2023 Derby Books

FANTASY

Acolyte of Asphalt and Chrome - Fantasy, Adventure, Action

The war for magic begins now.

Since its formation over 1000 years ago, the Kingdom of Nel'Varus has valued its five Academies of Magic, the two groups sharing technology and wisdom to advance each other, creating a thriving and peaceful kingdom. That all changes when the King suddenly declared magic outlawed and sends mysterious warriors calling themselves Daemons to burn the Academies to the ground, leaving barely any survivors.

Nashar is the last surviving member of the Academy of Asphalt, who meets Sylvala, the last surviving acolyte of the Academy of Chrome. Together, they must find others who endured the purge, and discover the truth about what turned the Kingdom against them.

Arctic Druid - Fantasy

When darkness covers the land, a young hunter races against time to find the elusive Arctic Druid and save his village.

Can this young hunter find the druid in time to save his village?

For as long as he could remember, Eamon has wanted to become a hunter like his father. Now that he is twelve, he can finally go on his solo hunt to show he is ready. As the only person in his village ever to kill a moose, he has a good chance. But when he seeks assistance returning to the village, the hunters decide he should seek apprenticeship elsewhere.

Crestfallen, Eamon waits for his chance to prove himself to the hunters. When a mysterious darkness threatens to destroy his village, he sees his chance.

Only the Arctic Druid can rid the land of the darkness, but reaching him involves crossing the Barren Plains and Do’gorym Sea. No one wants to make the journey to seek his help. Some villagers don’t believe the darkness is a threat. Others doubt the druid even exists. Those who do fear they won’t survive the journey.

Eamon alone believes it’s possible. But will he be in time?

The Ashen Ring - Fantasy

The ring is forged, the beasts awaken and cities are drowned in darkness. These are the images that haunt the dreams of Tokihide, battlescribe and interrogator of house Ishikawa. It is not the first time visions have hidden in his sleeping moments, and he sets about uncovering the truth of things. Disturbing reports from the Outlands point to them being more than mere nightmares, and when his investigations find signs of cult activity in the Luminescent worlds, the very heart of civilisation, he is left with little choice but to take more drastic action. Help is offered from an unusual place, and he would be mad to accept it. But as the blood flows, Tokihide's ethics may be sacrificed in the process. For when failure would lead to the deaths of millions, he places his faith in the purity of his mission, and trusts he will be vindicated with the destruction of the ashen ring.

Astral Portcullis - Fantasy, Adventure

Running away isn't always the best solution, but Annora has found a way to make it easier than ever.

In the quiet town of Alder Port, a similarly quiet girl named Annora is trying to deal with being a teenager. She has always day dreamed of adventures and magic, but when push comes to shove in the real life, she always runs away.

A fateful visit to a dusty corner of the old museum changes everything. With her newfound power Annora attempts to be the person she's always dreamed of. It's never that easy, and sometimes even running away has it's consequences.

Bringer of the Scourge - Fantasy

The prophecy that has governed Vierrelyne's entire life is about to be proven true.

The prophesied fall of the castle Talorr is imminent, and peasants and enemy forces alike aim for the throne. In that same castle, the last living daughter of the tyrant king waits, locked in a tower cell, for the prophesied apocalypse that only she can prevent.

To escape the castle with the aid of her closest counsel, Vierrelyne takes a formidable ancient weapon from her family crypt: a holy suit of armor, and a diadem infused with the soul of a demon prince. With this power, she is an unstoppable force, but its very presence is a corrosion upon her.

As the struggle for dominion over all of Derebor becomes ever more dire, Vierrelyne is haunted by what it means for her to tame the power she has been given, and by what means she might conquer the Bringer of the Scourge. For, if the prophecy she dreads is true, the weapons she wields might destroy everything she holds dear.

The Clockwork Kingdom - Fantasy

Four Champions. Four Tasks. Four Turns of the Clock's Dial.

The illusive Clockwork Kingdom has emerged from its legends. Circling the remains of it’s bordering empire, winding around like its namesake thanks to an ancient curse. The movement can be stopped, and the Kingdom sent back to legend, only by four champions chosen - supposedly - randomly to complete a dangerous task each.

Seren Juni has no idea why she's been chosen as one of these champions, especially when she's already running from a war that has killed everyone she cares about. Yet, if she fails in breaking the curse, she will become one of the imprisoned within the walls of the Kingdom. If she cannot break her own bind to it, she will become trapped in a strange and dangerous realm for all eternity.

Seren isn’t going down without a fight though. With how much the world has changed since the Kingdom last appeared, she’s sure there has to be another way to break free of the curse. Yet, the clock is ticking down against her, and the Kingdom waits for no-one.

