You could hear the voices murmuring, small and muted, from the crowds that inhabited his body.

A peerless American storyteller, Ray Bradbury brings wonders alive. The Illustrated Man is classic Bradbury— eighteen startling visions of humankind’s destiny, unfolding across a canvas of decorated skin. In this phantasmagoric sideshow, living cities take their vengeance, technology awakens the most primal natural instincts, Martian invasions are foiled by the good life and the glad hand, and dreams are carried aloft in junkyard rockets. Provocative and powerful, Ray Bradbury’s The Illustrated Man is a kaleidoscopic blending of magic, imagination, and truth—as exhilarating as interplanetary travel, as maddening as a walk in a million-year rain, and as comforting as simple, familiar rituals on the last night of the world.

When a world’s fate rests on her sword, will a loyal soldier obey her king or follow her heart?

Militess Halina is an accomplished leader, a fearsome soldier, and the unapologetically tough bastard daughter of Ursinum’s king. When she’s ordered to gain the allegiance of Shadow Mage Gethen — a notoriously dangerous necromancer whose brother is an enemy king — she assumes the negotiations will be simple: Either he’ll pledge his loyalty or she’ll remove his head.

But the Shadow Mage isn’t what she expected, nor is his situation. Intriguing and powerful, Gethen’s the only man preventing the return of an ancient menace that threatens their world. And though he hates to admit it, his sorcery is failing and he needs her help.

Suddenly Ursinum’s dispute with Gethen’s brother seems petty, and Halina must decide who’s best served by her sword: her king or every man, woman, and child in the four kingdoms and beyond.
 

Magic, adventure, love, and suspense abound in the first novel of Monica Enderle Pierce’s Militess & Mage series. Epic fantasy that’s perfect for fans of sword and sorcery fiction with a touch of enemies-to-lovers romance.

"Free people don't live in cubicles!"

      —Big Richie minutes before he caught the wave that ended his life.

Some people just knew how to go out in style. 

Tim had never been one of those guys. 

Tim was always a planner. 

The plan was to get into college, graduate, and find a well-paying job.

That plan was coming together nicely until he saw a presentation to get paid to play The Etheric Coast.

At his graduation ceremony.

After watching the company's employee recruitment video, Big Richie’s words had a whole new meaning. 

He could spend his life going from a cubicle at work to a one-bedroom apartment and back again...

Or he could take a leap of faith by entering a virtual world of unlimited possibilities. 

And get paid.

Now he just has to figure out how to get the job of his dreams, help his parents financially, and catch the attention of the girl of his dreams.

It was time for him to catch his wave.

Tim sure hoped it didn't kill him first.

Scroll up and click Read for Free or Buy Now and find out whether Tim has what it takes to get his job, help his family and get the girl.

Welcome to the world of Fál.
A murderous outlaw confronts his past.
A princess has a monster at her mercy.
A desperate woman turns to a dark sorcerer for help.
A young magician learns to follow her heart.
An aging warrior makes his last stand.
Dive into a new fantasy world full of monsters and magic in the Tales of Fál, featuring over 500 pages of stories of heroes, villains, and everything in between.

Hunter by name – Hunter by nature.

Can DI Hunter Wilson keep Edinburgh safe when he is the hunted?

Detective Inspector Hunter Wilson is woken in the early hours of the morning by a call from his son. Cameron’s flatmate was murdered. Why would anybody want to kill a young woman recently arrived in the city?

Hunter must call in the new Major Incident Team (MIT) to lead the investigation due to the reorganisation of police services. Hunter's ability to be involved, however, is put in severe doubt when someone from his past decides to take revenge on him. He goes missing, and his team have no idea where to look for him. Who would want to stop Hunter in his tracks?

Meanwhile, Hunter's team must work closely with the MIT, with or without him, to solve the murder in this taut crime thriller.

