Twenty-two years ago, Sam and Dean Winchester lost their mother to a mysterious and demonic supernatural force. In the years after, their father, John, taught them about the paranormal evil that lives in the dark corners and on the back roads of America...and he taught them how to kill it.

Sam and Dean have hit New York City to check out a local rocker''s haunted house. But before they can figure out why a lovesick banshee in an ''80s heavy-metal T-shirt is wailing in the bedroom, a far more macabre crime catches their attention. Not far from the house, two university students were beaten to death by a strange assailant. A murder that''s bizarre even by New York City standards, it''s the latest in a line of killings that the brothers soon suspect are based on the creepy stories of legendary writer Edgar Allan Poe.

Their investigation leads them to the center of one of Poe''s horror classics, face-to-face with their most terrifying foe yet. And if Sam and Dean don''t rewrite the ending of this chilling tale, a grisly serial killer will end their lives forevermore.

The action-packed official adaptation of Alien: Isolation and a revealing look into the lives of Ellen Ripley and her daughter, Amanda Ripley.

The product of a troubled and violent youth, Amanda Ripley is hellbent to discover what happened to her missing mother, Ellen Ripley. She accepts an assignment with a Weyland-Yutani team being sent to retrieve the Nostromo flight recorder from space station Sevastopol, which they find out of control due to a Xenomorph that was brought there with the recorder. A conspiracy unfolds, revealing ever greater threats—including an entire Xenomorph hive. Over the course of the novel, Amanda’s history is revealed beginning with her childhood. Her father Alex’s battle with alcoholism caused her mother, Ellen Ripley, to sue for divorce. Ellen was forced to take off-world assignments, ultimately leading to her assignment aboard the Nostromo. Left behind, Amanda became determined to find out what happened to her mother, learning more and more about Ellen and the events that led up to her disappearance. Along the way, Amanda develops a fast friendship with Colonial Marine Zula Hendricks (from the Alien: Defiance Dark Horse series).

THE FINAL SHOWDOWN ON TROY!

The strange bird-like aliens that humans have nicknamed "Dusters" have destroyed a human colony, the Semi-Autonomous World Troy. The North American Union sent a massive force of troops from the Marines, Army, and Navy in response.

In orbit, the remnants of the Navy must pull together and fight off the latest wave of Duster reinforcements to come through the wormhole and press their attack.

On the ground, Marines are locked in pitched combat with the Dusters, who continue to press their advantage, now with a weapon of devastating power, mounted on a large tank-like vehicle.

At headquarters, the Army Corps of Engineers must figure out how those tanks work and figure out how to either stop them-or use them!

And back on Earth, the NAU President must decide humanities next course of action, even as scientists try to discover the Dusters'' secrets to help the soldiers, sailors, and Marines win-

-and time is running out!

“Have you heard about this book, Bad-Ass Faeries? I have to get a copy because faeries are not all goodness and light.” —Brian Froud, Faeriecon 2007

Ten years ago, four editors joined forces to bring the dark and dangerous root of the faerie legend into the modern day. And that's how Bad-Ass Faeries was born. We brought you bikers and cowboys, mobsters and assassins, luchadores and just about everything else you can think of that is bad-ass, all wreathed in the magic of the fae.

After a decade, love for this award-winning series is still going strong. In celebration, we give you: The Best of Bad-Ass Faeries, with stories by Brian Koscienski & Chris Pisano, Keith R.A. DeCandido, Adam P. Knave, Jesse Harris, James Chambers, CJ Henderson, Danielle Ackley-McPhail, John Passarella, Jeffrey Lyman, Bernie Mojzes, L. Jagi Lamplighter, John L. French, James Daniel Ross, Robert E. Waters, Kelly A. Harmon, DL Thurston, Patrick Thomas, Jody Lynn Nye, Lee C. Hillman, and NR Brown…

Do you believe in Bad-Ass Faeries? Then clap your hands...NOW!

