The most advanced videogame in the world is so popular that the in-game gold is a recognized currency on Earth, but that does not mean it was programmed particularly well. Some of the sentient NPCs have just discovered an exploit in the market and it might just be time to buy their world back from the players. If they can pull it off that is. Infinite Money Glitch is a hilarious hybrid of a heist and an adventure pulled off by the last group of people anyone would ever expect. After all, w...

A dead body is nothing unusual in Bastion. Two dead co-workers is strange. Three, and somebody out there has a grudge. There's a shadow darting in and out of the depths of Bastion, hunting down the private security company, Heartsteel, from the lowest thug up to the CEO himself. Unfortunately, with a history like Heartsteel's, there's too many possible suspects.Blackstone, whether he likes it or not, is the perfect man to catch this killer. A woman he should have left for dead is b...

Thank you for renting this gateway!You are one of the first tourists given this opportunity and I hope that it will become a permanent affair. As the temporary owner of this gateway, you have been granted certain blessings, rights, and responsibilities.This gateway is for private use only! Any interference from relevant authorities will result in the contract instantly becoming null and void. Due to the circumstances of the magic, no promises can be made or kept with regard...

Detective Elliot Blackstone looks into the murder of a man who was deleted from the government surveillance system. In trying to get to the bottom of who the man was, and how he got deleted, Elliot runs afoul of a new, anonymous gang in the city. To unravel the mystery, he has to do what he hates most, play a VR video game the victim created and left behind. Unfortunately, the person most suited to help him is his wife and they haven't been able to speak without arguing in months....

It's five minutes to four but there's no way out of the office. The routine drudgery ends when Ryan and his coworkers realize the power has gone out, no one has a cell phone signal, the city has vanished, and all the rooms have been scrambled into a labyrinth. They have to escape to survive, but they aren't alone. The game masters, a trio of capricious teenagers, are more interested in having a bit of excitement than either helping or hurting them, but the paranormal monsters and doppelgan...

If a problem can be shot, blown up, or otherwise destroyed, Ranger Marcus Maximus is an expert at that. Keeping a ship of scared civilians from tearing itself apart is not that kind of problem. After an unexpected attack on a backwater fuel mining station, one thousand refugees are packed cheek to elbow aboard the Demos. They are forced to hide in the depths of space until help can come, but who is help and who will kill them is a judgement call for the captain, and less people every day a...

Psychologist, hypnotist, con man, liar... mindbreaker.The American government has invested a lot into the techniques and tricks of psychological manipulation, both on other people and on the self. Only the most loyal soldiers are eligible for the program, but one of them passed on the knowledge to his son.Just weeks before the draft, Kyte finds himself on the run, wanted for murder. One step away from a rogue mindbreaker, he is forced into a desperate plan to insert himself...

Supernatural evils lay hidden, deep in the shadows of society. Be these dangers man or beast, they will strike at unsuspecting, everyday people. What if there are no selfless wizards around when a demon steps from the alley? What if there are no supers to be found when the ancient demigod awakens? What if there is no prophesy and no chosen one to stand in the way of the dark forces? In these cases, the regular people must must courage to face the foe. The protagonists in these stories have...

In the modern world, paranormal dangers lurk all around. When there is no chosen one to be found, no altruistic half-vampire around, and no superheros flying overhead, it's up to average people to do the business of defeating evil. They have no powers, no prophecies, and all the odds are stacked against them.In this short story collection, regular folk find themselves up against nightmare creatures, conniving warlocks, and all manner of supernatural dangers. All set in contemporary...

Evil hides is the shadows of modern life. Mythic monsters lurk among the refuse of city streets. Wizards that peep and mutter seek unholy power in the present-day. Unfortunately, there aren't enough kindly sorcerers, children of prophecy, or battlesuit-powered billionaires to go around. So when average people are swallowed up in supernatural trouble, sometimes they have to stand against the darkness by themselves.Included in this volume are twelve new stories of regular people faci...

USA TODAY Bestseller | ECPA BestsellerWith heart-stopping clarity, New York Times bestselling author Charles Martin continues to combine the heart-wrenching emotion of Nicholas Sparks with the edge-of-your-seat tension of John Grisham in this third book in the Murphy Shepherd series--exploring the true cost of leaving the ninety-nine to find the one.Murphy Shepherd's last rescue mission very nearly cost him his life. He'd ...

Magnus Chase has always been a troubled kid. Since his mother's mysterious death, he's lived alone on the streets of Boston, surviving by his wits, keeping one step ahead of the police and the truant officers.One day, he's tracked down by an uncle he barely knows—a man his mother claimed was dangerous. Uncle Randolph tells him an impossible secret: Magnus is the son of a Norse god.The Viking myths are true. The gods of Asgard are preparing for war. Trolls, giants and worse mo...