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Thousands of years ago, the great Sage Montok Waynew signed the Book Accords, in which it was declared that all books must edify and instruct for the good of all mankind. Created in the hope to end the tyranny that had come into existence in their time, it was widely received and ratified by all living Sages as a good thing in the wake of the last great Story wars. So it went, that those books that were not found desirable were burned or destroyed, to protect all future generations.
Gailen, Alena and Targ find this peace is about to end. In a world where Sages can summon stories to life to do their bidding, these three apprentices must find where they belong, when the laws of the past seem to no longer exist.
Who doesn’t love a good story? Sharlow’s Story Tellers is an intriguing book of fiction and fantasy. Story Tellers is brought to life by the excellent prose, engaging characters, magical plot, and overall fine writing.
Perhaps one of the best fantasy novels I have viewed in quite some time, we hear the story of three heroes, magical creations through the use of stories, and self-discovery. A highly recommended, delightful read of its genre. - L. Anne Carrington and The Book Shelf
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My name is Sumto, and I am a gambling, lazy, good-for-nothing drunk who has to join the army and fight in a war I am frankly too corpulent to cope with. Still, that’s got to be as bad as things get, Am I right?
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In a misty land, long ago, and far away, lived a lovely girl-child of fourteen. Her lineage was as mysterious as the mountain range that loomed over the valley where she lived. Her father grew flax, and her grandmother, “The Dark Weaver”, wove the linen into beautiful tapestries, some with strange powers. This was their only means of a living. Deila tended the animals on the small farm and helped “Gran” with the weaving.
One night everything changed when a foal was born to the dray horse and by morning was taken from them by a mysterious, evil creature.
(1 votes, average: 8 out of 10)
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England may look like a peaceful island, but it swarms with ancient forces: old gods hungry for a touch of worship; mysterious spectres that can grant wishes, no matter how destructive those wishes might be; pre-historic cultural memories that can raise hungry spirits; and then there’s the mysterious haunted washing machine unhappy with the new detergents. To combat evil forces, the Church of England calls on a special breed of men (yes, they’re all men–and that is part of the problem). The Theological College of St. Van Helsing trains its students to combat evil forces–except when those students go renegade and fight their fellows.
With St. Van Helsing restricted to men only, women with talent lack a place for proper training, which makes them both dangerous and tempting targets for dark forces. Penny Bailey finds herself confronting a hungry fertility god, a misdirected love-spell and the horrors of the perfect diet.
Author Vanessa Knipe continues her stories out of St. Van Helsing (after 2008’s WITCH-FINDER) with another strong series of adventures. Knipe writes with a compelling mix of darkness and tongue-in-cheek humor. While theological students confronting evil by calling phrases from the Book of Common Prayer sounds amusing, Knipe makes it both real and dangerous. More so even than in WITCH-FINDER, darkness underpins these stories–the title, HARD LESSONS is definitely hard-earned.
(1 votes, average: 10 out of 10)
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Connie Hillman must come to grips with what happened in the remote Huron Mountains, where she survived an encounter with ghosts, giants and cannibalistic Weendigo.
Connie reflects on horrific events in the ancient Huron Mountains, located in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Her former lover (and PhD advisor) Phil Waverly stumbles upon an ancient ceremonial site, which he believes will prove his theory of a Pre-Columbian Bronze Age civilization in the Great Lakes region. Can Connie stop Phil from opening a portal between worlds?
This volume also includes The Buck of Mulligan Plains. Henry Kincaid is hunting the biggest buck he has ever seen. A renowned outdoorsman, Henry always sought to be at one with the northern wilderness. Yet he never dreamed of attaining his goal in quite this manner. Meanwhile his lover, Lilith Gordon, fears she will lose him forever.
Future volumes in this series will involve ghosts, ghost ships, succubi, enchanted fish, sea monsters, pirates, mermaids, haunted forests and haunted mines, Manitou, fairies, daemons, the Eater of Souls, and much more.