A COLLECTION OF THE FINEST SHORT FICTION BY AWARD-WINNING, INTERNATIONAL BEST-SELLING AUTHOR KEITH R.A. DeCANDIDO

For more than twenty years, Keith R.A. DeCandido has told stories in a variety of universes and genres. Now, some of his finest short fiction from across those two decades are gathered here, plus some new, never-before-published tales of wonder, including a brand-new fantastical police procedural featuring the Cliff's End Castle Guard and a brand-new urban fantasy set in Key West, Florida featuring Cassie Zukav, weirdness magnet, both written especially for this collection!

From the urban grittiness of “The Ballad of Big Charlie” to the space opera of “The Stone of the First High Pontiff.” From the modern-day thriller of “-30-” to the lighthearted cats-and-dogs-and-squirrels romp of “Sunday in the Park with Spot.” From a murder mystery in a high fantasy setting in “Partners in Crime” to a murder mystery in a modern publishing setting in “Editorial Interference.” From a tale of New York City occupied by magical creatures in “Under the King’s Bridge” to a story of Key West filled with Norse gods in “Seven-Mile Race.” Plus the short-shorts “A Vampire and a Vampire Hunter Walk Into a Bar,” “Wild Bill Got Shot,” and “Behold a White Tricycle.”

Humans and elves, dwarves and gnomes, wizards and warriors all live and do business in the thriving, overcrowded port city of Cliff’s End, to say nothing of the tourists and travellers who arrive by land and sea, passing through the metropolis on matters of business or pleasure—or on quests. The hard-working, under-appreciated officers of the Cliff’s End Castle Guard work day and night to maintain law and order as best they can.

Gan Brightblade is one of the world’s greatest heroes and a personal friend of the Lord and Lady of Cliff’s End. So when he’s brutally murdered in grubby lodgings in Dragon Precinct, on the eve of a great quest, the Captain of the Guard puts his two best investigators on the case. The half-elf Danthres Tresyllione and ex-soldier Torin ban Wyvald soon discover that the crime scene is empty of any forensic evidence—physical or magickal. They have no clues, and heat is on.

The Lord and Lady want their friend’s murder solved—now. The populace is mourning the loss of a great hero. The ever-unhelpful Brotherhood of Wizards could take over the case at any minute. And then another member of Brightblade’s party turns up dead….

Humans and elves, dwarves and gnomes, wizards and warriors all live and do business in the thriving, overcrowded port city of Cliff's End, to say nothing of the tourists and travelers who arrive by land and sea, passing through the metropolis on matters of business or pleasure-or on quests. The hard-working, under-appreciated officers of the Cliff's End Castle Guard work day and night to maintain law and order as best they can.

Arra Cynnis is the youngest child in one of the most powerful families in the wealthy district of Unicorn Precinct. When she's found murdered, with the culprit's identity hidden from the magickal examiner's spells, the Captain of the Guard sends his best investigators. Ex-soldier Torin ban Wyvald and half-elf Danthres Tresyllione have two viable suspects: Arra's fiancé, who is the cousin of another member of the Castle Guard, or the unknown person with whom Arra was having a torrid affair.

Torin and Danthres must navigate the difficult political waters of Cliff's End's upper classes in an attempt to determine the girl's killer. Complicating the case is the unexpected appearance of Torin's estranged father, who has come to return the detective to his far-off homeland of Myverin, and he won't take no for an answer . . . .

An all-new adventure of the Cliff's End Castle Guard!

Humans and elves, dwarves and gnomes, wizards and warriors all live and do business in the thriving, overcrowded port city of Cliff's End, to say nothing of the tourists and travelers who arrive by land and sea, passing through the metropolis on matters of business or pleasure—or on quests. The hard-working, under-appreciated officers of the Cliff's End Castle Guard work day and night to maintain law and order as best they can.

