Publisher: Jovian Press
Obviously, no conqueror wants his subjects to revolt against his rule. Obviously? This one would go to any lengths to start a rebellion! Poul Anderson weaves a fascinating, page-turning, mind-bending science fiction tale fit for the greatest consumers of sci fi literature!
Before End Game, people live their everyday lives, doing simple things and being human. Cowboy isn't like most people. As an elite hitman, his days are anything but routine. His work takes him all around the globe. His targets are influencers, CEOs, and people in powerful positions of authority. As Cantor Biotech's CEO, Carly Hennington oversees a behemoth corporation's machinations. But that's just her day job. Carly is a member of The Group, a secret organization bent on global domination. The Group has tasked Carly with managing the development of a formula that, once unleashed, will prompt a total meltdown of civilization. There is a schedule. Members of The Group have secured refuge for themselves and those doing their bidding on the outside. A sudden attack on The Group's secret facility in Belgium puts all plans in upheaval, leaving the members scrambling for safety. Chaos is racing toward them, and everyone else as nations fail in a global domino effect of pandemonium. Outlaws, murderers, and strange mutants quickly assert a new hierarchy in the law-and-order vacuum. Cowboy, unknowingly executing targeted individuals at The Group's behest, receives a cryptic warning from his handler. With little time, he rushes to secure his own well-being. Unaware of the full extent of his unique abilities, Cowboy begins to experience strange sensations he cannot explain as mutated berserkers spread across the country. Facing a world overrun with the bizarre and terrible consequences of The Group's misfortune, Cowboy, Carly, and others must navigate a new reality where death or worse lurks around every corner.Show book
The Interbeing League had been formed to make contact with new intelligent races in the galaxy and offer them membership. But when the League encountered the Hokas, furry creatures strongly resembling the teddy bears of Earth, the League's agent, Alexander Jones, could have been excused for wishing he had a simpler assignment than making sense out of the Hokas—such as singlehandedly stopping an interstellar war. Not that the fuzzy aliens were unfriendly. In fact, they loved everything about humans, and adopted various Terram cultures wholesale and in every little detail—but with a bit of confusion about the differences between fact and fiction. So, if the Hokas suddenly started outing out the parts in a rip-roaring, shoot-em-up Western, or brought to life the London of Sherlock Holmes, complete with a pip-puffing, deerstalker-wearing Hoka, or suddenly decided to fly the Jolly Roger and lead a life of adventure and piracy on the high seas, mate—well, that was to be expected. And as the Hokas threw themselves wholeheartedly into progressively wilder worlds from Terran history and fiction, Jones could be excused for feeling that his grip on reality was hanging by a single, thin, increasingly frayed thread.Show book
Howard Phillips Lovecraft, better known as H.P. Lovecraft, was an American author of horror, fantasy, poetry and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction and many feel he is the acknowledged master of creepy, weird and unsettling stories. These are seven stories by Lovecraft that literally span his career; some being written when he was barely a teenager and one (The Shunned House) only published after he had died. Each story is unique and strange in it's own way but all of them come from the same mind that gave us the Cult of Cthulhu and other wonderful tales that generations now have enjoyed for their strangeness that resonates with our own inner fears. Some of these stories explore the depths of the human mind others the depths of human degradation and creepiness.Stories included:- The Beast in the Cave- The White Ship- Nyarlathotep- The Alchemist- Dagon- The TombShow book
Six days ago, I sat on the council of the only magical kingdom on earth. Today, I am its King. Tomorrow, I may be dead. But it isn’t the lore of unceasing stillness that frightens me. It's the knowledge of what would become of the land I leave behind; the fate of the people who trusted me to lead them through this terror awaiting us. In the morning, the Warlord Damian comes, bringing with him the hearts and minds of those who’ve lived in fear of our magic. He has inspired a great legion to fight against us, and never have we seen such fury. In order to save our kingdom, I must find the prophetic Hero of Legend, who may or may not even exist. How I envy you who now reads this. For you have already started this great tale, and will learn the fate of we who are lost in a magical whirlwind.Show book
"The Other Gods" is a fantasy short story written by American author H. P. Lovecraft, on August 14, 1921. It was first published in the November 1933 issue of The Fantasy Fan. Barzai the Wise, a high priest and prophet greatly learned in the lore of the "gods of earth", or Great Ones, attempts to scale the mountain of Hatheg-Kla in order to look upon their faces, accompanied by his young disciple Atal. Upon reaching the peak, Barzai at first seems overjoyed until he finds that the "gods of the earth" are not there alone, but rather are overseen by the "other gods, the gods of the outer hells that guard the feeble gods of earth!" Atal flees, and Barzai is never seen again.Show book
Working out tension during some light espionage seems like the thing to do while pondering her future. Eltrinia has been progressing. She is the master of the on-loan gallery, she takes tours of all ages around, and she has been recruited for operative training at the capital. Learning combat tactics in sparring matches with Trin is bizarrely fun. It is like looking into a tinted mirror. When she finally gets clearance for her first mission, she is paired with Inoth and must wait for her paperwork before she can go and play spy. They finally make their way to their assignment. It turns out that he gets to be himself, and she has to pretend to be an airhead. Yay. Inoth has been working on getting closer to Eltrinia, but circumstances and the dragon senator have been very effective at keeping them apart. When he volunteered to be her partner, there were a few snickers, but no one knew Eltrinia like he did. There was no doubt about it, he had gotten the pick of the trainees. She had skills that even he didn't know about, but he was willing to learn.Show book
