Fictional Worlds

The Unspoken One has been banished for many years, his very existence erased. Ameera must find his true name and summon him if she has any hope of saving her kingdom from war, and herself from marriage to a ruthless king. The Kingdom of Nur has been suffering for years under Ameera’s father’s rule. She's bid her time, carefully keeping her secret hidden and waiting to become queen so she can repair what her father has broken. Then an unwanted marriage to the brutal king of Nur’s enemy threatens everything she’s worked towards. With her wedding drawing near and the future of her kingdom in peril, she finds the forbidden name. She knows The Unspoken One is her last chance to save Nur, but she risks much in summoning him. His magic is not understood, the crime he was banished for is unknown, and speaking his name carries an unbearable punishment. For Nur, for herself, she must risk it all. Or lose everything she holds dear. She speaks the name too many have paid a painful price for uttering. Nothing, not the kingdom, their lives, or her heart, will ever be the same.

Grimm's Fairy Tales meet Dark Epic Fantasy. A high-born girl learns she’s been sold as a bride to a dead goblin prince. Being betrothed to a goblin prince is bad enough—they’re all ugly and horrid and live in dark tunnels underground. But being betrothed to a dead goblin prince ? That’s an immediate death sentence! Nineteen-year-old Rowan attempts to flee when she learns about her arranged marriage. But there’s no escaping a contract signed by the dreaded Goblin King. Now, all the dark magic in the Realm is against her. The gruesome King of Death himself will be looking for her soon. Rowan’s only hope is to convince the fair Nicholas—the boy she planned to run away with—to destroy her marriage contract. But it must be done before the sun rises. And already, the sky is brightening with light. Please note this 30-minute short read is a Dark Fantasy with Grimdark elements and unreliable narrators.

Life is tough in Nordturm... ...but it's hell when you're a street kid. Fedor works as a shoeshine boy, earning scraps to survive. When a gang of thieves takes him under their wing, Fedor sees a side of life he never knew existed. But as Fedor is dragged deeper into the gang, he must take a path he doesn't want, or risk becoming 'fair game'. Birth of Assassins is the prequel novel to Jon Cronshaw's series Dawn of Assassins, a coming-of-age high fantasy featuring assassins, thieves, and magic... Perfect for fans of Scott Lynch, Robin Hobb, and Brent Weekes. Get your copy now.

Although truth and honor are tattooed on his face, Tharo has abandoned both virtues in his quest to protect his charge, the princess Drinith. But it’s only a matter of time before he fails her. Another man stalks them, a hunter no prey can escape, the dreaded Souldiviner.

This is not a love story. It isn’t a knitting story either, so if that’s what you’re looking for, try the DIY section four rows over. As for me, all I want is a normal date night at the carnival, eating funnel cake, scoring prizes, and snuggling in the Tunnel of Love. But when one of the rides ends in a death toll, it trips my need to help in a world too often void of it. Problem is, I’m supposed to be staying on the down-low, and playing the hero is high profile. Now, my boyfriend and I are on the run, with more mayhem, carnage, and Carolina swamp muck than you can shake a radioactive raccoon at. If we can’t rig this high-wire game of pursuit in our favor, I’ll be wishing for the inside of a body bag. Will our red string be severed before we can cross the state line? Content warning: Mature content and themes. Graphic language. Graphic sex. Graphic violence. Graphic design. Graphic ellipsis use… PLEASE NOTE: This is a promotional novelette for those signing up for my newsletter. Forty-five of its ninety pages contain the first six chapters of my novel “The Spiral.” The two stories are connected but can be read in either order. See the reviews on Goodreads.

As a coroner, discovering the cause of death is literally my job but I’m meant to do it in a morgue, not a mega-mansion. The deceased? Lester Harrington, a reclusive wizard with more wealth than parenting skills. His five entitled brats have gathered to divide daddy’s estate but my autopsy has turned up an unpleasant truth; one of them is a killer that just doesn’t want to share. No job is worth this madness, but unless I can find the killer, my only way out of here is in a body bag.

