The world has changed since the news of Oriceran came out 20 years before. Now, countries all over the world have agreed to using a bounty system for dangerous criminals using advanced magic or advanced technology. Magical criminals, thugs, and bounty hunters in the future, people too powerful for the cops to deal with, will revert to what worked in the past.

Scarlett Prynne is new in town, but that won't stop trouble from finding the young witch. It always does. Before her brother kicked her through a magical portal that eventually landed her in nowhere Tonopah, Nevada, he called her an agent of chaos. But let's be fair. Our Scarlett doesn't create problems. Her magic just attracts it in all shapes and furry sizes. Like her familiar, Runeclaw. The black cat's tongue is as sharp as his nails, and he has a snark that can cut through just about anything. This time though, trouble was already here.

When three local bullies pick on Iron Hills dwarf Eiravel (Val) Stonehold, she naturally defends herself. Why is she the only one who gets thrown out of the tavern after the brawl? On her way home, two bumbling dragons in human form, Axl and Livius, accost her and hand her a letter. What can the new Eternal Queen Julie possibly want with her? As it turns out, the queen wants her body.

Welcome to the Midwest, America's Heartland, home to a hidden community of witches and wizards. When Maria Apple receives a strange music box for her 19th birthday, everything changes. She begins to showcase odd magical abilities, glowing blue, seeing ghosts, and talking to creatures that shouldn't be able to talk, all while trying to juggle the task of being a typical teenage girl. Now, not only does Maria learn she is a witch, but her grandfather, Ignatius, reveals he was once a famous warrior from a planet named Oriceran.

Meet Kris Kringle. Behind the cheerful facade lies a skilled warrior with a mission: to protect the joy and spirit of Christmas from those who seek to destroy it. When a sinister organization known as The Shadow Collective threatens to manipulate the stock market and bring global chaos, Kris must step out of the workshop and into the fray. The Collective's schemes threaten to unravel the very fabric of the holiday season. He must infiltrate the shadows, outsmart his enemies, and stop the Collective before they can execute their final, devastating attack.

It was a dark and stormy knight, and nine dark defenders embarked upon a most perilous quest. They're the ultimate defenders of humanity, modern day knights who do dark deeds for all the right reasons. In this all-star collection, nine of today's hottest paranormal authors bring us thrilling, all-new stories of supernatural knights that are brimming with magic mystery and mayhem.

Growing up, she was the girl down the street. Even then, I knew she was different. She was tough, rough, and had the strength to stop a speeding car with her bare hands. We were as thick as thieves, sharing every adventure. Then one day she revealed a secret. She wasn't from Earth. She was from a distant place called the Arcadia Multiverse. Her people lived under the rule of a god-like entity known as the System. That System had its gaze fixed on Earth. And it was only a matter of time before it came for us.

The Mist Casino sits just above a kemana with an interior that would make a ghost feel right at home. Of course it does. After all, Magic City has to compete with nearby Vegas. Ruby is just back from University for the summer, catching up with an old friend, when everything changes with a bang! A series of small blasts are exploding all around her. Chips are flying through the air. Someone wanted to announce their arrival in town. But who? Ruby is about to get drawn into a battle for control of Magic City. They just made the fight personal. Is the Ebon Dragon Casino next?

In the past two years, I leveled up as a kick-ass urban druid and became the leader of the Fianna Warriors my ancestor Fionn mac Cumhaill needed me to be. The thing is—four months ago everything changed. The veil between realms came down. With dormant genes waking, the dominant races jockeying for their place in the hierarchy, and the world around us pulsing out of control with power, my position as the Fae Liaison of Toronto has gotten off to a chaotic start.

I expected aging out of the foster care system to be hard. I wasn't expecting it to include finding out I was a Warlock, destined to be hunted by the most powerful Witch Families so they could bind me to a coven of thirteen witches and spend the rest of my life "harvesting mana". Add to that a set of magical resonants that made me an even bigger target to some of those Witch Families, some of which would rather kill me than let a rival get me.

Skills include wielding dual magics, stabbing bad guys with the pointy end, and protecting the good people of Seattle from dark wizards. Also wraps a mean sashimi roll. The name Brownstone evokes a certain reaction no matter who hears it. And for Alison Brownstone that’s both a blessing and a curse. But it’s time for her to step out of her dad’s shadow and make a new name for herself. She just has to decide what she wants that name to mean.

Jack's always been about finding the answer, the key, to everything, but his riddles and locks were always larger than the people in his life suspected. What holds everything together? How could the ancients' understanding of the elements connect to our modern understanding? If Jack understood that, would it mean he could control them? But answers come with consequences, and knowledge always has a price.

Get ready to experience two more origin stories in the Backyard Starship universe.

To face down an unstoppable evil, each kingdom of Occida bound the soul of a young woman to their realm’s most powerful weapons. But the enemy’s final act of treachery teleports away the mythical devices, along with the souls trapped inside them.

I was the most powerful healer in my world—the best, having devoted my entire life to mastering the art of healing. And yet, for whatever reason, my brother feared that I sought to claim his throne, and he marshaled his forces against me.

Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission - and if he fails, humanity and the Earth itself will perish. Except that right now, he doesn't know that. He can't even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it. All he knows is that he's been asleep for a very, very long time. And he's just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company.

