Varhaiset kirja-arvostelijatRhonda Parrish

The war is done.

Ricky wants some time to lick his wounds and learn what the new normal is going to look like for him but then his brother goes missing. Now Ricky needs to team up with his wartime friends (and at least one dog he'd hoped never to see again) to find him, figure out what's going on and save the world.

Again.

And the clock is ticking...

Unicorns locked away in the cargo holds of spaceships, becoming roller skating phenoms or leaving sparkly rainbow poop in a poor bartender’s living room are just the start. There’s a demi-god trying to figure out where Pegasus has disappeared to, horses formed of sea, or steam and even one who thinks he’s a spider. And so much more. These stories are all a little untamed, a little wild, a little… untethered. 

Featuring stories by Alyx Barter, Beth Cato, M.L.D. Curelas, Alyson Grauer, Lucy Hagan, Jamie Lackey, Carter Lappin, Sally McBride, Marshall Moore, Wendy Nikel, Jamie Perrault, Jennifer Lee Rossman, Rose Strickman, DJ Tyrer, Rachel M. Thompson, and Laura VanArendonk Baugh, this anthology is sure to have something for every horse lover.

What do you get when you take the high tech/low life settings of cyberpunk and sprinkle them with the magic and possibilities of fairy tales? Trolls under teleportation bridges, masquerades held in virtual reality, princely avatars, giants and dwarves alongside hackers and androids. From retellings of traditional tales such as Rumpelstiltskin, in which a young woman is tasked with writing code instead of spinning gold, to original tales like the changeling-inspired story of a formless machine intelligence that hijacks human bodies, these cyberpunk fairy tales form a unique collection that is sure to satisfy connoisseurs of both genres. "A Beautiful Nightmare" by Sarah Van Goethem "Firewalls and Firewort" by Wendy Nikel "The Rabbit in the Moon" by Ana Sun "Stiltskin" by Michael Teasdale "Three" by Nicola Kapron "Cumulus" by Thomas Badlan "Drift-Skip" by Suzanne Church "Make Your Own Happily Ever After" by Beth Goder "***********SK.IN" by Alena Van Arendonk "C4T & MOU5E" by V.F. LeSann "In the Belly of the Whale" by Angus McIntyre "Neon Green in D Minor" by Laura VanArendonk Baugh Winners will be emailed a download link. Ebook available in Epub or Mobi.

Fairies threaten the world of artifice and technology, forcing the royal family to solve a riddle to stop their world from irrevocable change; a dishonest merchant uses automatons as vessels for his secrets and lies; a woman discovers the secret of three princesses whose shoes get scuffed while they sleep. These and so many other steampunk and gaslamp fairy tales await within the pages of Clockwork, Curses and Coal. Retellings of Hansel and Gretel, The Princess and the Pea, Pinocchio, The Twelve Dancing Princesses and more are all showcased alongside some original fairy tale-like stories. Featuring stories by Melissa Bobe, Adam Brekenridge, Beth Cato, MLD Curelas, Joseph Halden, Reese Hogan, Diana Hurlburt, Christina Johnson, Alethea Kontis, Lex T. Lindsay, Wendy Nikel, Brian Trent, Laura VanArendonk Baugh and Sarah Van Goethem. Winners will be emailed a download link in .Mobi (for Kindle) or .Epub (for most other ereaders).

Dieselpunk and decopunk are alternative history re-imaginings of (roughly) the WWI and WWII eras: tales with the grit of roaring bombers and rumbling tanks, of 'We Can Do It' and old time gangsters, or with the glamour of flappers and Hollywood starlets, smoky jazz and speakeasies. The stories in this volume add fairy tales to the mix, transporting classic tales to this rich historical setting. Two young women defy the devil with the power of friendship. The pilot of a talking plane discovers a woman who transforms into a swan every night and is pulled into a much more personal conflict than the war he’s already fighting. A pair of twins with special powers find themselves in Eva Braun’s custody and wrapped up in a nefarious plan. A team of female special agents must destroy a secret weapon–the spindle–before it can be deployed. Retellings of The Little Mermaid, Hansel and Gretel, Rapunzel, Cinderella, The Monkey King, Swan Lake, Pinocchio and more are all showcased alongside some original fairy tale-like stories. Table of Contents: “Circles and Salt” by Sara Cleto “Salvage” by A.A. Medina “The Loch” by Zannier Alejandra “Evening Chorus” by Lizz Donnelly “To Go West” by Laura VanArendonk Baugh “Bonne Chance Confidential” by Jack Bates “늑대 - The Neugdae” by Juliet Harper “The Rescue of Tresses Malone” by Alena Van Arendonk “Daughters of Earth and Air” by Robert E. Vardeman “Easy as Eating Pie” by Amanda C. Davis “Accidents are Not Possible” by Sarah Van Goethem “A Princess, a Spy, and a Dwarf Walked into a Bar Full of Nazis” by Patrick Bollivar “Steel Dragons of a Luminous Sky” by Brian Trent “Ramps and Rocket” by Alicia K Anderson “As The Spindle Burns” by Nellie K. Neves “Make This Water No Deeper” by Blake Jessop “One Hundred Years” by Jennifer R. Donohue “Things Forgotten on the Cliffs of Avevig” by Wendy Nikel Winners will be emailed a download link. eARC available in MOBI (for Kindle) and EPUB (for most other ereaders).

