Split (1)

train · 128k rows

title stringlengths 0 96	author stringlengths 3 58	genres listlengths 0 8	chapter stringlengths 1 990	text stringlengths 1.02k 2.62M
Fate of Excalibur	John Cressman	[ "LitRPG", "fantasy" ]	Chapter 15	Ethan and his group rode down the road while the orcs ran alongside them. The two groups did this for several miles before Ethan signalled them to a halt. As everyone came to rest, Drorm jogged up to Ethan. "Why do you stop?" the orc leader asked. "I thought I would give everyone a breather," Ethan responded, earning...
This Is How It Always Is	Laurie Frankel	[ "contemporary" ]	Chapter 56	Claude ignored the tapping on his window, which commenced at 11:24 and continued until five minutes past midnight when he just couldn't take it anymore. He pulled open his blinds and then his window and leaned into the dark rain. Could a rival princess be a prince? Could a princess have a penis if it weren't a secret? ...
(Mountain Man 2) Safari	Keith C. Blackmore	[ "postapocalyptic", "zombies" ]	Chapter 4	When morning arrived, Gus found himself face down on the bed, his head resting on a towel soaked with blood seeping from his tortured mouth. During the night, when the ferocious aching had awakened him despite draining Uncle Jack and half of the rum, he'd swished water and spat it onto the floor. He'd eventually stoppe...
(Big Sigma 6) Nova Igniter	Joseph R. Lallo	[ "scifi", "space opera" ]	Chapter 19	The ride back wasn't the most comfortable one. Coal had simply rescinded the attack order. If she'd been more thorough, such as also disabling security or asserting control, Lex could have guided the SOB into the more than ample internal docking bay of the Asteroid Wrecker and returned in comfort. As it was, once she'd...
I Dare	Sharon Lee & Steve Miller	[ "science fiction", "space opera" ]	Lytaxin, Mercenary Encampment	Clonak was on the camp, engaging in poker with as disreputable a half-dozen card sharps as Daav had been privileged to behold in at least twenty years. He hoped, though without much optimism, that Clonak would allow them to retain their dignity, if not their pay. Shadia, sensible woman that she was, had retired immedi...
A Dangerous Collaboration	Deanna Raybourn	[ "historical fiction", "mystery" ]	Chapter 49	I found the others in the drawing room. Stoker had retrieved the tantalus from the dining room and picked the lock, liberally distributing brandy to remedy the day's shocks. I had not paused long in the little chapel, but it was time enough for the end to come to Mrs. Trengrouse. Mertensia joined me as I entered the dr...
The Divine Dungeon Complete Series	Dakota Krout	[ "LitRPG", "fantasy" ]	Chapter 214	I extended a tendril of Essence, allowing that to reach into the air below my dungeon. I felt a presence connect to it for a moment before it was obliterated. If I were a human, I would be so pale right now. But... the feeling hadn't been malicious. It felt like someone that had a really high grip strength grabbing a d...
Homo Deus	Yuval Noah Harari	[ "history", "nonfiction", "philosophy" ]	Chapter 71	Similar conclusions have been reached by behavioural economists, who want to know how people take economic decisions. Or more accurately, who takes these decisions. Who decides to buy a Toyota rather than a Mercedes, to go on holiday to Paris rather than Thailand, and to invest in South Korean treasury bonds rather tha...
(Odyssey One 1) Into the Black	Evan Currie	[ "scifi", "space opera" ]	Chapter 228	The firefight was raging all around him, as Sean Bermont held the trigger of his rifle down and poured the last of his magazine into the maelstrom. The whining crack of the bullets was joined by the pure white contrails, as they accelerated across the huge promenade, twisting and turning as they locked in on the heat s...
Layers of Force	Lindsay Buroker	[ "action", "romance", "science fiction", "space opera" ]	Chapter 26	The charred and warped pieces of armor that the crushers had removed from Finn, careful not to further injure him, looked like the kind of wreckage Kim would expect if a grenade blew up right on top of an armored man. That might very well have happened. Kim knelt on the floor in the remains of the dining hall, handing...
Sundiver	David Brin	[ "Science Fiction", "Space Opera" ]	Chapter 9	When evening comes; for then, Appears your phantom shape— Speaking as I have known you speak. "Did you say something?" Jacob started from the mild trance and saw Dwayne Kepler standing next to him. "No, nothing much. Here's your jacket." He handed the folded garment to Kepler, who took it with a grin. "Sorry, but...
Cage of Souls	Adrian Tchaikovsky	[ "science fiction" ]	Chapter 27	Lastly amongst my closest friends was Helman Cartier, who is responsible for all of it, and whom I spent an idle two weeks hunting down one summer. The evasion of creditors was considered an art form in Shadrapar, the debtor dancing lightly through the city from haunt to haunt, always one step ahead, until the credito...
