As a young, up and coming apex predator of the night, Ariane needs the minions, a territory, dubious allies with unknown agendas… From Alexandria to the frozen north, opportunities and danger abound. Fortunately, Ariane has many tools at her disposal and if everything fails, there is always black powder.
After three decades of hiding, Ariane is ready to take her place as a respected member of the American vampire society, or so she hopes. The aristocracy of the night enjoys games. Schemes already abound from enemies old and new, but Ariane is not alone and she is not the naive girl she once was.
Sixty years ago, humanity was forced to retreat behind massive walls, clinging to survival in a broken world where the old rules no longer mattered.
Although anyone can become an "Awakener," Axel only dreams of taking his sister out of the slums and living a peaceful life within the safety of the walls. But the moment Axel climbed over that wall, everything he knew about his life was thrown into chaos.....
Why? It’s simple. He killed someone... and awakened.
......
There’s always been an invisible hand in this world—pulling strings, rewriting fate.
In his journey to grow stronger, he didn’t just gain power—he found love, forged unbreakable bonds, and uncovered the truth behind his father’s mysterious disappearance. But the deeper he digs, the more twisted the world becomes.
By day, he's an admired awakener—respected, even envied.
By night, he walks a darker path—breaking the rules, peeling back the lies, and unraveling secrets buried for generations. And always, she's there in the shadows—his silent guardian, his only constant.
But when the veil is torn, his secret is out by the invisible hand. And the question is:
Will he join those who rule from the dark? Or will he rise against them—and shatter everything?
....
To survive, he’ll need to be ruthless.
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What to Expect:
* A slow-burn power climb with real stakes
* A cunning, evolving protagonist
* A vast, intricate world full of hidden truths
* High-stakes intrigue and spell-slinging action
* Shifting characters and alliances in every arc
* Starts slow, then picks up speed
Damien thought his exams would be bad enough. Then his mother collapsed with a failing heart.
In a desperate move Damien throws himself into the Streamer Contest of Saga Online, the latest fantasy VR-MMORPG. Winning will provide the funds for his mom’s surgery. Yet early betrayal and a close run in with a vampire almost ruin his attempt before he even begins.
Stuck at the bottom of a dungeon with no gear, no allies and little hope, Damien must embrace the undiscovered Occultist class, master control of his new demonic minions and take the contest by storm.
His plan is simple enough. Topple the most famous player in Saga Online.
SOMEWHITHER is the first part of A TALE OF THE UNWITHERING REALM, a new science fantasy series from the science fiction author John C. Wright. It is an adventure, it is a romance, and it is a coming of age story of a young man who is not a man, in a world that is only one among many. It is a tale of a greater and darker evil with longer reach than anything he could imagine, of despair without bounds, of pain beyond measure, and of the faith required to surmount all three. It is a story of inexorable destiny written in the stars and the stubborn courage that is required to defy it.
Ilya Muromets is a big, ugly, motherless boy who does not look like anyone else in his Oregon town. His father is often absent on Church missionary work that strangely seems to involve silver bullets, sacred lances, and black helicopters. Ilya works as a janitor for Professor Achitophel Dreadful of the Cryptozoological Museum of Scientific Curiosities, and he has a hopeless crush on the Professor’s daughter, Penelope, who seems to think his name is Marmoset.
One night, when Professor Dreadful escapes from the asylum in which he is presently residing, he sends a warning to Ilya that not only is the professor’s Many Worlds theory correct, but those many worlds are dominated by an unthinkably powerful enemy determined to destroy anyone who opens the Moebius Ring between the worlds. And, as it happens, prior to his involuntary absence, the Professor left his transdimensional equipment in the basement of the Museum plugged-in and running….
So it is that Ilya, as he has long dreamed in secret, is called upon to save the mad scientist’s beautiful daughter. With his squirrel gun, his grandfather’s sword, and his father’s crucifix, Ilya races to save the girl, and, incidentally, the world.
Virtual worlds are places of boundless freedom. Anyone can become an elven mage or an invisible rogue, join a clan and go on raids, fight, develop their characters and most importantly, escape from the daily grind. However, a game is only a game if you can quit. This is something I learned the hard way. I just wanted to let off some steam in virtual reality and ended up getting murdered and imprisoned in the body of one of the undead—slow, clumsy and cursed to die at the hand of other players over and over again... The only way out of this awful predicament was to find the legendary Scroll of Rebirth, but the helpless plague-ridden corpse would need to be turned into a real killing machine. If only people knew what it was like to level up a dead rogue...
For twelve years, the virtual world of Yggdrasil has served as the playground and battlefield for the skeletal lord Momonga and his guild of fellow monsters, Ainz Ooal Gown. But the guild's glory days are over, and the game is shutting down permanently. When Momonga logs in one last time just to be there when the servers go dark, something happens--and suddenly, fantasy is reality. A rogues' gallery of fanatically devoted NPCs is ready to obey his every order, but the world Momonga now inhabits is not the one he remembers. The game may be over, but the epic tale of Ainz Ooal Gown is only beginning...
The first ONGOING series, co-starring The Daughter Of Drakulon and The She-Devil With A Sword! From Eisner winner JORDIE BELLAIRE (Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Redlands) and DREW MOSS (Star Wars) comes a saga spanning space and time, filled with horror, adventure, mystery and murder!
Collects Vampirella/Red Sonja #1-6
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