Books published by WordFire Press

My name is Noel Glass. I once was a respected scientist and madly in love. All that ended in a splash of scarlet. I can never forget, and I will never forgive myself. It''s 1953 and I''m a shamus working the streets of Industry City. I don''t rely on instinct; science is my game. The cases I get, and the booze I drink, keep oblivion just a step away. That is, until some rich recluse walks in and tells me that accident from all this years ago was a set-up, a frame job, and I was meant to take the fall. Now I have to clear my name... like that''s easy. Everyone''s keeping secrets. Who can I trust? My neighbor, the mysteriously connected Wan Lee? Or the songbird Merlot Sterling? Her lies are almost as beautiful as her voice. Even the muscle-bound bodyguard I inherited can''t keep the hit men, spies - or my own government - from trying to put me six-feet under. You see, this secret organization believes I know something and wants to keep me quiet. All I do know is they''re aiming to remake the world into their own twisted image using a device I created. They''ve already axed one world leader, and Ike could be next. God, I could use a shot of bourbon and some answers, but neither comes cheap these days.

A prequel novella to Kevin J. Anderson's bestselling space opera epic, The Saga of Seven Suns.It is a time of great beginnings. Set a century before the grand events of the Saga of Seven Suns, Veiled Alliances chronicles the origin of the green priests on Theroc, the first Roamer skymining operations on a gas-giant planet, the discovery of the Klikiss robots entombed in an abandoned alien city, the initial Ildiran expedition to Earth, the rescue of the generation ship Burton and the tragedy that leads to sinister breeding experiments. Veiled Alliances is an excellent starting point for readers new to the Saga, as well as an unforgettable adventure for fans of the series.BONUS: This edition also includes the complete script for the Wildstorm/DC Comics graphic novel of Veiled Alliances.

Dragons are creatures of legend. Of magic. Of wisdom, nature, and the power of creation. They have been in every culture and mythology since the beginning of time.Writers are creatures of legend. With magic, wisdom, and the power of creation at their fingertips. They, too, are in every culture and have been creating their own mythologies since the beginning of time.Within each writer is the power of a dragon. . . . The power of creation.Gathered together are twenty-six stories from writers who dared to tame this power, including New York Times best-selling authors Brandon Sanderson, Jody Lynn Nye, Todd McCaffrey, and David Farland. Through fantasy, sci-fi, romance, and poetry, this anthology celebrates the magic and majesty of dragons, writers, and creativity. Within these pages, you''ll find dragons who fly through space, who raise hatchlings, who carry the power of life and death. Some dragons are even featured as swords, planes, and origami creatures.Dragon Writers is a special collection where magic and myth combine to create something legendary.All profits benefit the Don Hodge Memorial Scholarship fund for the Superstars Writing Seminar.

In 1891, in the aftermath of the Wounded Knee massacre, awful nightmares and bizarre killing sprees shake the uneasy peace between a frontier town of White Pine and the Lakota on the nearby reservation.Pioneer doctor Charles Zimmerman finds himself at the forefront of the investigation and uncovers a crawling horror the likes of which he could not imagine.With the help an orphaned farm girl, a smart-mouth stage robber, a beaten-down Lakota warrior, a beautiful medicine woman, and Charles''s estranged father-the aging town marshal-Charles must save not only the town of White Pine but also the starving Lakota from an ancient, hungry evil.

In the conduct of foreign policy, a President must never utter threats he can't-or won't-enforce, make promises he can't-or won't-keep, or renege on commitments to his allies.This classic political thriller by Pulitzer Prize-winning master Allen Drury is as insightful and relevant today as when it was first published.Secretary of State Raymond Cass Stanley struggles to help the U.S. President avoid a potentially disastrous head-on collision with Sidi bin Sidi bin Sidi, President for Life of All the Peoples of Lolómé, a tiny Middle Eastern country. Sidi has recently acquired several nuclear weapons and threatens to deploy them against his even tinier neighbor, Lesser Lolómé, and the President is determined to take him down.This clash among proud and defiant leaders, and the repercussions worldwide among US allies and enemies, forms a sophisticated and fascinating novel of present-day politics and international tensions.No author has ever portrayed American and world politics with more vivid reality and understanding than Allen Drury.

After being court-martialed by the Space Legion for ordering the strafing of a treaty-signing ceremony, multimillionaire Willard Phule receives his punishment: He must command the misfit Omega Company on Haskin's Planet, a mining settlement on the edge of settled space. At his duty station, he leverages his personal money and a knack for managing people to get the company to come together as a unit. Phule convinces the governor to leave the contract for an honorary duty up for competition between the Space Legionnaires and the Regular Army. The Army sends some of their most elite troops to take part in the competition, but Phule's company operates with their own unique tactics....