The first time Moses Murphy’s granddaughter killed on his orders, she was six years old. For twenty years, she was a prisoner of an organized crime syndicate, forced to use her magic to make Moses the most powerful and feared man on the East Coast. To escape his cruelty, she faked her own death and started a new life as Alice Worth. As a private investigator specializing in cases involving the supernatural, Alice walks a precarious line between atoning for the sins of her grandfather’s cabal and keeping her true identity hidden. Hired to investigate the disappearance of a mysterious object of power, Alice enlists the help of Malcolm, a ghost running from a past as nightmarish as her own. It soon becomes clear the missing object was taken by someone with a dangerous secret and an unknown agenda. When her client is kidnapped, Alice must find her and the object of power before a vengeful killer destroys the city and slaughters thousands—starting with Alice.

Hsissh is a member of The One. There are some newcomers to The One's homeplanet. They call themselves "humans," and they are, frankly, mentally deficient—they can't warp the quantum world with their minds. However, Hsissh is becoming attached to one of them, a Miss Noa Sato. When The One decide they will wipe out the humans and Noa's life is on the line, Hsissh is forced to take sides ... he might find intelligent life where The One least expect it.

My name is Haldin Raish. Legionnaire. And the High General just murdered my parents. My dad was well respected in the Legion. Always had a reputation for doing the right thing, no matter the cost. He was a good man. And whatever he stumbled onto got them both killed. Messily. Now, that red-eyed thing is coming for me. It walks like the High General. Talks like him, too. But it's not. Human beings don't shirk off gunfire and smack grown men across the room like that. Not even High Generals. And he's not the only one. The only reason I'm alive is Carlisle. I still don't understand how he found me that night, or how he does the things he does. Telekinesis. Inhuman speed. He tells me I can do these things too. I'm pretty sure he's insane. Or one of them . But if the crazy bastard can help me get another shot at the thing that murdered my parents, well then... sign me up. These things picked the wrong planet to mess with. If you like wild tales of gutsy heroes fighting impossible odds, don't miss this fresh sci-fi epic. Start reading Shadows of Divinity today!

Corgren makes a living as a prize knife-fighter in the rough fighting rings along the Hart river. When a mysterious stranger offers him power to gain revenge on his enemies for his service, Corgren dismisses it as a con. But when the stakes are high against an opponent as skilled as himself, will Corgren accept the offer?

Philosophy | Ethics Short Story Magazine - May 2021 Prey: A young adult with a secret must attend 15 hours of counseling before the government will allow him to commit suicide. A Wolf On The Bus: A wolf rides the bus, and is subject to discrimination by riders and police. Guilt-Edge Security: A traveling salesman at the bar is cleverly pitched a new product by an emerging planet on the rim, Life. Grandma Ruth’s UP Truck Stop: Rachel is called back to her small town when she is informed her Uncle Stewart has passed away and learns the town has a disturbing secret. Abrama’s End Game: Abrama learns the gods created her dimension as their play-space to visit, and is forced to fight across realities when she discovers their plan to shut it down. A Change Of Verbs: A middle-aged professor changes his life by changing his verbs. After Dinner Conversation believes humanity is improved by ethics and morals grounded in philosophical truth. Philosophical truth is discovered through intentional reflection and respectful debate. In order to facilitate that process, we have created a growing series of short stories, audio and video podcast discussions, across genres, as accessible examples of abstract ethical and philosophical ideas intended to draw out deeper discussions with friends and family. Subscribe to the monthly magazine for $1.99/month or $19.95/year !