Two astronomers have detected a strange, pulsing signal from deep space. Within hours, the US government goes into lockdown, restricting airspace and scrubbing scientific data. Was the signal an intercepted communication revealing alarming plans for an enemy’s military strike? Or has humanity at long last found proof of extraterrestrial life?

Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars. Now, he's sure he'll be the first person to die there. After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive - and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive. But Mark isn't ready to give up yet.

Inheriting your uncle's supervillain business is more complicated than you might think. Particularly when you discover who's running the place. Charlie's life is going nowhere fast. A divorced substitute teacher living with his cat in a house his siblings want to sell, all he wants is to open a pub downtown, if only the bank will approve his loan. Then his long-lost uncle Jake dies and leaves his supervillain business (complete with island volcano lair) to Charlie. But becoming a supervillain isn't all giant laser death rays and lava pits.

It’s 1984, and life has changed beyond recognition. Airstrip One, formerly known as Great Britain, is a place where Big Brother is always watching, and nobody can hide. Except, perhaps, for Winston Smith. Whilst working at the Ministry of Truth, rewriting history, he secretly dreams of freedom. And in a world where love and sex are forbidden, where it’s hard to distinguish between friend and foe, he meets Julia and O’Brien and vows to rebel.

The world has changed since the news of Oriceran came out 20 years before. Now, countries all over the world have agreed to using a bounty system for dangerous criminals using advanced magic or advanced technology. Magical criminals, thugs, and bounty hunters in the future, people too powerful for the cops to deal with, will revert to what worked in the past.

Lu Jie woke up in a world filled with scheming sects, arrogant young masters, and the mad chase for the immortal heavens. He wanted none of it, and soon finds himself beaten bloody in a spar he didn't remember and treated as less than worthless. But his plan to escape the sect is interrupted by an old Alchemist's pills that heal him within moments—a magical cure. These medicines ignite the flame of curiosity to learn true magic in him. Lu Jie sets out to study the truths hidden within the world, and soon finds an all new path of cultivation that could take him to the very top.

Welcome to the Midwest, America's Heartland, home to a hidden community of witches and wizards. When Maria Apple receives a strange music box for her 19th birthday, everything changes. She begins to showcase odd magical abilities, glowing blue, seeing ghosts, and talking to creatures that shouldn't be able to talk, all while trying to juggle the task of being a typical teenage girl. Now, not only does Maria learn she is a witch, but her grandfather, Ignatius, reveals he was once a famous warrior from a planet named Oriceran.

Lucas was shocked when he awoke to find the world had ended. An alien AI called the System had taken over Earth and transformed his apartment building into a 100-floor dungeon tower of traps, monsters, and loot. Trapped at the top, Lucas and the other residents have just one year to reach the ground floor and escape before the tower self-destructs. That’s his first problem. The second is he slept through the System’s welcome orientation, so a Class was picked for him. Lucas is now a Blood Reaver. A brutal Class based on speed, ferocity, and striking from the shadows.

Imagine you find yourself in a world that prizes martial arts above all else, and that I am the descendant of an ancient clan who have honed their skill from generation to generation to rise to the ranks of the most powerful . . . Bet you're surprised, right? The thing is, most of my teachers say I'm a hopeless, talentless loser. No big deal, at first glance at least. I can survive just fine without talent. There's just one catch—I'm already dead. Or am I?

Skills include wielding dual magics, stabbing bad guys with the pointy end, and protecting the good people of Seattle from dark wizards. Also wraps a mean sashimi roll. The name Brownstone evokes a certain reaction no matter who hears it. And for Alison Brownstone that’s both a blessing and a curse. But it’s time for her to step out of her dad’s shadow and make a new name for herself. She just has to decide what she wants that name to mean.

Planet Earth burns in nuclear flame. But The System was kind and wise enough to transfer all its little humans into a new world. Everyone has been granted a new name, a starting bonus, and a rousing kick up the backside. Some got a sword, some a crown, and me . . . A potato?! How am I supposed to take over the world with this thing? System, are you sure you're so kind and wise after all?

In a world shattered by war, a lone robot soldier awakens with one mission: to protect the last surviving human – a little girl named Amy. Together, they form an unbreakable bond in a world where hope is scarce. But danger lurks in the form of robotic mutations known as wolfhounds. One Shot’s prime directive is clear: protect Amy at all costs.

The usual result of a human taking a runaway semitruck head-on is a very sudden, very fast track to the pearly gates. But for one newly noncorporeal man, there's another option: become a dungeon. Feeling sorry for the desperate angel assigned to him, the man relents. Heck, if it doesn't work out, he can always chat with Saint Peter about it later. Next thing you know, he's a dungeon. Admittedly, a small run-down, somewhat unimpressive dungeon (more of a house, actually), but you gotta start somewhere, right?

Betrayed and banished by the capricious Elemental Gods who gave him his magic, Saul awakens in a new body, a new time, and a new life. One he never wanted. Saul was at the peak of his power. As Archmage of Keldor and Commander of the Emperor’s military might, he carved a bloody path of victory across the whole of the known world, uniting the warring factions into the greatest empire the world had ever seen.