I led a quiet life, peacefully ruling the underworld until that mother of *** showed up with her people and angels. They destroyed everything I'd built with so much effort and nearly killed me. But I managed to return! Wait . . . My only disciple and candidate for a new body is a sick kid who's about to die? Are you serious?!

If you give Oberon the Irish wolfhound a bath, he's going to ask you for a story. Fortunately, his human, Atticus, has many centuries of life under his belt as the Iron Druid, and a whole lot of stories to share. Enjoy twelve new short stories from the New York Times bestselling series the Iron Druid Chronicles. Join Oberon and his Boston terrier buddy, Starbuck, in the tub as they hear about Corrie Ten Boom, Junko Tabei, Francisco de Miranda, Johannes Kepler, and many other figures from history spanning centuries. Sack Rome with King Alaric of the Visigoths or have a think with Auguste Rodin!

The heroes Terry Fairway once idolized have turned against him, hunting him down at every turn. His grandfather, the ruthless S-ranked necromancer who rules the city, watches from his throne as the people starve and suffer. Vampires stalk the streets unchecked, feeding on the innocent without fear of reprisal. Terry always believed his family were the good guys, but Wichita isn't a city of heroes or villains—it's a city of power. And if power is all that matters, then power is what Terry will seize.

Are you a sociopath and dissatisfied with your life? Don't know what to do about it or where to begin? In that case, we have the solution.

I used to be the greatest Earth Mage in my world. The head of the entire Order of Architects. But the older you get, the more you come to realize that at some point, you need to retire, so that you can have the chance to enjoy a peaceful life and to cede your place to the young, some of whom have already turned two thousand years old . . .So that's what I did. But I failed to account for one thing: during the course of my long life, I'd accumulated too many enemies, and they had decided to spoil my retirement. So they died along with me. And I hope their deaths were final. But mine was not!

In the near future space debris around Earth has made it impossible to traverse our solar system. Or it would be, if not for prisoners sentenced to clearing that debris known as Orbital Garbage Removal Experts, or O.G.R.E. for short. Former linguistics professor Dax has made it a habit of working aboard The Junkyard with a small crew, the conspiracy theorist, tech-savvy hacker Mark and the once decorated military hero turned war criminal, Kane.

Bernt might have graduated from the Mage Academy, but not everyone has the money or connections to launch a prestigious career as a mage. Bernt finds himself working in the city sewers as an Underkeeper among the other rejects of Halfbridge's magery. He may spend more time unclogging pipes than fighting monsters, but hey, it's a stable job, and that's what counts. With the help of his unregistered soul-devouring demonic familiar, he'll save enough to launch his career as an adventurer—just as soon as he can afford some proper gear.

Ralph could be described as a rogue on a good day. A bad day involved a lot of cursing, calling him a pirate, or sometimes even having a shoot-out. It wasn't really his fault of course, or so he would have you believe. It was the fault of those who wanted to get in his way of making as much money as possible as a smuggler. His family had been gifted with a letter of marque for the Terran Confed, one that is inherited and has been passed down to him. Essentially, it gives him a lot of loopholes and ways through regulations to be a fantastic smuggler. Or as a legal pirate, a Privateer.

It was supposed to be another boring day at the insurance office for Rico Kline, but powerful forces had other plans for him. Finding himself repeatedly summoned to other worlds as a disposable minion, Rico must face deadly foes, disarm insidious traps, become a test subject, and run the occasional errand for his various summoners. At least when each summoning is over, he’s rewarded and sent back home. But being back home has its own set of problems, and he'll need to grow stronger to face it all.

I was a Hunter, and I honored the Code. For my services to humanity and for leading a "proper" life, I was to be rewarded. A new life after death, and a new world to give me some well-deserved rest. But something went wrong. Once again, I must fight. The Monsters that face me here are far more terrifying than those of my past life. They are cleverer, crueler, more unpredictable. And their name is.

One week. If you survive, you choose a Cosmic Power ... If you survive. Jace isn’t one to give up. Not when his sister dies. Not when he loses his legs. And definitely not when The Cosmic System takes over Earth. With nothing more than his street smarts, the clothes on his back, and a river otter companion, he must survive a planet full of vicious predators that see him as an easy meal. If he can survive? He gets to choose a Cosmic Power and a Class. A path to ascension. A way to bring his sister back.

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?

Deep in the elbow skin of the Fae Wilds, far from the teeming fortress of the Goblin King and the glittering palace of the King and Queen of the Elves, there lies a forgotten hideaway of crumbling single-wides and rusty Airstreams. A lonely clan of beautiful women, clad in tube tops, overall shorts, and tacky Asian-print house-dresses, yearn for a man who can unstop their sewer lines and get the internet working again.

After his parents died, Alex Roth had one desire: become a wizard. Through hard work, he was accepted into the University of Generasi, the world’s greatest academy of wizardry.... Fate, however, had another plan. On his 18th birthday, he is Marked by prophecy as one of his kingdom’s five Heroes, chosen to fight the Ravener, his land’s great enemy. But his brand is "The Fool". Worst of the marks.

How do you raise a boy who can bend reality with his mind? How do you keep him levelheaded, sane, and good? Raising any child is a tremendous undertaking, let alone one blessed by the goddess herself. Levi Guildersleeve, retired soldier and successful collector of rare books, finds himself as the only male role model of the most powerful witch ever born.

