Showing results by author "M. C." in Science Fiction & Fantasy

All witches must serve the cruel and immortal Emperor Yamueto. Upon discovery of her powers, Khana was ripped away from her desert home at fourteen years old and enslaved as a concubine. After years in service, her only friend in the palace is brutally murdered for supplying her forbidden birth-control, and Khana must make her escape. But not before accidentally discovering the secret of Yamueto’s power and immortality – he has been making deals with Death. And now, thanks to a twist of fate, so is she.

In the battle of a lifetime, Hiral has proven his greatness; the traitors of his people have been defeated and a Fallen was prevented from carving a bloody path through the world. But just as he was getting ready to rest, he received a new quest: [Save the World]. Hiral’s journey must continue, as he gathers the information, power and tools that he and his party will need to stop the Enemy from destroying not only Fallen Reach, but the very planet they call home.

Hiral must grow before a sky-island plummets. Fallen Reach is in danger, and only Hiral and his surviving teammates can save it. Gathering their strength after the loss of their friends, the Builder and Growers race across a hostile landscape to save their homes and obtain the power they need to battle their nigh-unstoppable enemies.

I met fallen angel princes; I met a Savage Duke; I met a Cheshire Cat. And remember - how could you possibly forget - I'm the fabled Alice from the prophecy. Just a twisted, dark version of the girl in Lewis Carroll's old books. Except in those books, there was a happy ending. In those books, Alice wasn't dating nine very different, very beautiful men. But now that I've met the King of Hearts and the Mad Hatter, I'm not sure who the real bad guys are.

Gryph entered the Realms with one mission, to save his sister Brynn. He didn’t want friends. He didn’t want responsibilities. He didn’t want to care. But even the best-laid plans go awry, and after escaping a sentient dungeon and defeating a would-be world conqueror, Gryph is no closer to finding Brynn. Then, while mourning the tragic death of a friend and grappling with the burdens of leadership, an ally, thought long dead, returns offering the slimmest of hopes.

Bubble-tea-obsessed college girl Lakelynn Frost has 365 days to make the world's most famous pop star fall in love with her. If she can't do it, an old family curse will kill them both. It might be a problem since she can't get tickets to any of his sold-out concerts. Should Lake chase after him with only her grumbly brother Joules for company? Check items off her bucket list like Uncle Jack? Plan her own funeral like Aunt Clara? But Lake's a fighter. And this curse? It comes with magical meet-cutes.

Betrayed by those closest to him, Finn Caldwell thought he’d escaped his life of violence and deception. But when a frantic message from his estranged sister draws him into the Realms, the world’s most advanced holographic reality game, Finn is forced to embrace his deadly skills once more. Armed with a mysterious artifact known as a Godhead, Finn becomes the warrior-mage Gryph. Yet, things are not as they seem and to save his sister, he must escape a sentient dungeon by defeating its master the Barrow King.

Bubble-tea-obsessed college girl Lakelynn Frost has 365 days to make the world's most famous pop star fall in love with her. If she can't do it, an old family curse will kill them both. It might be a problem since she can't get tickets to any of his sold-out concerts. Should Lake chase after him with only her grumbly brother Joules for company? Check items off her bucket list like Uncle Jack? Plan her own funeral like Aunt Clara? But Lake's a fighter. And this curse? It comes with magical meet-cutes.

Gryph thought freeing his sister Brynn from the shackles of the High God would be the end of his mission. Only to learn it was just the beginning. Tasked with building an army for the Resistance, Gryph quickly realizes it will never be enough to curb the High God’s despotic quest to control the Realms. Victory seems hopeless. But then a long-buried secret resurfaces, and a desperate plan is hatched. The survival of the Realms is in Gryph’s hands. If he fails, billions of souls will suffer a fate worse than death.

It’s finally time for Hiral to return to Fallen Reach and show his enemies just how far he’s come. After saving the world in the undead city, Hiral and his remaining party members race toward Fallen Reach. Their numbers are shrinking, but their power has only grown: at nearly C-Rank, they can crush armies.

Citadel is the only human city on the alien planet Edalide, ruled by the biweekly tides that bring both deadly danger and much-needed resources. But the drowning waters, constant threat of starvation, and eternal cold aren’t the most dangerous challenge. For the Flooded Forest is ruled by demons: monsters from Hell sent by their vengeful god as penance for their ancestors’ rebellion. To save their souls and return to their former glory, Citadel must kill every single one. Or so they believe.

They slept for hundreds of years, dreaming of a new home in the Andromeda galaxy. When finally they awake, their dreams of peace are shattered. These colonists - turian, salarian, asari, human, and more - face an uncharted galaxy and threats beyond understanding.

Um. Um. Um. Are you reading this? If you are, I need your help. I was at a party; I was running; I fell. And get this - this is the part you'll never believe - I fell down a rabbit hole. Like Alice in those old books. Except in those books, there wasn't blood everywhere. In those books, the characters weren't all male, attractive, and interested in me.

Hiral is the Everfail, the weakest person on the flying island of Fallen Reach. He trains harder than any warrior. Studies longer than any scholar. But all his people are born with magic powered by the sun, flowing through tattoos on their bodies. Despite having enormous energy within, Hiral is the only one who can’t channel it; his hard work is worth nothing. Until it isn’t. In a moment of danger, Hiral unlocks an achievement with a special instruction: Access a Dungeon to receive a Class-Specific Reward.

Violet “Vy” Finch is a vampire cursed, for the very blood she needs is poison to her. Suffering unquenchable hunger and shunned for being of mixed lineage, Vy searches desperately for her mother who disappeared over a decade ago—the one person who may be able to heal her. Unfortunately, a great sorceress prophesies that Vy will only get what she wants if Petra Malkovitch willingly works with her to find a magical relic with the power to change everything.

Hi, I'm Eve Wakefield, twenty-five years old, professional caterer, recently abducted by aliens alongside my best friend. I'm also completely and utterly screwed. Lost on a jungle planet. Rooming in a downed spaceship with a dragon dude. Being hunted by a moth man with demon eyes and vampire teeth. Begging for help from a tentacle-tailed fox man who also happens to be… a space cowboy?

This volume is the definitive collection of the best science fiction novellas published between 1929 and 1964, containing 11 great classics. No anthology better captures the birth of science fiction as a literary field. Published in 1973 to honor stories that had appeared before the institution of the Nebula Awards, The Science Fiction Hall of Fame introduced tens of thousands to the wonders of science fiction and was a favorite of libraries across the country.

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.

Several months after a girls' trip, elves Lurielle, Ris, and Silva are still affected by their experiences at the resort and the orcs they met there. Lurielle discovers that being in a multi-species relationship presents its own unique challenges. When Ris returns to the resort, an unexpected encounter with a slightly familiar face upends this elf's desire to be a free as the wind. Silva must make a choice—will she follow the carefully mapped life of privilege her family has planned for her or throw it all away to follow her heart, for a man with his own heart full of secrets?

This is the story that came before, when Britain was just a shadowland. We grow up with the legend of King Arthur, but where did he come from? Who was Merlin? What part did the Druids play in bringing Arthur to his round table? On the night of Midwinter's Eve, a storyteller takes his listeners back to the Dark Ages and a tale from his youth.