*THE BRAND-NEW THRILLER FROM THE #1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER**
**'A TERRIFIC WRITER' MARK BILLINGHAM**
**PETER MAY: OVER 5.5 MILLION COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE**

In a sleepy French village, the body of a man shot through the head is disinterred by the roots of a fallen tree. A week later a famous art critic is viciously murdered in a nearby house. The deaths occurred more than seventy years apart.
Asked by a colleague to inspect the site of the former, forensics expert Enzo Macleod quickly finds himself embroiled in the investigation of the latter. Two extraordinary narratives are set in train - one historical, unfolding in the treacherous wartime years of Occupied France; the other contemporary, set in the autumn of 2020 as France re-enters Covid lockdown.

And Enzo's investigations reveal an unexpected link between the murders - the Mona Lisa.

Tasked by the exiled General Charles de Gaulle to keep the world's most famous painting out of Nazi hands after the fall of France in 1940, 28-year-old Georgette Pignal finds herself swept along by the tide of history. Following in the wake of Da Vinci's Mona Lisa as it is moved from château to château by the Louvre, she finds herself just one step ahead of two German art experts sent to steal it for rival patrons - Hitler and Göring.

What none of them know is that the Louvre itself has taken exceptional measures to keep the painting safe, unwittingly setting in train a fatal sequence of events extending over seven decades.

Events that have led to both killings.

The Night Gate spans three generations, taking us from war-torn London, the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, Berlin and Vichy France, to the deadly enemy facing the world in 2020. In his latest novel, Peter May shows why he is one of the great contemporary writers of crime fiction.

One will rise. The other will fall.

Kent Bancroft’s rise to fame and fortune was nothing short of meteoric. Once a simple teacher in London’s East End, he’s now on course to become Britain’s youngest billionaire.

But his success has come on the back of those he’s trodden upon to get there. Among them is a man whose fall was as swift as Kent’s rise. He used to be a sparky, honest and hard-working. Now, he’s homeless, drunk, and down one leg.

And he blames Kent for everything.

Forget forgiveness. Forget turning the other cheek. And forget waiting for karma.

This is a victim who won’t stand idly by.

He wants revenge.

And he’s going to get it.

Kent Bancroft will never see him coming.

Praise for Ali Gunn:

"What a cracking read!" ★★★★★
"Knox is brilliant!" ★★★★★
"Ali Gunn works her magic to weave a truly plausible and most enjoyable fast paced murder story." ★★★★★
"I truly enjoyed it and would highly recommend you read it for yourself." ★★★★★
"Really got me turning pages" ★★★★★
"A wonderful breath of fresh air" ★★★★★
"Ali Gunn has been quite a discovery." ★★★★★
"The start of a great new series" ★★★★★
"A future classic" ★★★★★
"Rich and well described" ★★★★★
"Grabs you in from the first paragraph" ★★★★★
"Will keep you right on the edge of your seat" ★★★★★
"Set in London, full of rich details that help the reader easily visualize the moods and locations of the city" ★★★★★
"An original and intriguing book. You won’t want to put this one down" ★★★★★
"Well written and kept a good tempo" ★★★★★
"A thriller that keeps going right to the end and keeps you guessing" ★★★★★
"A most enthralling read" ★★★★★

Praise for Sean Campbell:

"A captivating mystery" ★★★★★
"A heck of a read" ★★★★★
"Fast-paced and utterly enjoyable" ★★★★★
"Highly recommended" ★★★★★
"Impossible to put down" ★★★★★
"Top notch" ★★★★★
"Intriguing, suspenseful and a little bit too realistic" ★★★★★
"A must read for the mystery/ thriller enthusiast." ★★★★★

Does real life emulate fiction? Or does fiction emulate real life?

All five books of the BrainTrust examine topics ripped from today’s headlines: Pandemic, Global Economic Meltdown, Deportation. How closely will the world follow the BrainTrust script?

Long ago, the President for Life expelled all foreign engineers from Silicon Valley. They moved to…

The BrainTrust:

A fleet of immense cruise liners jammed with teams seeking the next great breakthrough

A locus freed of bureaucracy and autocracy, a thorn in the side of every dirtside power.

A home for creativity where no problem is unsolvable, but no crisis is as simple as it seems.

A clean, well-lighted place for …  ferocious commando assaults, and desperate copter combat.

The Heroines:

Dash: the plucky mad scientist.

Ping: the bouncy itty bitty ninja with the Real Big Gun.

Jam: the quiet, resilient commando with the grace of a dancer.

