Books published by WordFire Press

Notorious for their satanic lyrics, drunken excess and rumors of blood sacrifice, the Banshees shocked the world with their only album Beat the Manshees. Death stalked their concerts--lightning, stabbings, overdoses. The world heaved a sigh of relief when the Banshees all died in a plane crash. Or did they? Forty years later, with no fanfare, they appear in a seedy Prague nightclub. Ian St. James, son of original Banshees drummer Oaian St. James, can't believe his eyes. Ian's attempts to get backstage nearly kill him. In Crowd sends hot young reporter Connie Cosgrove to cover the Banshees along with that old burn-out Ian. Ian falls hard for the stunning Connie who regards him with a mixture of disgust and amusement. As if!The Banshees phenomenon goes viral--are they real or is it all a brilliant publicity stunt? Every time Banshees play someone dies. Is it bad luck or part of some diabolical plan? As Connie and Ian dig into the Banshees' past they find disturbing links to black magic, the Russian mob and an ancient Druidic sect. Death only adds to their mystique as the Banshees steamroll across North America toward a triumphant appearance at LA's Pacific Auditorium. Ian finally grasps the real reason they've returned--to tear a rift between our world and a monstrous evil-- a rift created by an infernal machine built into Pacific Stadium and powered by human flesh."I am a HUGE fan of Mike Baron's work. The biggest influence on my Catman interpretation was the Badger, without question.This guy was scary/funny before that was even a thing. Get this book, dammit!" --Gail Simone"Baron's book is a rocket blast of suspense that moves at breakneck speed. Along the way it is crammed with hundreds of hilarious cultural bon mots and innuendos that set it leagues above other mundane horror tales. "Banshees" is a brilliant achievement by a creative force that is just getting warmed up." --PULP FICTION REVIEWS“Horror buffs and metal fans will marvel at every grinding detail in this meaty, grim fantasy.” (BookLife) —Publishers Weekly starred review

Raphael was meant for better things.He is an archangel, after all. It was he who cast out Qayna, the first murderess, and inscribed on her flesh the name of her brother Abil that embodied her deathless curse. It was he who formed the Sons of Light, and it was he who was set to watch over Azazel in the well of his imprisonment in Dudael.And now, a failed rebel, Raphael wanders the heavy earth alone. The Sons of Light find him, though, and offer him another chance. Raphael is to Bear the Word again, to call the first prophet in centuries. Can Raphael find the appointed prophet? Can he reach him, across apocalypse-torn America? And when he does find his man, imprisoned by the Fallen Kokhabel, can Raphael and the new prophet both survive?

Heaven doesn't want them; do they stand a chance in Hell?Jim is Satan's son, who keeps a vow of silence and wants to be left alone. Eddie sold his soul but was cheated, and became the world's greatest tambourine player for his trouble. Adrian is a powerful wizard... when the narcolepsy doesn't knock him out. Twitch is an outcast, shape-shifting fairy. Mike is a drunk, haunted by the ghost of the brother he accidentally killed. Follow the dogged band of damned rock and rollers as they struggle to save themselves. Can they get the fragment of Azazel's hoof, their bargaining chip? Once they get it, can they keep it? And who else might have designs on the hoof... or on the members of the band? This volume collects the first three installments of Rock Band Fights Evil, initially published as ebooks: Hellhound on My Trail, Snake Handlin' Man, and Crow Jane.

At the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California-one of the nation''s premier nuclear-weapons design facilities-high-level physicists operate within heavy security to model and test new warhead designs. But politics can be just as dangerous as the weapons they design, and with gigantic budgets on the line, scientific egos, and personality clashes, research can turn deadly.When a prominent and abrasive nuclear-weapons researcher is murdered inside a Top Security zone, FBI investigator Craig Kreident is brought in on the case-but his FBI security clearance isn''t the same as a Department of Energy or Department of Defense clearance, and many of the clues are "sanitized" before he arrives. Kreident finds that dealing with red tape and political in-fighting might be more difficult than solving a murder.Written by two insiders who have worked at Lawrence Livermore, Virtual Destruction is not only a gripping thriller and complex mystery, but a vivid portrayal of an actual US nuclear-design facility.