A new drug called Bliss is sweeping across the slums of Goblin Precinct. It makes people feel better—but if they take too much, they overdose and die. It doesn't truly become a concern for the Castle Guard until one of the overdoses turns out to be a former elf lord who is wanted for war crimes.

The Captain of the Guard must put his best detectives, the half-elf Danthres Tresyllione and the ex-soldier Torin ban Wyvald, on the case to find out what happened to the elf. But when the magickal examiner discovers the truth behind Bliss, it becomes a firestorm of controversy that brings the Brotherhood of Wizards into the case—and that never ends well...

An all-new adventure of the Cliff's End Castle Guard!

Humans and elves, dwarves and gnomes, wizards and warriors all live and do business in the thriving, overcrowded port city of Cliff's End, to say nothing of the tourists and travelers who arrive by land and sea, passing through the metropolis on matters of business or pleasure—or on quests. The hard-working, under-appreciated officers of the Cliff's End Castle Guard work day and night to maintain law and order as best they can.

Cliff's End is rocked by the death of Lord Albin. As soon as the funeral ends, Albin's son Blayk takes over and starts instituting wholesale changes in how the Cliff's End Castle Guard is run: enforced retirements of older guards (including Captain Osric), surprise promotions (including Grovis to replace Osric as Captain of the Guard), sword requalifications for all guards, and much more.

Worse, Blayk has split up Lieutenants Torin ban Wyvald and Danthres Tresyllione and given them new partners. Lieutenant Dru, still devastated by the loss of Lieutenant Hawk, also has a new partner. All three detectives catch separate cases, but the more they investigate, the more they realize that all three are related—and connected to a conspiracy that targets the King and Queen themselves!

An all-new adventure of the Cliff's End Castle Guard!

Humans and elves, dwarves and gnomes, wizards and warriors all live and do business in the thriving, overcrowded port city of Cliff's End, to say nothing of the tourists and travelers who arrive by land and sea, passing through the metropolis on matters of business or pleasure-or on quests. The hard-working, under-appreciated officers of the Cliff's End Castle Guard work day and night to maintain law and order as best they can.

This volume brings together ten pieces of short fiction-some previously published, some brand-new for this book-featuring the Castle Guard: new cases for Lieutenants Torin ban Wyvald and Danthres Tresyllione to solve, as they deal with animated furniture, a hrancit demon, a closet spewing filth, a senile dragon, and more. Plus one of Lieutenant Iaian's old cases comes back to haunt him, Lieutenants Dru and Hawk investigate a massacre committed by a vampire, the survivors of the heroic quest from Dragon Precinct return (and get into trouble), and the untold story of Danthres and Torin's first case together is finally told!

Ten adventures of the Cliff's End Castle Guard!

Humans and elves, dwarves and gnomes, wizards and warriors all live and do business in the thriving, overcrowded port city of Cliff's End, to say nothing of the tourists and travelers who arrive by land and sea, passing through the metropolis on matters of business or pleasure—or on quests. The hard-working, under-appreciated officers of the Cliff's End Castle Guard work day and night to maintain law and order as best they can.

As Cliff’s End struggles to deal with a massive influx of refugees following a devastating fire in the neighboring city-state of Barlin, the docklands are rocked by a stunning tragedy: the legendary Pirate Queen has been murdered! Long the scourge of the Garamin Sea, the Pirate Queen’s death has ripple effects beyond Cliff’s End. Even as Lieutenants Danthres Tresyllione and Torin ban Wyvald investigate her murder, they find themselves embroiled in conspiracies, politics, and the arcane law of the sea—and of the land!

An all-new adventure of the Cliff's End Castle Guard!

The Complete Saga of the 18th Race Series in One Omnibus Edition

We are not alone!

In exploring and colonizing the galaxy, humanity discovers evidence of eighteen sentient species. Seventeen of them had not developed interstellar travel. Those were destroyed by the species that did reach the stars. That space-faring eighteenth annihilated the human colony on the Semi-Autonomous World Troy.

