NEW FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION STORIES WITH A HARDBOILED NOIR TWIST--FOCUSING ON THE MEAN STREETS OF THE CITY "Down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished nor afraid." --Raymond Chandler Humans have always been fascinated by darkness. Especially the darkness of a city at night, when the black sky is made ever more inky by the pools of illumination dropped under streetlights. We harken to the sound of streetcars in the distance. We are drawn to the garish flash of club signs and marquees. We love the danger of shadowed alleyways, of wealth and poverty living side by side. We love the city. It's a part of us. Whether the mean streets be in an alternate past charmed with dark magic or the dirty alleyways of futuristic crowded space stations, the city--and its darkened streets--will always fascinate us. Here then, an anthology of all new stories of science fiction and fantasy with a hardboiled noir twist that acknowledge that the city is a living, breathing entity...and it isn't always on our side. Stories by: Laurell K. Hamilton, Larry Correia, Kacey Ezell, Mike Massa, Steve Diamond, Robert E. Hampson, Chris Kennedy, Marisa Wolf, Griffin Barber, Robert Buettner, Hinkley Correia, Casey Moores, Patrick M. Tracy, and Dan Willis.

Ashok Vadal was once a member of the highest caste in all of Lok. As a Protector, he devoted his life to upholding the Law, rooting out those who still practiced the old ways and delivering swift justice with his ancestor blade Angruvadal. None was more m

The Great Extermination has begun. In the Capitol, Grand Inquisitor Omand Vokkan hatches a plot to kill every member of the untouchable caste in all of Lok, down to the last man, woman, and child. As a member of the Order of Inquisition, Vokkan has no of

For well over a century, Monster Hunter International has kept the world safe from supernatural threats small and large-and in some cases very, very large. Now, join us as MHI opens their archives for the first time. From experienced Hunters on their toug

WAR RAGES AS THE GREAT EXTERMINATION SPREADS IN THE LATEST INSTALLMENT OF LARRY CORREIA'S BEST-SELLING SON OF THE BLACK SWORD EPIC FANTASY SERIES. FIRST TIME IN TRADE PAPERBACK. The assassination of the Chief Judge has pushed the Capitol to the edge. The Great Extermination has spread to all the land. The casteless must be annihilated. Their only hope is the fallen Protector Ashok Vadal. But Vadal is being held prisoner on the island of Fortress. In order to save those who need him most, he must escape and find his way across the demon-infested sea and return to Thera, the prophet of an illegal and forgotten god. It is she who has sent the Sons of the Black Sword to war against the warrior caste, hoping to buy time until Vadal's return. But as the chaos swirls, Grand Inquisitor Omand Vokkan launches a coup to install Lord Protector Devedas as his puppet king. Devedas has no intention of being anyone's puppet, but it may not matter. For Vokkan has struck a secret bargain with a demon. Vokkan will destroy the casteless for this ancient being; in exchange, he will be granted the power of the ancient gods. Ashok Vadal, Thera, and the Sons of the Black Sword face foes both human and supernatural, Byzantine political intrigue and bloody hand-to-hand combat, gods and demons alike. But Vadal is a warrior with a warrior's heart, and woe to those who would stand in his way--man, god, demon, or otherwise!

#1 IN A NEW EPIC FANTASY SERIES from Monster Hunter series creator and New York Times best-selling author, Larry Correia!

New York Times and Wall Street Journal best-selling author. Gritty urban fantasy set in an alternate noir 1930s. A tough P.I. battles an interdimensional monster that wants to suck magic power out of the world and in the process destroy it. Sequel to Hard Magic and Spellbound. Book Three in the Grimnoir Chronicles. FIRST TIME IN TRADE PAPERBACK. Gritty urban fantasy adventure set in an alternate noir 1930s, Book Three in the Grimnoir chronicles. Only a handful of people in the world know that mankind's magic comes from a living creature, and it is a refugee from another universe. The Power showed up here in the 1850s because it was running from something. Now it is 1933, and the Power's hiding place has been discovered by a killer. It is a predator that eats magic and leaves destroyed worlds in its wake. Earth is next. Former private eye, Jake Sullivan, knows the score. The problem is hardly anyone believes him. The world's most capable Active, Faye Vierra, could back him up, but she is hiding from the forces that think she is too dangerous to let live. So Jake has put together a ragtag crew of airship pirates and Grimnoir knights, and set out on a suicide mission to stop the predator before it is too late. About the Urban Fantasy of Larry Correia: "[A] no-holds-barred all-out page turner that is part science fiction, part horror, and an absolute blast to read." --Bookreporter.com "If you love monsters and action, you'll love this book. If you love guns, you'll love this book. If you love fantasy, and especially horror fantasy, you'll love this book." --Knotclan.com "A gun person who likes science fiction--or, heck, anyone who likes science fiction--will enjoy [these books]...The plotting is excellent, and Correia makes you care about the characters...I read both books without putting them down except for work...so whaddaya waitin' for? Go and buy some . . . for yourself and for stocking stuffers." --Massad Ayoob "This lighthearted, testosterone-soaked sequel to 2009's Monster Hunter International will delight fans of action horror with elaborate weaponry, hand-to-hand combat, disgusting monsters, and an endless stream of blood and body parts." --Publishers Weekly on Monster Hunter Vendetta The Grimnoir Chronicles Hard Magic Spellbound Warbound

In a business like monster hunting, it's all about setting priorities. The chaos god Asag has been quiet since the destruction of the City of Monsters, but Monster Hunter International knows that he is still out there somewhere-plotting, waiting for his

The Grimnoir Society's mission is to protect people with magic, and they've done so successfully and in secret - since mysterious arrival of Power in 1850s. When a magical assassin makes an attempt on life of President Franklin Roosevelt, crime is pinned on Grimnoir, and knights must become fugitives while they attempt to discover who framed them.

The cold of interstellar space is again closer than you think as eleven authors -- including New York Times bestseller Larry Correia, Nebula winner Eric James Stone, Amazon #1 bestseller Michaelbrent Collings, and multiple Hugo nominee Howard Tayler -- explore what happens when space opera meets Lovecraftian cosmic horror.
Contents:
A Darklight Call'd on the Long Last Night of the Soul - Michaelbrent Collings
Dead Waits Dreaming - Larry Correia
The Implant - Robert J Defendi
Plague Ship - Steven L. Peck
From Within the Walls - Steven Diamond
Space "Opera" Episode Two-The Great Old One Strikes Back - Michael R. Collings
The Queen in Shadow - David J. West
The Humans in the Walls - Eric James Stone
Seed - D.J. Butler
Full Dark - Nathan Shumate
Fall of the Runewrought - Howard Tayler