Showing results for "World Building" in Science Fiction & Fantasy

Andrew has one chance to pull himself up from his humble beginnings and make something of himself. He has been found to have a spark of magic deep within himself. To bring it forth, he must first learn to summon the familiar. He must use every drop of his magic to search the Lands of Mist and find the one meant for him. The one he will be bonded to for life. The one who is actually capable and willing to make all his dreams possible. Andrew may be small now, but he has big dreams.

The Dervan Empire has at last triumphed over Volanus, putting the great city to the torch, its treasures looted, temples defiled, and fields sown with salt. What little remains of Volanus is scattered across the empire, its wealth plundered and its survivors sold into slavery. It is an absolute victory for the Dervans in every way but one. Hanuvar, last and greatest general of Volanus, still lives. He now travels the length of the Dervan Empire that conquered his homeland, driven by a singular purpose—to find what remains of his people who were carried into slavery across the empire.

I always thought the worst thing about my life was shoveling manure. Turns out, I was wrong. My mother's dying words reveal a devastating truth: I'm half-fae. Before I can even process this, my stepfather announces he's sold me off to a cruel stranger. So I run. Into the woods, where fae lurk in the shadows, waiting. The only person I trust is Harek, my best friend. Yet even he has been keeping secrets. Can I trust anyone at all?

Having returned from the Star Dragon Mountain Range, Souma heads to the next destination on his diplomatic tour, the Republic of Turgis. While he is there to investigate the possibility of forming cordial relations with a neighbor they currently have no interaction with, Souma finds his attention drawn to the high level of the local blacksmiths, and a plan occurs to him. Sensing that state level negotiations will be necessary to make his plan a reality, he succeeds in arranging a meeting with the republic's head of state.

In a world teetering on the edge of change, two beings struggle to find their purpose. Will their paths lead them closer together or tear their worlds apart? For a thousand years, powerful earth vampire Carwyn ap Bryn has served others. God. His family. His friends. But tragedy and loss disrupt his peaceful existence, causing him to question everything he has committed his eternity to.

The rising wave of the undead has been stilled, the Lich Lord Daedalus defeated, and the dungeon is safe . . . for now. Now comes a time of growth, of calm and restructuring as the dungeon upgrades and the new alliances settle . . . but not all is peace and love. The gangs are rising, the asuras spread, and the dead never truly rest . . . The Age of Steel has begun.

Join award-winning audio drama makers Chris Gregory and Emily Inkpen for fortnightly conversations about world building with some of the best writers around, and find out how their worlds come to life.

Devin moved to a small island town in Alaska for a fresh start. Now, his quiet life has turned into a fight for survival against plunging temperatures and an extraterrestrial invasion. With hostile aliens and failing technology, he must quickly learn to harness the nanotechnology he now controls to build settlements and save his adoptive hometown from the new threats.

Science fiction masters Larry Niven (Ringworld) and Gregory Benford (Timescape) continue the thrilling adventure of a human expedition to another star system that is jeopardized by an encounter with an astonishingly immense artifact in interstellar space: a bowl-shaped structure cupping a star, with a habitable area equivalent to many millions of Earths. And which, tantalizingly, is on a direct path heading toward the same system the human ship is to colonize.

You might think a month away from fighting sentient cubical supplies in a threatening alt-reality office would mean a break for James Lyle. But . . . you'd be wrong. Even though James has taken a beat from adventuring into the dungeon hidden within the stairwell of his workplace, he's been dealing with plenty of stress-inducing issues, from raising a recently corporeal infomorph to navigating his newly minted relationship with his best friends, fighting his own depression, and wrestling with the moral implications of his burgeoning powers.

Argent Mettlebright knows how to keep a secret safe, but it's only a matter of time before someone notices that Hisoka Twineshaft has disappeared from the political arena. With tensions on the rise, the world needs his leadership more than ever. Nobody wants to help Sensei more than Isla Ward, but his door is barred against her. Right, then. She has a plan, and she has a co-writer. Maybe with their next book, her hopes will finally reach her mentor.

Getting pulled into the Shard left a bad taste in William’s mouth. Thankfully, the Jade Healing Sect was there to help him in this time of need. Staying within the safe walls would allow him to improve himself without needing to go through a meat grinder. It also allowed him to meet new people who weren't named Ren Bo! A new mentor, friends, a cheerful Imperial Prince, and traitors … wait, maybe not the last one.

The military showdowns, the insectoids, the search for the Gates of Ecumene, and the pursuit of Jiang Dao are all in the past. Earth, too. Kai found himself in a new and unfamiliar world, one unlike anything he has ever seen before. Heavily injured and alone, he takes a new step on his path of cultivation. What awaits him in a world where humans are considered nothing more than ordinary beasts.

Seth Andersen, a UX designer, was driving home from a bad day at work when his world changed, literally. Seth is instantly transferred to the world of Morgenheim, where knights in shining armor and magic are normal, and citizens must actually “level up” to get stronger. Seth is given the chance to choose a boon from a list of incredible super powers, but accidentally chooses seemingly the most useless power in the list.

With divinity in hand, the challenges will only continue to get larger for Dale Mitchell as his worlds grow. What new struggles await him and his companions, and what direction will these new challenges take him?

Join Dale on his greatest journey yet. The world has grown so much bigger than he had ever realized, and he is doing everything he can to stay one step ahead of the rest of the game. But no matter what he does, can he truly get ahead of the curve, and earn the strength to govern his worlds?

Tian, a Cultivator at the precipice of ascension, is thwarted in her quest for immortality. Defeated, she escapes to another world with Levels, Classes, magic, and monsters. She becomes a Lost Soul. Her core begins to dwindle, but she does not abandon her goal. Working with a group of rebels in this new world, she opposes the unkillable tyrant Galgom to learn his secrets. Against his army of machines wielding laser guns and laser swords, she will cultivate her new powers, achieving Feats as she seeks her antidote: immortality.

Thealos Quickfellow, a Shae from the kingdom of Avisahn, has left his homeland to learn first hand of the threat of the Bandit Rebellion. His life is forever changed when he meets the mysterious Sleepwalker known as Jaerod. For Thealos himself is one of the keys that can open a door to a Silvan artifact which can tame the forbidden side of the Everoot.

Betrayed by his own kind, his coven is forced to flee everything he paid for in blood. He will not forget the treachery and all that he lost, especially not those who tried to take what was his. He will have his revenge against everyone who wronged him, and no price will be too high. With two blood-elf princesses, who are as beautiful as they are deadly, and a feared vampire bone witch by his side, he will make everyone who opposed him drown in a sea of blood. Literally.

This is the second volume collecting all of best-selling author Larry Correia's short stories, novelettes, and novellas. Correia's novels are known for their hard-hitting, no-holds-barred action sequences, in-depth worldbuilding, and vivid characterization. Now, Correia turns to the short form to deliver stories that take no prisoner.