A Marine Force Recon platoon sent to investigate is wiped out almost to the last man. In reaction, the North American Union assembles the largest army seen since the major wars of the 20th Century.

Things seem grim for Troy and its defenders as a new Duster fleet arrives and attacks the remaining warships of Task Force 8, in orbit before landing a huge invasion army meant to defeat the Human forces.

And back on Earth, the NAU President must decide humanity''s next course of action, even as scientists try to discover the Dusters'' secrets to help the soldiers, sailors, and Marines win-

-and time is running out!

Includes Issue in Doubt, In All Directions, To Hell and Regroup, and the bonus short story "So [Not] Like Dogs," from the anthology Dogs of War.

There are creatures lurking in our world. Obscure creatures long relegated to myth and legend. They have been sighted by a lucky-or unlucky-few, some have even been photographed, but their existence remains unproven and unrecognized by the scientific community.

These creatures, long thought gone, have somehow survived; creatures from our nightmares haunting the dark places. They swim in our lakes and bays, they soar the night skies, they hunt in the woods. Some are from our past, and some from other worlds, and others that have always been with us-watching us, fearing us, hunting us.

These are the cryptids, and Systema Paradoxa tells their tales.

***

When there are talks of a monster sighted in the waves off the Atlantic City boardwalk, Coursers Valentina Perrone and Sarah el-Guindi-supernatural hunters-for-hire-are called in by the local Boss to... handle it. But echoes of the past send them into the heart of the Pine Barrens, where more than one secret hides, along with their answers.

Will history repeat itself? Or will the monsters find safe haven?

Either way, in the end, they discover there is always more than one way to deal with a problem.

Humans and elves, dwarves and gnomes, wizards and warriors all live and do business in the thriving, overcrowded port city of Cliff''s End, to say nothing of the tourists and travelers who arrive by land and sea, passing through the metropolis on matters of business or pleasure-or on quests. The hard-working, under-appreciated officers of the Cliff''s End Castle Guard work day and night to maintain law and order as best they can.

A fire in the neighboring city-state of Barlin has resulted in hundreds of refugees pouring into Cliff''s End, forcing the creation of a new neighborhood-Albinton, which everyone calls "New Barlin"-and a new police precinct-Phoenix Precinct. Violence against the refugees is on the rise. Lieutenants Danthres Tresyllione and Torin ban Wyvald are called to the latest act of brutality, which has resulted in a vicious murder. But what appears to be a simple hate crime turns out to be far more complicated, as Danthres and Torin''s investigation leads them to corruption in the Castle Guard-and in the castle itself!

An all-new adventure of the Cliff''s End Castle Guard!

We all know about the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: Death, War, Famine, and Pestilence riding on pale horses and all that Book-of-Revelation stuff. But why does it have to be four guys on horses? Why not the Four Cheerleaders of the Apocalypse? The Four Cats of the Apocalypse? The Four PTA Moms of the Apocalypse? The Four Lawyers, Librarians, or Lunch Ladies of the Apocalypse? The Four Drummers, Rock Stars, or Opera Singers of the Apocalypse? Or even the Four Squirrels of the Apocalypse or the Four Emojis of the Apocalypse? And so we present The Four ???? of the Apocalypse, as twenty-nine brilliant authors give us alternate takes on the legendary quartet of end-of-the-world avatars.

Anthology Contributors:  

David Mack; Seanan McGuire; Mary Fan; Jody Lynn Nye; Derek Tyler Attico; Peter David; Aaron Rosenberg; Laura Anne Gilman; Danielle Ackley-McPhail; Gordon Linzner; Michael Jan Friedman; Jenifer Purcell Rosenberg; Michael A. Ventrella; Gerard Houarner; Megan Mackie; Adam-Troy Castro; Gail Z. Martin; Hildy Silverman; Robert Greenberger; James D. Macdonald; Dayton Ward; Kevin Dilmore; Patrick Thomas; Ross Colchamiro; David Gerrold.