(Starship's Mage 8) Mountain of Mars	Glynn Stewart	[ "scifi", "space opera", "military fiction" ]	Chapter 14	Damien was halfway through his third interview of the morning with a prospective secretary when Kiera barged into his office. He almost welcomed the interruption—Gregory's staff had selected three spectacularly qualified individuals, and he had no idea how he was going to choose between them. "Sorry, Damien," Kiera sa...
The Gentleman Bastard	Scott Lynch	[ "adventure", "urban fantasy" ]	INTERLUDE	[ BASTARDS ABROAD ] They were forty miles beyond the border of greater Camorr, on the third morning of their journey, when they passed the first corpse swaying beneath the arching branch of a roadside tree. "Oh, look," said Calo, who sat beside Jean at the front of the wagon. "All the comforts of home." "It's what w...
Open Arms	Evan Currie	[ "science fiction", "space opera" ]	Chapter 118	Thankfully the rich dicks never seem to want to live close to the poor bastards who pay to keep them on top. Social elitism seemed bred into humans, and while it offered some advantages to the elite...particularly when times were good, it also made them easy and obvious targets in bad times. Right now, Sorilla and the...
Circe	Madeline Miller	[ "fantasy" ]	Chapter 10	FOR THREE DAYS I stood at that prow. We did not stay over on an island again. The oarsmen worked in shifts, sleeping on the deck. Daedalus repaired the rail, then took his turn among them. He was unfailingly polite, offering food and wine, a bedroll, but he did not linger. What did I expect? I had loosed my wrath on hi...
For a Few Souls More	Guy Adams	[ "fantasy", "western" ]	Chapter 32	Billy stood back to let the coach past. "There they go," he said to Elisabeth, "the powers that be." "Father barely slept for worrying about it," she said. "He's never liked responsibility. Leave him alone with his books and his inventions and he's happy, force him to discuss things with other adults and all he reall...
The Very Best of Charles de Lint	Charles de Lint	[ "urban fantasy" ]	Chapter 190	Gina dropped out of college during her second year to concentrate on her music. She sent me a copy of the demo tape she was shopping around to the record companies in hopes of getting a contract. I didn't like it at first. Neither her guitar-playing nor her vocal style had changed much and the inner landscape the songs...
(Sixes Wild 2) Echoes	Tempe O'Kun	[ "furry", "western", "nsfw", "anthro protagonist" ]	Chapter 13	Right on schedule, my train stops in the middle of nowhere. I step out the door, dust stirring in a curl under by boots. Nice when a bun can just bribe her way into getting a train to stop, rather than pulling the emergency cord. Out of respect for my dear Sheriff Blake, I took to calling it a "tip" so as not to offen...
Night Song	Jon R. Osborne	[ "science fiction" ]	Chapter 57	Alan was talking with A'kef after they'd gotten as much info as they could from Akohn. The story checked regarding the Pushtal obtaining a basically junked CASPer, as well as where Starbright had come from. They'd even managed to get him to admit the Zuul ship, Gheshu, had come through at almost the same time. Akohn ha...
(Aubrey & Maturin 4) The Mauritius Command	Patrick O'Brian	[ "historical fiction", "adventure", "naval" ]	Chapter 3	Ever since the Boadicea had made her landfall all hands had been in a state of feverish activity, putting the last touches to her beauty: now It was almost over, and she stood into False Bay with a fair breeze rounding her studdingsails and wafting the reek of fresh paint along with her. The only stage still to obscure...
(North American's Forgotten Past 8) People of the Silence	W. Michael Gear	[ "historical fiction", "Native Americans" ]	Chapter 17	Buckthorn dressed in the predawn glow, quietly slipping on his long plain-weave shirt, buckskin leggings, and yucca sandals, trying not to wake Dune. The holy man slept on the opposite side of the house, wrapped in a faded gray blanket. Just the white top of his head showed. He'd snored all night—the sort of snores tha...
Breath of Frost	Cate Corvin	[ "urban fantasy" ]	Chapter 9	"I'm not accusing him of anything." Robin followed me to the kitchen, with Ceri on his heels. The cŵn annwn broke away from him the moment I opened the fridge, sniffing at the frost sprite we kept in there. The sprite chattered angrily at the hound as I searched around, and finally pulled out the steak Clove had bee...
Slash	Slash	[ "music", "biography", "first person", "rock music" ]	Chapter 166	We enlisted the assistance of my old attorney, turned manager, Dave Codikow in our quest. It's a good thing we did, because as it continued to go nowhere, a few months later, David let us know that Stone Temple Pilots had broken up. I was happy to hear it—for entirely selfish reasons. I didn't really care about being p...
Herbert Scheer	Karl	[ "Perry Rhodan 92) The Target Star [space opera" ]	THE MAIDEN AT DOOM'S EDGE	The commando team under Mahaut Sikhra came back to the ship. By means of a micro-transceiver arrangement Rhodan had been able to keep track of the small reconnaissance detail and thus he knew that they had failed again to make any contact with the natives. Apparently nobody had concerned themselves about their landing...
