Publisher: Orpheus Editions
Frank Banta was a renowned author of science fiction. His works were notably published in pulp fiction magazines. This collection contains the following stories : The Connoisseur The Happy Homicide The Dragon-Slayers When Whirlybirds Call HANDYman Droozle This collection will please all lovers of classic science fiction.
For hundreds of years, readers have been enchanted by the tale of Cinderella, of how a nobleman's daughter escaped a life of servitude with the help of a pumpkin, a pair of glass slippers and her Fairy Godmother. But the truth is very different from the fairytale yet no less extraordinary. Marigold and Gardenia Roche have simple dreams; to marry well and live happily ever after. Yet this is a tricky proposition when neither heralds from money nor could be considered a great beauty. But two events are about to change the lives of everyone in the tiny Kingdom of Andovia: the first is the announcement of a great ball, at which the Crown Prince has vowed to choose a bride. The second is the arrival of a widowed French nobleman and his beautiful daughter. Two events, seemingly unconnected, and yet both will have dire consequences for all – unless something is done. Marigold and Gardenia's lives are about to become entwined with the girl who would be Queen. And yet few will ever know the dangers they faced nor the sacrifices they made to save a vainglorious Kingdom from the damsel with the crocodile smile. Every child knows the story of Cinderella. But this is the story of Marigold and Gardenia Roche – otherwise known as the Ugly Sisters. And it is no fairytale. »One of the few writers to make me laugh out loud.« – David Baddiel, Comedian »One of Britain's best kept literary secrets.« – The Big Issue in the NorthShow book
A werewolf contends with love and hunger while fighting for the Confederacy during the Civil War in this romantic fantasy. Graham is on the run. Running from a civil war that he was forced into, from the beast that lies hidden within him, and from the curse that keeps him from leading a normal life. When Graham meets Eliza, a mere human, he falls deeply in love. But could she possibly love him once she discovers his ability to transform into the beast? Can Graham tame the beast inside him and live a normal life, or will his secrets tear apart the growing love between he and Eliza?Show book
A secret hidden on a colony world could affect the course of a war between humanity and an alien civilization in this bestselling space opera from Poland. It is the mid-twenty-fourth century. After colonizing a significant portion of Orion’s Arm, humanity encounters an advanced alien civilization, which—unwilling to make contact—starts a total war. There is more at stake here than just the conquest of territory. It’s a matter of survival for the human race. On one of the hurriedly evacuated planets, Captain Darski wages his own private war to save as many people as possible. The colony in the Ulietta System hides a much bigger secret, though—one that could possibly alter the course of the war. Book two in The Fields of Long-Forgotten Battles series.Show book
Countless un-parallel universes intersect in a place where science and magic function perfectly. A Crossroads World. A world that holds a fantastic and deadly secret. An ultra-advanced species, the Common, govern this world and invite other advanced species to set up enclaves where the planet's extraordinary properties draw an assortment of gods and demons like supernatural moths to a flame. The first human allowed there, Professor David Goldberg, is secretly tasked by Earth’s governments to observe the Common.But Goldberg’s mission might not be as secret as he thinks. Someone or something with unknown motivations sends truly terrifying monsters bent on taking him down. Opening Wonders. Fantasy, science fiction, mythology, adventure, mystery, rich history—and more.Show book
When the ruthless aliens attack the outer reaches of the Federation, Humankind is forced to retreat haphazardly from dozens of conquered systems. The only chance to delay the advance of the enemy is to create hundreds of fake colonies. If that doesn’t work, the Fleet will be forced to face the ma’lahn in a series of open battles, which can lead to its annihilation. Politicians, however, do not care about the consequences. Their goal is to preserve power, even at the cost of billions of lives. The headquarters of the third metasector must meet the requirements of the Council on the one hand, and prevent the destruction of the only force that is able to defend Humankind on the other. But this war has another—human and personal—dimension: Major Darski must fight to save the colonists that he left on Ulietta…. Edge of Extinction is book three in The Fields of Long-Forgotten Battles series.Show book
Three enchanting fairytales from a writer of extraordinary imagination. Charlotte E. English’s Wonder Tales will sweep you far, far away... Faerie Fruit: The centuries-barren orchards of Berrie-on-the-Wyn suddenly bear fruit — and it’s clear that something fey’s afoot. Who is the motley piper walking the streets, drawing forth magic and mayhem with his music? And how can half of the town vanish into thin air? Gloaming: In Vale Argantel, an enchanted twilight sweeps over the land at precisely four o’clock. Such is the way of things. But when Oriane falls through a magic mirror and disappears, something odder still is on the rise. For she’s gone to a place very like Argantel — eerily familiar, yet strangely different; a place which follows none of the usual rules… Sands and Starlight: An old sorcerer travels the starlight bazaars: cursed and magic-blighted, he has glass where his heart should be. To mend it, he must journey back into his own shadowed past — to the lost and wandering palace of ensorcelled glass, glimpsed only under the stars, and vanishing with the dawn... “Large helpings of wit and whimsy... Readers who enjoy the old-fashioned language of classic fairy tales will be pleased with this one. ” -Publishers Weekly on Faerie Fruit “Her faultless prose by turns ascends with the lark, leads you down secret paths like the willow-the-wisp, bewitches you into bewilderment, and sparkles with eye-bedazzling wonder...” - NYT Bestselling author Mercedes Lackey on GloamingShow book