Twenty-two years ago, Sam and Dean Winchester lost their mother to a mysterious and demonic supernatural force. In the years after, their father, John, taught them about the paranormal evil that lives in the dark corners and on the back roads of America...and he taught them how to kill it.

Sam and Dean have hit New York City to check out a local rocker''s haunted house. But before they can figure out why a lovesick banshee in an ''80s heavy-metal T-shirt is wailing in the bedroom, a far more macabre crime catches their attention. Not far from the house, two university students were beaten to death by a strange assailant. A murder that''s bizarre even by New York City standards, it''s the latest in a line of killings that the brothers soon suspect are based on the creepy stories of legendary writer Edgar Allan Poe.

Their investigation leads them to the center of one of Poe''s horror classics, face-to-face with their most terrifying foe yet. And if Sam and Dean don''t rewrite the ending of this chilling tale, a grisly serial killer will end their lives forevermore.

The action-packed official adaptation of Alien: Isolation and a revealing look into the lives of Ellen Ripley and her daughter, Amanda Ripley.

The product of a troubled and violent youth, Amanda Ripley is hellbent to discover what happened to her missing mother, Ellen Ripley. She accepts an assignment with a Weyland-Yutani team being sent to retrieve the Nostromo flight recorder from space station Sevastopol, which they find out of control due to a Xenomorph that was brought there with the recorder. A conspiracy unfolds, revealing ever greater threats—including an entire Xenomorph hive. Over the course of the novel, Amanda’s history is revealed beginning with her childhood. Her father Alex’s battle with alcoholism caused her mother, Ellen Ripley, to sue for divorce. Ellen was forced to take off-world assignments, ultimately leading to her assignment aboard the Nostromo. Left behind, Amanda became determined to find out what happened to her mother, learning more and more about Ellen and the events that led up to her disappearance. Along the way, Amanda develops a fast friendship with Colonial Marine Zula Hendricks (from the Alien: Defiance Dark Horse series).

THE FINAL SHOWDOWN ON TROY!

The strange bird-like aliens that humans have nicknamed "Dusters" have destroyed a human colony, the Semi-Autonomous World Troy. The North American Union sent a massive force of troops from the Marines, Army, and Navy in response.

In orbit, the remnants of the Navy must pull together and fight off the latest wave of Duster reinforcements to come through the wormhole and press their attack.

On the ground, Marines are locked in pitched combat with the Dusters, who continue to press their advantage, now with a weapon of devastating power, mounted on a large tank-like vehicle.

At headquarters, the Army Corps of Engineers must figure out how those tanks work and figure out how to either stop them-or use them!

And back on Earth, the NAU President must decide humanities next course of action, even as scientists try to discover the Dusters'' secrets to help the soldiers, sailors, and Marines win-

-and time is running out!

“Have you heard about this book, Bad-Ass Faeries? I have to get a copy because faeries are not all goodness and light.” —Brian Froud, Faeriecon 2007

Ten years ago, four editors joined forces to bring the dark and dangerous root of the faerie legend into the modern day. And that's how Bad-Ass Faeries was born. We brought you bikers and cowboys, mobsters and assassins, luchadores and just about everything else you can think of that is bad-ass, all wreathed in the magic of the fae.

After a decade, love for this award-winning series is still going strong. In celebration, we give you: The Best of Bad-Ass Faeries, with stories by Brian Koscienski & Chris Pisano, Keith R.A. DeCandido, Adam P. Knave, Jesse Harris, James Chambers, CJ Henderson, Danielle Ackley-McPhail, John Passarella, Jeffrey Lyman, Bernie Mojzes, L. Jagi Lamplighter, John L. French, James Daniel Ross, Robert E. Waters, Kelly A. Harmon, DL Thurston, Patrick Thomas, Jody Lynn Nye, Lee C. Hillman, and NR Brown…

Do you believe in Bad-Ass Faeries? Then clap your hands...NOW!

