Showing results by author "Luke Chmilenko" in All Categories

Reidon Ward will become a god. He doesn't know it yet, of course. Reidon was born weak, sickly, and small. Afflicted with a painful disease and abandoned by his parents because of it, he has had to fight tooth and nail for every minor advantage life has allowed him. However, his perseverance has not gone unnoticed, and when the most powerful artificial intelligence in human history takes an interest in him, things began to change quickly.

Maulkin didn't know dying would mean a new eternity of dungeon delving, monster slaying, and glory hunting. If he had, he wouldn't have been so worried about kicking the bucket on a date gone even more wrong than usual. Reborn in the wild world of Amaranth, Maulkin finds himself in a hulking demi-human body with a sword of a size to match. Marked as an Eternal, a fledging immortal of boundless potential, Maulkin soon discovers he's been given a mission by the elder pantheon of this new realm.

Diving into a revolutionary new video game, Marcus and his friends escape a stagnant society, entering into a world that defies their wildest imaginations. But from the moment that he logs in, Marcus finds himself separated from his friends and thrown into a remote village under attack by a horde of goblins. Forced into battle, Marcus rallies the beleaguered villagers and, with their help, manages to drive off the invading creatures. With the village in ruins and their supplies spoiled, the villagers turn to Marcus for help in rebuilding the village.

Absalom Scryne, the greatest wizard of his generation, has been murdered. There's no other explanation for why his consciousness now resides in his well-worn but perfectly pointed hat. Well, he isn't going to take that lying down . . . or hanging from a branch, as the case may be.

Fresh off their victory over Graves and his followers, Marcus and his friends have managed to enjoy a few weeks of relative calm and peace as they continue to build Aldford, preparing the town for a new wave of settlers coming from Eberia. But as the days wear on with no new arrivals in sight, they begin to fear the worse, eventually setting out to search for their promised reinforcements and soon realizing that they weren’t as alone on the frontier as they thought they were.

When a fierce aetherstorm unleashes a wave of demonic aetherbeasts on New Albion—capital of the Valestra Kingdom—Callum Stross and his friends Quinn and Marcella answer the call, defending the city with a courage befitting the next generation of Great College archmages.

Barely surviving the collapse of an entire planet, Auric and West have escaped to the only place they could. Unfortunately, that place is a world out of time—or perhaps—frozen in it? A shattered, purgatorial instance where gravity doesn’t make sense, ancient guardians slumber, and the secrets of the inner workings of the System wait to be uncovered. In this place, staying alive is unlikely. Staying sane even less so.

Despite his youth, Declan Idrys knows of the evils of the world. He knows of the bastards and brigands who plague the King's lands, of the monsters skulking in the wooded depths of the realm. Together with his companion, Ryn—a beast of rather peculiar talent—he has spent the last decade of his life beneath the bloody banners of a half-dozen mercenary guilds, hunting precisely such festering wickedness within the borders of Viridian.

Answers and vengeance are so close that Absalom Scryne can almost taste them. Perhaps if his consciousness had been transferred to a pair of shoes instead of a hat, he would've had the necessary tongue to do so . . . Having made it through the Badlands by the skin of his crooked yellow teeth, Ig the kobold celebrated the achievement by blowing everyone up. Now, separated from the unhygienic scalp of his apprentice, Absalom must navigate the pitch-black underworld.

Sylvas Vail is a big fish in a small pond, the most powerful mage on his planet. But when the doors to the cosmos come crashing open and all the untold wonders and terrors of the universe come pouring in, he is left with only two options: Ascend or die.

Maulkin and his Eternal buddies are on a roll. They're getting stronger, have two of the shards that will help prevent the return of an evil god, and even have a good idea where to find the rest. Maybe Maulkin has taken a month off to hang out with his new elven girlfriend and learn how to swing his giant sword around, but hasn't he earned a holiday? 

Maulkin and his Eternal allies may have just caused the apocalypse, but at least they’re doing it with style. The Voidgod is back and the Alvaren Queen is now convinced that Maulkin is the second coming of the Voidgod himself, but at least they have the totally awesome magic sword made out of the weapon that put the big bad down for a long nap last time! No wait, they don’t. The first thing Araphel did after stretching and yawning was to turn it to dust.

All Auric Cain ever wanted was a chance. A chance to prove himself. A chance to take control of his life. A chance to be more than a lowly D-Tier, the lowest of the low, in a world broken by the arrival of an alien, enigmatic being known as The System.

The When Swords Fall Silent anthology showcases the imaginations and talents of more than a dozen of the best modern science-fiction and fantasy authors, with each tale centered around one or more characters burdened with a bloody task they will see to completion no matter the cost. Every story takes you for a vicious ride through a world of shadow and death, each as unique in perspective and execution as the contracts carried out within.

Thy legend was born in the shadow of the beast. Marked with their sign. All dust in the wind. Thy strength was forged in the shadow of the beast. Strength within. Echoes without. Loathe greatest of all when beasts’ shadows are gone. No longer in shadow, the shadow in thee. Breaker of stars, devourer of gods. Haunted triumphs none would crave.

The Culling is over, and against all odds, Sylvas stands victorious. But even so, his training isn’t over. In fact, it’s barely even begun. Before he can do anything more than catch his breath, he and all the other cadets are whisked off planet for their next trial. Onslaught Citadel. And this time, dying won’t be enough to save them.

The unimaginable has happened. Sylvas has taken in War, Blood, and Strife and bound it to his heart. A feat that has seen the Empyrean Alliance plucking him from the comforts of the Ardent and pulling back the veil that once masked everything. Now, for the first time ever, Sylvas can see his place in the galaxy, standing between the threats that seek to unmake it.

Gavin, sundered from his band, seeks to survive the trials and tribulations of a decidedly minor Gladiator. He is forgotten by most, but still draws the hate of Valaran diVolcanus, the most vicious fighter among his peers. As Gavin wades into the Free Leagues, Sadira reaches the zenith of her career, assuring her place in the Grand Championships. But jealousy and betrayal mar her ascent, and while she might be a diva on the fighting grounds, she soon discovers that she is only a pawn in the Great Games.

In the Domains, those born with magic have only one place where they can prove themselves worthy of it: the brutal pits of the arena, where they will either grow in power and build a following with every victory, or risk dishonor and death in defeat. For these "Gladiators", the ultimate prize for their struggle is a place among the Chosen, the immortal rulers of that vast and decadent empire.

Lazarus Cain is a member of the Grim Shadows, one of the Thieves Guilds in the city of Eberia. Unfortunately, Lazarus is having a bad day. Waking up in a torture chamber, suffering from amnesia, he'd be pretty much screwed if not for the mysterious, magical sigil burned into his chest. Sometimes a really bad day should be shared with others, especially professional torturers.