Giant fireblasts tear across the earth as the Gates of Hell are ripped open. In an instant, billions are killed. Human technology becomes utterly worthless in the face of the end of the world. Fortunately for Jaco, he barely survives the opening act of the Apocalypse. Unfortunately for him, he has to live through what comes next. Those who died in the initial blast are reincarnated as undead monsters. Massive fiery pits swallow up the center of every major city across the world.

Join Desmond as he learns to manipulate mana — a source of power that exists beyond the reach of most people in the universe — meets vastly different alien species, risks life and limb, all while trying to pass classes. If he’s lucky, he will find someone he can trust out here amongst the weird. If he's very lucky, maybe someone he can love.

Isaac Thoma lived to see the last handful of survivors defeat the demonic champion. He is now alone, his past in ashes, the last and most powerful human on a blighted Earth. But what if he could go back? Hurled back in time, Isaac has one chance to change it all. A chance to warn humanity of their impending doom. A chance to stop the [System] before shortsightedness and lust for power can render humanity extinct.

In a world where runes hold unimaginable power, mere mortal and gifted artisan Nate must harness arcane magic to navigate treacherous paths, reveal the hidden truths of his own past, and discover the workings of the illusive ‘System’. No big deal. Emboldened by only his penknife and a weirdly profound understanding of runic sorcery, Nate must uncover if the path he has been thrust upon may spare his earthly existence. After all, why only leave your mark on one world… when you might leave it on two?

D.E.D. Exorcists is the latest Augmented Reality mobile game focused on capturing, collecting, and training teams of Digitally Energized Demons. For an ordinary college student like Henry, who has always loved monster-taming RPGs, it looks like the perfect game. At least, until he downloads it. Now, the monsters are real. Henry finds himself forcibly recruited into the very real D.E.D. Exorcists: a shadow organization capable of capturing, training, and subduing the real-life demons that are invading Earth.

To Viggo, the veil was simply a landmark. Crossing it was considered suicide, and he'd never given much thought to what might lay beyond. Then, his life collapsed around him. Ejected from the military academy that was to have marked the start of his career, disowned by his family, passed over by the gods themselves, Viggo's last chance lay beyond the veil. Yet, from the very beginning, something was deeply troubling about the realm from whence the gods came. Its cities lay in ruins, its lands peopled by lunatics locked into tasks they could not escape.

A gunslinger with four affinities is a myth. It's the kind of story whispered in frontier saloons one drink before closing and around campfires in the dead of night. For the heroes and villains in those tales, that impossible power is a boon, a gift. For Mr. Jones, it's a curse. Of course, that's not his real name. He's had many. Changing names is necessary when you possess a power that every lawman and outlaw would kill to obtain. To survive, you keep your head down, kill when you must, and never stay in one place too long.

Ever since Arwin was summoned as a child, all he has known is war. And now, to claim the demon queen's life and end the war, he has to sacrifice himself. But, as he deals the final blow, the Hero of Mankind is betrayed. Caught in a magical explosion thought to end him, Arwin awakens a month later to find that everyone has already moved on. His [Hero] class has changed to a unique blacksmith Class called [The Living Forge] that is empowered by consuming magical items, but some of his old passive [Titles] remain, giving him the power to forge his new future exactly the way he wants to.

In just seven days, the world will crumble. The System's Descent will usher in a new era of chaos: wild animals mutating, monstrous creatures emerging, and the cessation of modern technology. Humanity will be left defenseless. Drew Wright knows none of this. At least not until he is rudely ripped from his bed and thrust into a white room to undergo a taser-happy ‘Tutorial’. Turns out, he is one of a thousand randomly selected people to be forewarned of the approaching apocalypse. Now, he faces the delightful task of convincing his wife and mother of the devastation hurtling towards them.

Nathaniel's bus ride was supposed to be just another boring commute. Wrong. Now, he, 23 fellow passengers, and a corgi named Biscuit, are stuck in a "Hell Difficulty" Tutorial, battling monsters and leveling up to survive. Easy difficulty, anyone can handle. Normal difficulty, you've got to put up a fight to get by. Hard difficulty is where only the tough ones last. And Hell? That's where you have to be a bit out of your mind! With his terrifying talent for mana manipulation, Nathaniel decides to invest every stat point into mana.