A COLLECTION OF THE FINEST SHORT FICTION BY AWARD-WINNING, INTERNATIONAL BEST-SELLING AUTHOR KEITH R.A. DeCANDIDO

For more than twenty years, Keith R.A. DeCandido has told stories in a variety of universes and genres. Now, some of his finest short fiction from across those two decades are gathered here, plus some new, never-before-published tales of wonder, including a brand-new fantastical police procedural featuring the Cliff's End Castle Guard and a brand-new urban fantasy set in Key West, Florida featuring Cassie Zukav, weirdness magnet, both written especially for this collection!

From the urban grittiness of “The Ballad of Big Charlie” to the space opera of “The Stone of the First High Pontiff.” From the modern-day thriller of “-30-” to the lighthearted cats-and-dogs-and-squirrels romp of “Sunday in the Park with Spot.” From a murder mystery in a high fantasy setting in “Partners in Crime” to a murder mystery in a modern publishing setting in “Editorial Interference.” From a tale of New York City occupied by magical creatures in “Under the King’s Bridge” to a story of Key West filled with Norse gods in “Seven-Mile Race.” Plus the short-shorts “A Vampire and a Vampire Hunter Walk Into a Bar,” “Wild Bill Got Shot,” and “Behold a White Tricycle.”

Humans and elves, dwarves and gnomes, wizards and warriors all live and do business in the thriving, overcrowded port city of Cliff’s End, to say nothing of the tourists and travellers who arrive by land and sea, passing through the metropolis on matters of business or pleasure—or on quests. The hard-working, under-appreciated officers of the Cliff’s End Castle Guard work day and night to maintain law and order as best they can.

Gan Brightblade is one of the world’s greatest heroes and a personal friend of the Lord and Lady of Cliff’s End. So when he’s brutally murdered in grubby lodgings in Dragon Precinct, on the eve of a great quest, the Captain of the Guard puts his two best investigators on the case. The half-elf Danthres Tresyllione and ex-soldier Torin ban Wyvald soon discover that the crime scene is empty of any forensic evidence—physical or magickal. They have no clues, and heat is on.

The Lord and Lady want their friend’s murder solved—now. The populace is mourning the loss of a great hero. The ever-unhelpful Brotherhood of Wizards could take over the case at any minute. And then another member of Brightblade’s party turns up dead….

Humans and elves, dwarves and gnomes, wizards and warriors all live and do business in the thriving, overcrowded port city of Cliff's End, to say nothing of the tourists and travelers who arrive by land and sea, passing through the metropolis on matters of business or pleasure-or on quests. The hard-working, under-appreciated officers of the Cliff's End Castle Guard work day and night to maintain law and order as best they can.

Arra Cynnis is the youngest child in one of the most powerful families in the wealthy district of Unicorn Precinct. When she's found murdered, with the culprit's identity hidden from the magickal examiner's spells, the Captain of the Guard sends his best investigators. Ex-soldier Torin ban Wyvald and half-elf Danthres Tresyllione have two viable suspects: Arra's fiancé, who is the cousin of another member of the Castle Guard, or the unknown person with whom Arra was having a torrid affair.

Torin and Danthres must navigate the difficult political waters of Cliff's End's upper classes in an attempt to determine the girl's killer. Complicating the case is the unexpected appearance of Torin's estranged father, who has come to return the detective to his far-off homeland of Myverin, and he won't take no for an answer . . . .

An all-new adventure of the Cliff's End Castle Guard!

Humans and elves, dwarves and gnomes, wizards and warriors all live and do business in the thriving, overcrowded port city of Cliff's End, to say nothing of the tourists and travelers who arrive by land and sea, passing through the metropolis on matters of business or pleasure—or on quests. The hard-working, under-appreciated officers of the Cliff's End Castle Guard work day and night to maintain law and order as best they can.