The Frightening Fact: A little too much of it is coming true.

The Genres: near-future hard sf techno-thriller with a helping of political satire. If you can’t laugh about your favorite politician, journey elsewhere.

Otherwise, Come Aboard the BrainTrust.

Every book a Prometheus Award nominee.

​If you like Robert Heinlein, Michael Crichton, Charles Stross, or Ayn Rand, buy your ticket and come aboard.

What do you get when you cross Storms of Magic and Hidden Magic? Storms and Shades!

Grab the 8-book collection of both completed series today!

There's even a cross-over event in each book 4, you don't want to miss these epics series!

The first part of the boxed set includes:

In a time when magic rules the sea, she only trusts her sword.

Abbey has always been an outsider in Holdgate. While the people of her adopted city dominate the seas with their weather-controlling storm magic, she prefers the work in her father’s blacksmith shop.

Besting any foolish enough to question her skills with a sword.

But when her father is falsely accused of murder, she has to sneak aboard a stormship and take to the seas in a quest to clear his name.

Teaming up with a young storm mage and a no-nonsense Captain, Abbey sets off on a swashbuckling adventure.

She’ll soon learn that the legendary Storm Raiders--a terrifying group of seafaring pirates--are all too real.

Storms of Magic include:

Storm Raiders

Storm Callers

Storm Breakers

Storm Warrior

Then the second part of the boxed set includes:

The Truth will set you free, but what happens when the Truth is a Lie? 

Rhona and her paladin brother Alastar belong to a holy people who have waged war on witches and warlocks and their clans from the highlands. 

But when she uses magic to save his life, their world is thrown upside down. 

On the run, having left all they knew behind they have to rely on those who hate Paladins. All magic is evil, the High Paladin taught... But Alastar starts to understand that he might have been misled. 

If his sister uses magic, and she isn't evil...what does that mean for his beliefs? Brother and sister soon find themselves aligned with magic users and thrown in with the clans in a war against sorcerers and paladins alike, with only one hope of uniting the land--the legendary Sword of Light. 

It was lost years ago, and quest after quest by the holy paladins could not retrieve it. When you know the truth about magic... anything is possible. 

Hidden Magic Chronicles includes:

Shades of Light

Shades of Dark

Shades of Glory

Shades of Justice

All they wanted was to trade. Others had different ideas.

Join a world where humans and animals interact in a fight against the enemies of civilization. Three volumes with over 800 pages are contained in this one set!

Braden and his mindlinked Hillcat build friendships with other sentient creatures and extraordinary humans as they try to create a world of Free Trade, but obstacles stand in their way. As they encounter intransigent humans or power-hungry mutants, they fight for what they believe is right.

"Prepare to fall in love with Binti." —Neil Gaiman

Winner of the Hugo Award and the Nebula Award for Best Novella!

Her name is Binti, and she is the first of the Himba people ever to be offered a place at Oomza University, the finest institution of higher learning in the galaxy. But to accept the offer will mean giving up her place in her family to travel between the stars among strangers who do not share her ways or respect her customs.

Knowledge comes at a cost, one that Binti is willing to pay, but her journey will not be easy. The world she seeks to enter has long warred with the Meduse, an alien race that has become the stuff of nightmares. Oomza University has wronged the Meduse, and Binti's stellar travel will bring her within their deadly reach.

If Binti hopes to survive the legacy of a war not of her making, she will need both the gifts of her people and the wisdom enshrined within the University, itself — but first she has to make it there, alive.

The Binti Series
Book 1: Binti
Book 2: Binti: Home
Book 3: Binti: The Night Masquerade

PRAISE FOR BINTI

"Binti is a supreme read about a sexy, edgy Afropolitan in space! It's a wondrous combination of extra-terrestrial adventure and age-old African diplomacy. Unforgettable!" — Wanuri Kahiu, award-winning Kenyan film director of Punzi and From a Whisper

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

"Fans of laugh-out-loud romantic suspense will enjoy this new author as she joins the ranks of Janet Evanovich, Katie MacAllister, and Jennifer Crusie."-Booklist, on An Affair to Dismember

"Elise Sax will win your heart."-New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis

In this boxset, you'll laugh out loud with Gladie through the first three books in the Matchmaker Mysteries series: An Affair to Dismember, Citizen Pain, and The Wizard of Saws. Come find out just what kind of trouble Gladie gets herself into.