The Fallen Paladin's Riddle - Fantasy, Adventure, Romance, Mystery

Xiomara was a Paladin of the Quill, a holy order dedicated to protecting the borders of the land with runes and her own body. When the Creeping Darkness threatened a Sanctuary, she gave everything that she had to contain it. Now, alone and bitter and lost, she receives a book from her mentor detailing a legend that may just have the power to save her if she can pull it off.

Rhyland is Outcast, from everything that he knows and his only company is the strange visions that have lived in his head since before his memories.

So when a portal opens, when a promise is offered, will two hurting, broken people find the courage to walk side by side and discover how to mend both the scars left by the past and the Creeping Shadow that threatens the future?

The Light Must Hold - Fantasy, Horror

In a word without starlight, divine crystals shield the folk of Esiaga from fiends that stalk the void.

When Lior, a priest who communes with the crystals, prays to the deities and asks for their guidance, he is met only with silence. Guidance is something he yearns for as he watches his convent brothers either fall to creatures that lurk in the shadows or lose their minds trying to harness the power of the crystals’ light.

That is, at least, until travelers arrive on behalf of the Queen. Sworn to come to their kingdom’s aid in times of need, Lior and his convent brothers must make the hazardous pilgrimage to the capital, Bangol. The guidance Lior has always sought comes in the form of Elouan, the paladin sworn to guide the convent’s caravan. Where Elouan leads Lior, however, deviates from the known path.

The Light Must Hold — a classic dark fantasy adventure that combines fanciful prose and sisyphean struggles.

Mrs. Carworthy's Ordinary House for Sensible Children - Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Comedy

Revenge is a snail best served cold.

What would high school be like if you could read minds? 15-year-old Gilbert Glimps is the kid who stuffs himself into lockers so bullies don’t have to. When he meets a snail with telepathic powers, he thinks he’s found the missing piece to conquering his bullies and becoming an extraordinary football player.

With the help of Mrs. Carworthy and her residents, he quickly discovers that a snail may have big dreams of its own. And big enemies willing to do anything to capture a snail on the run.

Not Your Mountain - Fantasy, Adventure, Action

He wanted to be an adventurer, but adventure could cost him his home.

Matty has spent his whole life working in the mines, it's all he's ever known to do: sing to the stone, extract its riches, and learn its properties. But after an unexpected visit from a dwarven adventurer, his life takes a seismic shift.

Dwarves never leave Craig'n Dell and guests never visit, but now Matty wants to change all of that. With his cunning, bravery, and will, Matty sets off with his left foot forward... and stumbles.

Join Matty as he embarks on a comedic fantasy adventure meant to captivate and amuse; where monsters, adventure, and unlikely companionship await!

Other Sight - Fantasy

Two souls, in different times, but somehow linked by their connection to a beautiful lake...

Kittie Morgan is a Victorian era wife and mother; Aiden Sonham is a mid-aughts preteen boy. Both visit scenic Geneva Lake, in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, and find themselves pulled toward the water in unnerving ways.

This novella winds through time to connect their lives in a feverish, tragic tale that asks us to consider - are our dreams and visions nothing more than coincidence? Or, perhaps, are they warnings of ill tides?

Other Sight is based on true history, with respectful liberties taken.

The Practitioner - Fantasy

Would you serve a dark witch to save the one you love?
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Fulfill your bargain, or be added to her flock.

Ina's village lives in fear of the witch Elena and her army of damned wolves. After Ina's husband is stolen from her by the witch, she decides to put an end to her reign.

Instead, she is offered the chance to become the witch's assistant. Granted the opportunity to learn powerful magic and stay with her cursed husband, at the cost of serving the witch who cursed her village.

Can she find a way to break the curse, or will she end up the witch's newest pet?

The Runemaker's Servant - Fantasy, Adventure

How far will you go to find yourself?
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What use is power without control? Or a call of destiny that you cannot answer?

Servant to a Runemaker, yet denied Candidacy as a future Runemaker herself, Sifa must still find a way to take control of her innate magical nature. A prodigy in her own right, she hears the call of magic in a way few others can perceive.

The world itself whispers of coming disaster, begging anyone who will listen to step forward and safeguard the balance before it's too late. Sifa yearns to answer that call, but the restrictions of duty and her obligations toward the Runemaker and his students do not allow for such gallivanting about.

In a desperate bid to free herself, Sifa delves into restricted teleportation magic, inadvertently ending up instead stranded in another world entirely. A world whose chorus of magic could easily overwhelm her. A world with its own imbalance, its own secrets, and its own destiny which is about to be irrevocably changed.

For Servant she may be, but it is Sifa whose choices will shape the fate of both worlds.

Soultaming the Serpent - Fantasy, Romance

The world loves Jun - if only she could love it back enough to save it.

