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...

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...

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...

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.

The third in the Modern Irish Fantasy series by award winning writer, Simon J. Cooper.First paragraph:The silver needle pivoted on the heart line of the man's hand, wagging like a dog's tail but always roughly pointing at the red front door of 16 Kincora Court. Baxter shoved it back into his pocket and turned off the engine. Maybe he would head over and take a tour around the Guiness factory afterwards, it was years since he last took that tour. No better tasting Guniness i...

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...

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 fifth in the Wild Edged Magic series by award winning writer, Simon J. Cooper, this is a story about survival, and its cost.First paragraph:Drew says he'll look after me, and I know I should be scared he's some crazy rapist, or murderer, but I've got no one else to help, not really, and besides, Drew saved me, and I like him, and I think I'm a pretty good judge of character."You've got talent, Stace," Drew says. "Real magical ability, but they don't understand t...

The third in the Wild Edged Magic series by award winning writer, Simon J. Cooper, this is a story about why gods shouldn't meddle in human affairs, and, why they should!First paragraph:After a century in the constant oneness of the Universal Mind, Chuang Tzu was glad of the cold December air in Prague. Around his temporarily human form, a flood of tourists viewed the Baroque statues that lined Charles Bridge. These included, amongst others, three of St. Wenceslas, two of M...