The victim of a daring scientific experiment, Sarah wakes alone, naked and confused, in what appears to be a swamp. Terrified and suddenly angry, she quickly realizes she's in a whole new world, part of some kind of "system" and receiving messages regarding her status—both mental and physical—via holograph. Soon Sarah will learn just how different this world is from her own. In the meantime, all she can do is heed her system's instructions and warnings about mutating, "levels," and her "life force." But the longer she's there, the less she remembers about her old life and the people in it.

Simon, one of the last of his kind, seeks otherworldly treasures to change the card fate has dealt him. When he discovers Penumbra Springs, a secret haven for mythics, he's determined to join. But the haven hides more than just a community of strange beings.

Violet, an orphan from Earth, was just about to apply to a college when she was transported into the world of her favorite game, Adventure Incarnate. Thankfully, Adventure Incarnate is a cozy farming adventure RPG, and she has an awesome cheat—her inventory is full of raw materials that she can use to level up and craft legendary items.

Ethan is a Sun Paladin, one of the most formidable holy warriors of the Empire of the New Dawn. After distinguishing himself in battle, he is offered a promotion to the rank of captain, but only if he undertakes a Warrior Pilgrimage to hunt down and slay an evil sorceress. His quest brings him to the wilds of Sturmgard, where he is confronted with ravenous werewolves, dark sorcery, and questions of his heritage and his true destiny.

Ever since Bryce Alexander and the infamous dark sorcerer Zambrano saved Earth by launching the demon duke Vulkatherak into the sun, things have been quiet. Zambrano is off doing whatever it is dark sorcerers do for fun, and Bryce has been taking advantage of the perks that come from supposedly evil internships, including free gym access and unlimited takeout. But when Zambrano reappears with a mission to infiltrate the vault of legendary magician Merlin, things start to go awry.

The price for saving the world is the right to rule it. After saving a faraway world, Lyn Rivers was cast back to Earth. Wanting the admiration, prestige, and glory of saving that world, she forced her way back. But she was forgotten, and someone else claimed credit for her deeds. Now, with the power of a deity of destruction, she desires nothing more than to claim her place in history. To do that she will conquer dungeons, make alliances, destroy kingdoms, and build an empire.

Prophecy tells of a hero who shall slay the Lord of Demons—but this is not his story. This is the story of his twin. Where he has a magical core of unparalleled talent, she has none at all. Where he is celebrated, she is shunned Yet she refuses to accept her fate. She will prove herself. Even if it means breaking a sacred taboo, and eating the flesh of demons…

“Yes, I admit, I should have told him earlier,” lamented Wizard Apprentice Talash as Sentinel Ruben stared at him. “I just don’t know what to do now that the Portcullis has been opened.” What to do. Yes, that was the million-dollar question. Warning the citizens about the hordes of criminals, crazies and creatures flooding into Mokiem from the Land of Outcasts would be the first action; repairing and sealing the Portcullis would be the second; and rescuing Wizard Szczurik from whatever hellish place the changeling had teleported him would be the third.

Allen Ming awakens in an unfamiliar realm, trapped within an unfamiliar form—feeble in body and spirit. Thrust into a world of cultivation, Allen Ming finds himself grappling with a reality of a wastrel body, and a world filled with danger and killing. With an AI-enhanced eye, he seeks his way through the dark world of cultivation. But with his newfound family haunted by a looming threat, he has to take charge of the situation even before he gets familiar with the new body.

Carina Lin is a slum brat turned space mercenary. With a twist. She’s also a mage, and she’s about to risk everything. Her merc band, the Black Dogs, is assigned a suicide mission. A young boy has been kidnapped by one of the galactic sector’s most powerful clans, and the Dogs’ task is to rescue him.

Torn from Earth and thrust into the enchanting Fae Wilds, Jordan Cash embraces his new role as a legendary Battle Scholar. He's tasked with leading a group of rescued female adventurers—including a stoic elf warrior, a playful catgirl and her feline companion, a haughty celestial, and an alluring half-gorgon—to safety... and then to greatness. Faced with treacherous dungeons and nefarious foes, Jordan and his team must level up quickly and master their unique abilities. Danger lurks and powerful enemies scheme; to have any hope of survival, they'll need to rely on each other.

Can a legendary warrior become a mage? Can a master of the sword take up the staff? With a little help, one swordsman intends to do just that. Master swordsman Leo Faulkner travels to Crestmarch, a frontier town, where he hopes to learn wild magic. Fortunately for him, the beautiful Mage Seer Elizabeth Kincaid agrees to be his tutor.

When an alien race, Identical to humans in every way, becomes marooned on planet earth in 16th century Scotland, it becomes a life and death struggle for Griegor, the leader of the Azoreans, to prevent an evil faction of his society from destroying the native highlanders and their peaceful way of life.

Betrayed by his former gang and thrown into the Rendhold Underprison, Dantes has spent the last five years scraping by. A bastard of human, orcish, and elvish blood, he's lived on the periphery of the periphery, lying, cheating, and stealing to survive.

Full of wit, epic battles, and an unexpected twist on the classic battle between good and evil, Bob the Elemental is a fast-paced, magical adventure that challenges everything you thought you knew about balance, corruption, and heroism.