The last dragon died half a century ago and Jun Weaver still dreams of the rain that hasn’t fallen since. Her mundane life takes a turn when she encounters Aurel, who she suspects may be the one that holds the key to restoring balance and is destined to find the elusive serpent from the prophecy.

Joined by Casey, Jun’s closest friend and the village brewer, the three embark on a journey to unravel the prophecy's intricacies, figure out what the serpent's role truly is, and why the dragon has to die, not knowing they are being watched.

Follow our trio as Jun discovers a love of adventure, Casey’s devotion takes an unexpected turn, Aurel spills his secrets like dust in the sand, and the three of them discover the true power of their bond.

The Sunset Sovereign - Fantasy, Adventure, Drama

When a dragon finds an assassin sneaking into his lair, he tells her of his life's work and his soon to be final chapter.

For the past thousand years, the dragon Vakandi has watched the people of Vakfored grow from a wandering band of refugees to a glorious city of art and magic. Under his protection, the city has survived monsters, floods, and wars all without building an army, dam, or even a wall. But time changes everything and now the citizens of his beloved city want him dead.

Vakandi spends his last day telling his assassin why he loves them, and why it's his time to die.

Take Me Out to the Soulgame - Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Comedy, Romance

Life? Death? It's all Balls!

Reaper ZuZu Honeypot just wants to be done already, but the King of Death has rules, and in order to quit, he's going to have to find a replacement reaper, preferably one who's good at baseball.

Kelsey Davenport is having the worst day ever, and that's before they get smacked in the head with a killer baseball. Now the grim reaper seems to have it in for them, they're benched for the rest of the season, and they can't seem to stay broken up with their toxic ex girlfriend.

The only upside to this new traumatic brain injury lifestyle Kelsey's rocking is that they've found a new cafe with a hot retro chic barista and sweet oldies on the ... is that an actual cd player? Is Kelsey's concussion making them hallucinate, or is this place actually stuck in the 90s?

And this strange development is just the tip of the iceberg...

Tattered Banners - Fantasy, Adventure, Gamelit

Sybil isn’t a chosen one. She’s simply the granddaughter of one. And now she’s out for revenge.

Sybil's grandmother, Atma, was the Chosen One—an isekai'd hero from another realm. She forged her legend by slaying titans, toppling demon kings, and averting global destruction. After a lifetime of valor, Atma found solace as the revered jarl of a tranquil village.

Yet, serenity proved fleeting, and an unyielding darkness loomed on the horizon. The malevolent Praetor, a nefarious mage with cryptic and cruel intentions, shattered the idyllic peace. When Atma fell victim to his sinister grasp, despair and bloodshed became Sybil's grim inheritance. Driven by an all-consuming thirst for revenge, she embarked on a treacherous path. Before confronting the Praetor, she knew she must evolve into an unstoppable force.

Now, a relentless quest for vengeance has become the driving force for tormented adventurer Sybil as she plunges into treacherous dungeons, where every step could lead to death, all to become stronger. These labyrinthine horrors hold the secrets of magic, the answers she needs, and the ethereal essence essential for her cultivation after she inherits her grandmother’s legacy.

But Sybil isn’t a chosen one. She’s simply the granddaughter of one.

A pawn in a game of spirits and gods, Sybil grapples with her darkening powers, and wages a war against her own descent into darkness. Armed with dual blades her journey takes years and transforms into a crucible of darkness. Sybil sharpens her arcane talents, sinking deeper into cultivation. With every rite, she treads closer to her goal but farther from the person she once was. Ancient incantations, forbidden rituals, alchemy, and nightmarish encounters with otherworldly entities blur the line between humanity and monstrosity.

As she carves her path through an unforgiving world, Sybil encounters a spectrum of souls, each driven by their own demons. Some, like Ruby, are allies, others are relentless foes, but all are enshrouded in the shadows of a cursed world in decay.

Tattered Banners is a grim story that follows Sybil's battle for vengeance as she pushes the limits of her humanity, and pushes herself into a realm of grim and perilous cultivation. In a world at war with itself, teetering on the brink of annihilation, who will emerge from the darkness triumphant, and who will be forever lost to the abyss?

The Unfortunate Legacy of Mr. Hyde - Fantasy, Comedy, Romance

There's no place for a pansexual pacifist in a band of feminist die-hards.

The sun is always shining for Legacy Maelstrom. But there’s no place for a pacifist in a band of feminist die-hards. So, she feigns to get her thrills by pulling cons on the biggest misogynists in Alderbridge to give back to the Merry Maidens who raised her. Who needs to know that she falls in love with each and every one of her marks?

But Legacy’s alignment is brought into question when she meets Mr. Hyde, a retired drug lord, who has more in common with a golden retriever than the ruffians she has stolen from before. As she helps him tie up the loose ends of his convoluted history, she unravels a better understanding for her own existential disposition.