House of Suns	Alastair Reynolds	[ "science fiction" ]	Chapter 9	Campion whisked over to Silver Wings of Morning and told me what he had just learned from the aquatic. I had my doubts about the doctor's reliability as a witness, but I knew that we would have no choice but to challenge Hesperus. My heart was rising in my throat as we whisked back to Dalliance, thinking of the confron...
(Hobbs 6) Summer People	Elena Graf	[ "LGBT", "lesbian", "romance", "older protagonist", "post-covid" ]	Chapter 9	Melissa had to ask three times before she found the right baseball diamond. The town park had multiple games going on simultaneously, and the place was swarming with pre-teen girls in colorful uniforms. Unfortunately, Melissa had forgotten to ask Courtney the school colors. She ought to know them by now. She'd seen eno...
(The Dying Earth 1	Jack Vance	[ "scifi", "post-apocalyptic" ]	The Eyes of the Overworld	[ The Overworld ] On the heights above the river Xzan, at the site of certain ancient ruins, Lucounu the Laughing Magician had built a manse to his private taste: an eccentric structure of steep gables, balconies, sky-walks, cupolas, together with three spiral green glass towers through which the red sunlight shone in...
Jaya - A Retelling of the Mahabharata	Devdutt Pattanaik	[ "philosophy" ]	War	'Janamejaya, in the battle, fathers, teachers, brothers and friends were all killed, so that delusion could be replaced with wisdom.' [ Bloodbath ] Krishna's song had changed Arjuna's perspective of the battlefield. This was not Kuru-kshetra, where war was about property or vengeance. This was Dharmakshetra, where Ar...
	Embassie Susberry	[ "Salis House Plantation 1" ]	Chapter 23	It was an answer to an unspoken prayer, Laura thought as she entered the dark room. She only walked a few steps in before the woman lit a candle, giving them a little something to see by. The windows were covered by heavy curtains, and Laura could understand not wanting to take any chances. Laura looked around her. It ...
The World of Kouros	OccultSage, et al	[ "Fantasy", "Erotica", "BDSM" ]	Chapter 19	I'm Morgan, a male Templar from Zhalam. Today, I've just returned from a successful raid on a village near Sel. We caught two dozen young girls and boys who will be sold off to the other city states for a good price. As we're returning to our encampment, I see a girl walking towards me on her own. She looks to be about...
Doctor Sleep	Stephen King	[ "horror" ]	Chapter 151	Dan drove the Hertz Ford slowly and carefully around to the loading dock. There were plenty of potholes, some deep, all hard to see with the headlights off. The last thing in the world he wanted was to drop the Focus into one and smash an axle. Behind the plant, the surface was a mixture of bare earth and crumbling asp...
New Vegas Sheason's Story	Sheason	[ "apocalyptic", "Fallout" ]	Chapter 449	The dinner was surprisingly easy to make, even in the quantity I needed for the banquet. It was about 20 dishes in total that I needed, and once they were done I just had to make sure the food went into the oven to stay warm. The instructions were so easy to follow that I'd managed to make enough food for everyone with...
(Robyn Hoodlum 2) Rebellion of Thieves	Kekla Magoon	[ "adventure", "dystopia", "children's" ]	Someone's Child	Robyn, Scarlet, and Key ditched the van in a drugstore parking lot close to Loxley Manor. They began the long, dark walk through the woods back to Sherwood. It wouldn't be as easy to pop out on the other side as it used to be, now that the woods were being heavily patrolled by MPs along the Sherwood side. But they wou...
Complete Works	Jules Verne	[ "adventure", "science fiction", "steampunk" ]	HANGING BY A THREAD	ALTHOUGH in this way the Ford family led a happy and contented life, yet it was easy to see that Harry, naturally of a grave disposition, became more and more quiet and reserved. Even Jack Ryan, with all his good humor and usually infectious merriment, failed to rouse him to gayety of manner. One Sunday — it was in th...
(Upper Kingdom 4) Snow in the Year of the Dragon	H. Leighton Dickson	[ "post-apocalyptic", "anthro" ]	Chapter 65	Somewhere in the mountain, the low blast of a djenghorn sounded the alarm. Kirin opened his eyes. He closed them, then opened them again. The world was black. Slowly, he pushed to his knees but dust was thick and a spasm of coughing struck him like a fist. It was all he could do to stay on his knees and not fold ba...
Error Australis	Ben Pobjie	[ "comedy", "history" ]	Bedtime	At 6pm on Australia Day, normally a time when people would be getting prepared for the fireworks and a concert starring several X Factor runners-up, the NSW Corps arrived at Bligh's house, bent on some harsh frontier justice. The first obstacle they encountered was Bligh's daughter Mary, who stymied them through the c...
New Vegas Sheason's Story	Sheason	[ "apocalyptic", "Fallout" ]	Chapter 428	It was close to noon when Veronica and I set out for the Hidden Valley bunker with all the tech loaded up in the backseat. And when we were about halfway there, I finally decided to break the unbearable silence. "Alright, I can't take it anymore. What's wrong?" I asked. Veronica had been leaning against the door, look...