Jack Atlas, self-proclaimed 'World's Best Assassin', had a simple plan: retire in style and marry the girl of his dreams. Then he gets placed in The Tower—a divine deathtrap where gods pit their creations against each other for the ultimate prize: eternal paradise for you and your friends. The catch? If you lose, well, let's just say your chances of finding a decent bar in oblivion are slim.

When an accident kicks Sean Lawrence forward in time, he finds himself square in the apocalyptic end-times. The world is doomed, and he only has a mysterious guidebook, a leather jacket, and a homemade knife to keep him company. He could spend his days grinding low-level mobs, gathering rat pelts, and waiting for a chance to escape. Or he could rise up, slay dragons, and fight against the odds. Faced with a choice between the dead-end life he's been living and the possibility of greatness, Sean has to decide if he's willing to risk his life and more for a chance to save Earth itself.

People awake in a strange place with no idea of who or where they are. There is only a bizarre message carved into a metal obelisk and the growing awareness that every single living creature in this new world is a deadly threat. Even a seemingly cute and fluffy bunny has a taste for human flesh . . .What are they to do? How will they survive? How do they stay sane?

It’s just another Thanksgiving for the Sullivans - until the walls disappear and they discover they are being transported to Arenia, a place where game rules are real and their Earthen ability to reincarnate grants them unlimited potential. Or it would, if the celestial administrator in charge of their case hadn’t mixed up longitude and latitude and sent the wrong family. Now scattered throughout the Arenian wilderness and armed only with their Tomes, the family members must discover a strength they didn’t know they had if they are going to survive.

Kay's life takes an unexpected turn when he is transported to a mysterious world brimming with unfamiliar skills, classes, and a system. As he struggles to comprehend his new reality, he discovers a unique class that’s never been seen before—a powerful new form of blood magic that allows him to shape and manipulate the life force coursing through his veins. But the powers that be view Kay as a threat to their authority and dominance and are more than happy to eliminate him to maintain the status quo.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Jazz Bashara is a criminal. Well, sort of. Life on Artemis, the first and only city on the moon, is tough if you're not a rich tourist or an eccentric billionaire. So smuggling in the occasional harmless bit of contraband barely counts, right? Not when you've got debts to pay and your job as a porter barely covers the rent. Everything changes when Jazz sees the chance to commit the perfect crime, with a reward too lucrative to turn down.

Quick, roll your stats! Now are you good? Evil? Or just whatever you want to be? Want to stay human or become something else, say like an elf, dwarf, or gnome? Make sure to choose your abilities and skills with care, they may just save your life. Oh, and don't forget armor and something to hit things with. Join Jason as he figures all of this out and decides what path he will walk as the world around him changes drastically without notice.

When Arthur Clark, wage slave and bookworm, takes a bat to the head, he assumes his days of dreary counter minding are over. Instead, a dragon who calls herself a goddess gives him an offer he can't refuse. The job is simple on the surface, manage a store in an apocalyptic city and bring her currency to the people there. Upon arrival at his new home, he finds himself with little more than the clothes on his back and the equivalent of a child's lemonade stand.

"Early Adopter" is a collection of short stories from the edge of human progress. Eight stories hold dark mirrors to our own world—experience thought-provoking sci-fi, technologic tragedy, and pulse-pounding thrillers. To Run Again: Dr. Laura Brandie is ready to change the world. She's the lead researcher behind the KSE, a revolutionary cure for paralysis and neurodegenerative conditions. And now, by good fortune, she's found the perfect candidate for her first human trial: a man who suffers from locked-in syndrome.

To Viggo, the veil was simply a landmark. Crossing it was considered suicide, and he'd never given much thought to what might lay beyond. Then, his life collapsed around him. Ejected from the military academy that was to have marked the start of his career, disowned by his family, passed over by the gods themselves, Viggo's last chance lay beyond the veil. Yet, from the very beginning, something was deeply troubling about the realm from whence the gods came. Its cities lay in ruins, its lands peopled by lunatics locked into tasks they could not escape.