Trapped in a vintage fantasy reality, he’s a sickly dark elf too weak to lift a weapon. Can he win a brutal battle before he’s lethally logged out? Temor has been an underdog all his lowly life. Obsessed with old-school gaming, he risks his neck to mine virtual currency for the mob. But after he’s arrested and awakens inside a simulated online arena… he’ll have to fight to the death or watch his sister perish. Assigned a weakling build in a combat-heavy world with no respawns, Temor relies on his outlandish plans and magical stats to outwit his burly enemies. But with self-aware NPCs, faceless killers, and perilous dungeons standing between him and his sibling, the nerdy smart-aleck plunges headlong toward a permanent game over. Can the scrappy gamer out-class his foes before his health hits zero? ForeverQuest: Online Battle Arena is the page-turning first story in the ForeverQuest LitRPG series. If you like everyman heroes, laugh-out-loud humor, and gripping role-playing adventures, then you’ll love Alex Maven’s nostalgic quest. Read ForeverQuest to spawn into a nightmare today!

Her hunger brought a curse upon them all… Two obstacles hover on the horizon: The Industrial Revolution and The Great Clan War. The Darkling fae have grown weary and hungry during the war, during which time land rights are being decided and hunting is only allowed in certain regions. Meanwhile, the Industrial Revolution is making humans weary and it’s stealing their ability to dream. The few dreams found are often flavorless and without substance. In order to survive, Ash and Lily, a husband and wife team from the Blackmoor clan, decide to break the rules. They hunt in an uncharted, backwoods, mountain community—one that until now has only been foraged by wild Darklings, those without an allegiance to clans. The danger is great, for here bands of wild fae work together to fight against outsiders who dare to trespass on their unlawful claim. But an even greater danger lurks at the train station where the hunt begins. Up until now, Lily has always been able to follow the basic Darkling rules: You can’t hunt any human younger than twelve. But she hasn’t eaten in weeks, and when a nine-year-old boy steps off the train, she can’t hold her hunger in check. With an unspoken plea, she manages to convince her husband to join her on a lawless and deadly hunt— A hunt that will bring a curse upon the village of Ticonderoga Falls. Please note: This is a Novella Prequel to A Place of Magic by Merrie Destefano

This is a sample excerpt of a future series novel. The Glass Dungeon is where Mage Society's lawbreakers are cast away under Lord Bertrand's new regime. Mathilde is a powerful Sorceress with a family secret. Marcel is a young former spy who battled his superior and lost. Robert is inflicted with Loup-Garou, a werewolf. Prison guards wager money to pay any man who can kill him in beast form. The three inmates must remain strong amongst bullying guards and horrifying creatures. Short-story excerpt of 7200 words, taken from the upcoming historical fantasy novel, The Frosted Roses.

As a coroner, discovering the cause of death is literally my job but I’m meant to do it in a morgue, not a mega-mansion. The deceased? Lester Harrington, a reclusive wizard with more wealth than parenting skills. His five entitled brats have gathered to divide daddy’s estate but my autopsy has turned up an unpleasant truth; one of them is a killer that just doesn’t want to share. No job is worth this madness, but unless I can find the killer, my only way out of here is in a body bag.

Read the entire book on Royal Road... Imprisoned for a crime he barely remembers, Jake Darrow is forced to labor in an underground prison camp. But if he works hard, he earns time in a beta test for a fully immersive online RPG. Pantheon is beyond anything Jake has ever experienced, but the game is inextricably linked to his reality as a prisoner. And he must labor even harder to progress in the game, or face dire consequences from the overlords of the prison.

I hope you enjoy this story, and I hope you'll join me for many more. We found the aliens. Problem is, they're all dead. They had it partially right. When we finally made contact with an alien race, we did in fact leap ahead in our technological prowess. Problem was, we were raiding corpses to do it. Now, prospectors ride tiny ships out into the vast emptiness looking for even more relics to pillage. Sometimes, they get lucky. Carina is so close to paying off her lifetime debt she can taste it. So when she runs across the motherlode, an alien artifact worth untold billions, she is quick to stake her claim. She's going to retire. Join the management class. Maybe learn to sail a real ship, the kind that floats. Or she would, if it weren't for one little problem...

