Showing results by author "Z Martin" in All Categories

The city-state of Ravenwood is wealthy, powerful, and corrupt. Merchant princes and guild masters wager fortunes to outmaneuver league rivals for the king's favor and the best trading terms. Ambitious and ruthless leaders use betrayal and assassination to gain their ends. Blood magic conjures monsters to further the goals of the ruling class, and the price of stolen power is paid for by the deaths of commoners. Now, the fate of Ravenwood hangs in the balance as rival city-states maneuver to gain advantage.

When ex-priest Travis Dominick and former-FBI-agent-turned-private-investigator Brent Lawson investigate a series of dangerous hauntings, they discover that something is powering up old ghosts and adding mojo to the monsters. The Sinistram seems to be at the heart of the situation, a secretive order of warrior priests sworn to fight supernatural threats. Travis left the Sinistram years ago because of the organization's corruption and double standards.

Someone very powerful is trying to destroy Sorren and everyone he cares about. That puts Cassidy, Teag and Trifles, and Folly in the crosshairs against an unknown enemy with strong magic and significant resources. Sorren has spent centuries shutting down the plans of powerful immortals, dark warlocks, and supernatural creatures, and now he's got to figure out which of those many enemies is out to get him before they pick off his friends one by one and come after him to finish an immortal vendetta.

Once Tris wins back the throne and destroys the Obsidian King, he realizes that the hard work is just beginning. Although Jared the Usurper held the throne for less than a year, his reign took a terrible toll on Margolan.

A year after the evets of Fugitive's Vow, the worst of Rett's wounds are healed. His recovery came at a high cost, leaving Ridge indebted to a mage of dubious integrity. Rett is functional, but he remains scarred and bitter, and self-loathing over his damaged mind and body strains his bond with Ridge. When the mage Ridge owes assigns him a quest to cancel his debt, Rett fears betrayal, though Ridge has no choice but to comply.

Cassidy Kincaide runs Trifles and Folly in modern-day Charleston, an antiques and curios shop with a dangerous secret. Cassidy can read the history of objects by touching them and together with Teag, a hacker and weaver witch, and Sorren, a 600-year-old vampire, they get rid of cursed objects and keep Charleston and the world safe from supernatural threats.

New Pittsburgh, 1898 - a crucible of invention and intrigue. Born from the ashes of devastating fire, flood, and earthquake, the city is ruled by the shadow government of The Oligarchy. Jake Desmet and Rick Brand travel the world to secure treasures and unusual items for the collections of wealthy patrons, accompanied by Jake's cousin, Veronique Le Clerque. But when their latest commission leads to Jake's father's murder, the three friends are drawn into a conspiracy where dark magic, industrial sabotage, and monsters that prey on the night will ultimately threaten not just New Pittsburgh, but the whole world.

Six months after the events of Sellsword's Oath, Ridge is living in a small village far from the intrigue of the cities. Under a new name and a false identity, he tends bar at Road's End, an unremarkable tavern in an even more forgettable town. The Witch Lord's puppets control the kingdom and have placed a king of their choosing on the throne, a cousin of King Kristoph. Kristoph's heir is dead, though rumors persist of a hidden, bastard son whose claim would still best that of the usurper.  

Blaine "Mick" McFadden managed to restore Donderath's magic partially, but not without a cost. He and the magic are now bound together, and the power remains dangerous and erratic - draining the life from him with every use. New threats are rising from the wreckage of the battered kingdoms, and warlords both mortal and undead vie for control.

The resistance movement against the Witch King has suffered heavy losses and seems to be on the brink of defeat. Ridge and Rett manage to score some victories, restoring the resistance’s faith in their ability to succeed. Ridge and Rett hide the heir at Rune Keep and lead an insurgence against the traditional armies of the Witch Lord’s loyalists....

New Pittsburgh, 1898 - A crucible of invention and intrigue. Born from the ashes of devastating fire, flood, and earthquake, the city is ruled by the shadow government of The Oligarchy. In the swarming streets, people of a hundred nations drudge to feed the engines of progress. The Department of Supernatural Investigation was set up to take care of those things that live below, that go bump in the night...those odd cases that go beyond 'standard' investigation. Nicknamed 'Storm and Fury', Mitch Storm and Jacob Drangosavich are two of the more creative agents working in New Pittsburgh.