This book captures your interest in the beginning with Connie Hillman’s grandfather telling about an unusual character appearing to help him.
It builds from that to the strange happenings in the mountains.
Very entertaining.
– Betty L. Pfeiffer, Amazon.com
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Maria is occupied with trying to earn her doctorate, and she’s far too busy for adventures. But when the library books she needs are unexpectedly borrowed (by a dragon) she finds herself on a quest to find the books, the dragon, a sword, courage, and the greatest cake recipe in the world… not to mention the last chapter of her thesis
“a lovely, delightful little romp for anyone who loves books and fantasy and dragons and higher education and plucky heroines.”
— Carmen Machado
Author website
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Allow me to introduce myself. I am Eaglethorpe Buxton, famed world traveler and story-teller. Of course you have heard of me, for my tales of the great heroes and their adventures have been repeated far and wide across the land.
Eaglethorpe Buxton, famed adventurer and story-teller is back, this time to put on a play about a sorceress. When the sorceress, subject of his play arrives with fire in her eyes, Eaglethorpe must pretend to be his good friend Ellwood. Will he pull off this charade and survive? And what happens when the real Ellwood shows up? One can never tell, especially when Eaglethorpe tells the story.
Praise for Eaglethorpe Buxton and the Elven Princess:
Haven’t read it. Won’t read it. End of Story. And I don’t think anyone else should read it.
- Dextius Winterborn, Story-teller’s Guild.
People aren’t really reading that? Are they?.
- Sir Roderick Bairn, Adventurer
You can’t believe a damn word that boy says. He was born to hang, I tell ya.
- Margram Buxton, Father
What is it exactly? Is it some kind of story book? No. No, I don’t want any.
-Queen Elleena I of Aerithraine
Join Eaglethorpe Buxton as he adventures across a magical world to in his quest for self-aggrandizement.
Eaglethorpe Buxton and the Sorceress is a short book by Wesley Allison, author of His Robot Girlfriend, and Princess of Amathar. Available now as a free ebook.
(1 votes, average: 10 out of 10)
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Free anthology of quality sci-fi & fantasy
Detective thrillers, political satire, family drama, fables, fable deconstructions, the mysteries of debugging: there’s something in this anthology for every fan. Contains nine original stories and five original artworks.
We found awesome fiction, bought it, and released it online under a Creative Commons license. We learned a lot, so the appendix, “How To Do This And Why,” has submission/rejection statistics, our budget, and some behind-the-scenes musings on process, supply and demand.
Some excerpts from the stories that got us over four stars on GoodReads:
Day-to-day life with a sponge golem was pleasant.
-“Daisy” by Andrew Willett (audio version)
Anyone who’d ever seen the Martian Ambassador would recognize it, the way he wielded it like his staff of office.
I frowned at Seeth. “So how does the Ambassador’s staff wind up broken on a street in the Crops, when the Ambassador is dying peacefully in his hotel room?”
“I guess that’s what I need you to find out.”
-“The Ambassador’s Staff” by Sherry D. Ramsey
Sarita kept feeding her, one bite after another. “You were the one who insisted on breast-feeding. Joshua and I would have been fine using formula. They’ve duplicated the ingredients found in breast milk, you know. Perfected it two decades ago.”
“It’s not the same,” Kate insisted. “I can’t prove it, but I’m sure it isn’t.”
-“Jump Space” by Mary Anne Mohanraj
Xanathan Kurtler didn’t die because of greed. Not his own, anyway. It wasn’t greed that made him plant those trees.
-“Goldenseed” by Therese Arkenberg
The technically proficient could breach the best software security systems by deliberately inducing errors in the hardware. Couldn’t the rational induce faith in themselves the same way?
-“Single-Bit Error” by Ken Liu
The crack of leather that followed hurt more than my own whipping.
You might think we’d never be dumb enough to eat Jilly Jallys again.