A new drug called Bliss is sweeping across the slums of Goblin Precinct. It makes people feel better—but if they take too much, they overdose and die. It doesn't truly become a concern for the Castle Guard until one of the overdoses turns out to be a former elf lord who is wanted for war crimes.

The Captain of the Guard must put his best detectives, the half-elf Danthres Tresyllione and the ex-soldier Torin ban Wyvald, on the case to find out what happened to the elf. But when the magickal examiner discovers the truth behind Bliss, it becomes a firestorm of controversy that brings the Brotherhood of Wizards into the case—and that never ends well...

An all-new adventure of the Cliff's End Castle Guard!

Humans and elves, dwarves and gnomes, wizards and warriors all live and do business in the thriving, overcrowded port city of Cliff's End, to say nothing of the tourists and travelers who arrive by land and sea, passing through the metropolis on matters of business or pleasure—or on quests. The hard-working, under-appreciated officers of the Cliff's End Castle Guard work day and night to maintain law and order as best they can.

Cliff's End is rocked by the death of Lord Albin. As soon as the funeral ends, Albin's son Blayk takes over and starts instituting wholesale changes in how the Cliff's End Castle Guard is run: enforced retirements of older guards (including Captain Osric), surprise promotions (including Grovis to replace Osric as Captain of the Guard), sword requalifications for all guards, and much more.

Worse, Blayk has split up Lieutenants Torin ban Wyvald and Danthres Tresyllione and given them new partners. Lieutenant Dru, still devastated by the loss of Lieutenant Hawk, also has a new partner. All three detectives catch separate cases, but the more they investigate, the more they realize that all three are related—and connected to a conspiracy that targets the King and Queen themselves!

An all-new adventure of the Cliff's End Castle Guard!

Humans and elves, dwarves and gnomes, wizards and warriors all live and do business in the thriving, overcrowded port city of Cliff's End, to say nothing of the tourists and travelers who arrive by land and sea, passing through the metropolis on matters of business or pleasure-or on quests. The hard-working, under-appreciated officers of the Cliff's End Castle Guard work day and night to maintain law and order as best they can.

This volume brings together ten pieces of short fiction-some previously published, some brand-new for this book-featuring the Castle Guard: new cases for Lieutenants Torin ban Wyvald and Danthres Tresyllione to solve, as they deal with animated furniture, a hrancit demon, a closet spewing filth, a senile dragon, and more. Plus one of Lieutenant Iaian's old cases comes back to haunt him, Lieutenants Dru and Hawk investigate a massacre committed by a vampire, the survivors of the heroic quest from Dragon Precinct return (and get into trouble), and the untold story of Danthres and Torin's first case together is finally told!

Ten adventures of the Cliff's End Castle Guard!

Humans and elves, dwarves and gnomes, wizards and warriors all live and do business in the thriving, overcrowded port city of Cliff's End, to say nothing of the tourists and travelers who arrive by land and sea, passing through the metropolis on matters of business or pleasure—or on quests. The hard-working, under-appreciated officers of the Cliff's End Castle Guard work day and night to maintain law and order as best they can.

As Cliff’s End struggles to deal with a massive influx of refugees following a devastating fire in the neighboring city-state of Barlin, the docklands are rocked by a stunning tragedy: the legendary Pirate Queen has been murdered! Long the scourge of the Garamin Sea, the Pirate Queen’s death has ripple effects beyond Cliff’s End. Even as Lieutenants Danthres Tresyllione and Torin ban Wyvald investigate her murder, they find themselves embroiled in conspiracies, politics, and the arcane law of the sea—and of the land!

An all-new adventure of the Cliff's End Castle Guard!

The Complete Saga of the 18th Race Series in One Omnibus Edition

We are not alone!

In exploring and colonizing the galaxy, humanity discovers evidence of eighteen sentient species. Seventeen of them had not developed interstellar travel. Those were destroyed by the species that did reach the stars. That space-faring eighteenth annihilated the human colony on the Semi-Autonomous World Troy.