An Affair to Dismember:
Three months has been Gladie Burger's limit when it comes to staying in one place. That's why Gladie is more than a little skeptical when her Grandma Zelda-who is more than a little psychic-- recruits her into the family's matchmaking business in the quaint small town of Cannes, California. What's more, Gladie is also highly unqualified, having a terrible track record with romance. Still, Zelda is convinced that her granddaughter has her clairvoyant "gift." But when the going gets tough, Gladie wonders if this gift has a return policy.*When Zelda's neighbor drops dead in his kitchen, Gladie is swept into his bizarre family's drama. Despite warnings from the (distractingly gorgeous) chief of police to steer clear of his investigation,

Gladie is out to prove that her neighbor's death was murder. It's not too long before she's in way over her head-with the hunky police chief, a dysfunctional family full of possible killers, and yet another mysterious and handsome man, whose attentions she's unable to ignore. Gladie is clearly being pursued-either by true love or by a murderer. Who will catch her first?

Citizen Pain:
Lovably troublesome Gladie Burger runs into sizzling danger and a fiery love triangle in the second installment of Elise Sax's hilarious and sexy Matchmaker Mysteries series.

Since joining the family matchmaking business run by her eccentric and psychic Grandma Zelda, Gladie is always looking for love. But when an unbearable toothache knocks her out of commission and into the dentist's chair, she prays only for relief. No such luck. Emerging from an anesthetic haze, Gladie awakes to find that not only is her tooth still throbbing, but her dentist is dead--and the lead suspect in the murder, office receptionist Belinda, just so happens to be Gladie's first real client. Now it's up to Gladie to find Belinda a man and keep her from being locked up behind bars.

As if that weren't enough distraction, two gorgeous men are vying for Gladie's attention: Spencer, the playboy chief of police, and Holden, Gladie's secretive, gorgeously muscled neighbor. Still, Gladie's not complaining about having a helping hand or two when the case leads her to a dangerously bizarre cult. She may have met her match--and if she's not careful, it could be her last.

The Wizard of Saws:
Five months have passed since Gladie Burger came to Cannes, California, to join her eccentric Grandma Zelda in the family matchmaking business, and Gladie is quickly mastering the rules of attraction. Her latest fix-up is still going strong and Gladie's bank account is back in the black--until a rival matchmaker arrives in town and has both Gladie and Zelda seeing red.

Not only is self-proclaimed psychic Luanda Laughing-Eagle stealing Grandma Zelda's clients, but Zelda is convinced that Luanda's ESP is total BS. She tasks Gladie with exposing Luanda as a fraud, but Gladie's attention is diverted when murder comes a-calling. Spencer Bolton, the gorgeous chief of police and Gladie's on-again, off-again flame, wants her to stay out of the investigation--and away from the deliciously chiseled detective who also aims to win Gladie's heart. But the one thing Gladie's learned is that in business, love and murder . . . it's always personal.

The New York Times Best Seller
A Barnes & Noble Best Fiction Book of 2020
A Goodreads Choice Awards Finalist

Steel Magnolias meets Dracula in this '90s-set horror novel about a women's book club that must do battle with a mysterious newcomer to their small Southern town, perfect for murderinos and fans of Stephen King.

Bonus features:
   • Reading group guide for book clubs
   • Hand-drawn map of Mt. Pleasant
   • Annotated true-crime reading list by Grady Hendrix
   • And more!
 
Patricia Campbell’s life has never felt smaller. Her husband is a workaholic, her teenage kids have their own lives, her senile mother-in-law needs constant care, and she’s always a step behind on her endless to-do list. The only thing keeping her sane is her book club, a close-knit group of Charleston women united by their love of true crime. At these meetings they’re as likely to talk about the Manson family as they are about their own families.