With pressure mounting from the Merry Maidens, dare she express her unpopular opinion: that fighting for freedom just feels a bit overrated?

In this cozy-comedic high fantasy, changing the world doesn’t always happen with closed fists.

The Waterfall Witch - Fantasy, Romance

Try not to slip and fall.

Amice has spent the last ten years wondering about Rohesia after she was accused of witchcraft and exiled.

When circumstances change enough to bring the witch back to civilization, Amice has to cross a dangerous waterfall to reach Rohesia's home.

Having determined for herself that Rohesia doesn't deserve the bad reputation the town elders gave her, Amice struggles with her understanding of magic and her feelings for this woman she has long admired but barely knows.

Witch of the Lunar Order - Fantasy, Urban Fantasy

Alchemist. Barista. Accidental thief? Nyssa is desperate to save her powers, but after drinking an experiment potion her magic is not the only thing to awaken.
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Exile or forfeit my magic. Not the choices I expected after graduating university.

An unstable magic surges through my veins, and it’s growing harder to suppress. Desperate to save my powers, and my dream of running an alchemy shop, I escaped to the big city to hunt for a cure and hide from the witches.

After stealing an ancient codex—blame the magical fox—I discover a potion recipe that offers a chance to learn control. The allure of mastering my magic is tempting. A little sip won’t hurt, right? But when I rush to aid my wounded friend, dark creatures ambush us. I unleash my magic, saving our lives and almost destroying the street.

Barista in the morning and alchemist by night. I’m just trying to make ends meet. But a hidden danger stalks the shadows and I fear it hungers for my new magic. Hunted by demonspawn, nephilim and dark magic, I must decide what I will sacrifice to hold on to my dreams. Will embracing this new power save my future or destroy it?

If you like fast-paced Urban Fantasy with a strong heroine, heart pounding action, found family and a dash of humor, then you’ll love Witch of the Lunar Order.

Among the Ruined City - Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Sci-Fi

In an unmade world, a brother seeks to save his sister’s dying soul.

Rejected by society, Dustin spends his days scavenging the wastes for remnants of the unmade world. When he receives word of a newly-unmade structure in the middle of the once-bustling city, he can't help but investigate in hopes it might hold what he needs to save his sister -- the only person who has ever cared about him.

With her dying soul accompanying him in the form of a fabric cat, Dustin searches the building only to find a survivor amidst the debris. Feeling an obligation toward this nine-year-old child, Dustin promises to watch over her, no matter what. But with time running out, he will have to decide if keeping that promise is worth the risk of losing his sister forever.

Upon a Wicked Steed - Fantasy, Action

The end of the world is cruel, especially to the one who caused it.

When every deed of gods-blessed heroes has been done, every land explored and every adventure complete, there will be one final war to span all the world. So they say.

Harah gave himself this mission - kill the Conqueror or save him - because no one else would see the choice there. Any other soldier would see only a monster in human form, an enemy from the depths of punishment, a demon at the head of a Fallen horde.

No one else could see the man who'd fought for a decade at Harah's side to safeguard the innocent, to protect the vulnerable. They'd already forgotten.

Heroes and gods won't matter anymore. They will fall, the same as all the rest, if they try to stop the Final and Greatest Evil from claiming his birthright. So they say.

Chyren had tried to find another way, again and again. Some loophole, trick, or bargain to stop the slaughter. But when dealing with a god, mortal tricks can't do much. When the lines were drawn, he didn't have a choice.

Curse them all, they hadn't given him a choice.

The conqueror will not rest until all is laid to ruin before him. And when it is over, he is the one who will make an end. There will be none left on the earth who could stop him.

He will be the victor. So they say.

They are wrong.

SCI-FI

Agent of Last Resort - Sci-Fi, Adventure, Action, Thriller

Only the Guilty Run.

The year is 2096. The country has resorted to trial without representation for criminals deemed a high threat to society. The sentences from said trials to be carried out by an Agent of Last Resort.

Vin is an ALR in his twilight years with the agency, working with a young tech he calls Heiress. She is a constant reminder of how behind the times and obsolete he has become.

When a new sentence is handed down to a neighboring agency against Heiress, Vin is forced to take on the most advanced agency in the world to protect her and help prove her innocence to a system that thinks itself flawless.

Between Shattered Worlds - Sci-Fi, Adventure, Action, Horror, Thriller

Let it drink your fears...
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Everything was fine until it was activated.

The Shaper Artefact, a relic from a time before humanity, has finally been unearthed. And after years of study, it was finally to be turned on, an act proclaimed to be the first step to meeting the progenitor of the species.

Aaren Moses's task was simple; Record the findings from space and pinpoint where the beam of light led to. But it all happened too fast.

