Ranging from humorous to dark and gritty, to the downright dark, every story in the Alien Science Fiction series has one thing in common — aliens.The first five stories here either directly take an alien's viewpoint, or feature the effect of alien life on humans, or journey to alien worlds, whether real or virtual.The first story is No Cry For Help is a whodunit set on an alien world where a humanoid species have developed from a dolphin like ancestor. When Professor Cree C...

Mar'Morvyne is coming.Seventeen-year-old Duncan Alexander is thrust into a parallel universe, a modern day Earth where magic is applied on an industrial scale, and dragons and knights keep a tense peace.Duncan must learn fast about magic, dragons, and his own new powers. He's the only one who can find Mar'Morvyne, a sorcerer who'll rewrite the laws of magic this parallel Earth depends on, killing millions. First to die will be Carla, the girl Duncan's met in a dream every n...

When a lonely man raises a truly alien plant species from a seedling, strange things happen, and his life takes a sinister turn.The second in the Alien Science Fiction series by Simon J. Cooper, this story journeys into the darker reaches of the mind.Opening:The bright orange tuber lay sideways, half-buried in the compost that covered the living room floor. It was as big as a horse's head and similar in shape. Arnold wiped the red sap from his mouth with a handkerch...

A vampire must have blood to survive, even if that vampire is an alien shipwrecked on Earth after a secret landing to harvest human blood. But surviving on human blood comes at a high cost, both for this vampire, and her victims.Third in the Alien Science Fiction series by Simon J. Cooper, this one is not for the faint hearted.Opening:Calla floated in a sea of blood, but still she was hungry. A lone sun burned in a clear blue sky. She lifted her arms to shield her f...

The fourth in the Wild Edged Magic series by award winning writer, Simon J. Cooper, this is a story about finding the way out of chaos, and back to civilization.First paragraph:The lad has golden hair to his shoulders but not a bristle on his chin. He's caught luck to be found. This far into the crater, one body is hard to notice. It doesn't whoop and grunt along like a rabble of questers. Reckless lad dressed in a swineherd's rags, it's too dangerous to dawdle with a bear-...

The Wild Edged Magic series is united by characters that break rules with their magic. The first five stories collected here range from traditional to contemporary fantasy, with an emphasis on alternate worlds.First up is, The Magician's Father. Ray, a magician prone to wild experiments, becomes ill with the equivalent of Alzheimer's, and his son, the country's leading Grandmaster of Magic, is forced to confront their fractured past and the violent death all magic user's face....

The fourth in the Modern Irish Fantasy series by award winning writer, Simon J. Cooper.First paragraph:Barnesmore bog was a remote spot and only visited by an old boy like me. When I had a fall a year ago and bust my leg, they said my days up here were finished. Sure, they would have had me in a nursing home after the hospital, only I put up a fight. Now I was back cutting peat and this bog held ten feet of fine Irish peat, like a giant black sponge pressed across the mount...

The first in the Wild Edged Magic series by award winning writer, Simon J. Cooper, this is a story of magic, death and hope in a world where magician's face consequences for every spell they cast.First paragraph:Raymond's aura fizzled over his skin like twisting green lasers, the potential power mocking his sagging flesh. Even now, with my father's tired eyes staring down at me, I felt anger rising instead of sadness, or even love. Stupid old man with a brilliant mind. He w...

True Names Crush. True Names Control. True Names Kill.In a world where every person is born with a true name, only the Nameless know them all... except one.Continuing the Nameless Magician series, 'The Deathless Spell' sees Kyle up against a force even the Nameless can't control.

When new technology discovered genuine monsters, both mythological and never before imagined, Ireland, like every other country, enforced strict codes of conduct for monsters. It was follow the rules or die. But still, there were rogues who refused to register themselves and were never discovered. Ireland's last monster hunter knows how to find them.The second in the Modern Irish Fantasy series by award winning writer, Simon J. Cooper.First paragraph:Sinead McGuire a...

The first in the Modern Irish Fantasy series by award winning writer, Simon J. Cooper, this story of murder and mind control takes you to the dark side of an alternate Ireland, where things aren't always what they seem.First paragraph:Letterkenny General's morgue smelled like the walls were painted with disinfectant. Maybe it was overcompensation. Murder wasn't standard fare in the grassy hills of fair Donegal, so when the victim's boyfriend was picked off the streets with ...

The fifth in the Modern Irish Fantasy series by award winning writer, Simon J. Cooper.First paragraph:The hospital appointment card floated into the bin like a mini Concorde. The envelope it came in had URGENT written in red letters front and back. I scrunched that into a ball and flung it with the other rubbish. It was four thirty. Katie was due home in an hour. I rolled up the dressing gown sleeve on my right arm, picked up the loaded syringe and pressed the needle agains...