One evening after book club, Patricia is viciously attacked by an elderly neighbor, bringing the neighbor's handsome nephew, James Harris, into her life. James is well traveled and well read, and he makes Patricia feel things she hasn’t felt in years. But when children on the other side of town go missing, their deaths written off by local police, Patricia has reason to believe James Harris is more of a Bundy than a Brad Pitt. The real problem? James is a monster of a different kind—and Patricia has already invited him in. 
 
Little by little, James will insinuate himself into Patricia’s life and try to take everything she took for granted—including the book club—but she won’t surrender without a fight in this blood-soaked tale of neighborly kindness gone wrong.

Ancient Warrior—Vampire—Queen’s Bitch...

Akio accepted his Queen’s charge to stay behind and protect humanity from the Forsaken scourge.

She never said it would be easy.

An isolated police report about an island overtaken by feral, red-eyed creatures savaging humans spurs Akio to investigate. 

The local police are good at their job, but they’re not well-equipped to handle things that go bump in the night.

Especially not the ones terrorizing this once-peaceful island paradise.

While dealing with the incursion, Akio discovers new information. The situation is escalating—and all evidence points to enemies from his past.

A dangerous science he’d thought was destroyed.

The Forsaken are rising to take their place as the alpha predators.

Now, it’s a race against overwhelming odds as Akio unravels long-laid complex plans and takes the fight to those who threaten the last bastion of civilization on post-apocalyptic Earth.

Can he stop this evil before it enslaves humanity?

Or will the Forsaken succeed in taking over the world?

Go up and click 'READ FOR FREE' or 'BUY NOW' and find out if Akio, Yuko and Eve accomplish this task for their Queen, or die trying.

Life is good for Stella O'Neil. She's found her mother at last and is finally getting a chance to get to know her after 20 years apart. She's also just landed the listing of a lifetime!

Trouble always seems to find Stella though and this time it feels personal. When she goes with her client to visit the beautiful remote mansion, her client is brutally murdered. No one else is around for miles. Stella becomes the prime suspect. It's up to Stella to clear her name and find the killer.

She has no clues to follow until files start disappearing from her computer. Soon a threat follows. Stella is sure if she can find the person responsible, the hacker can lead her to the killer. But she doesn't have much time until she herself is arrested and tried- will she go to prison after her mother was just released?

"Thank you for your contribution to the Alexandria Project" is the message cyber attackers leave behind as they delete crucial data from computer networks across America. It's not long before the nation is on the verge of collapse as Wall Street, the transportation system, government agencies, and the rest of our internet-based economy all fall victim to the attacks of unknown assailants. As the public outcry builds, Frank Adversego, a brilliant but conflicted cyber security expert, finds himself under suspicion as well as trapped in a power play between the FBI and the CIA. Only by tracing the Alexandria Project back to the source can he clear himself.

What follows is a fast-paced, satirical tale of cyber sleuthing, international espionage, and nuclear brinksmanship that accurately portrays our increasing vulnerability to cyber attack. The surprise ending will leave readers both ready for the next Frank Adversego thriller, as well as concerned about where our headlong rush onto the Internet may be leading us.

"THE ALEXANDRIA PROJECT is fiction that cuts close to the bone. But where George Orwell envisioned 1984 from the safety of thirty-five years out, the future that Updegrove describes may already be upon us. That's what makes it dangerous, and that's what makes THE ALEXANDRIA PROJECT an important as well as riveting read."

- Dan Geer, CHIEF INFORMATION SECURITY OFFICER, In-Q-Tel

Books 1-3 on sale for a limited time.

Meet Arthur "The Hat" Salzman. Gangster. Wizard. Screwed.

When I was killed for the fifth time, and before breakfast, I knew for sure I'd made a terrible mistake.

It was meant to be a simple job. Steal item, deliver said item to my posh broker, get paid. Easy peasy wizard squeezy.

Blame it on the insomnia, my own greed, or maybe just stupidity, but I swear on my wand I didn't know what was in the bag. If I had, I'd never have got involved.

Soon, every gangster, spook, and magic abuser in the city wanted what I had. But they went too far, broke the Code. Backed up by my faery godmother, and a Stepford mom who's main goal in life was to be my sidekick, the body count escalated as the truth was revealed. And they all forgot one important thing.

The Hat's a goddamn Wildcat Wizard!

Being possessed has its advantages...