-“Friar Garden, Mister Samuel, and the Jilly Jally Butter Mints” by Carole Lanham
Those and more, available as HTML, PDF or print-on-demand physical book. Plus mobile editions:
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Zombies, it seems, are everywhere, hunting down humans, consuming brains, and generally engaging in poor hygene. Bob the Zombie, one of the rare ‘Type B’ intelligent zombies, discovers he has a knack for leadership, which is fortunate. Zombies need a lot of leadership.
Bob takes us through his adventures and problems, trying to keep his horde ali–uh, undead, worrying about what the human scientists are doing, and figuring out clever ways of using his not-so-clever brothers and sisters to do maximum damage to humans. Bob also has the odd moment to think about his former species–humanity–and wonder if what the zombies are doing to them is really so much worse than what they continually do to themselves.
FORWARD, SHAMBLE! is darkly funny, insightful and a lot of fun.
$3.99 (but only $1.00 until Dec 16, 2009)
200 pages
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What happens when fire-breathing dragons battle Stukas for aerial supremacy over a battlefield? Can an earth wizard’s magic defeat a panzer? Krish, a farmhand turned mercenary, witnesses this and much more as he confronts the Necromancer King’s new war machines resurrected from before the First Civilization’s fall. Worse yet, a wounded prince tasks Krish to find the fabled Colonel of the West and barter the royal family’s malevolent Blood-Sword for a weapon to thwart the Necromancer King’s victory. Flank Hawk is set in the distant future where magic exists and brutish ogres are more than a child’s nightmare.
“Flank Hawk’s characters skewer you on page one, then the plot kicks your butt! Grab hold! Ervin’s got the magic!”
– C. Dean Andersson, author of the Bloodsong Trilogy
Author Website
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Years ago, international aid worker Frank Bowen lost his wife Liz, when she went missing in the wilds of Belize. The constables of San Ignacio never found a trace. Years later, on a pilgrimage to her remote ‘grave,’ Frank loses his way and his world.
Frank, the ultimate “Doctor Without Borders,” is ambushed visiting Liz’s wife’s makeshift memorial in the Chiqibul wilderness of western Belize. But… by whom? Bandits? Drug runners? Maoist rebels?
Forced into an illuminating exile that rekindles hope for Liz’s survival, Frank wanders the frontiers and backroads of a war zone in search of her.
At the same time, a band of militia scouts on their way home from the enemy frontier become stranded in a small American town where they discover a plot to open Earth to their enemies.
The scouts’ attempt to foil this plan receives Frank’s oblivious and inadvertent assistance during his quest for Liz, whose trail gets warmer the farther Frank travels into “Gi”.
More info at: http://asparrow.weebly.com
$1.99 but FREE with Coupon Code: ND66P (until Nov 18, ‘09)
497 pages
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When suffering grows too great, when injustice becomes overwhelming, when evil stomps with too heavy a boot, in those moments, justice and vengence become one. For those moments, the Skullmask lives. In appearance a simple leather mask in the shape of a skull, Skullmask gives its wearer the memories, skills, and physical ability of all of those who wore it before. The Skullmask demands only one thing–vengence.
Author Teel James Glenn creates a powerful adventure harkening back to the days of pulp fiction and ‘Weird Tales.’ Skullmask is priced at $3.99, but between now and November 12, it’s only $1.00.
Skullmask–its wearers can be killed, but Skullmask only gets stronger
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“In ancient days, when only women were warriors … ”
“When was that?”
“I don’t know. A long time ago, I suppose.”
“How long ago?”
“I have no idea. It’s not important. It’s just the way you start a story.”
“Why?”
“All stories begin like that.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. They just do.”
In Book I of the trilogy, Tamras, our hero, arrives in Merin’s house to begin her apprenticeship as a warrior, but her small stature causes many, including Tamras herself, to doubt that she will ever become a competent swordswoman. To make matters worse, the Lady Merin assigns her the position of companion, little more than a personal servant, to a woman who came to Merin’s house, seemingly out of nowhere, the previous winter, and this stranger wants nothing to do with Tamras.