A Marine Force Recon platoon sent to investigate is wiped out almost to the last man. In reaction, the North American Union assembles the largest army seen since the major wars of the 20th Century.

Things seem grim for Troy and its defenders as a new Duster fleet arrives and attacks the remaining warships of Task Force 8, in orbit before landing a huge invasion army meant to defeat the Human forces.

And back on Earth, the NAU President must decide humanity''s next course of action, even as scientists try to discover the Dusters'' secrets to help the soldiers, sailors, and Marines win-

-and time is running out!

Includes Issue in Doubt, In All Directions, To Hell and Regroup, and the bonus short story "So [Not] Like Dogs," from the anthology Dogs of War.

There are creatures lurking in our world. Obscure creatures long relegated to myth and legend. They have been sighted by a lucky-or unlucky-few, some have even been photographed, but their existence remains unproven and unrecognized by the scientific community.

These creatures, long thought gone, have somehow survived; creatures from our nightmares haunting the dark places. They swim in our lakes and bays, they soar the night skies, they hunt in the woods. Some are from our past, and some from other worlds, and others that have always been with us-watching us, fearing us, hunting us.

These are the cryptids, and Systema Paradoxa tells their tales.

***

When there are talks of a monster sighted in the waves off the Atlantic City boardwalk, Coursers Valentina Perrone and Sarah el-Guindi-supernatural hunters-for-hire-are called in by the local Boss to... handle it. But echoes of the past send them into the heart of the Pine Barrens, where more than one secret hides, along with their answers.

Will history repeat itself? Or will the monsters find safe haven?

Either way, in the end, they discover there is always more than one way to deal with a problem.

Humans and elves, dwarves and gnomes, wizards and warriors all live and do business in the thriving, overcrowded port city of Cliff''s End, to say nothing of the tourists and travelers who arrive by land and sea, passing through the metropolis on matters of business or pleasure-or on quests. The hard-working, under-appreciated officers of the Cliff''s End Castle Guard work day and night to maintain law and order as best they can.

A fire in the neighboring city-state of Barlin has resulted in hundreds of refugees pouring into Cliff''s End, forcing the creation of a new neighborhood-Albinton, which everyone calls "New Barlin"-and a new police precinct-Phoenix Precinct. Violence against the refugees is on the rise. Lieutenants Danthres Tresyllione and Torin ban Wyvald are called to the latest act of brutality, which has resulted in a vicious murder. But what appears to be a simple hate crime turns out to be far more complicated, as Danthres and Torin''s investigation leads them to corruption in the Castle Guard-and in the castle itself!

An all-new adventure of the Cliff''s End Castle Guard!

We all know about the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: Death, War, Famine, and Pestilence riding on pale horses and all that Book-of-Revelation stuff. But why does it have to be four guys on horses? Why not the Four Cheerleaders of the Apocalypse? The Four Cats of the Apocalypse? The Four PTA Moms of the Apocalypse? The Four Lawyers, Librarians, or Lunch Ladies of the Apocalypse? The Four Drummers, Rock Stars, or Opera Singers of the Apocalypse? Or even the Four Squirrels of the Apocalypse or the Four Emojis of the Apocalypse? And so we present The Four ???? of the Apocalypse, as twenty-nine brilliant authors give us alternate takes on the legendary quartet of end-of-the-world avatars.

Anthology Contributors:  

David Mack; Seanan McGuire; Mary Fan; Jody Lynn Nye; Derek Tyler Attico; Peter David; Aaron Rosenberg; Laura Anne Gilman; Danielle Ackley-McPhail; Gordon Linzner; Michael Jan Friedman; Jenifer Purcell Rosenberg; Michael A. Ventrella; Gerard Houarner; Megan Mackie; Adam-Troy Castro; Gail Z. Martin; Hildy Silverman; Robert Greenberger; James D. Macdonald; Dayton Ward; Kevin Dilmore; Patrick Thomas; Ross Colchamiro; David Gerrold.