Showing results by narrator "Kevin T Collins" in All Categories

Hadjar Darkhan, the Wind of the Northern Valleys, has almost reached the farthest border of the Strange Lands—the very edge of the mortal world. His path has been long and thorny. He has met and befriended many people and lost many more in the pursuit of his goal. And now the final obstacle looms ahead—the Raven Sect, the oldest and greatest stronghold of the Black General's followers. He will just have to go through them as well.

NYPD detective Paul Donner and his wife Elise were killed in a hold-up gone wrong. Fifty years later, Donner is back: revived courtesy of the Shift. Supposedly the unintended side-effect of a botched biological terrorist attack and carried by a ubiquitous retrovirus, the Shift jump-starts dead DNA and throws the life cycle into reverse, so reborns like Donner must cope with the fact that they are not only slowly youthing toward a new childhood, but have become New York's most hated minority.

For fans of Charles Yu and Matt Haig, this short tale features a grandfather who claims not merely to have been abducted by aliens when he was a young man, but to have fallen in love in the process. His grandson (the story's narrator) is the only person who believes him. My Grandfather’s Ship is a quirky examination of how the passions (real or imagined) of our elders can inspire us.

Pilot X is riddled with guilt. After facing the impossible decision to eliminate his own people or save the universe, he is the lone survivor of a time-traveling race. But Pilot X soon finds that he’s got more than his own guilt to contend with. His timeship Verity detects a signal that someone is working to recreate the dangerous technology that threatened the universe in the first place. Pilot X now sets off to save a universe he no longer recognizes, but feels frighteningly familiar.

"Yellachile's Cage", a story by Robert McCammon, was first published in his short fiction collection Blue World.

Cory Friedman was an ordinary fun-loving little boy. That fateful March morning in 1989 started just like any other, but later that day, he started to feel very different, and the course of his life was set to change.

It started with an irresistible urge to shake his head, and before long, his body became a volatile, explosive, and unpredictable force. Overtaken by physical urges, tics, and compulsions, the bright young boy started to feel and look like a puppet on a string.

Antisemitism never went away, but since the turn of the century it has multiplied beyond what anyone would have predicted. In The Devil That Never Dies, Daniel Jonah Goldhagen reveals the unprecedented, global form of this age-old hatred; its strategic use by states; its powerful appeal to individuals and groups; and how technology has fueled the flames that had been smoldering prior to the millennium.

Meet Simon Strong, an immortal detective about to enjoy a night out on the town. He’s planned this date for weeks and tonight is the night. When Tristan Montague, Simon’s partner and resident cranky mage, advises Simon against this course of action, Simon declares his freedom to see whomever he chooses. There’s only one problem. Her name is Michiko and she doesn’t share well.

The Dark Council threatens everything Simon holds dear. They want to erase Monty, kill Peaches, and remove Simon's immortality - permanently. When Ken, Michiko's brother asks the Montague & Strong Detective Agency to find her, they must act - before the Dark Council implodes in violence. Now, Monty and Simon must travel to Japan, find Michiko, and stop the Blood Hunters before they eliminate an ancient vampire, without becoming the next target! Will they find Michiko in time? Will they stop the Blood Hunters? Jump into the next Monty & Strong adventure to find out!

Sergey finally escapes from Paris-only to have his multidimensional shelter invaded. His time in France may have been rough, but it was a walk in the park compared to what's in store for him...central Europe is going to be a wild ride!

Not everyone managed to survive the bloody battle. The strong, the brave, the courageous, and the good all fell with honor. The war spared few and took away many of the best.... Hadjar Darkhan was one of the few who survived and is now ready to continue his journey. The battle is over, and the dead have been sent on their last journey. The unknown and the perils of the imminent war are still waiting for Hadjar. He can sense that his life is about to be filled with the clang of weapons and armor and the beating of war drums.

The war with the Raven Sect is taking Hadjar further and further away from his original goal. This time, he's ended up in another world—the world of the Spirits and Fae. The General has already been here before, but he's never tried to do something as audacious as stealing a treasure from one of the Queens. What will this latest adventure lead to?

Furs are the creative subculture of people who identify with animals. You can find them at furry conventions, furfests, around the world-tens of thousands of people donning their most elaborate fursuit. In costume, at conventions, with friends or alone, furries unleash the animal within, letting their inner beasts roar and their inner cats purr, aware of the power—and joy—to be found in bringing forward one's animal side and encouraging others to do the same.

His deal with the Demon Prince has taken Hadjar deeper and deeper into the Strange Lands, where every step could be his last. With the aid of Abraham's squad, he's looking for clues and uncovering all sorts of secrets and mysteries, but the Raven Sect's fanatics are on their trail. What will this new twist of fate bring? Will Hadjar be able to fulfill his part of the deal? Did he make a mistake when he agreed to destroy the oldest and most powerful sect of the mortal realm?

Strange Candy”, a story by Robert McCammon, was originally published in 2012 on robertmccammon.com.

Hiram Taine is a handyman who can fix anything. When he isn't fiddling with his tools, he is roaming through the woods with his dog, Towser, as he has done for as long as he can remember. He likes things that he can understand. But when a new ceiling appears in his basement - a ceiling that appears to have the ability to repair television sets so they're better than before - he knows he has come up against a mystery that no man can solve.

Partridge has escaped the safety of his father's empire and left the Dome, where his people - the Pures - have sheltered for so long. He has ventured into the destroyed world inhabited by the Wretches, who live crippled by their injuries. Pressia, a Wretch, is desperate to decode the secrets of the past and, together with Partridge, she must seek out the answers that will save all their futures.

Montague and Strong have left the building. In fact, they’ve left the continent. When a teleportation circle sends them to London, The Penumbra Consortium - and older, darker version of the Dark Council - requests Montague an Strong look into the murder of the leading demonologist Mage Nigel Warrenton.

We know you are here, our brothers and sisters. We will, one day, emerge from the Dome to join you in peace. For now, we watch from afar. Pressia Belze has lived outside of the Dome ever since the detonations. Struggling for survival she dreams of life inside the safety of the Dome with the 'Pure'. Partridge, himself a Pure, knows that life inside the Dome, under the strict control of the leaders' regime, isn't as perfect as others think.

His name is Hadjar Darkhan, and he still follows the call of his dragon heart. The War Games ended a few months ago, and the various generals of Darnassus, led by the Emperor, realized that just the disciples of the best martial arts schools and even the smaller, lesser schools wouldn't be able to strengthen the Darnassian Army enough to prepare it for what was coming. A war was on the horizon, and every weapon would matter, so losing even the most inexperienced warriors was an unthinkable prospect.