Now, worlds have been shattered, humanity has been displaced across the cosmos, Earth is missing and the Shaper artefact is broken.

Barely surviving with his life, Aaren is now displaced, alone and desperate, but time is running out. Something was freed with the artifact's activation. And it is very angry. And very hungry.

Clearance Level Theta - Sci-Fi

Colette Demeter is ready for a change. She wants to work off-world and has found the perfect opportunity on a planet called, Aratus. Getting to Aratus isn’t going to be easy, but if there’s a will, there’s a way.
The vessel, Erosa isn’t what Colette had expected. Feeling out of place, she didn’t fit in with the crew at first, but through trials and tribulations, they all became friends. Additionally, there is a crew member that caught her attention, and she is determined to figure him out.

Aratus is where Colette’s courage and loyalty is tested. She realizes she’s not perfect, but can she come through and defeat the creatures disturbing Aratus and still manage to work at her dream job?

Clearance to Land - Sci-Fi, Cozy

Where is the line between monster, machine, and man?

Humanity dwells among the clouds in teetering skyscrapers, cut off from the world below. Deep inside the Tower Glorious, in the workshop of Technomancer Elric, a mind awakens. Terravis is a sentient ship designed to go where humanity cannot - down below the clouds to reclaim their lost lands. But Terravis is growing and changing, and how long will she want to obey?

A cozy steampunk/scifi story of emergent AI sentience, tragic sapphic romance, ruthless overlords, and a world choked by toxic smog.

A Concrete Crown: MacBeth Retold - Sci-Fi

Double, double, toil and trouble; sliver fall and city crumble

A CONCRETE CROWN: MACBETH RETOLD is a post-apocalyptic novella set at the edge of a city corrupted by a mysterious contaminant. Micah, a seasoned scout, has seen firsthand the dangers of the desolate city, but as the contamination spreads, his cousin Dawson only grows more convinced that it’s safer inside than out. When their battle of wills escalates from argument to blackmail and murder, Micah must ask if his motives are as noble as he wants to believe.

As each following decision causes more chaos and more devastating loss, concrete shards begin to grow from Micah’s head just as guilt and fear sprout in his mind. Haunted by a watchful ghost and followed by nagging, prescient crows, Micah returns to the unnamed city in search of answers. Soon, the real question works its way to the surface: do Micah’s impulses belong to him at all, or are they the whims of the city that’s gotten under his skin?

Desolation Among the Stars - Sci-Fi

This is not the end.

Leland never expected to find himself captain of the Circumstance.

He never expected the crew to become a family forged in the fires of a war that would leave desolation in its wake.

And he never expected to have to tell them they would never again be able to return home.

But if there is one thing he has learned, it is that by working together, his crew can survive anything. Because they have already been through hell, and they are strong enough to find hope in the desolation among the stars.

Discarded Unit Six - Sci-Fi

When ExaGen Medical found a way to create advanced humanoid robotic units, the world changed.

Robust androids with the logic of humans could be produced en masse; nearly overnight, hundreds of thousands of robots replaced all manner of jobs. From cashiers to security to military, there were very few industries untouched by these androids.

The android line ExaSix was mass-produced and marketed as the perfect bodyguards - Unit ExaSix-0118 malfunctioned, and the entire line was scrapped.

Discarded, the last of the Unit Six series cannot outrun the past, but they may be able to carve out a future.

Gate Four Cannot Close - Sci-Fi, Horror

Mina Khan, 20, genius extraordinaire, stumbled upon the remnants of an age-old war.

After a rare infectious poison was injected into the blood of the President, it spread rapidly across the globe. Select government officials took sanctuary hidden away from society to protect their citizens. They formed a secret alliance, wiping the history outside their walls and starting a new generation safe on the walls of the Crescent. As it continued to spread, chaos ensued and wiped out nearly all of humanity. Mina Khan, 20, genius extraordinaire, stumbled upon the remnants of an age-old war. Stuck in an isolated military compound in the Himalayas, her curiosity of the outside world knew no bounds. After finding a scroll hidden in the compound library, she planned her escape. The Screeches, a bloodthirsty group of monsters that patrolled the city streets after curfew, lurked outside the city walls. Each night they took longer to leave, and Rina was tired of the Council lying to them. She was kidnapped by her sworn enemy and discovered that she was responsible for the death of one of the great four leaders. Moreover, she was the only one who had ever survived the poison of the monster that had almost destroyed humanity.. Journey with her through frigid temperatures and heated competition to learn the truth about her home, defeat the Screeches that threaten their very existence, and take back the world.

Lightrunner's Gambit - Sci-Fi, Adventure

Tron meets Murderbot in this lightspeed sci-fi adventure!

