Loren L. Coleman

What begins as a simple investigation of a peculiar subspace signal leads to an errand of mercy, as the da Vinci responds to a distress call – from the edge of a black hole! Hundreds of years ago, the Resaurians placed a station near the event horizon, forever teetering on the edge of the abyss, and now the S.C.E. must find a way to rescue them. But the black hole, known as "the Demon," contains centuries-old secrets that the Resaurians will kill to protect – and both the U.S.S. da Vinci and the station may be sacrificed to the Demon in order to preserve those secrets!

In the bleak northlands, Grimnir, the living god of the plundering Vanir, is leading his hordes across Cimmeria. Tales of Grimnir's fury spread as refugees scatter throughout the land to escape his wrath.In the village of Gaud, the young warrior Kern, the "Wolf-Eye," has been exiled, an outcast from clan and kin. It is he who is fated to confront the dreaded Grimnir. But as loyal friends and desperate fighters rally to his side, even Kern does not know whether he leads his people to deliverance, or certain death.

Sixteen original stories about magic-fueled crimes and those who investigate themWhen magic is used for criminal purposes, all sorts of ethical and logistical questions arise beyond the realm of everyday law and order.Now, sixteen top tale-tellers offer fascinating new stories of those who commit magic crimes, those who investigate them, and those who prosecute them. From a young woman who uses out-of-body excursions to research paranormal crimes to a bookie who's been paying for hex protection against magical interference to an artist who does divination through his sketched visions which may lead to a murderer's undoing, here are powerful tales of magical crimes and punishments.

Over the years, the S.C.E. team on the U.S.S. da Vinci has solved innumerable problems, and escaped from numerous deathtraps, from the ravages of interspace to the gas giant of Galvan VI. Now, they must enter the outer reaches of a deadly black hole known as "the Demon" in order to rescue an away team from a hidden Resaurian prison teetering on the edge of the singularity. But the Resaurians will do everything they can to preserve their secrets, and keep the da Vinci from getting out of the Demon alive!

A virus is sweeping the Navajo reservation, and two of her childhood friends are dead. For Sheila Metcalf that's a call to leave Hideaway, Missouri, and return to Arizona. Neither her father's objections nor the arguments of Preston Black, the man who loves her, can stop Sheila from returning to the land of her youth. Her nursing skills are needed, and it's past time she found out the truth about her mother's long-ago death.There's a medical mystery to unravel, secrets about the past to uncover and questions about the future to explore. Along the way, Sheila will need courage and strength--and faith that God will protect her and lead her to where she belongs.

Kern "Wolf-Eye" and his Men of the Wolves continue their war against the Vanir raiders. But innocents are paying the price for the Wolves' actions as the Vanir pillage and burn one village after another.Only by uniting the Cimmerian clans under one banner—and one army—will Kern be able to rid the land of the Vanir once and for all.

15 original stories about those who earn their living through spellcraft From a boy who discovers life can be an illusion...to a man who maintains company security through enchantment...to a young woman who inherits a real magic shop...to a gambler who needs a sure way to beat the odds...to a woman who creates unique chocolates-here are 15 imaginative tales that run the whole gamut of wizardly professions.

"The Cutter Stream colonies were at peace. If everyone behaved reasonably, that peace could last a thousand years. Allen Allenson had known war; it had made him peaceful and reasonable. He was far too experienced to believe the same of all his fellow colonists, let alone the government of the distant homeworld. War was coming, a war the colonies had to win if they were ever to be more than prison camps and a dumping ground for incompetent noblemen. Allenson knew that he wasn't really a general, but he understood his fellow colonists better than any homeworld general could. He would free the Cutter Stream or die trying"--

Fifteen-year-old Gray Wilton, bullied at school and ridiculed by an unfeeling father for preferring drums to hunting, goes on a shooting rampage at his high school.