There are times when the cold breathes.Settlers from Ragnar Stormbringer's homelands are forging a new world in the far north, building villages where the icy lash of the winds is a reminder of the dangers lurking within a harsh wilderness.A season of great peril has fallen upon them. A fearsome predator stalks and hunts the settlers in the deep snows. As the deaths mount and terror spreads among the populace, Ragnar's help is sought to confront the unknown menace.T...

The Exodus Gate is the first book of a sweeping, epic-scale urban fantasy series with dystopian and apocalyptic themes from the imagination of Stephen Zimmer.The Rising Dawn Saga begins with a prologue that calls to mind the imagery of Milton's Paradise Lost, and then introduces Benedict Darwin, the host of a popular late night radio show dealing with the paranormal and the things of myth, legend, and conspiracy. Benedict comes into possession of a virtual reality simulator that tu...

Howling winds carry promises of doom across the far north where a jarl's people are falling prey to a horrific plight.Chilling tales describing hordes of ravenous wolves falling upon homesteads and slaughtering every living thing, including men, women, children, and livestock, are not the worst of it. Rumors and sightings speak of a greater intelligence guiding the terrifying onslaught.With his great war axe Raven Caller in hand, Ragnar Stormbringer and a small band of merc...

Storms break out across the world and the realms beyond, as the Convergence seeks to advance its worldwide agenda, and Diabolos unleashes great powers from the depths of the Abyss.The Fallen Avatar Beleth's legions pour across the boundaries of Purgatarion, even as the Night Hunt is loosed once again, in the modern world. Dagian readies for a monumental unveiling of Babylon Technology's greatest invention, a technology that holds grave implications for every living person on the fa...

At the edge of the world, far to the east, Rayden has joined with a band of pirates led by Timiko, the young widow of a great warrior revered for showing compassion and generosity to the powerless toiling in the fields and villages on the islands of Yamatainu.When word arrives that a raiding fleet is approaching under the command of the pirate Fujimara, a man known for extreme cruelty and barbarity, Timiko and Rayden know that the villages throughout their region are in great peril...

"The desire to convey authentic and credible portrayals of the western cattle range and its people in its formative years guided Steve Zimmer in choosing to collect and illuminate real, remembered experiences of times and places in the West that was. If the aim is an authentic depiction of cowboys, cowgirls, and early western cattle ranching, how better to find it than by consulting the testimonies and recollections of people who were there and took part in the great western migration, or ...

Deep Within Everyone, There is a Spirit of Fire...A maelstrom of war engulfs lands resisting the designs of the Unifier to bring about a new order, of a kind that has never existed within Ave. Battered by a massive invasion force from Gallea, the tribal people of the Five Realms and their Midragardan allies are being driven eastward, towards the sea, while the Saxan lines are wearing down ever thinner on the Plains of Athelney.Time is running out quickly, as an ancient crea...

With grave threats encroaching on their lands to the north, east, and south, and their salt supplies dwindling, the Shinumu people's only source for the precious mineral lies to the west, in the Aaku homeland where the mythical Mother of the Lakes is known to dwell.Warrior Hongvi Shadow Walker accompanies a delegation of his people to the salt lakes. They anticipate a sanctuary, but Hongvi soon learns that the malevolent forces threatening his people have already manifested within ...

Literary sidekicks like Dr. Watson and Robin the Boy Wonder have not been the singular subject of a significant critical study—until now. Using young adult literature (YA) to study the sidekick reveals new and exciting ways to understand these kinds of characters and this kind of literature. YA has embraced the sidekick, recognizing the way the character reflects the importance of growth and finding one’s place in the world. The nature of many YA texts allows sidekicks to grow beyond liter...

The adventure continues for Jayson Hopper, Lexia Hartwick, and Derrick Marlow in their fight against the Mama Bear Syndicate and her Fixers, Mortimer Walters and Claribel Belle Blair. Tensions flare and chaotic fights between the two groups leave the town in ruins. Neither side is willing to yield.And now there's a new player on the field. The ever watchful Trafford Augustine and his mysterious employer want Jayson's group to apprehend Mama Bear's cooker, Ramsey Prosper. In exchang...

In 2020, an invisible germ—a virus—wholly upended our lives. We're most familiar with the viruses that give us colds or Covid-19. But viruses also cause a vast range of other diseases, including one disorder that makes people sprout branch-like growths as if they were trees. Viruses have been a part of our lives for so long that we are actually part virus: the human genome contains more DNA from viruses than our own genes. Meanwhile, scientists are discovering viruses everywhere they look:...

The winds of war are stirring.The kings of Thrakkia and Samosia quarrel with each other as a wave of invaders from a powerful empire crashes upon the shores of the nearby Kingdom of Pargemon.Having finished a harrowing mission aiding the Thrakkians deep in their mountains, Rayden Valkyrie understands the looming, perilous threat from the Astrian Empire. Without unity, none of the Griacan kingdoms stand a chance against the much larger invasion that Rayden knows will follow ...