A sweeping epic fantasy from the New York Times bestselling author of The Dark Glory War and Star Wars novels.An apprentice swordsman, Locke has ridden the narrow trail to the City of the Sorcerers to see with his own eyes the Ward Walls that hold back the Realms of Chaos. It is Locke''s dream to become a Chaos Rider, and he seeks his destiny beyond the Wall. And it is Locke''s hope that somewhere in the Wildness, where time and change rage out of control, his lost father still survives.But more than mere survival is at stake. For on the other side of the Wall awaits a Darkness beyond all ken-a burgeoning evil that will test the steel of one young hero ... and the entire bold and foolish race called Humanity.Stackpole spins tales which grab you by the heart, throat, and imagination."-Dennis L. McKiernan, author of The Dragonstone

t's the most unusual medical unit in the galaxy - and it makes house calls. A fully equipped starship lab, Taylor's Ark is run by Dr. Shona Taylor, a specialist in environmental medicine. She has a menagerie of very special assistants, including an Abyssinian cat, a dog, rabbits, mice, and an alien ottle named Chirwl. Now, this highly trained crew faces the ultimate medical mystery. On Chirwl's home world, humans and ottles alike are aging at an alarming rate. And if Dr. Taylor doesn't find a fast cure, the entire colony will die ... of old age.

Dr. Shona Taylor takes on a new assignment, and discovers a chilling reality behind a picture perfect planet...What price for paradise?Jardindor is, by most estimates, a new Eden: from the number of trees to the exact spacing of every lamppost and garden, the alien planet is perfection, a totally controlled terraformed world on the outreaches of colonized space. When Dr. Shona Taylor receives her posting as physician to the settlers on Jardindor, she packs up her family - children and medical menagerie, as well as Chirwl, the alien ottle - expecting a very serene six months.But the people of Jardindor are guarding more than their perfect world. They're hiding a dark secret, and as Shona learns more about her new hosts and their strange fascination with animals, her new job turns into a nightmare.

Dr. Shona Taylor, a specialist in environmental medicine, discovers that a mysterious epidemic is killing the entire population of colony worlds. With the help of her special menagerie, including a cat that can detect environmental hazards, a dog whose system can synthesize vaccines, and an intelligent alien named Chirwl, Shona is determined to stop the epidemic in its tracks, but the people causing the epidemic have set her up to take the blame, spreading the rumor that she is an Angel of Death. Can she find a cure before the disease kills again and puts her and her menagerie in danger?Exciting... enjoyable space adventure... Taylor's Ark is fun and well-crafted, with a heroine you'll enjoy rooting for! - Aboriginal SF

Who needs Heaven?God, it turns out, lives on the planet Tananius-Ofo in the distant galaxy 722C12009. And now, after countless millennia, He's invited us to come visit Him.Not everybody, mind you. Just an odd assortment of heathens, heretics, pantheists, perverts, and true believers of every sect and creed-all crammed into a single white spaceship piloted by a slightly crazed biocomputer. Each pilgrim is determined to be the first to reach God and learn His secrets . . .If they don't all kill each other on the way there.

"Children, there is death in the world." These words catapulted Dyan of Buza System into a nightmare of initiation, betrayal, flight, and murder. Against all odds, Dyan survived the Cull and so did Jak, the young man she was supposed to kill. Now Jak and Dyan go back into Buza System. Dyan''s mother is held prisoner there and scheduled to be executed for letting her daughter live. Rescuing her will push Dyan and Jak to the limits, unveiling to them the dark secrets at the heart of Buza System, and teaching them the truth of Magister Zarah''s words: "Every Urbane knows the secret of life--that it is cheap, and easily taken."

Life is full of decision points-those key moments when what we decide can change everything for better or for worse. These 20 tales describe such instances in young people's lives, ranging from tragic to triumphant, from horror to fantasy to science fiction. Written by authors new and old, those known for Young Adult writing and those known for Adult novels, a few new and barely known at all, these stories will make you think, make you laugh, make you feel angry, sad, determined, etc. as you examine choices and consequences and consider the many paths a life might take and think about your own. Edited by Hugo-nominated editor Bryan Thomas Schmidt, Decision Points includes both brand new and reprint stories by award winners and bestsellers such as Orson Scott Card, Lois McMaster Bujold, Robert Silverberg, Robert J. Sawyer, Kevin J. Anderson, Jody Lynn Nye, Cory Doctorow, Alethea Kontis, Jonathan Maberry, Nnedi Okorafor, Steven Gould, Mike Resnick and more. Top authors telling great stories about life changing decisions that may well change yours.

