Showing results for "Life" in Anthologies & Short Stories

Oren was a dominant force in the bustling digital realm of NEO, commanding wealth, prestige, and high levels. But when fate deals him a cruel blow, trapping him in the body of a lowly goblin and depriving him of his ability to log out, Oren is forced to fight for survival. Stripped of his immense powers and cast into a hostile, monster-ridden wilderness, with the constant risk of the game frying his nervous system, his only way out of the virtual purgatory is to win.

"Having the Barbarian's Baby": Megan's ready to give birth, but she's not ready to let her mate leave her side. When Cashol must go hunting to feed the tribe, they're separated for the first time since resonance. Not a problem, except the baby's ready to be born and there's a storm brewing...

This collection of Black Knight Chronicles short stories features the ongoing adventures of Jimmy Black and Greg Knightwood.

Corporal David McAllister was a good old boy from the mountains of Kentucky. He did his time in Afghanistan with the Marine Corps Reserve. But one day a report came on the news about a virus spreading through China, turning the locals into cannibals. The virus hit Singapore. Tokyo. Mexico City. El Paso. Then Louisville. David was called up for active duty again, and the virus was all around him. Collecting the first three Thin Line of Life books, this omnibus, The Thin Line of Life: Volume 1, tells the linear story of the Zombie War in a non-linear manner.

There is something in the dark. That is the unspoken truth known by every man on Earth. A monster, be it demon or human, is waiting to attack in the absence of the protection light provides. What that noise is becomes exaggerated with the imagination. Monsters that bump softly in the night, demanding their pound of flesh to sate an ever growing hunger. Such things are considered an imaginative escape from the boring demands of life.

Stephen Leeds is perfectly sane. It's his hallucinations who are mad. A genius of unrivaled aptitude, Stephen can learn any new skill, vocation, or art in a matter of hours. However, to contain all of this, his mind creates hallucinatory people - Stephen calls them aspects - to hold and manifest the information. Wherever he goes, he is joined by a team of imaginary experts to give advice, interpretation, and explanation. He uses them to solve problems...for a price. Then a company hires him to recover stolen property - a camera that can allegedly take pictures of the past....

Twelve classic tales of the unknown from the Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author of Way Station.

Hex Life: Wicked New Tales of Witchery will take the classic tropes of tales of witchcraft and infuse them with fresh, feminist perspective and present-day concerns - even if they're set in the past. These witches might be monstrous, or they might be heroes, depending on their own definitions. Even the kind hostess with the candy cottage thought of herself as the hero of her own story. After all, a woman's gotta eat.

Discover ten unforgettable short stories that will captivate your imagination, challenge your thoughts, and take you on a journey through the unexpected. In this genre-spanning anthology, each story begins with a single striking image and unfolds into a vivid world of adventure, emotion, and intrigue. Whether you're a fan of science fiction, fantasy, dark humor, or philosophical musings, this collection offers something for everyone.

A hundred years ago, there was a cataclysm. Maybe a biological weapon was set off, or a parasite evolved...honestly, no one really cares any more. What matters is that the parasite was airborne, infectious, and could live in any warm-blooded creature. Those affected are driven insane and mutate, becoming a threat to those around them.

Call it a rut, a vicious cycle of monotony, or a never-ending Groundhog Day, in any case, he lived his life, nonetheless. While his day-to-day existence gave him satisfaction and fulfilment, his enemy received its gratification only from terrorizing and destroying the defenseless, the helpless and those confined to such mundane lives. His enemy lived to kill. But when that adversary turned his wrath toward the one who lived a simple routine life, he received the surprise of his life.

From a stranded alien comedian to the darkest depths of the human psyche; from a mind-blowing galactic adventure to clandestine extraterrestrial behavior on Earth. They're all here and more in this spell-binding collection of 17 short stories to keep you guessing at every turn.

The stories in this second anthology explore the legends of the Outlands, beyond the border of humanity's immediate control, where strange and powerful creatures roam.

En l'an 2020, la société humaine, confrontée à la montée de la violence urbaine, civique et économique, à la dégradation de son environnement et à la déshumanisation comportementale de sa population, a accepté pour survivre, une nouvelle justice. Cette nouvelle justice devra lui garantir un avenir et un nouvel espoir. Dorénavant, chaque être humain devra s'acquitter d'une prime de vie. Quel en sera le prix ?À tort ou à raison, la question de la sécurité depuis quelque temps est largement abordée dans nos sociétés. Partant de ce fait, cette nouvelle est construite sur le compost de l'insécurité.

Only Alpha can fix this. Alpha and Kyle have toiled all day to carefully construct the perfect dinner date for Tina, whose crippling depression has bedridden her for months. Why is Tina so miserable, and why does she place so much blame on Alpha, whose dominance of humanity has solved all of the world's problems? Throughout the course of the evening, logic clashes against depression. Rationalizations against uncompromising morality. Love against revenge.

A new neighbor moves into the apartment next door about the same time a woman is murdered nearby. Her body is drained of blood and there are puncture wounds on her neck. The new neighbor is identified as the killer, but manages to get out of jail. He's knocking on Karen's door. He wants to be friends. He swears he's not the killer. Can she save herself? Or does she become his next meal?

When the U.S. Supreme Court determines the fate of genetically engineered beings - whether they're humans or animals - humanity learns that the law is truly a double edged sword. Delisa provides a first glimpse of a problem that does not yet exist, but one day will. we infuse plants with animal DNA, animals with plant DNA. When we start doing it to humans, what do they become?

The human instinct for survival is strong, especially when the circumstances are dire. When five women and two men return to Earth as part of a disjointed and meager population, with the intent of completing a barely conceivable mission of reestablishing themselves on the surface and repopulating the planet, dire is an understatement.

Set in the enchanting land of Sang, a Blud series urban fantasy short story by the winner of Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Award for Best Steampunk, Delilah S. Dawson, from the thrilling Carniepunk anthology. The question isn’t whether Charlie Dregs has met Lydia, a Sang riff on Lydia the...