“Anyone who believes that faeries are wee, golden-haired creatures with dragon-fly wings and sweet intentions has never met a real faerie.” –Suzanne Willis, “A Silver Thread Between Worlds” Retellings of familiar favourites from new perspectives, and brand new stories share the pages of this fairy-themed collection. Within these offerings you’ll find fairy music and food, contracts (making and breaking them), changelings, circles and curses–these stories deliver all the things you already love about fairies and a few new tricks as well. A dusting of dragons, shapeshifters and ogres accompany these tales which include feminist fairies overcoming trauma, Norse fairies breaking the rules to interfere in human affairs, intergalactic fairies hitching a ride to a new home, political satire featuring an idiot king and talking animals, a new Robin Archer story, fairy run nightclubs and so, so much more. Altogether this anthology includes twenty-six brand new tales–one for each letter of the alphabet–from contributors Pete Aldin, Steve Bornstein, Andrew Bourelle, Stephanie A. Cain, Beth Cato, Sara Cleto, Cory Cone, Danielle Davis, Megan Engelhardt, Michael Fosburg, Joseph Halden, Lynn Hardaker, L.S. Johnson, Michael M. Jones, Jeanne Kramer-Smyth, Samantha Kymmell-Harvey, C.S. MacCath, Jonathan C. Parrish, Alexandra Seidel, Michael B. Tager, Rachel M. Thompson, Laura VanArendonk Baugh, Brittany Warman, Lilah Wild, Suzanne J. Willis and BD Wilson. Available in .Mobi or .ePub formats

“Anyone who believes that faeries are wee, golden-haired creatures with dragon-fly wings and sweet intentions has never met a real faerie.” –Suzanne Willis, “A Silver Thread Between Worlds” Retellings of familiar favourites from new perspectives, and brand new stories share the pages of this fairy-themed collection. Within these offerings you’ll find fairy music and food, contracts (making and breaking them), changelings, circles and curses–these stories deliver all the things you already love about fairies and a few new tricks as well. A dusting of dragons, shapeshifters and ogres accompany these tales which include feminist fairies overcoming trauma, Norse fairies breaking the rules to interfere in human affairs, intergalactic fairies hitching a ride to a new home, political satire featuring an idiot king and talking animals, a new Robin Archer story, fairy run nightclubs and so, so much more. Altogether this anthology includes twenty-six brand new tales–one for each letter of the alphabet–from contributors Pete Aldin, Steve Bornstein, Andrew Bourelle, Stephanie A. Cain, Beth Cato, Sara Cleto, Cory Cone, Danielle Davis, Megan Engelhardt, Michael Fosburg, Joseph Halden, Lynn Hardaker, L.S. Johnson, Michael M. Jones, Jeanne Kramer-Smyth, Samantha Kymmell-Harvey, C.S. MacCath, Jonathan C. Parrish, Alexandra Seidel, Michael B. Tager, Rachel M. Thompson, Laura VanArendonk Baugh, Brittany Warman, Lilah Wild, Suzanne J. Willis and BD Wilson.

In exchange for your honest review we'd like to give you your choice of an .ePub or .Mobi copy of E is for Evil. E is for Evil contains twenty-six individual stories which each shine a different light on the multi-faceted idea that is evil. Running the gamut from lyrical fantasy to gritty horror in these stories possessed toys, hellish bureaucrats, scientists with questionable morals, abusive partners and even lingerie sellers all take their turn in the spotlight. Featuring fresh new stories from Michael Fosburg, Lynn Hardaker, Stephanie A. Cain, Andrew Bourelle, Suzanne J. Willis, Samantha Kymmell-Harvey, Hal J. Friesen, C.S. MacCath, Michael B. Tager, Jonathan C. Parrish, Amanda C. Davis, Lilah Wild, Sara Cleto, Alexandra Seidel, Mary Alexander Agner, Cory Cone, Jeanne Kramer-Smyth, Beth Cato, Laura VanArendonk Baugh, Megan Engelhardt, Danielle Davis, Brittany Warman, BD Wilson, L.S. Johnson, Pete Aldin and Michael M. Jones.