Warum wollen wir wie besessen bestimmte Dinge haben, sind aber gelangweilt, wenn wir sie bekommen? Warum verwandelt sich die Leidenschaft von Verliebten so schnell in Desinteresse? Die Antwort liegt in einem Hormon in unserem Gehirn: Dopamin. Es ist die Quelle unseres Verlangens und lässt uns für einen kurzen Nervenkitzel alles riskieren. Dabei ist es die Aussicht auf etwas Neues, die uns antreibt, nicht die Erfüllung. Dopamin ist der Grund, warum wir forschen und entdecken, aber auch der Ursprung von Verschwendung, Risiko und Sucht.

Rule-breaking, unconventional assassins Joel “Ridge” Breckenridge and Garrett “Rett” Kennar are caught between dangerous allies and deadly enemies as the future of Landria hangs in the balance. The council of regents controlled by the Witch Lord threatens the succession after King Kristoph’s murder. Rett escaped his brutal captors scarred in body and mind. Now he’s struggling to control the untested powers unleashed by his ordeal and dream walks to a hidden cloister full of forbidden magic.

Join us for a fascinating, dangerous, and often irreverent romp through the most bizarre aviary ever encountered. Discover the wily machinations of the friendliest show-crows, negotiate borders between territorial landfowl, and take a trip through the stars to find your alien-parasite self stuck in a chicken. Each story in the Murderbirds anthology features a different species of feathered fiend, who is either the villain or intended victim of a deadly scheme.

Cassidy Kincaide runs Trifles & Folly in modern-day Charleston, an antiques and curios shop with a dangerous secret. Cassidy can read the history of objects by touching them, and along with her business partners Teag and Sorren, they get rid of cursed objects and keep Charleston and the world safe from supernatural threats. When zombies rise in Charleston cemeteries, dead men fall from the sky, and the whole city succumbs to the "grouch flu", Cassidy, Teag, and Sorren suspect a vengeful dark witch who is gunning for Teag and planning to unleash an ancient horror.

Cassidy Kincaide runs Trifles & Folly in modern-day Charleston, an antiques and curio shop with a dangerous secret. Cassidy can read the history of objects by touching them, and she teams up with friends and allies who use magic and paranormal abilities to get rid of cursed objects and keep Charleston and the world safe from supernatural threats. Caribbean ghosts terrorize Charleston and start racking up a body count. Then Beckford Pendlewood, the heir to a powerful family of dark warlocks, shows up raving about a bound demon locked in a lost box and begs sanctuary.

When Corran, Rigan, and their friends became outlaw monster hunters and fled beyond the walls of Ravenwood City, they thought they had defeated the source of the abominations that killed so many of their friends and loved ones. But the more successful they become at destroying the creatures, the more they realize that greater evil is at work.

The Demons of Cragsmouth struck fear into the hearts of citizens in the late 50s. A serial killing couple, responsible for countless bodies and a laundry list of immoral acts, lands in Westfalls Sanitarium run by Dr. Frost, a madman in his own right. How long can iron bars hold back their lustful fury? Will Cragsmouth ever sleep peacefully again? 50 Years Later: Dawn and Eric, along with newlyweds David and Sarah, are looking for a lip-biting thrill—something exhilarating that would dash the illusion of their quiet suburban life.

This collection of stories from some of the brightest fantasy writers in the world run the gamut from steampunk to horror, from steamy romance to weird western, from Victorian thriller to contemporary bondage. But they all feature one thing in common - the corset. From vampire comedy to steampunk action to BDSM, Cinched is certain to free your mind. What else will follow?

Chesterfield is just like any small town you’ve ever visited. The only exception is the Eldritch being controlling the town, but hey, the rents are cheap. Allow me to tell you thirteen tales of misery and despair unlike any you have ever heard. While I have you here let me just add one more to the population sign. Even if you want to leave you can’t. You belong to Chesterfield now.