The Ultimate history of Video Games	Steven L. Kent	[ "nonfiction" ]	Father of the Industry	Nolan at one point decided, as only Nolan can, that he wanted to run for the House of Representatives. And the way that Nolan's mind works, he decided that if he wanted to be a congressman, he'd better buy a house in Washington, D.C. —Tom Zito, former reporter, the Washington Post The son of a small-town cement contra...
(Tales from the Flat Earth 1) Night's Master #.txt	Tanith Lee	[]	Chapter 38	"Down in the Underearth," said the story-teller, "where the sun or moon never shine, yet where it is always as bright as day, there lived a little Drin in a house of rock. His name was Taki, and he was very ugly, as indeed all the Drin take a pride in being. He was a maker of jeweled images, which sometimes he would gi...
Devils to Me	C. R. Daems	[ "science fiction" ]	Planet Lochpin: A Really Bad Day	I unscrewed the suppressor from my CheyTac, as that would make the most noise, and sighted in on a Moech with stripes on his sleeve who was talking to a group of men, which looked to be a squad. I pressed the Go icon to begin the distraction and fired. The man's head exploded. Since the men were in small clusters, the ...
A.I. Gene	Vaughn Heppner	[ "science fiction" ]	Chapter 64	The destroyer's comm system was trashed. Walleye went to the escape pod. With the repair bots' help, he took out the small-scale comm system and brought it to the destroyer's comm chamber. Then, he and June searched the destroyer up and down. They found spare parts. They tore down other equipment for what they needed...
Moonheart	Charles de Lint	[ "urban fantasy" ]	9:30, Wednesday morning.	Gagnon wasn't as old as Tucker had expected. At thirty-eight, he seemed young to be the Assistant Deputy Minister in charge of the Health Protection Branch. To get there at that age, Tucker reasoned, he had to be more than competent. They'd only met over the phone before. In person, Gagnon was the picture of a high-pla...
Upheval	Matthew Peed	[ "LitRPG", "fantasy" ]	Oberon	I kneeled on the outcropping overlooking the orc town, or city? Whatever it was classified as, I was about to burn it to the ground. The town was composed of a large amount of stone huts that had hides of various monsters covering them. There were also a large number of caves along the edges that likely held a horde of...
Visions of the Future	Various	[ "science fiction" ]	Chapter 112	She finished just in time. As she made the final tweaks, she heard bootsteps in the hallway outside. She hefted the android onto her shoulder and ducked down behind the slab. Bring it on. Two men with guns entered the room. One flicked on the light. Shit. The sheets! She'd forgotten. The men saw it too. They backed i...
(Sprite Brigade 1) Candy Canes and Buckets of Blood	Heide Goody	[ "horror", "fantasy", "humor" ]	Chapter 97	Guin watched her dad break from cover and head for the sleigh. She would have watched him longer, but a band of elves was marching back from the ranks of reindeer. Newton was held between them. One held a knife to his throat, or would have done if it was tall enough. It actually held a knife to his kidneys. "Hanst mið...
Uprooted.txt	Naomi Novik	[]	Chapter 51	Solya said, "We don't need the fire tended, Lizbeta: just bring us some hot tea and breakfast, there's a girl," when I opened up his door. His fire was already up and mouthing a pair of fresh logs in a large stone fireplace. No small gargoyle-haunted cell of a room for him: he had a pair of chambers, each three times ...
(The Keeper Origins 3) Phoenix Rising	J. A. Andrews	[ "fantasy" ]	Chapter 37	Their footsteps echoed in a muffled jumble of scuffs and thumps in the rough passage. The tunnel twisted and turned downhill at a steady pace, but their mosslight lantern gave off more than enough light to show their way. Just like the other tunnels, tiny flecks in the wall reflected glimmers of light, flashing like s...
Forest Born	Shannon Hale	[ "fairy tales", "fantasy" ]	Chapter 7	Rin woke to the morning drum making rounds through the palace corridors, calling out those who were to leave on the expedition. It did not R call for Rin, but she sprang up anyway, sneaked past the sleeping waiting women and ran down to the horse grounds. She'd slept in a travel tunic and leggings, even in her boots, a...
(Asian Saga 3) Gai	James Clavell	[ "historical fiction", "Japan" ]	Chapter 262	Later that evening Tyrer awoke, completely satisfied. His timepiece read 9:20. Perfect, he thought. He lay beside Fujiko who was fast asleep, the futons and feather coverlets as clean and sweet-smelling as she was, warm and comfortable—so much better than his bed, rough straw mattress and heavy woolen blankets with the...
