Daniel Arenson

The skelkrins. Predators from deep space. Creatures of claws, fangs, and unending malice. They swarm across the galaxy, slaying all in their path. Planets burn in their wake. And now they're heading to Earth. Raphael "Riff" Starfire commands the Alien Hunters, a group of scruffy mercenaries...

The universe is dangerous, wondrous - a vast canvas upon which humanity sketches its hopes for the future. In this anthology, you'll find 17 tales of conflict and heroism, exploration and discovery, endurance and triumph. Flee the apocalypse of modern-day Earth, fly a fighter in the cold...

In an ancient world of sand and splendor, an empire awakens. Aelar, a mighty nation, spreads its tentacles. Its oared galleys storm the seas, and the waters run red with blood. Its legionaries swarm desert ruins, smiting barbarian hordes. Its crosses line the roadsides, displaying the dying...

We hide in shadows. Our planet is lost. We are the last humans, and we must go home. Two thousand years ago, aliens destroyed Earth. Our fleets shattered. Billions died. The last humans fled a burning planet, heading to the stars. Today we are still refugees. Hungry. Afraid. Our enemies hunt...

Long ago stood the kingdom of Requiem, a land of men who could grow wings and scales, breathe fire, and take flight as dragons. Requiem ruled the sky. But Dies Irae, a tyrant leading an army of griffins, hunted Requiem's people, burned their forests, and shattered their temples. Requiem fell...

The basilisks, cruel alien serpents, attacked our world. They bombed us. Hunted us. Butchered us without pity. But now we will be the hunters. We will assemble a fleet. We will cross the vastness of space. And for the first time, we will strike the enemy on his own soil. It's a time for courage...

The people of Requiem, an ancient kingdom, can grow wings and scales, breathe fire, and take flight as dragons. Their hearts are noble, their wisdom great....

In a time of peace, a man of war is our only hope. They say hard times create strong men, strong men create good times, good times create weak men, and weak men create hard times. Marco Emery was born into hard times. He was raised in war. He grew up in bomb shelters and on battlefields...

The nightshades cover the land. Demons of smoke and shadow, they fear no sword or arrow. They suck the souls from all who live, like a glutton sucking marrow from bones. The world falls under their darkness. But the nightshades crave more than random ruin. The souls of mere humans will not sate...

The starship Freedom. The hope of mankind. The defender of Earth. Under the leadership of James “Bulldog” King, the Freedom won battle after battle. Yet now Freedom faces her most terrifying foe. Not an alien fleet. Not a charging armada. But one ship. Nobody knows where...

Earth burns. After generations in exile, we returned to our long-lost planet. Scarred. Haunted. Survivors. We - the last humans - are finally home. But our enemies still crave our blood. Seven alien species unite. Seven fleets bombard our planet. Seven armies invade our beautiful world. They...

They called her a relic. They said she would never fly again. They said she was too old. Too large. A floating museum. But now the starship Freedom is the only hope of mankind. The aliens attack us everywhere. Vicious aliens. Bloodthirsty spiders from deep space. Our fleets burn. Our cities fall...

Weredragons, men call them. Monsters. Cursed ones. People who can turn into beastly reptiles. In an ancient world just rising from darkness, they are everywhere. Some wander the plains with clans of mammoth hunters. Others are born in riverside huts. Some live across the ocean, where seafaring...

War has ravaged the world. Cities lie crumbled. Forests smolder. The crows feast. In the ruins, Requiem's last dragons lick their wounds and mourn a death among them. But they will not have long to grieve. From the ashes, a new enemy arises, one more horrible than any before. His soldiers dead...

The basilisks. Giant serpents from deep space. Their true name is unknown. Their homeworld is cloaked in shadow. But one thing is certain: They're killers. And they vow to kill us all. We humans have only just returned to Earth. For centuries, we lived as refugees among the stars. Hated...

The starship Freedom is marooned in deep space, far from home. Crippled. Barely flying. But she is not alone. In the shadows, evil stirs. A race woven from arachnid and human DNA. They hunt like spiders. They think like men. They are the perfect killers. Like a virus, they invade the Freedom...

Machines. They fly our starships. Mine our asteroids. Connect us to one another. They serve us without question. But what if the machines rebelled? We call it the Singularity. The day the machines wake up. A day that can destroy humanity....

From fire and blood, the kingdom of Requiem rises. It is a home for the lost, the exiled, the hunted - those they call weredragons. In their new kingdom, they gather - men and women who can grow wings, breathe fire, and take flight as dragons. But there is one who would see this fledgling...

War flares between man and monster...between Earth and the terror from the stars. We did not choose this war. The spiders attacked us. They trapped us in their webs. They devoured millions. No, we did not want this war. But we will win it! The starship Freedom rises. A legendary ship. A beacon...

They came from deep space. They came to destroy us. Fifty years ago bloodthirsty aliens devastated the Earth. Most of humanity perished. We fell into darkness. But now we rise....