Tamras’s journey begins with the smallest of steps. She sets aside her disappointment and performs as well as she can the humble tasks given her, and eventually she succeeds in winning the trust and then the friendship of the cantankerous warrior to whom she has been assigned.
In the first year of her journey, Tamras will make a series of choices that often seem insignificant, but they will flow from her character and from her good intentions, and they will determine her destiny.
The Music of Words
… From the title the reader would expect simply a tale of battle and blood, but this story instead surprises and mesmerizes one in its wonderful intricate weaving of words that become a delicate fabric of story and feeling. Words flow like a gentle meandering stream and one is swept up in the actual thoughts and emotions of the main character as she experiences growth and change…
Well-written, well-conceived, polished
The world-building is solid, the characters feel true… These are fantasy books, but there’s no ring of power or glowing sword of specialness; the magic, like the tone of the book, is quiet. It feels real.
Perfectly believable, yet perfectly fanciful and imaginative
…(the hero) learns much of statecraft, friendship, loyalty, and duty… mostly, she learns what she wants most in her own life… Well written, a pleasure to read. On to Book 2!
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Zombies have invaded the U.S., but one political party is hoping to promote brotherly love. A young girl sells nice dreams for a nickel, but be sure to read the fine print. Gorillas teach kindergarten, or deliver unexpected refrigerators. Magical gypsies deliver predictions that have uncomfortable ways of coming true. People unhappy with their own lives can enjoy someone else’s past for a cheap price…but be careful of the sudden ending. In the land of the novel-writers, poets beware.
From zombies to space aliens to fortune-telling gypsies to ancient and magical statues, author Michael Kechula delivers 71 complete stories of speculative fiction. Kechula has become a leader in ‘flash fiction,’ super-short stories that contain characters, dialogue, and a complete plot, all within a very small number of words. In THE AREA 51 OPTION AND 70 MORE TALES OF SPECULATIVE FICTION, Kechula shows why he’s been so successful.
For its first month of availability (until October 18, 2009), this complete collection is available for only $1.00 directly from the publisher. After October 18, it’ll be available at its regular price of only $3.99. (Multiple eBook formats).
$3.99 (but only $1.00 until October 18)
187 pages
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I usually write international thrillers, but Beasts of New York is very different: it’s an urban fantasy about the wildlife of New York City, starring a squirrel protagonist who has to find his way from exile back to his home in Central Park, rescue his mother, and win a war. No easy task - but the unconventional friends he makes along the way just might be able to help him save his homeland…
– Jon Evans
This story is beautiful… Made me think of squirrels completely differently and its cool to hear about NY in a different perspective. As I’m reading this book, I cant help but feel for all the characters. Unbelievable that this book is free and a must read for all.
– kingshtcook, feedbooks.com
Jon Evans is a fool to give this away for free. This story is every bit as entertaining as any Harry Potter adventure or modern fiction thriller. Download it. Read it. Print it. Give it to everyone you know.
– Alex, Manybooks.net
(2 votes, average: 10 out of 10)
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WANTED: DEAD OR VERY DEAD!
Jason Cosmo is perfectly happy as a humble woodcutter in the village of Lower Hicksnittle-until a foppish stranger tries to kill him, claiming there is a huge price on Jason’s head. Ten million gold carats is enough to put Arden’s best–and worst–bounty hunters on his trail. It seems Jason has become the most feared man in the Eleven Kingdoms–which is news to Jason!
On the run from mercenaries, Demon Lords, and the full might of the sinister Dark Magic Society, Jason teams up with cynical wizard Mercury Boltblaster and winsome twins Sapphrina and Rubis to learn the truth.
Driven by the Laws of Narrative, Jason’s quest will take him from the bright realm of The Gods to the deadly depths of the Incredibly Dark Forest–and into a final confrontation with the forces of evil. Followed by another final confrontation. And then a sort of wrapping up loose ends scene. If he lives that long…
(2 votes, average: 9 out of 10)
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