Zero Dwarfs Given	Martha Carr	[ "urban fantasy" ]	Chapter 19	When 10:00 pm rolled around, Lisa and Johnny were fully ready to stop flipping through available cable channels on the hotel TV. She glanced at her watch and nodded. "It'll be time for me to head out soon. The Johnny Haters Anonymous meeting is in an hour." "Great. I'm comin' with you." "Johnny—" "I know. You're gon...
Ash & Ambition	Ari Marmell	[ "fantasy" ]	Chapter 45	"I'm not a man frequently given to prayer." Margrave Andarjin sounded steady as ever, but his hand shook just enough that filling his goblet was proving difficult. "But I could see my way to offering multiple paeans to Neras if she'd be willing to turn her attentions to Nycolos damned Anvarri!" "Bit of an overreaction...
Newton's Wake: Author: Ken McLeod	Science Fiction, Xenoarchaeology	[]	Chapter 20	"Perfect," said Hoffman. Not for the first time, Carlyle suspected him of having a practical joke at her expense. Full-length, off-white cotton raschel lace over ivory polyester, frills at the collar and cuffs and a deep flounce around the hem. "Looks like a bloody wedding dress." "It is not a bridal," he said. "Nor...
Beta Test	Annabeth Albert	[ "romance" ]	Chapter 8	Tristan could forgive an awful lot for a love of 80s camp, and Ravi had the soundtrack for almost every movie that Tristan's nanny Maria had loved. Maria had let him sneak-watch TV with her on late-night cable when he couldn't sleep. He kept humming along and then having to stop himself from singing. "Oh, go ahead an...
(Dark Knight 3) The Dark Knight Rises	Greg Cox	[ "superheroes", "Batman", "DC" ]	Chapter 44	Darkness shrouded the frozen surface of the river, making it all-but-invisible. Pitch-black shadows lurked beneath the decapitated pylons of the bridge. Empty skyscrapers loomed on the other shore, long since evacuated by the US Armed Forces that were surrounding the island. Standing at the Gotham edge of the river wi...
(Upper Kingdom 4) Snow in the Year of the Dragon	H. Leighton Dickson	[ "post-apocalyptic", "anthro" ]	Chapter 37	"Level Six is the only level still under ground," said Reedy as the sterile, white hydraulift descended. "The Qore has it fully automated." "The Qore?" asked Solomon. "What the hell is the Qore and why is it fully automated?" "So many questions," smiled the man. "You boggle me. One at a time, please." It was as if t...
Gods of the Stone Oracle	Krista Walsh	[ "urban fantasy" ]	Chapter 58	Gabe closed the rift and turned to Allegra. "You next?" "Goddess, yes," she said. "If I am not able to shower in my own home in the next hour, I might scream." "And we wouldn't want that," Daphne said. Percy turned to Matthew. "I guess you're going to want to keep him, huh?" Matthew glanced down at the gray wolfhou...
The Dragonbone Chair	Tad Williams	[ "fantasy" ]	Simon Snowlock	[ A Thousand Naifs ] Somebody was breaking down the door with axes—hacking, chopping, splintering away the shielding timber. "Doctor!" Simon shouted, sitting up, "it's the soldiers! The soldiers have come!" But he was not in Morgenes' chambers. He was wrapped in sweat-drenched sheets, on a small bed in a small, neat...
(An Ember in the Ashes 4) A Sky Beyond the Storm	Sabaa Tahir	[ "fantasy", "romance", "high fantasy", "magic", "dystopia" ]	Laia	Mamie Rila finds me not long after we enter Nur. The city is vastly changed from the last time I was here. The sand-colored buildings are stripped of the Tribal flags that once draped them. The only sound in the streets is the whisper of wind and the occasional bleat of a forgotten goat. In some ways, I prefer this Nu...
(Mars Colony Chronicles 1	Brandon Ellis	[ "scifi", "Mars" ]	Heading Toward Olympus Mons, Mars	Ozzy's com channel blared on. It was a private number. Ozzy glared at Wildly, who was in his EVA suit and holding up a holopad. "Well, well, if it isn't poor Ozzy. You get a little stuck there, Compadre?" "What do you want?" "You have something very precious to me. And, by now, I think you've probably watched it." ...
(Legends of the Condor Heroes 4) A Heart Divided	Jin Yonh	[ "historical fiction", "China", "war", "adventure" ]	Chapter 67	Lotus was keeping count of who was ascending the Tower's stairs but she did not hear Guo Jing's footsteps. "Guo Jing? Are you here?" Her concern was apparent. She asked several times, but received no answer. "Pa, I'll go down to look for him." "There's no need." A frosty reply. He was just a few steps away. "Don't use...
Speccy Nation	Dan Whitehead	[ "video games" ]	Game: THE WILD BUNCH	[ Firebird Software Ltd, 1984 ] As an example of how toothless video games have become, in 2011 critics went crazy for Dark Souls, a Japanese role-playing game that was ferociously difficult. Quite happy to slaughter the player in an instant for approaching an enemy in the wrong way, or at the wrong time, it certainly...