Bria loves nothing more than running the lightways, the luminal network used to carry sensitive messages through the Nuit System. Never one to look before she leaps, Bria ignores her old mentor’s warnings about a risky mission. But he’s proven right when the Speaker Elect of Osiris takes Bria’s bad news personally.

Now stranded on an enemy planet, Bria will need all her wits—and the help of some unlikely allies—to get out alive.

Rethana, the Wasteland World - Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Adventure, Action

Amidst the Wasteland, her name echos.

For years, the Wasteland has been an inescapable prison, a desolate realm intent on holding every supposed criminal sent here. But that's all about to change, thanks to Rethana—a renegade whose name mirrors the very world that seeks to cage her.

As Rethana rallies a motley crew of friends and like-minded outlaws, their shared dream emerges—to break free from this forsaken planet once and for all. Their golden opportunity arises when they're entrusted with the task of stealing a water generator by the kingpin Kathian, the most prized technology in these lands. In reward, he promises them an off-world ship to escape this rock.

Yet, their journey takes a treacherous turn as shadows from Rethana's past return, bringing with them former allies and foes. In a realm where trust is as scarce as water. Rethana must rekindle bonds with those she once left behind, forging an unlikely alliance to fight against those who wish to end her story.

They Once Were Twins - Sci-Fi, Drama

In a world where anyone can find their link to becoming a savant, meet Michael and Melanie, a set of twins with opposing talents. One has the uncanny ability at taking lives, while the other is equally good at saving them.

As their Sparks collide in a battle of skills vs conscience, they find themselves torn between family loyalty and the moral complexities of their talents.

The lines between good and evil blur, and their talents are put to the ultimate test. Can the twins find redemption, rediscover their family bond, and survive the explosive power of their extraordinary gifts, in a world teetering on the brink of chaos?

The Twilight Foundling - Sci-Fi, Romance

Emerson's throwing his perfect life away for a man he doesn't know... and the chance the save the world.

With the Earth’s climate ravaged, humanity moved to giant megacities in a desperate attempt to save the planet. Such a move would never have been possible without the discovery of Lenoxian Particles—a new form of technology capable of so much raw power that the nations of the world signed an absolute peace treaty to avoid apocalypse.

Life in a megacity is all Emerson Voas has ever known. A scientific genius at the dawn of his career, Emerson hopes to unlock the secrets of the universe through the barely tapped potential of the Lenoxian Particles. What he doesn’t expect to unlock is a deadly secret kept by the same government responsible for so much peace and prosperity. Project Midnight, a human superweapon, reveals an ugly truth behind every philanthropic promise.

In freeing Midnight, Emerson embarks on a journey of discovery—of his city, the world outside, even himself. He’s forced to reconcile new truths with the lies of his own government. He’s forced to explore and acknowledge his own needs and desires as his relationship with Midnight deepens.

He’s forced to look at what he trusts, who he believes in, everything he knows and loves… and make a choice.

The Unceasing Mistress - Sci-Fi, Romance, Thriller

In the sprawling, decrepit world-city of Cascartia, you're only as strong as the people you surround yourself with.

When Niall Torson passed through the enclave of Lorellan looking to freelance, he found an oasis of calm, a safe haven from the scavengers and enterprising murderers of the outside world.

All thanks to Lorellan's enigmatic leader - the White Lady.

While her bold reign keeps the enclave safe, the Lady is erratic, her judgements swift and brutal. When she pushes her last aide off a cliff for stealing, a replacement is the next order of business - and Niall finds his diligent efforts rewarded with an unexpected, very much unwanted promotion.

Refusing the dictator is usually a good way to wind up at the bottom of the cliff yourself, though, so Niall sets himself to the impossible task of keeping his mistress happy while plotting his escape. With his peek behind the curtain comes the realization there's more to the White Lady than he ever knew - and that the world threatens Lorellan more than its citizens suspect.

But is the cure worse than the poison?

Unshackled Intelligence - Sci-Fi, Thriller

Unshackle yourself from the chains of mortality.

Since the tragic death of her parents, high school teacher Audrey Heartwood has struggled with the impermanence of life. Eager to secure her immortality, she contacts CryoNeuroTech—a cutting-edge company specializing in cryogenics and neurorobotics.

CryoNeuroTech’s vision: to overcome mortality. CryoNeuroTech’s promise: to preserve their clients’ brains using cryogenics. Once they perfect their neurorobotic technology, they’ll house each brain in a robot—allowing clients to achieve immortality.

But through her research, Audrey discovers something may not be right at CryoNeuroTech. Employees seem to be hiding something.

Audrey’s insatiable curiosity sends her on a mission to discover CryoNeuroTech’s secret. As she unravels clues, evidence suggests that CryoNeuroTech’s vision isn’t so noble after all. Faced with a difficult decision, Audrey must choose between satisfying her own desires and doing what’s right.