They call themselves Eagle's Claw, one of the most extreme militia groups in the United States. They have infiltrated the Device Assembly Facility at the Nevada Nuclear Test Site. And the most frightening display of nuclear terrorism is about to unfold.Only the Nebula-nominated collaboration of Kevin J. Anderson and Doug Beason could masterfully blend hard-as-nails high technology with hard-driving intrigue to deliver such an explosive thriller. FBI Special Agent Craig Kreident-the unforgettable hero from Virtual Destruction-returns in this breathtaking tour de force of terrorism, cutting-edge technology, and raw emotional power.

At Fermilab near Chicago, researchers use the world's largest particle accelerator to unlock the secrets of the subatomic universe. While working late one night, Dr. Georg Dumenico-candidate for the Nobel Prize in physics-is bombarded with a lethal exposure of radiation. He will die horribly within days.FBI Special Agent Craig Kreident knows it was no accident-but he has to prove it, and the clock is ticking. The nation's most valued research is at stake, and only Dumenico himself knows enough to track down his own murderer...if he survives long enough to do it.

International bestseller Anderson has created many extensive fictional universes, ranging from sweeping galactic empires to complex steampunk fantasies, to humorous monster-filled cities. He has become known for his skill in worldbuilding.In Worldbuilding: From Small Towns to Entire Universes he describes his techniques in creating a rich fictional setting, leading writers through the countless questions and topics one must consider. Whether it's geography, climate, politics, economics, society, religion, science, arts, or history, all of these ingredients form the basis for a believable setting for your story to unfold.

LADY NATASHA (TASHA) DORRINGTON, an emancipated and brilliant detective in 1906 London, is drawn into a deadly mystery involving an ancient pagan curse and a diabolical scheme to plunge Europe into a devastating war. An Admiralty courier is murdered, and plans for the Dreadnought -- a new battleship that will upset the balance of naval power -- are stolen. All evidence implicates Great Britain''s international rival: Germany. Tasha is summoned to help solve the crime. She is thus observed by DEIRDRE, the Priestess of a malevolent cult intent on exacting vengeance on Western Civilization for the long-ago decimation of her religious sect. Cleverly leveraging the greed of giant armaments firms in England and Germany, Deirdre plans to frame Germany in an attack on the Dreadnought. In her arrogance, Deirdre decides to simultaneously engage Tasha in a contest of wits. The story moves from fog-bound London to a desolate island off the coast of Scotland. Deirdre manipulates Tasha''s overconfidence, crafting a mystery to lure her into a labyrinth of false leads, lethal traps, and an unexpected romance. As Tasha pieces together the puzzle, Deirdre plays her top card and strikes at Tasha''s vulnerable heart by kidnapping her young daughter - left defenseless in her Mother''s occupational absence. It is an epic struggle between two formidable women: one madly intent on enslavement and revenge, the other fighting for a free and rational humanity - as well as the precious life of her only daughter."Sherlock Holmes fans will find much to enjoy in this intriguing addition to the literary canon inspired by Conan Doyle''s iconic creation. Lady Natasha Dorrington, however, is a character strong enough to sustain the interest of readers who know nothing of the infamous resident of Baker Street. An ingenious and compelling plot provides this fascinating female detective with twists and turns aplenty. I very much look forward to further Lady Sherlock adventures in the future." - Max Kinnings, author of HITMAN

Red. The color of blood, of war, of passion-and of a new unicorn herd.A Game of Horns: A Red Unicorn Anthology has gathered 21 original stories about red unicorns from famous and soon-to-be-famous authors, including New York Times best-selling authors Jody Lynn Nye and David Farland. Some stories feature physical unicorns; most do not. Some unicorns are kind; most are not.From a battlefield to a candy store, from zombie unicorns in rural America to telepathic unicorns on the dark side of Europa, from the fantastical past to the possible future, no creative avenue or conflict remains unexplored by these talented storytellers.Pick a story. Take a chance. And play A Game of Horns.All profits benefit the Don Hodge Memorial Scholarship Fund.

1859.War is coming.In the mounting tension all eyes turn west, to the Kingdom of Deseret. The Madman Orson Pratt''s perfection of air-ship technology already has every power scrambling to get Deseret''s Brigham Young into the war as its ally, or sidelined permanently. The stakes only rise with the rumors that Pratt''s newest invention is a working, deadly, phlogiston cannon.Sam Clemens of the United States Army rides into Deseret on his amphibious steam-truck, the Jim Smiley. Racing against him on the land-ferry Liahona comes Captain Richard Burton, explorer, linguist, soldier, and hard-headed man of science. Edgar Allan Poe, a master spy presumed dead for a decade, travels in disguise as an exhibitor f Egyptian antiquities, doing his dirty work for the clandestine confederate leadership with flesh-eating clocksprung scarab beetles and a hypnotic hypocephalus. The rivals fight each other tooth and nail and clash with the Kingdom''s loyal but eccentric defender, the Deseret Marshal Orrin Porter Rockwell.But why are Deseret''s Danite militiamen hunting Rockwell? And why does the Madman seem to be playing his own game?