For inquiries, or to receive a FREE download of the first 27 pages of Book Two, A Greedy Shadow , email me at eric@ericshanelove.com. A new dark fantasy series from Eric Shane Love. An epic quest, strange creatures, and an ancient wood full of sinister mysteries. Join Eliot on his mission to find and destroy the scarecrow. In the valley of Gal-Braith, a tradition has existed for as long as anyone can remember. It is the tradition of the kohlas: a journey all boys begin on their seventh birthday. A quest to find and destroy the scarecrow. Born from an agreement between the people of the valley generations back and the low energy of the Dark Wood, no one remembers how the kohlas began and few question if it should continue. Aided only by a strange group of woodsmen, Eliot begins his kohlas like all the others. But a seed planted deep inside him by his estranged mother makes his journey different from the rest. For readers of the Dark Tower Series, dark fantasy, and gothic horror fiction, this is a satisfying fever dream of twisted characters set in a macabre forest in the land of Glint & Shade.

Out in the stars, spread across planets, humanity is too far flung for governments to keep the peace with armies and courts. So the Alliance created the Dragons - the elite, the strongest, the fastest, the best of the best humanity has to offer. They’ve taken down despots, slavers, arms traffickers. You’d really think people would know better than to piss them off. But people are dumb. People like to think they can do things like take planets over, start their own dictatorships ... and get away with it. And so Talon Rift, commander of one of the most decorated Dragon teams in history, is about to show them just how wrong they are.

One high school dropout. An illegal biohacking facility. Can she escape this criminal organisation? After her mother died, Tara Jackson-Smith lost her way. She struggled with her exam revision and made some bad choices. When she met Xavier, her world changed completely. He gave her everything she ever dreamed of and soon they married. But after the honeymoon period was over, Tara began to suspect her new husband of illicit behaviour and tracked his whereabouts. She thought he’d been having an affair. After discovering what he was really involved in, she wished he had been having an affair, for the truth was far more disturbing. However by now, Tara knows too much and must escape for fear of becoming a victim herself. Will she ever be free? High Connections is the prequel to Bad Connections , both of which are women’s near-future fiction with a dark, dystopian twist. If you like Black Mirror , you’ll love J. M. Eckford’s page-turning novella. Sign up to the VIP Reader Club today for free and as a thank you, you’ll receive Tara’s story, High Connections straight to your inbox. Simply supply your email address, sit back, and enjoy your free book! Content warning: Contains strong language and adult themes.

Bartholomew Roberts is retiring, leaving his son in command of the Queen Anne’s Revenge. It is his first command, and it may be his last. The Alliance will do everything in their power to ensure that he fails. Failure in the Alliance is not tolerated. If Doc Roberts is lucky, they will hang him. If not, he will be sent to a reeducation center, mind-wiped, and a control collar will be placed around his neck, then he will be paraded in the streets of Avalon’s capital city, as an example of what happens to people who fail in their missions. He can’t afford to fail!

Sometimes the forces of Light just need a little help from a villain to get the job done. Commander Gryton has always watched his own back. It goes with being at the top of the magical food chain. But for the first time in his existence—thanks to his devious gargoyle father—he’s been slapped with a partner. This infuriating female soldier also has the distinction of being a Null, a mortal sent by the Divine Ones to influence an outcome. A Null’s natural immunity to all types of magic allows them to battle even the most powerful of magic wielders, even demigods—earning them the title of godkiller. His sire and dam are certain the Divine Ones have sent the Null to aid the Light in defeating the Battle Goddess. Gryton doubts it’s anything so innocent. And if he’s correct, he’s just been partnered up with his doom. But if the Divine Ones think he'll just roll over and allow one of their Nulls the chance to kill him, they’ll be disappointed. Very disappointed.

When Hannibal and his apprentice warriors break through the forcefield of the last bastion of their enemy only to find themselves trapped behind enemy lines, he and his boys must battle their way to the enemy's palace and put an end to the war before more of the army falls into the same trap. When victory is the only path to peace, there can only be one direction they will go; Forward, and damn the consequences! Get this book delivered to your email account! Over 3000 other readers have already downloaded and enjoyed the story. By providing your email above, you can join our author newsletter, where, in addition to receiving the book a chapter a time in your inbox and the chance to read the entire story, you will also get updates on other great book give aways and new releases going on in the same genre! Download it today, because this adventure is just the beginning!