(Dragon Shaman 2) The Smoky Mirror	Teresa Garcia	[ "fantasy", "native American", "time travel" ]	Time, Energy, Will	Shadow frowned a bit, as his trip through the shadow he had stepped into was taking longer than usual. For a brief moment, he thought that he heard the click of a claw on a floor, or the rustle of fabric. The smell of incense filled his nose. "Interesting..." He thought to himself. The dark reaches had given way, and ...
The World of Kouros	OccultSage, et al	[ "Fantasy", "Erotica", "BDSM" ]	Chapter 23	I'm Samual, a male chattel from Calis. Today, I was caught by Selian troops while attempting to sneak back to our camp after a raid. I had just lost consciousness and awakened tied to a post. When I awoke, I found myself surrounded by soldiers, with a pair holding me down while another removed his belt. He pulled the l...
Extinction	M.R. Forbes	[ "urban fantasy" ]	Chapter 38	I came back into existence right in the middle of things, appearing from nowhere between Srizyl and Gervais. I didn't hesitate, certain of what I needed to do, pulling in my power and strengthening my body. Then I punched Gervais as hard as I could, my fist blasting into his nose and teeth. Pain lanced through my han...
Lark and the Wren, The	Mercedes Lackey, Darrell K. Sweet	[ "Fantasy" ]	Chapter 28	The wagon seemed the safest place to stay, all things considered. Rune found a travelers' inn that would let them pull their wagon in behind the stable for a fee. It was clean, shaded and secluded back there; evidently there were often travelers staying in their own conveyances, and the inn had set up this little yard ...
Lady Nijō's Own Story	Lady Nijō	[ "Japan", "nonfiction", "memoirs", "1300s" ]	Chapter 35	The New Year came, and the nightingales sang their spring songs among the branches of the plum trees under the eaves, but sad memories of the happy days gone beyond recall continued to fill my eyes with tears. About the tenth day of the second month, I started out on my pilgrimage to the Zenkoji temple. The steep slop...
Lyrics collection	Various	[ "lyrics" ]	Kaeo	"Hark now and heed to what I have told It seems that the end came a long time ago A new kind of time will forever join us Into one with the earth and the sun... All you deaf and blind, join my Dreamtime Come and hear, come and stay, come and feel... The rain kills the trees while the "drifters" fill the seas A n...
The Dream Architects	David Polfeldt	[ "video games", "memoir", "technology", "business" ]	Discarded Paper Cups	In 2003 and 2004, the releases topping the global charts were games like The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker; Grand Theft Auto: Vice City; Pokemon Ruby; Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas; and Medal of Honor. All very sophisticated, graphically appealing, and internationally successful games. Microsoft spent a fortune on a...
Complete Works of Sheridan Le Fanu	J. Sheridan Le Fanu	[ "horror", "supernatural" ]	THE VALE OF CARWELL	In about an hour and a half this chaise reached the Pied Horse, on Elverstone Moor. Having changed horses at this inn, they resumed their journey, and Miss Alice Maybell, who had been sad and abstracted, now lowered the window beside her, and looked out upon the broad, shaggy heath, rising in low hillocks, and breaking...
Undercover Bride.txt	Margaret Brownley	[]	Chapter 71	Chapter 30 The shop was empty when Maggie walked in. It was almost closing time. Neither the sheriff nor Rikker wanted her to face Garrett alone, but she insisted. She owed him that much. Stepping from his workshop in back, his face lit up at seeing her. Even now, his smile affected her. She tried staying cold and e...
The Origins and History of Consciousness	Erich Neumann	[ "philosophy" ]	THE SEPARATION OF THE WORLD PARENTS: THE PRINCIPLE OF OPPOSITES	Rangi and Papa, the heaven and the earth, were regarded as the source from which all things, gods, and men originated. There was darkness, for these two still clung together, not yet having been rent apart; and the children begotten by them were ever thinking what the difference between darkness and light might be. The...
Demon Hunter - Birthright	Michael Dalton	[ "Urban Fantasy", "Harem Erotica" ]	Chapter 16	When I woke up, my reticence about Sabrina from the previous night had faded. Something strange was going on here, and I intended to figure out what. Whatever it was, there would be evidence of it somehow. And maybe there was a way to collect it in a way I could analyze. If Sabrina really was a succubus, there would b...
(Upper Kingdom 1	H. Leighton Dickson	[ "post-apocalyptic", "anthro" ]	Chapter 24	Two figures arrived at the home of the Chancellor Angelino Devine d'Fusillia Ho. They were not greeted in the conventional fashion - that being a message carried by sentry from the outer wall through the gardens to the house proper. Rather, the Chancellor met them himself at the gate, clothed in a scandalously lush bea...
Fuse	E. L. Todd	[ "fantasy" ]	Chapter 9	Cora braided her hair then placed it over one shoulder. The strands had grown long in the past year, and she hadn't had a chance to cut it. Now she wasn't sure when she'd be given the opportunity. Flare sat by the water, but his eye was on her the entire time. Are you ready to talk? Cora had ignored him the night bef...