Extinction is not permanent. Not anymore.Multi-millionaire researcher Alex Pierce has developed cutting-edge genetic techniques to extract viable DNA from preserved samples of breathtaking species that humans have erased from the Earth. From passenger pigeons and Tasmanian tigers, to Pleistocene dire wolves and sabretooths...even the humble dodo.The cornerstone of Alex's dream is to resurrect the woolly mammoth. Majestic and massive, these creatures no longer roam the world, driven to extinction by ancient hunters. At his isolated Pleistocene Ranch in the wilds of Montana, Alex has actually bred the very first mammoth to walk the Earth in 10,000 years.But there are those who believe what is extinct should remain extinct, and that any tampering goes against the laws of nature. And their fervor may be far stronger than Alex's dreams.Mammoth Dawn is the original acclaimed novella written by New York Times bestseller and Hugo and Nebula Award nominee Kevin J. Anderson and multiple Hugo and Nebula winner Gregory Benford; this volume also includes their detailed chapter-by-chapter treatment of the full novel the two authors originally envisioned, as well as a non-fiction overview of current scientific attempts to clone mammoths-a reality that may be much closer than you think.

The riveting tale of one woman's journey and her rise to power, Anna Hastings gives readers an inside glimpse into the workings of journalism in Washington. Drury takes his own experience in the field to reflect on the state of journalism in the 1970s. In contrast to his other series', notably Advise and Consent, he humanizes the very field he often calls into question.Anna Hastings is a magnificent novel of Washington journalism, shown through the eyes of vivid, fascinating, and humanly likable characters. From Allen Drury, the master of spellbinding political fiction, author of Advise and Consent."Anna Hastings is both a fresh face and a fresh start in Drury fiction" - John Barkham, The Victoria Advocate 1977

The Snake Handlin'' Man is Eddie Marlow, make-do guitarist, ex-Marine, and the world''s best tambourine player, ever.  When an attack of flying snakes in a roadside diner leaves the band''s organist fighting for his life, Eddie leads the band into the lair of a snake-worshipping cult in a desperate attempt to collect the sovereign remedy for snakebite: the milk of a lamia.Can the band find a cure before Adrian''s time is up? Why is the town''s preacher obsessed with the ancient Israelite serpent icon, the Nehushtan? And can the band get out of town before the snake god Apep arrives? Snake Handlin'' Man is the second installment of Rock Band Fights Evil, a pulp fiction serial by D.J. Butler.

Millennia-old Jane was Qayna in her youth, before she resisted the will of Heaven and became the Marked Woman.Now she only wants to die, and the Legate has offered her a deal -- recover an item stolen from Heaven, and in exchange her curse of immortality will be lifted.Can Jane steal back Azazel''s hoof? Will the fairy folk of the Mirror Queendom stop her? And what exactly is the Legate''s game?Crow Jane is the third installment of Rock Band Fights Evil, a pulp fiction serial by D.J. Butler. 

Heaven doesn't want them. Do they stand a chance in Hell? Bass player Mike Archuleta is down on his luck in a major way. The shattered survivor of a misspent youth, he is haunted by the ghost of his dead brother, and is now driven to planning his suicide. Halfway through the show that's supposed to be his last, a hellhound bursts into the club and attacks the band. The band members pull out karate moves, guns, and even a sword... and then things start to get strange. Can Mike survive the show? What can he do about his brother's ghost? And what kind of band is this, anyway? Hellhound on My Trail is the first installment of Rock Band Fights Evil, a pulp fiction serial by D.J. Butler. Read more about D.J. Butler's books at http://davidjohnbutler.com.

It is the largest oil spill in history: a supertanker crashes into the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco Bay. Desperate to avert environmental damage (as well as the PR disaster), the multinational oil company releases an untested designer oil-eating microbe to break up the spill.What the company didn't realize is that their microbe propagates through the air ... and it mutates to consume anything made of petrocarbons: oil, gasoline, synthetic fabrics, plastics of all kinds. And when every piece of plastic begins to dissolve, it's too late....