Kuwait City, 1991. The city lies largely in ruin, a primeval, derelict place, where civilization nearly ceased to exist. In the aftermath of Operation Desert Storm, bomb disposal teams are tasked to clear the thousands of unexploded munitions scattered throughout Kuwait City. U.S. Army Captain Brick Revloc is a bomb disposal officer in charge of coordinating Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) operations. He's a savvy, scrappy little guy whose mouth lands him in as much trouble as the exotic places to which he travels. The threatening news that a weapon of mass destruction may be planted somewhere in the city by stay-behind Iraqi forces finds Brick Revloc in a race against the clock to locate and neutralize an improvised nuclear device that could contaminate the entire Persian Gulf region. Later, suffering disillusionment from his experience and failure to get promoted, Revloc leaves the Army and joins an agency whose mission is to investigate former military bases for the presence of unexploded bombs. He's sent to Adak, a small, inhospitable island in the Aleutian chain. During World War II, it was the scene of fierce fighting between U.S. troops and Japanese forces. Now, North Korean special operations troops have infiltrated the island. Experiencing turmoil brought on by food shortages and a severely depressed economy, North Korea discovers that in World War II, containers of Lewisite, a type of mustard gas, were abandoned by the U.S. military on Adak Island. The North Koreans contrive an elaborate scheme to recover the toxic chemical and use it to their advantage. Their goal is to reunite the Korean peninsula by provoking a military response between the United States and China. By releasing the liquid blister agent onto the shores of main land China, they hope to create a chaotic situation where Taiwan is blamed. Their plan relies on the U.S. responding to an attack on Taiwan by China. In an inhospitable environment described as "the birthplace of the winds," two small groups of men battle for survival: the Americans attempting to prevent the North Koreans from getting away with their nefarious scheme, and the Koreans tracking down the only ones who can thwart their plan. There can be only one winner--

For generations, the science fiction genre and literary fiction have been perceived as irreconcilable. Startling Sci-Fi: New Tales of the Beyond attempts to prove otherwise. These 13 stories are boldly literary while employing unmistakable characteristics of the sci-fi genre. Jhon Sanchez’s “The Japanese Rice Cooker” and Daniel Gooding’s “Crow Magnum Xix” toy with readers’ expectations by defying traditional storytelling techniques while Eve Fisher’s “Embraced” and David W. Landrum’s “The Priestesses of Light” are intricately constructed character studies. Rob Hartzell’s “The Dead and Eternal” raises profound concerns about modern technology though Adam Sass’s “98% Graves” takes an optimistic view of the future. Every story is accompanied by Stefanie Masciandaro’s vibrant, hypnotic illustrations which simultaneously evoke the days of sci-fi pulp paperbacks yet remain firmly grounded in 21st century digital techniques. This anthology will take you beyond what you thought possible in science fiction.

Everybody in the small town of Medalia thinks the world of Trex Stegal. The women love him; the men idolize him. Heas a high school football hero who can do no wrong in their eyes, but the truth is heas all wrong in every way imaginable. If they knew the truth, they would be appalleda]or even dead. The truth is they donat want to know.

Ruby and Jade are not your average twins. Lost on a dreary road on their way home from a day's adventure, they remain indecisive until one mysterious crow appears above--and then another one joins the first. The girls decide to follow the direction of the birds' flight, believing the crows will lead them home. Instead, the crows lead them to a place where they must make a life-changing decision.The first version of Crow-Magnum was published on April 1, 2020, in McHargue's short story collection "Dark Ebb: Grim Tales (Volume 1)"

Mariah Miles grew up in a single parent home for most of her life. During her teenage years she became bitter with her mother and very rebellious. Becoming a young lady wasn't as easy as she thought. She blamed her mother because her father wasn't there. Circumstances in her life took a turn for the worse because of the choices she made. She grew up too fast on a fast track going nowhere. Family and friends tried to steer her in the right direction. But it was too late if only she could turn back the hands of time and reverse the situation. She fell in love and it felt so good. Then love hurt so much when it was all said and done.