Jamie Sloan found his super powers sitting in a blackberry bush outside his bedroom window on the morning of his tenth birthday.
Picking blackberries—not high on Jamie’s priority list, especially on his tenth birthday. But Mom insists—family tradition and all that grownup bunk.
Using a beat-up old bucket handed down from father to son for who knows how long, Jamie picks until the bucket overflows . . .
And finds himself holding a bucketful of trouble.

You can get away with a lot of things in Hell—bad singing, bad politics, bad breath.
Even murder.
But no one gets away with stealing Sam the Ham’s delicious Golden Pig.
A laugh-out-loud story about life after death—from a rebel hamster’s point of view.

What if magic were right in front of you every day, but hidden from your sight?

For all you know, it is.

Maybe the reason you love the tasty creations from the nearby chocolate shop is that one of the ingredients is magic.

Perhaps some of the dreadlocks of the beautiful young girl you saw at the grocery store are snakes, not hair.

The woman you just passed on the street appeared to be on her cell phone, but she might really be speaking with a ghost.

How do you know for sure?

Witches. Ghosts. Faeries. Monsters. Magic ...

Enter twenty different worlds, each with a different flavor of magic.

Expect the unexpected in this latest volume of Fiction River Presents. Be it a twist you won’t see coming, an unusual character voice, or a surprising elicitation of emotion, these wonderful stories will catch you off guard and keep you hooked. From some unique retellings of classic tales to some not-so-typical detectives to expressions of love and heroism from the most unlikely of misfits, these ten stories eloquently demonstrate why Astro Guys calls the Fiction River series “a wonderful mind-expanding read.” Table of Contents “Generations” by Steve Perry “Case Cracked” by Joe Cron “Role Model” by Kevin J. Anderson “Finally Family” by Ray Vukcevich “Time, Expressed as an Entrée” by Robert T. Jeschonek “One-Night Stands for Love and Glory” by David H. Hendrickson “Earth Day” by Kristine Kathryn Rusch “Jelly’s Heroes” by Louisa Swann “Nice Timestream Youse Got Here” by Lee Allred “In the Play of Frigid Women” by Dean Wesley Smith “[Fiction River] is one of the best and most exciting publications in the field today. Check out an issue and see why I say that.” —Keith West, Adventures Fantastic

The end of the world might come in many forms: ecological disaster, alien invasion, cosmic chaos…the possibilities for destruction seem endless. So, how will those facing the end of the world deal with impending doom? The fourteen talented authors of Fiction River’s latest volume explore just that. From an intrepid adventurer fleeing a world-destroying terror to a man who discovers the most savage destroyers of civilization are closer than he thought, to a chilling tale of our whole planet hurled into the icy black reaches of space, these gripping stories demonstrate why Astro Guyz calls Fiction River “a wonderful, mind-expanding read.”

Eighteen authors join Mercedes Lackey, adding their own unique voices to the Heralds, Bards, and Healers of Valdemar.

Eleven skilled authors explore science fiction’s military dimension as this latest volume of Fiction River celebrates the bravery and courage beating within the human heart.

ORIGINAL ANTHOLOGY featuring rollicking, tongue-in-cheek tales of women warrior fighting against the stodgy and in the name of freedom of expression, Chicks in Chainmail style!

Alchemy changes more than dross into gold. It changes steampunk stories into stories of magical transformation. These thirteen stories combine science and magic into do-not-miss alternate history stories that span the globe. Travel with a soul-stealing carnival, meet the Grand Dangoolie, put on some perfect perfume, and sample some magical chocolate. These adventures grace the pages of the most creative volume of Fiction River yet.

Edited by Mercedes Lackey ... the voices of other authors add their own special touches to the ancient land where Heralds “Chosen” from all walks of life by magical horse-like Companions patrol their ancient kingdom, dispensing justice, facing adversaries, and protecting their monarch and country from whatever threatens. Trained rigorously by the Herald’s Collegium, these special protectors each have extraordinary Gifts: Mindspeaking, FarSeeing, FarSpeaking, Empathy, Firestarting and ForeSeeing, and are bonded for life with their mysterious Companions. Travel with these astounding adventurers in sixteen original stories.