Sure, my soul-bound familiar could be a pain in the ass...

But she came with some pretty impressive abilities. 

A nasty Voodoo demigod, a Loa of Destruction, wants to steal her power. 

Ogoun, the Loa of War, has invited me to join the Voodoo Academy. 

If I master the arts, he tells me, I might have a chance to thwart the demigod's scheme.

But can any of these "gods" be trusted? 

They all have ulterior motives.

And I won't be a pawn in their war. 

But if I don't stop him, if he steals these powers... he could destroy the world. 

I'm an outsider. Not at all like the other students at the academy. I don't think they'll ever accept me.

But if I don't go, if I don't learn to control these abilities... it will mean the end of everything I hold dear. 

Go up and cick 'Read for Free' or 'Buy Now' to find out if Annabelle can master the Voodoo craft... or if the Loa of the Academy will exploit her to advance their own ambitions.  

Theophilus Monroe’s Annabelle Mulledy is a snarky badass heroine with attitude. Monroe draws on the legend and myth of Voodoo lore in a way that neither caricatures the arts as “demonic” nor glosses over the dark side of the Voodoo tradition. With dark magic, dragons, vampires, and a slow burn academy romance the The Voodoo Legacy complete series has something for everybody.

If you enjoy magic academy fantasy books and occult urban fantasy, especially books with a dark twist, then you will love Theophilus Monroe’s Voodoo Legacy.  Fans of authors like Michael Anderle, Martha Carr, Linsey Hall, or Ramy Vance will love this compelling coming of age urban fantasy epic. Pick up your copy today!

The first book in the emotionally charged post-apocalyptic series, The Ending Series.

They may have survived the apocalypse, but the Virus changed them...

Grad student Dani O'Connor won't let a cross-country move end her closest friendship. But when a mysterious virus consumes the world and Dani, herself, falls violently ill, she fears she'll never see her loved ones again. After her fever finally breaks, she barely recognizes the devastated world around her. Everyone is dead. Dani is all alone. Or so she thinks...

As a bartender, Zoe is used to dealing with hotheads and dirtbags, but nothing could have prepared her for the twisted thoughts of her fellow survivors. Her family is gone, and anyone left alive in the world is either sick, crazy, or changed...like her. As her newfound super senses gain strength, Zoe must learn to control them before she loses herself to madness completely.

Perilous terrain spans the distance between them, and deranged survivors lurk in dark corners everywhere. Can Dani and Zoe overcome deadly attacks and unseen dangers in order to find each other? Or will they lose their way--and their lives--along the journey?

After The Ending is the first book in the evocative, superpowered post-apocalyptic adventure, The Ending Series. If you like unbreakable friendships, gritty dystopian settings, and a touch of romance, then you'll love Lindsey Pogue and Lindsey Fairleigh's heart-wrenching tale.

Buy After The Ending to embark on a supernatural survival story today!

THE ENDING SERIES
After The Ending
Into The Fire
Out Of The Ashes
Before The Dawn
The Ending Beginnings: A Collection of Stories
World Before: A Collection of Stories

Zachary Degaud was twenty three when he died. The problem was, he didn't stay that way.

Present day, he's just another vampire with another unremarkable story. That is, until he manages to provoke a two thousand year old witch named Katrin, who wants to make him pay in the most horrible way imagined.

Along with his brother Sam, newly made vampire Liz and their only witch ally, Gabby, his only chance for survival is to summon the ancient and unpredictable vampire known as the Witch Hunter.

Zac is just looking for a way out of his psychopathic witch problems, but instead will find himself falling head first into a blood feud that has stretched thousands of years.

Aya has been asleep for the past 150 years, until she was awoken by a haunting call. The witch she has been hunting for thousands of years, Katrin, has resurfaced and marked a young, annoyingly arrogant vampire by the name of Zachary Degaud. Unless she does something, he will die a slow and painful death. He has given her an opportunity to end the witch, but does she want to help him or leave him to his fate?
Zac will get under her skin like no one else has and she just might find herself making the ultimate sacrifice before he is gone forever.

They will both have to choose sides and look deep within themselves before the end. But, what Zac learns about himself, will surprise him most of all.