It's time to turn the "man and his dog wandering through a dystopian world” trope on its head, and tell the stories about cats and their women - their badass women!Cat Ladies of the Apocalypse wanders through broken worlds with stories of survival, technology, magic, and sheer determination. But – like their cats – the authors frequently slipped out the upstairs window or knocked things off of countertops, and their stories are stronger for it.In these pages, cats help thei...

Abby, a transfemme videogame YouTuber, finds an anonymous package left at her door. Inside is a VHS tape that seems to call to something within her, and opens up a door to the 40 year old mystery of Polybius. The urban legend claims that an arcade cabinet allegedly caused madness and hallucinations in its players while it was installed over a single month in Portland in 1981. The package indicates that there may be even more to the story.Something about it compels Abby on a journey...

In the year 1464, while England recovers from the devastation of the War of the Roses, Baron Alexander FitzRoland is dying in his northern castle. His young wife, Rosalynde, recovering from the stillbirth of her first child, succumbs to despair like a dutiful lady should.When the castle gates are threatened, only Alexander's reputation as a brutal fighter is enough to frighten off their opportunistic enemy. The proper thing for Lady Rosalynde to do is to pray and submit to devastat...

So Dark and So Grimm...The glossy veneer of happily ever after has fooled readers into believing fairy tales are bright and happy stories;, but if you scratch the surface of any story collected by the Brothers Grimm, it bleeds. Manipulation and Murder, Tension and Torture. Grimm Retold cracks open the horror splattered between the pages of the old stories to reveal the thriving darkness within these classic tales.Twenty stories and poems, from twenty author...

When the sun diminishes and darkness begins its reign, we become introspective, and in turn storytellers. Every culture has their own winter tales. Some are romantic and bold, some are of an awakening from the depths, and still some are of ethereal dreams and bright colored lights. What connects them all is the growth that emerges with the sunlight come springtime. The maturation of self that can only come from quiet contemplation.In the pages of Evergreen: Tales of Winter Shad...

Inspiration is a living thing and it is hungry...Terra Desmarais's success as the next big artist in NYC is absolutely inevitable. Her patrons, the associates, Mr. Black, Mr. Silver, and Mr. Green, can practically taste the raw talent dripping from the enigmatic trailer park prodigy's dollar store paints.Up and coming pastel artist Cedric Fleck is a lucky discovery of the associates. Rescued from oblivion by Mr Green, put up in a studio by Mr. Silver and pa...

Inspiration is a living thing and it is hungry...Terra Desmarais's success as the next big artist in NYC is absolutely inevitable. Her patrons, the associates, Mr. Black, Mr. Silver, and Mr. Green, can practically taste the raw talent dripping from the enigmatic trailer park prodigy's dollar store paints.Up and coming pastel artist Cedric Fleck is a lucky discovery of the associates. Rescued from oblivion by Mr Green, put up in a studio by Mr. Silver and pa...

The Jersey Devil mystery has endured for centuries, birthed from within the untamed acres of the Pine Barrens. Is it a monster? A man? Or a hoax? What does it want and where does it hide?Five stories explore the origins of a mystery that preys upon our most primal fears.In a future fighting to recover from environmental catastrophe, a young girl's attempt to prove herself to her parents leads to a startling discovery.A close encounter leaves two men obsessed, fifty ...

When the winter solstice tucks the land beneath dark covers, and the frost hovers at the edge of warm beds, it is time to slow, to sleep and to let our minds escape. The dream world in winter can be many things; a place of refuge, of exploration, a fantasy to pursue, or a journey to the truth. The gods speak, the worlds shift, and our imaginations are free to explore all snowy paths. Like the Aurora, it swirls across our sleeping minds, lighting up places we cannot see when awake.

CRO. This message, carved into a tree, was the only clue to the fate of the colonists on Roanoke Island. For centuries, stories have circulated, theories were explored. But to this day, no one is really sure what happened to those first English settlers in the Americas. These stories may offer a clue: A road trip through dystopian United States brings adventure and danger, and perhaps answers about the mysterious disappearance of the settlers. Gods of different worlds converge but their pe...

"Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory" is a short story set in the world of Martha Well's bestselling and Hugo award-winning series, The Murderbot Diaries.Told from the perspective of Dr. Mensah, the events of "Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory" occurs just after the fourth novella, Exit Strategy.At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Murderbot—the sardonic, almost-homicidal, media-loving android created by MarthaWells—has proven to be one of the most popular characters in 21st century science fiction.Everything that makes this protagonist (it would be wrong to call Murderbot a hero) beloved offans is on display in Compulsory.While trying to watch episode 44 of The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon, Murderbot is—again,what is it with humans?—distracted by some...