An unforgettable heroine in a novel of the Crusades Joanna is the strong-willed daughter of King Henry of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine. Close to her brother Richard Lionheart, she grew up at courts in France and England. From jousts to the infamous Courts of Love, from family quarrels to international intrigues, Joanna's youth was spent in the thick of it all.With her ambition to become a queen, like her much-admired mother, Joanna marries King William of Sicily and is swept away to a court that is a crossroads for Normans, Italians, Jews, Arabs and Byzantines. She is furious when she learns that her husband William possesses a harem-but she refuses to accept it in silence, acting like a true descendant of Vikings. That is only the beginning of Joanna's adventures. When Jerusalem falls to Saladin, her husband and The Lionheart make plans to go on Crusade. And Joanna persuades Richard to let her accompany him.This historical epic introduces a strong and truly unforgettable heroine, Joanna Plantagenet, whose drive and persistence helped change the course of history.

Magic has a cost. Sarah Beauhall, blacksmith and dragon slayer doesn''t know just how high. Her lover, Katie Cornett, has finally been overwhelmed by this spiraling cost and her spirit is blasted from her body and flung into a world of nightmares and monsters.As Katie''s coma deepens and her chances of survival fade, Sarah''s spirit must make a journey of its own through a world of crystalline eaters and malevolent spirits who exist only to hunt and to consume.Night after night Sarah delves beyond the hidden paths, going from crystalline landscapes into the wild lands and lost worlds far beyond the great sea of dreams.When the spirit of a long dead murderer-known only as the Bowler Hat man-begins gathering an army in the forgotten lands, Sarah discovers that more than eaters and feeders pursue her.

The band heads to Hell, taking a short cut through Mab's Queendom. They're sidetracked when old enemies intercept them and capture Jim, forcing Twitch to confront her own past as well as Infernal pursuit, the Queen's Rangers and the Queendom's native monsters. Can the band find and rescue their lead singer? How will they escape Mab's wrath? And what are they going to do about Rahab the dragon?

Two complete novels from New York Times bestselling author Brian HerbertDEEP SPACE GARBAGE WARFor centuries the slobs who inhabit the Earth have been rocketing their refuse into the Galaxy, carelessly littering the cosmos with wrappers and peelings and bottles and cans. But now the universe is about to get even. What goes up must come down...An immense comet of garbage has been sighted on a collision course for Earth! Only one man can stop it: a human discard, a lowly government worker who dreams of becoming a Space Patrol Captain but could never pass the physical-the unheroic, the imperfect, the one-and-only Sidney Malloy!"Brian Herbert's work is unusually inventive and original. He displays real talent."-Publishers WeeklyCONTAINS TWO COMPLETE NOVELSSidney's Comet and The Garbage Chronicles

All three grand military SF adventures featuring the Fifth Foreign Legion-on the front lines in the hottest and strangest conflicts in the galaxy.Contains the complete novels March or Die, Honor and Fidelity, and Cohort of the Damned.

Can a man escape from his past in a fighting battalion on alien battlefield?Wolfgang Hauser was an aristocrat-right, privileged, pampered ... until the day alien invaders overwhelmed his world and stripped him of everything he held dear. Now he was an outcast, without a family or a home, his honor tainted by accusations of cowardice and murder. He was a man on the run, and sooner or later his enemies would find him and destroy what was left of his shattered life.There was only one safe haven in the far-flung Terran Commonwealth. He joined the Fifth Foreign Legion.But Wolfgang Hauser soon discovered that the Legion demanded a high price from the misfits who flocked to his banner, seeking new life and new hope. The man who had lost everything found that he would have to surrender his name, his beliefs, and his very identity to become a Legionnaire.It was a price he wasn't sure he could pay.

It was an easy assignment on a peaceful alien world-until the natives attacked!The Sandcastle, on a water world on the fringe of Earth's expanding empire, houses the Fifth Foreign Legion-troops sent there to protect the interests of Seafarms Interstellar, a powerful Terran corporation.At first, Captain Fraser thought his biggest problem would be keeping the Legionnaires from getting too bored. But that was before the Free Swimmers-the nomadic ocean clans-attacked and nearly overran the Sandcastle.Suddenly, the Fifth Foreign Legion is facing a seemingly unstoppable alien army equipped not only with their native crossbows, but also high-tech offworld weapons that just might spell the end for the Fifth as well as the Seafarms civilians they have sworn to protect.