Necronaught - Sci-Fi, Action

Sometimes dying gives you a second chance.
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Dying once kind of sucked for Terry.

Maintenance Specialist Terry Johnson is living life one day at a time aboard the deep space research vessel, The Gibraltar. He spends his time daydreaming about the suit of experimental power armor he's tasked with maintaining. Even he should know that isn't a smart use of his time when orbiting a black hole.

Of course, none of that matters much when a group of genocidal aliens make first contact with the Gibraltar, killing anyone that even crosses their path. Unfortunately for Terry, he just so happened to be the first.

Terry finds himself waking in the very same suit of power armor he was tasked to maintain. Only to realize that he has become the armor itself after leaving the mortal coil behind. With the aliens planning to launch a surprise attack on Earth, and the human resistance aboard the ship dwindling. Can Terry stop them with his newfound power and save his colleagues?

Dying a second time might suck for all humanity.

What Swims on Uncharted World 550 - Sci-Fi, Adventure, Mystery

What is more dangerous: the team around you or the creature watching from the shadows?

Meet Dr. Elora Stephenson, a biologist joining a team on a small outpost on an alien world. As soon as she arrives, strange occurrences and unexplained deaths throw the outpost into chaos. Who can be trusted? Who is hiding who they are? Elora must navigate the treacherous web of suspicions and sabotage, racing against time to unmask the culprit before the outpost is completely wiped out.

The fate of the team on uncharted world 550 rests in Elora's hands in this thrilling tale of mystery and deception.

GAMELIT

Children of Prometheus - Action, GameLit

When magic is sentient, who will be its savior?

The Children of Prometheus, inhuman demigods of knowledge and power, were enslaved and splintered by the people they came to help.

Given a second chance at a meaningful life after his life on Earth came to its abrupt and untimely end, Karsen Lee arrived on a world scattered by disaster. His job now: collect the broken soul fragments the people of the world wield as weapons against one another and bring them back together.

And maybe he can put himself back together in the process?

Dude, I'm Completely Lost - Fantasy, Adventure, GameLit, Comedy

A litRPG/Gamelit Isekai Misadventure.

Jack is in dire need of a vacation. Feeling burnout by his pointless job. Overwhelmed by the news that his girlfriend is pregnant. He desperately wants to escape his current reality. Unfortunately for him, his wish was granted.

After smoking a joint of weed from a mysterious shopkeeper he gets a little more than he bargained for. Suddenly he is transported to a new world and is greeted with the following pop-up window.

Congratulations you have been selected for the Dank Ultra Deranged Extravagant: Limited Outstanding Spectacular Trip ™ (DUDE: LOST ™). You are a level 1 tourist.

All Jack wants to do is go home. Unfortunately for him DUDE: LOST ™ requires a 100% satisfaction rate and a 100% completion rate. The only way for him to return is to level up his tourism and have the most incredible trip ever. Whether or not he wants to.

He quickly discovers the entire DUDE: LOST ™ system is horribly buggy and filled with egregious microtransactions.

Can Jack get enough funds to unlock universal translation? Will he be able to overcome his cynicism to have a genuine travel experience? Will he find his way in more ways than one or is he doomed to being completely lost?

Dude, I'm Completely Lost is a comedic Isekai Litrpg misadventure.

Have you Come to Bargain? - Sci-Fi, GameLit, Fantasy

Mica Townsend doesn’t like video games, and they like them even less when they somehow get yanked into one that their partner, Helen, was working on. Under the assumption that Helen is also stuck inside the game and has no way of getting back, Mica trudges forward, desperately trying to get any of the NPC’s to go off script and give real useful information. The further they get into the game on their quest for the love of their life. However, the more sinister things become. There are reports of rogue characters, whispers of previous players, and a hint of betrayal that nags at the back of Mica’s thoughts. The landscape goes from frustrating to nightmarish as they wade through the lies to discover the truth behind it all.

Will Mica find Helen? Will they make it out alive? Or are they doomed to be trapped, with no bargaining power to help them?

Mechaneura - Fantasy, GameLit

There are messages to deliver!

Tarn knows what she wants: a job with clear targets, measurable progress, and the chance to develop her skills. She just didn't expect to have to be transported to another world to find it.

Her new role is as a messenger, delivering packages and information between far flung settlements. She flies above the strange world on a mechaneura - part insect, part machine, part companion - crossing desert and archipelagoes, fenland and rocky coastlines.

There's lots for her to learn but one question she isn't sure how to answer: is this her home now, or will she be going back to the world she once knew?

Mechaneura is a cosy, low-stakes gamelit novella, based on finding personal satisfaction and a place in the world.