Over the Night Horizon	Kacey Ezell	[ "steampunk", "romance", "vampires" ]	Chapter 77	Remy seethed in his office as the Eventides' carriage clattered up the driveway. He could stop them. He had every right to; it was Elidon property. Closing up the emerald in its case, he tucked it into one of the myriad drawers of his desk as someone knocked at the door. The downstairs servant was nowhere in sight. "J...
(Ivory Carver 3) Brother Wind (The Ivory Carver	Sue Harrison	[ "historical fiction", "prehistoric" ]	The Whale Hunters	[ Yunaska Island, the Aleutian Chain ] Kukutux woke from her sleep and knew it was morning. Men and women were outside, greeting the sun. Their greeting songs should be to the mountains, Kukutux thought. Did they think the sun was stronger than the mountains? How could they forget that the mountains' ash had hidden bo...
Musical Youth	Joanne C. Hillhouse	[ "slice of life" ]	Chapter 35	"You know what this mean, right?" Kong said as they walked to practice the next day. "You and Z coulda been cousins." Then, as though saying it made it so, he made a whooping sound. "Kinky! Ole bwoy have ah t'ing for his cousin." "That's sick," Accident said. "Not really, it don't matter as long as they not first cou...
The Cosmic Anomaly	Henk Wester	[ "horror" ]	EPILOGUE	My parents stared at me when I knocked on their door, as if I was a ghost. My mother's grayer hair and father's balder head supported their claim that about five years had passed in the 'real world' since we left for De Aar. It became clear to me that time worked differently in the shady town than it does in the real w...
The Burning Page	Genevieve Cogman	[ "mystery", "steampunk" ]	Chapter 20	'Thank God you're here, Miss Winters,' Singh said. He actually looked pleased to see her and Kai, which in itself worried Irene. As a general rule, the inspector tolerated the two of them, or at best considered them useful resources. If he was glad to see them, then Vale must be worse than she'd feared. 'How is Vale?'...
The Corinthian	Georgette Heyer	[ "romance", "historical fiction", "regency" ]	Chapter 10	The effect of this confession upon Pen was not quite what Miss Daubenay had expected. She gasped, choked, and went off into a peal of laughter. Affronted, Miss Daubenay said: 'I don't see what there is to laugh at!' 'No, I dare say you don't,' said Pen, mopping her eyes. 'But it is excessively amusing for all that. Wh...
(Nemesis 1) Dreadnought	April Daniels	[ "superheroes", "LGBT" ]	Chapter 60	Calamity taps on my window almost exactly at 10 p.m. on Wednesday. My nerves are so strung tight waiting for this final, enormous phase of our investigation that I actually jump up from my chair and stay hanging in midair for a moment. When I slide the window open, her eyes sparkle above her scarlet bandanna. "Nervous...
Skyclad	Scott Browder	[ "LitRPG", "fantasy", "high fantasy" ]	Sympathetic Reflex	Morgan Mackenzie was fighting for her life, and enjoying every glorious moment of it. The magic she wielded was vibrant in a way she didn't - or couldn't - notice before. In her blood, in her bones and in her mind, it hummed. It was utterly intoxicating, a feeling of near invincibility. Her magic seemed to plead to be ...
Battleborne	Dave Willmarth	[ "LitRPG", "action", "fantasy" ]	Chapter 47	Max woke when the rising sun's light angled through his window and struck him in the face. Groaning, he rolled off the bed and did a few stretches. Sleeping on a soft bed had its disadvantages. Rubbing his belly and thinking about breakfast, he debated whether to ring for room service. He shook his head, not comfortabl...
The Dreamstone	CJ Cherryh	[ "Fantasy" ]	Chapter 34	She did not cease to run; and she ran now that shadow-way, for the heaviness was gone. Across meadows, under that other light she sped, and gathered up all that she had left behind, burst out again in the blink of an eye and elsewhere. Horses shied in the dark dawning and dogs barked; for now she did not care to be wh...
Company of Liars	Karen Maitland	[ "historical fiction", "horror" ]	Chapter 19	The following day was Childermas, named for the day King Herod massacred the Holy Innocents in Bethlehem and the day Judas Iscariot was born, the unluckiest day of the year, they say. Some people refuse to get out of their beds on Childermas. They think the day so cursed that they won't venture on any journey or sell g...
(Master of War 4) Viper's Blood	David Gilman	[ "historical fiction", "medieval", "England" ]	Chapter 54	The abbess escorted him to her office where a novice sat with quill and parchment. A leather-bound ledger, as tall as the table was deep, lay open. Blackstone instructed Henry to wait outside. The abbess faced Blackstone as the door closed heavily behind him. 'Our King forces our people to burn their own villages. Tho...
