether different: full of dark corners, sharp edges, and things no seer or soothsayer could ever anticipate.

When the veil between the Fae and Human Realms fell, Merlin peeked into the future to show us how harried things would get. Cue the centrifuge of life spinning us into a scramble of course correcting. The fae who wanted to be seen are being seen—and targeted. The dangerous sects better left in the shadows are angry—and about to revolt.

John Wainwright is a freak, a human mutation with an extraordinary intelligence which is both awesome and frightening to behold. Ordinary humans are mere playthings to him. And Odd John has a plan - to create a new order on Earth, a new supernormal species. But the world is not ready for such a change...

Billy Todd has always been different. Most people called him odd, and those were the nice people. Though he was born with a learning disability, Billy's parents never allowed him to consider himself disabled. Raised to be self-sufficient, Billy might not be as smart as some, but he was a lot smarter than people realized.

Two college best friends discussing video game content from favorite games, best memories, video game hot takes and much, much more...

Frank Compton is glad he's finally back on his home planet of Earth—galaxy-hopping aboard the Quadrail on his continuing mission to prevent the Modhri group mind from ruling the universe is exhausting business—but hadn't expected to find a young woman waiting for him in his New York apartment with a loaded gun in her hand. Ignoring her demands that he rescue her ten-year-old sister, the former Western Alliance Intelligence agent sends his unwelcome guest packing—only to find himself under arrest the following day for her brutal murder.

Benny Catspaw’s perpetually sunny disposition is tested when he loses his job, his reputation, his fiancée, and his favorite chair. He’s not paranoid. Someone is out to get him. He just doesn’t know who or why. Then Benny receives an inheritance from an uncle he’s never heard of: a giant crate and a video message. All will be well in time.

Ikke langt fra den californiske kyst ligger Roseland: et gammelt palæ skjult bag tykke, meterhøje mure. Her lever den velhavende Noah Wolflaw et tilbagetrukket liv sammen med sine få ansatte. I følgeskab med den højgravide og mystiske Annamaria søger Odd Thomas tilflugt på Roseland, men huset viser sig hurtigt at gemme på makabre hemmeligheder. Stedet hjemsøges af hvileløse ånder og forfærdelige bæster, der vandrer rundt på ejendommen om natten.

Lucas Rurik is no stranger to navigating the tricky territory between humans and those touched by the rift. After all, as the last surviving member of the Raven Guild, protecting the peace is his job. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy. As much as Lucas would like to be out hunting for Dr. Callie Mitchell—a deranged scientist with a bad habit of experimenting on the rift-fused—his friends at the Rift-Crime Unit require his expertise on a perilous case.

Uppdraget var på snudd omöjligt, men om det var någon som skulle kunna uträtta det så var det Blade. Tillsammans med ett gäng specialtränade elitsoldater skulle han tränga in i garnisonen och oskadliggöra ett fyrtiotal mutantsoldater. Men det var bara början. Efter att de utkämpat första striden skulle nästa strid komma, motangreppet som förmodligen skulle krossa dem... I denna spännande thriller är världen utplånad. Människor lever i ruinerna och försöker överleva med alla odds mot sig. Men det sista som dör är hoppet!

Odd Exam is a novella from Piers Anthony about an unusual college entrance examination. Entrance exams are taken in the form of a multiplayer online game in a semi-virtual reality, with portals to other worlds and alien monsters. For those who qualify, board and tuition will be free. Can this be serious?

It takes a lot of commitment to make a marriage between a modern ceremonial magician and a chaos witch work, but when a malevolent entity takes up residence in Rhys and Moira's home, their love will be pushed to the limits. Brewing up a solution is easier said than done when your magical styles are polar opposites; throw a psychic ex and a secret society in the mix, and things are bound to get messy.

Idealistic navy Lieutenant Jacob Grimm just wanted to honor his mother's sacrifice in the last great war. When he's forced to return fire and destroy a squadron of ships to save his own, he thinks he's the hero.... Until they discover the ships are full of children. Disgraced and denied promotion, Jacob's career is over. That is until the head of ONI needs a disposable officer to command a battered destroyer on the rim.

Welcome to a collection of captivating short stories. With a strong curiosity for A.I., I often use its power to explore and expand my ideas, diving deeper into the creative process and offering a unique take on storytelling.

A monthly audio fiction anthology podcast housing all stories weird and fantastical!

A Compendium of the Unknown You can share your thoughts at: contactoddtales@gmail.com

Actor and musician Ice-T is the Dungeon Master for this emotional, anguished tale. In Comrades at Odds, Tos'un is faced with a difficult decision as Drizzt comes to odds with his grief and guilt over the tragic fate of Ellifain.