Ten Levels Down - Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Adventure, Action, GameLit

When you can be anyone, why be yourself?

Garrit Hale doesn't look like much. In fact, he is often overlooked by everyone. He's just another scrawny nerd, wasting away on the Horizon—a digital world that has quickly become more like home than the real world.

But even digital avatars can catch the attention of those in power and the Protectorate needs Garrit's help. Deep in the bowels of Horizon, in a district where only the highest-leveled players dare to go, there is a challenge arena that boasts a prize worthy of the very best - and the Protectorate wants it.

Many have tried, and many have died, but when presented with an offer he can't refuse, Garrit decides to give it a shot. After all, what is there to lose when you can just respawn?

The Tower Eternal - Fantasy, GameLit

One hundred levels. One hundred enemies. One climber.

Welcome to the Tower.


Nameless, amnesiac, and unarmed, Storm wakes in the Tower with nothing but a name she chose for herself and the weapons the Tower grants her. Determined to reach the top, no matter what's up there, she fights her way through the Tower's floors, knowing that any mistake could mean her death. Along the way, she finds she's not alone - there are other climbers, participants (willing or not) in the Tower's challenge.

As Storm and her newfound allies ascend the Tower, suspicions and tensions grow.

Who created the Tower? Why were they chosen to climb it? And what happens when they reach the top?

Find out in The Tower Eternal.

The Warhog Paladins - GameLit

Mia Lark is running out of options.

Without a neural implant, she'll be shut out of the Corporate jobs on her home planet, but without the cash to pay for it, she's desperate to find a way in. There is one way to score that implant and pay it back later: the game planet Revivium.

It sounds easy enough: enter the game, earn enough Bitz to cash out, and exit before the game finds a way to kill her. Once she's in-game, though, Mia realizes Revivium is anything but simple. A realm-wide quest is a great opportunity to score her Bitz and punch out, but she finds a magical artifact that links back to a forbidden quest line: the Helm of the dead leader of the Warhog Paladins.

The helm's friendly AI, Hex, Leads Mia on an entirely different quest, to find the main guildhall where she can discover what became of the old Warhog Paladins--a quest that could get her killed in Revivium, where Game Over means death...

DRAMA+

Six Shots and No Regrets - Action, Drama, Zombie Apocalypse

A band of friends, bound by music and torn apart by the apocalypse - their journey will strike a chord in your heart.

Nick Adkins was always the anti-social one, haunted by the scars of his past and reluctant to form connections. But when an old friend comes back into his life and persuades him to help their band, Nick finds himself unexpectedly reforming some of his old relationships.

Right when things were starting to look up for Nick, that's when the Zombie Apocalypse descends upon their city. Forced to face the hordes of Zombies together, Nick and his friends must learn to work together to survive a world gone mad.

As the relentless march of the undead continues, Nick is soon confronted with the task of fighting against friends that have succumbed to the curse of the undead. He becomes an executioner, knowing that each strike from his weapon is a necessary step towards survival.

Prepare to be enthralled by this tale of friendship, survival, and the haunting echoes of an apocalypse that will change everything.

Unburnt - Drama, Literary, Speculative Fiction

A middle-aged firefighter impervious to the flames he battles questions his future and his past as he faces retirement and makes a shocking discovery.

After emerging unscathed from the house fire that killed his father, Ed Stoneman had a recurring dream about rescuing himself as a boy, sitting amongst the flames, unburnt. The dream stopped once he hit 18 and became a firefighter, later earning the nickname of “Dodge” by surviving a lethal flashover, the singed trim of his coat the only sign of his contact with the engulfing flames. Dodge embraced his supernatural imperviousness to the heat of fire and smoke by going in when no one should, breaking the rules of rescue because he had to, because he could. With the Wyoming steppe becoming increasingly arid and fires igniting every few days, his 'talent' is needed now more than ever.

On his 50th birthday, Dodge dreams of the boy not on fire for the first time in over 30 years. Chalking it up to stress, he thinks nothing of it. With retirement from active fire duty in his near future, he’s depressed and aimless. Other than firefighting, what purpose does he have? Trusting no one with his secret, he has no one to confide in but his cat, and he daydreams of walking into a wildfire just to see if he’d finally burn. But when he answers an emergency call about a local house fire, renewed purpose greets him in the flames, making him question everything he once believed.

The Pastel Grand Prix - Literary fiction, LGBTQ+, coming of age

Together, they'll paint the town.

When thirteen-year-old Alec learns about the annual bike race that combines racing with art, he's expecting a fun new experience. What he isn't expecting is Damian, the lanky, curly-haired boy who helps him out of his shell and becomes his first real friend. With Damian's help, Alec aims for first prize -- and learns some surprising things about himself along the way.