(Scrolls of Fire 1) The Dragon Librarian	Marc Secchia	[ "fantasy", "dragons" ]	Chapter 103	Splot! An unknown fall later, Auli bruised her rump on something large, relatively soft and unmentionably slimy, before breaking free in a shower of malodorous sludge and sliding away again. Darkness rushed against her face. Wind. Stench. She feared to strike her head against an unseen outcropping or corner, and so s...
Web of Fear	Mike Omer	[ "mystery", "thriller" ]	Chapter 18	The kidnapper sat on the couch in her living room, jaw clenched in everlasting anger, thinking about the girl. The television was set to the local news channel, but the sound was muted. She never turned the television off anymore, not even at night when she went to sleep. It made her feel better, knowing there was move...
Lolita	Vladimir Nabokov	[ "Fiction" ]	Chapter 71	A gas station attendant in Parkington explained to me very clearly how to get to Grimm Road. Wishing to be sure Quilty would be at home, I attempted to ring him up but learned that his private telephone had recently been disconnected. Did that mean he was gone? I started to drive to Grimm Road, twelve miles north of th...
Captain Blood	Rafael Sabatini	[ "historical fiction", "naval", "1600s" ]	LEVASSEUR'S HEROICS	It would be somewhere about ten o'clock on the following morning, a full hour before the time appointed for sailing, when a canoe brought up alongside La Foudre, and a half-caste Indian stepped out of her and went up the ladder. He was clad in drawers of hairy, untanned hide, and a red blanket served him for a cloak. H...
(Rescue Four 3) Emanuel's Heat	Tiffany Patterson	[ "romance", "firefighter" ]	Emanuel	"Gentlemen," I say sarcastically as I pass by the two officers who arrested me, as I move down the hallway of the gloomy police station. I massage my wrists that are now free after being in those tight cuffs longer than necessary. The officers glare at me silently. "Whatever," I grumble as I step into the lobby. "Wha...
The Midgard Serpent	James L. Nelson	[ "Historical Fiction", "Norse" ]	Chapter 16	In the same year Æthelwulf went to Rome with much honor and taking with him his son, the aforesaid King Alfred, a second time on the same journey... [ Asser's Life of King Alfred ] Felix listened to the messenger's report, the Northmen landing on the beach at Portsmouth with a dead whale. He took a moment or two to...
Complete Works of Sheridan Le Fanu	J. Sheridan Le Fanu	[ "horror", "supernatural" ]	VIOLET DARKWELL	AT the head of the stairs, the topmost step of which had been their bench, there rose to him two female figures. He did not instantly recognise them, for one candle only was burning, and it was on the little table nearly behind them. One was old Winnie Dobbs, the other Violet Darkwell; she stood up slight and girlish s...
The Wolf Wore Plaid	Terry Spear	[ "urban fantasy" ]	Chapter 36	Early the next morning, the jangling of the one alarm on the dresser, and the five they missed on the bathroom counter, and the music from their phones, had Enrick and Heather groaning, laughing, and jumping out of bed to turn them all off in a hurry. Enrick shook his head. So much for remembering to check the ones in...
The Silver Stallion	Peter Darman	[ "historical fiction" ]	Chapter 17	The combined Roman-Bulgarian army was co-commanded by Master John and Michael Cosses, Count of Opsikion, and a traditionalist. Andronicus himself had selected the count as a restraining influence on the Bulgarians. And though Empress Irene had impressed upon them both the need for urgency, both were professional soldie...
Complete Works of Sheridan Le Fanu	J. Sheridan Le Fanu	[ "horror", "supernatural" ]	COLLISION	"Lord Wynderbroke!" said Uncle David, and bowed rather ceremoniously. Lord Wynderbroke, a little surprised, extended two fingers and said, "How d'ye do, Mr. Arden?" and smiled drily, and then seemed disposed to pass on. "I beg your pardon, Lord Wynderbroke," said David Arden, "but would you mind giving me a few minut...
The Last of the Romans	Derek Birks	[ "historical fiction" ]	Chapter 39	They had been fortunate, for once, because wind and tide conspired to help them. So the ship did not wash up onto the salt marshes along the north bank of the Seine estuary, instead it reached the sea where its new mast, and a favourable wind in its sail, drove it north-west. It would not be an easy journey to Britanni...
Fire Margins	Lisanne Norman	[ "science fiction" ]	Chapter 57	T'Chebbi stood alongside her fellow Brotherhood members Nyash and Lasad, waiting for the arrival of the cruiser from Earth. On it were Zhyaf, who'd been the Interpreter for the Rhyaki, and his Human Leska, Mara. A couple flanked by two Warriors, emerged from the air lock onto the deck of Chagda Station. "That's them,...
(Villains 1) Vicious	V. E. Schwab	[ "superheroes", "urban fantasy" ]	Chapter 56	Sydney followed him into the street. Victor hadn't heard her, not for a block, but when he finally glanced back and saw her there, her expression turned cautious, almost scared, as if she'd been caught breaking a rule. She shivered and he gestured to a nearby coffee shop. "Care for a drink?" "Do you really think we'l...

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