Publisher's note: These stories are meant for adults. While not graphic, they may contain language and situations not appropriate for children. When you think of Mrs. Claus, do you imagine a quiet North Pole homebody who finds complete fulfillment in baking cookies, petting reindeer and crafting toys alongside elves? How about a magic-wielding ice goddess, or a tough-as-nails Valkyrie? Or maybe an ancient fae of dubious intentions, or a well-meaning witch? Could Mrs. Claus be a cigar-smoking Latina, or a crash-landed alien? Within these pages Mrs. Claus is a hero, a villain, a mother, a spacefarer, a monster hunter, and more. The only thing she decidedly is not, is a sidekick. It’s Mrs. Claus’ turn to shine and she is stepping out of Santa’s shadow and into the spotlight in these fourteen spectacular stories that make her the star! Featuring original short stories by Laura VanArendonk Baugh, C.B. Calsing, DJ Tyrer, Jennifer Lee Rossman, Kristen Lee, Randi Perrin, Michael Leonberger, Andrew Wilson, Ross Van Dusen, MLD Curelas, Maren Matthias, Anne Luebke, Jeff Kuykendall, and Hayley Stone. “Wight Christmas” by Laura VanArendonk Baugh “The Asylum Musicale” by C.B. Calsing “Desperately Seeking Santa” by DJ Tyrer “Christmas Magic” by Jennifer Lee Rossman “Good Morning” by Kristen Lee “Moves Like Jagger” by Randi Perrin “Miss ‘Lil Toe Head” by Michael Leonberger “Unexpected Guests” by Andrew Wilson “The True Story of Christina and Kristopher Kringle” by Ross Van Dusen “Shouldering the Burden” by MLD Curelas “You’d Better Watch Out” by Maren Matthias “Captain Lizzy and the Stranger in the Fog” by Anne Luebke “Agatha Sings to the Scorpions” by Jeff Kuykendall “Red to Hide the Blood” by Hayley Stone Ebook is available in both .Mobi (for Kindle) and .Epub (for most other ereaders). Winners will be emailed a download link.

When you think of Mrs. Claus, do you imagine a quiet North Pole homebody who finds complete fulfillment in baking cookies, petting reindeer and crafting toys alongside elves? How about a magic-wielding ice goddess, or a tough-as-nails Valkyrie? Or maybe an ancient fae of dubious intentions, or a well-meaning witch? Could Mrs. Claus be a cigar-smoking Latina, or a crash-landed alien? Within these pages Mrs. Claus is a hero, a villain, a mother, a spacefarer, a monster hunter, and more. The only thing she decidedly is not, is a sidekick. It’s Mrs. Claus’ turn to shine and she is stepping out of Santa’s shadow and into the spotlight in these fourteen spectacular stories that make her the star! “Wight Christmas” by Laura VanArendonk Baugh “The Asylum Musicale” by C.B. Calsing “Desperately Seeking Santa” by DJ Tyrer “Christmas Magic” by Jennifer Lee Rossman “Good Morning” by Kristen Lee “Moves Like Jagger” by Randi Perrin “Miss ‘Lil Toe Head” by Michael Leonberger “Unexpected Guests” by Andrew Wilson “The True Story of Christina and Kristopher Kringle” by Ross Van Dusen “Shouldering the Burden” by MLD Curelas “You’d Better Watch Out” by Maren Matthias “Captain Lizzy and the Stranger in the Fog” by Anne Luebke “Agatha Sings to the Scorpions” by Jeff Keykendall “Red to Hide the Blood” by Hayley Stone Ebook is available in .Mobi (for Kindle) and .Epub (for most other ereaders). Winners will be emailed a download link.