A life spent honing his skills and serving his country hasn’t turned out exactly how Nathaniel Abrams planned, but it’s attracted the attention of the Tower. Ascending to its peak is meant to give anyone whatever they wish for, but all Nate cares about is finding some way to use the skills that seem so useless in civilian life. And if he can prevent a magical wish being given to some maniac (because the Tower seems to love welcoming maniacs through its doors), then that’ll be a bonus. Besides, Nate has an edge.

Today was the Erodicilee's happiest day-until it wasn't. A cruel monster interrupted his trip, stole his mother and fled, but thankfully, he was born for such an occasion. For him, eating creatures will allow him to evolve new abilities to grow strong enough and find the one he loves!

Magic school isn't cheap. To be a Mage, he must work smart and learn fast.Fate dealt Nox the Alchemist unfavorable cards, but he has learnt to compensate for his shortcomings with scholarly pursuits, tenacity, and sheer grit. Fortunately, for him Woodson University and their scouts are always seeking individuals with his work ethic. The Department of Dungeon Studies sees the value of the mind and its ability to overcome all limitations. After all, they stripped the divine of their titles. The department turned gods into Dungeon Lords and their domains into Dungeons.

The Marines of Ghost Squadron are humanity's foremost black ops specialists who strike without warning and vanish without a trace. They will do whatever is necessary to protect humanity anywhere in the known galaxy. With the Commonwealth increasingly unstable thanks to venal politicians, greedy financiers, and power-hungry revolutionaries, they don't lack for missions. When an undercover Constabulary officer vanishes after uncovering a massive cartel-run human trafficking operation, the Commonwealth's interstellar police force calls for help from Naval Intelligence.

Bruce Silver is the author of the Riftbreaker novels, one of the most popular, beloved fantasy book series of all time. He's got everything he's ever dreamed of having: freedom to tell the stories he wants to tell, legions of enthusiastic fans who wait eagerly to see what he'll write next, and a really nice car. But despite all that, Bruce finds himself dissatisfied, battling an ennui he can't quite put his finger on. So he decides to do what anyone would do in his situation: burn it all down by unexpectedly killing off Carpathian Einzgear, Riftbreaker's cherished hero.

Some dream of prosperity, of living a calm and peaceful life. But not me. Having reached the pinnacles of success, I can't stop thinking about the past, about a time when any misstep could spell disaster, when I had to pay, work, and risk everything for even the slightest gain and each day was like walking a knife's edge. That's all in the past now. This peaceful, predictable, and privileged life isn't so bad. But it's boring!

Jett: A lone wolf, who fights for no one but himself. Meghana: A prisoner, desperate to be set free. The Underworld: Where both of their truths lay buried. And when they all collide, it will be a fight for their lives. But who will survive? The most important fight of his life; Has nothing to do with him; And everything to do with...her.

All that stands between rowdy long-haul trucker Jill MacLeod (aka Junkmouth) and her family back in Boston is two thousand miles of asphalt. Well, that and the monstrous game the System has had her playing ever since it descended on Earth. The reward: mana. Jill's goal: kill, score, drive—and stay alive. Behind the wheel of a turreted forty-ton semi named Bertha, Jill hammers east from Montana through a gauntlet of every kind of chomping, hissing, rabid creature imaginable. Barreling forward in her magical soulbound big rig and chalking up a bumper crop of roadkill, Jill isn't alone for long.

Jason Sanchez is at work when the world ends. Dark towers engulf buildings all across the city, filling them with dangerous monsters. Fortunately for Jason, he acquires the Curse Weaver Class, which gives him a fighting chance at surviving the apocalypse. That is, assuming he can rally a bevy of unlikely allies to his cause and master the strange but powerful abilities of the Curse Weaver.

James Robard was a risk-taking con artist and thief before he turned over a new leaf as a loving husband and a dull suit in a law firm. He's never felt so unadventurous. That is, until the System descends upon Earth and he's initiated into a thrilling game world of magic and mayhem, training for exhilarating challenges that make him feel alive again.

Yoshio is thirty years old, and his life is a mess. A shut-in living with his parents, he has no job, no relationship, and no prospects. When he receives a new sim computer game that boasts characters created with a new kind of A.I., he doesn't think much of it--until he gets drawn into a fantasy world so vibrant and lifelike that its residents can't just be game characters. Suddenly finding himself the benevolent god of a scrappy fantasy village is a lot for Yoshio to handle, but it might be the key to the change he is desperate for.