Showing results by author "Maria K" in All Categories

Sleeping Beauty might be the title character of the famous fairy tale, but, in truth, she didn't do much to bring the story to a happy ending. Let us find out who really did all the hard work.

The best of Deep Magic: Volume 1—fantastical worlds of space adventures, changelings, and dragons await—stories with depth, strong protagonists, high tension, all told while pulling at your heartstrings, or making you smile with understanding. In this volume, you'll find twenty-two stories, including many novelettes. Go on adventures from deep space to ancient Rome (with magic), to Mars, and many other new fantasy worlds.

Inspector Peter Glebski thinks he is on vacation. Instead, he ends up embroiled in the strangest murder case of his long career.

What if the Little Mermaid took a moment to reconsider her deal with the sea witch, and decided to change the course of her life her own way, on her own terms? Listen to this charming, alternative story!

Imagine an alternative Earth, where elves, imps, demons, and extraterrestrials coexist within the bounds of an unimaginably diverse, complex, and intricately structured society. The socialites are content with their relatively carefree existence filled with amusement, scheming, and gossip, until a mysterious circus performer arrives on the scene and challenges both the laws of physics and the core traditions of her world.

Be careful what you wish for when you say you want someone to love you to death. Such is the warning by Alexander Kuprin, issued in this beautifully written and poignant story.

The lore and everyday life of the Caucasus Region had a great impact on Mikhail Lermontov's work. In addition to serious, profound pieces with very clear Caucasus influence, like "The Hero of Our Time" and "Demon", he offers up this very traditional and slightly mischievous tale of a wandering minstrel in search of happiness.

After being rescued from the greedy mole by her faithful swallow and brought to the tropical kingdom populated by elves, Thumbelina finds herself thrust into the intricacies of elvish court politics and facing yet another marriage no one had asked her about.

What would happen if damsels in distress defied evil wizards and wicked queens, dismissed the marginally competent princes, and took the matters of their rescuing into their own hands? Find one possible answer here, in the first installment of Maria K's Alternative Endings series.

Alternative Endings series dips into the realm of alternative beginnings by pondering what might have really happened before the opening scene of the beloved classic Beauty and the Beast.

A new force arises in the elemental universe and immediately turns it all upside down. It is unpredictable. It is powerful. It is alarmingly intelligent. It's...a gnome.

Fed up with Jack's beanstalk shenanigans, the ogre and his wife decide to turn the tables on him.

The tale of The Princess and the Frog takes a decidedly darker turn as Doc sets out to investigate what truly happened between the king's daughter and the talking amphibian.

New Orleans, Louisiana, 1854. One slave woman takes a stand to free her family from servitude. When heaven offers no comfort, she turns to a different kind of authority.

After a prolonged battle with a strange sleep disorder, Philip Stokes becomes one of the patients at IRIS - International Research Institute of Sleep. He comes to realize even this exclusive institution doesn't have all the answers, and sometimes, its highly capable specialists must rely on unconventional expertise to solve their patients' problems.

Alexander Kuprin prefaced his novel The Pit about the lives of early 20th century Russian prostitutes as follows, "I know many people will find this novel amoral and inappropriate, but nevertheless I dedicated it from the bottom of my heart to mothers and young people" Indeed, the novel's publication was followed by an explosion of outrage. The "good" society accused Kuprin of slander and forever exiled him from its sitting rooms, charity auctions, and holiday balls. Progressive intellecutals winced and shuddered, but could not help admitting Kuprin had a point.

They don't alter the past. They don't spy on the future. Yet, even very cautious time-travel research leaves plenty of room to get into trouble. Time, Limited is a foremost authority on space and time research. Wary of the time travel-related doomsday scenarios described by science fiction writers, the employees of the company take every precaution imaginable and move forward carefully as slowly. But when a critical experiment is threatened by a natural disaster, even the best-laid precautions go tumbling down, and the nerds have to think on their feet to protect the research and ensure the company's recovery.

As Christmas comes to Land Far Away, all creatures make ready for the festivities. One young Linzer is not satisfied by the prospect of gifts - she wants to capture the big man, Father Christmas himself.

On the heels of the worst year in his life, Carter Wolski loses his will to live. He is prodded, shoved, sniffed, and slobbered back to life by a trio of very strange helpers.

From Egypt to a Russian village to the mountains of Eastern Europe and back, one of the old-fashioned gentlemen of Russian literature, Nikolai Leskov, takes his listeners on a journey of spirit, mind, and imagination.