There’s always something magical about horses, isn’t there? Whether winged or at home in the water, mechanical or mythological, the equines that gallop through these pages span the fantasy spectrum. In one story a woman knits her way up to the stars and in another Loki's descendant grapples with bizarre transformations while fighting for their life. A woman races on a unique horse to save herself from servitude, while a man rides a chariot through the stars to reclaim his self-worth. From steampunk-inspired stories and tales that brush up against horror to straight-up fantasy, one theme connects them all: freedom. Featuring nineteen fantastic stories of equines both real and imagined by J.G. Formato, Diana Hurlburt, Tamsin Showbrook, M.L.D Curelas, Laura VanArendonk Baugh, VF LeSann, Dan Koboldt, J.J. Roth, Susan MacGregor, Pat Flewwelling, Angela Rega, Michael Leonberger, Sandra Wickham, Stephanie A. Cain, Cat McDonald, Andrew Bourelle, Chadwick Ginther, K.T. Ivanrest, and Jane Yolen. About the Anthologist: Rhonda Parrish is driven by the desire to do All The Things. She was the founder and editor-in-chief of Niteblade Magazine, is an Assistant Editor at World Weaver Press, and is the editor of several anthologies including, most recently, Sirens and C is for Chimera. In addition, Rhonda is a writer whose work has been included or is forthcoming in dozens of publications including Tesseracts 17: Speculating Canada from Coast to Coast, Imaginarium: The Best Canadian Speculative Writing (2012 & 2015), and Mythic Delerium. Her website, updated weekly, is at rhondaparrish.com. Ebooks are available in both .Mobi (for Kindle) and .Epub (for most other ereaders). Winners will be emailed a download link.

For the fourth installment of Rhonda Parrish’s Alphabet Anthologies, contributors were challenged to write about dinosaurs. The resulting twenty-six stories contain widely different interpretations of the dinosaur theme and span the spectrum from literal to metaphoric. Within these pages stories set in alternate histories, far-flung futures and times just around the corner, dinosaurs whimper and waste away, or roar and rage. People can be dinosaurs, as can ideas, fictions and flesh. Knitted dinosaurs share space with ghostly, genetically engineered and even narcotic ones. Teenagers must embrace their inner dinosaurs in order to find peace and belonging, a dying woman duels a God in a far future city that echoes aspects of our past, an abused wife accompanies her husband on a hunt for an ancient power and finds more than she could ever have imagined and a girl with wonderful magical powers stumbles across the bones of a giant long-dead lizard. And so much more!

Watch the end of the world unfold in these twenty zombie-tastic poems by Rhonda Parrish. Experience the grime and the gore of the shambling, undead menace right alongside moments of hope and love. Excerpt: White Noise Every station ran the same thing over and over “This is not a test!” All but one. A Christian station Sermons interspersed with donation calls twenty four hours a day. An atheist, she still listened if only to hear a human voice express an emotion other than fear. Still, looking out at the shambling masses that filled the street she had to chuckle when the preacher offered up eternal life as some sort of reward.

Three of Rhonda Parrish's beloved Aphanasian stories brought together in one collection for the first time! A Love Story: Z'thandra, a swamp elf living with the Reptar, discovers a human near the village. When she falls in love with him, she faces the most difficult choice of her life, a decision that will affect the Reptar for generations. Lost and Found: Xavier, the escaped subject of a madman's experiments, and Colby, a young lady on a mission to save her brother, must combine their efforts to elude capture and recover the magical artifact that will save Colby's brother before it's too late. Sister Margaret: A vampire hunter and a half-incubus swordsman are hired by a priestess to kill the undead pimp that is extorting, torturing and murdering vulnerable girls.

An anthology of short fantasy and science fiction stories. Ebook formats available: .mobi and .epub Description: Sirens are beautiful, dangerous, and musical, whether they come from the sea or the sky. Greek sirens were described as part-bird, part-woman, and Roman sirens more like mermaids, but both had a voice that could captivate and destroy the strongest man. The pages of this book contain the stories of the Sirens of old, but also allow for modern re-imaginings, plucking the sirens out of their natural elements and placing them at a high school football game, or in wartime London, or even into outer space. Featuring stories by Kelly Sandoval, Amanda Kespohl, L.S. Johnson, Pat Flewwelling, Gabriel F. Cuellar, Randall G. Arnold, Michael Leonberger, V. F. LeSann, Tamsin Showbrook, Simon Kewin, Cat McDonald, Sandra Wickham, K.T. Ivanrest, Adam L. Bealby, Eliza Chan, and Tabitha Lord, these siren songs will both exemplify and defy your expectations. Advance Praise for SIRENS: "Poignant, diverse, and enthralling: this new volume in the Magical Menagerie series evokes the majesty of sirens, from the traditional deep sea variety of Greek mythology to those that entice sailors of deep space to ones who scan modern dating sites with wistful hopes for a good match. I could not stop reading." —Beth Cato, author of The Clockwork Dagger "Like its titular subject, Sirens drags you in with promises of beauty and mystery and then refuses to let go. You tear yourself away from the pages just long enough to note that it’s two in the morning before deciding to read just one more tale…Sirens is a fantastic voyage that tosses the reader up on many a strange-yet-familiar shore. Listen to the unique voices of each story. They’re worth the risk of drowning." —Amber E. Scott, author of Chronicle of the Righteous and Siege of Dragonspear "The call of SIRENS is quite powerful indeed. With a variety of stories, crafted with care, you will delight in the tales that the many authors weave throughout this fantastical anthology. It will lure you in and not let go." —Tara Platt, author Zartana About the Anthologist: Rhonda Parrish is driven by the desire to do All The Things. She was the founder and editor-in-chief of Niteblade Magazine, is an Assistant Editor at World Weaver Press, and is the editor of several anthologies including, most recently, Sirens and C is for Chimera. In addition, Rhonda is a writer whose work has been included or is forthcoming in dozens of publications including Tesseracts 17: Speculating Canada from Coast to Coast, Imaginarium: The Best Canadian Speculative Writing (2012 & 2015), and Mythic Delerium. Her website, updated weekly, is at rhondaparrish.com.