Amazon Best Seller! Free to subscribers Erik is content farming for his family for the rest of his life, while his brother and cousin can't think of a worse fate. For different reasons, they leave the life they know behind. Soon, their world crashes down around them as they realize it is cruel, brutal, selfish, and violent. Now, they must not only rely on one another, but also on gypsies, thieves, mercenaries, dwarves, and a mage for their survival. In the end, Erik will face danger, deceit, murder, death, evil, and - most terrifyingly - himself to become the hero he was always meant to be as an ancient evil many thought only a myth resurfaces. Enter a world readers have compared to the epic fantasies of Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones, a world of adventure, terror, political intrigue, sorcery, and great heroic deeds. Come face to face dwarves, slavers, black mages, ruthless warriors, dragons. Come live in a world full of evil and fear.

Read the entire book on Royal Road... Imprisoned for a crime he barely remembers, Jake Darrow is forced to labor in an underground prison camp. But if he works hard, he earns time in a beta test for a fully immersive online RPG. Pantheon is beyond anything Jake has ever experienced, but the game is inextricably linked to his reality as a prisoner. And he must labor even harder to progress in the game, or face dire consequences from the overlords of the prison.

A young archaeologist sought an opportunity after graduation, working at a dig site somewhere in South America. Dario’s world toppled upside down when he stumbled across an ancient alien monolith during his expedition. A tragic death struck one early morning when Dario stepped into the abysmal pit. Men In Black (MIB) appeared shortly after, telling Dario he played a vital role in human history. Dario was escorted to a secret compound in search of unanswered questions under the guidance of the director who called himself Val. Not liking what he uncovered, Dario was now on the run, finding himself lost in the mountains, poorly outfitted for the cold weather. He barely escaped if it wasn’t for the help from the lights.

The Sequel to Crowned A Traitor. The Realm isn’t for the faint of heart. Many moons have passed since Klara Lucifer fought to claim the throne of the Dark Forest of Malum. The new treaty between the Fae Lands of Kalos and Malum has eased border restrictions, and a tense peace is holding between the two lands. However, when rumours of dark creatures going missing begin to reach Klara, the young queen worries that the concord is even more fragile than it appears. Could the Realms be hovering on the brink of war? When the Fae Queen, Aemella of Kalos, invites Klara to a Kalion ball to honour their lasting peace and treaty, it’s the perfect opportunity to find out what is lurking beneath Kalos’ perfect surface – but it’s not long before old enemies and Malum’s dark history return to haunt Klara in a way she never could have expected. She soon will learn that the enemy of her enemy is not to be trusted. A lavish evening hiding deadly secrets. The rise of those fallen. An unexpected ally. Can Klara do what she must to save herself and those she loves… or will she end up imprisoned in a cage of her own making?

Blue May used to be a state-recognized mathematical genius. Until she ruined it all—so the Media insists. Quitting the uptight rigidity that had been her life—the life in which her parents orchestrated every single motion she made, had been the second-best decision she'd ever made. Falling in love with Kent Westerwood was the best and she loved every moment. Until her world came crashing when he mysteriously vanished, and her only hint to finding out what happened to him was his last live stream on an online gaming platform testing website. Along with the help of some close friends, she starts a tricky adventure that changes reality as she knew it and soon learns that playing with time is like walking on the sharp edge of a blade.

Harald, a Courier in service to the Premier of Estanfal, has done many a detestable task in the ruler's name. So when he's presented with his latest task - to bring forward a girl of good health and fine teeth, for purposes the Premier doesn't make clear - Harald thinks he'll have the stomach for it. Turns out, he might be wrong. This time, he's having doubts. But in the Premier's service, doubts can have deadly consequences...

A short book that includes Prologue to the series 'Reality's Edge' and amazing images of the main characters who inhabit the series beginning with Book 1: The Sixth Mind.