Niteblade's special ghost issue features stories and poems with a spectral flavour. House 5 by Adele Gardner Memory Walking by KB Lawrence A Fixer-Upper by Amanda C. Davis Soldier's Return by Robert Dawson Envying the Dead by Francis W. Alexander The Isle of Skye by Adele Gardner Hot Biscuits by Elizabeth Archer Hanashi Ukemi by Kenneth Kao A Voice, Independent by Christos Callow Jr. Dead Letters by Sandi Leibowitz Heaven & Earth by Adrienne J. Odasso Pushed Out by Jay Wilburn Wintery Silence by Shari Jo LeKane-Yentumi

Walk with us as we explore the world of cancer as seen through a speculative lens. Hold our hands while we venture into the world of what ifs. Take a journey at our side as we experience the full spectrum of what cancer has to offer. The light, the darkness. Within these pages you’ll meet a woman who adores her cancer as a lover, another who sees it as her ticket to immortality. We’ll meet a boy willing to do anything to save his mother and another with superpowers. There’s a witch who uses magic to fight against the beast ravaging her friend’s body, a cat whose capacity for love is unparalleled, a damaged musician, aliens, a goddess butterfly and so much more. These are not easy stories to read. This is not a comforting collection that will wipe your fears away and make everything all right. It’s not that kind of book. These stories will make you cry, but they’ll also make you laugh. They’ll touch you and stir emotions, some of which you might not like, but that’s okay. It really is. These stories aren’t all fun, but they are important. All of them. Cancer scares us. There is so much we don’t know about it, but it’s out there, waiting to strike. This anthology attempts to strike back. To support research that will develop new treatments and, eventually, a cure. 62.5% of the proceeds of this anthology are being donated to help benefit Cancer research.

Amazing fantasy and horror poems and short stories. Lady Mary Speaks of Dreams by Sandi Leibowitz With The Band by Carl Barker Bitter Mnemosyne by Sara Norja Jonesy by Evan Purcell Alice Underground by Brittany Warman Starry Night by David Luntz Le Cirque by Jess Simms the moon, so low by Dan Campbell The Kiss of Legend by T.H. Lee This man by Erik Amundsen Empire of Ash by Cameron Johnston Not Too Bold by Shira Lipkin

Three of Rhonda Parrish’s beloved Aphanasian stories brought together in one collection for the first time! A Love Story: Z’thandra, a swamp elf living with the Reptar, discovers a human near the village. When she falls in love with him, she faces the most difficult choice of her life, a decision that will affect the Reptar for generations. Lost and Found: Xavier, the escaped subject of a madman’s experiments, and Colby, a young lady on a mission to save her brother, must combine their efforts to elude capture and recover the magical artifact that will save Colby’s brother before it’s too late. Sister Margaret: A vampire hunter and a half-incubus swordsman are hired by a priestess to kill the undead pimp that is extorting, torturing and murdering vulnerable girls.

Three of Rhonda Parrish’s beloved Aphanasian stories brought together in one collection for the first time! A Love Story: Z’thandra, a swamp elf living with the Reptar, discovers a human near the village. When she falls in love with him, she faces the most difficult choice of her life, a decision that will affect the Reptar for generations. Lost and Found: Xavier, the escaped subject of a madman’s experiments, and Colby, a young lady on a mission to save her brother, must combine their efforts to elude capture and recover the magical artifact that will save Colby’s brother before it’s too late. Sister Margaret: A vampire hunter and a half-incubus swordsman are hired by a priestess to kill the undead pimp that is extorting, torturing and murdering vulnerable girls.