“What do you think a hero is? It’s just the right person in the right place making the right choice at the right time. Heroes aren’t born. They’re made.” A demonic assassin. A half-orc boxer. A ratman necromancer. Though they take many different shapes and forms, there are heroes all around us. Bravery can be found in the most unexpected places: a subterranean dwarven city; the sands of a temple courtyard in Ancient Egypt; a besieged castle, a Victorian brothel, a goblin warren, the post-apocalyptic ruins of a demon-infested village. Heroes dwell in the shadows as well as the light; you just have to look a little harder to find them. Who do they fight? Some heroes challenge injustice in all its numerous guises, while others hunt monsters both human and bestial. Others battle inner demons, the ghosts of their past, their deepest nightmares – or even the gods themselves. Why do they fight? For glory? Sometimes. For honor? Perhaps. There are those who instinctively strive to protect those weaker than themselves, and there are others emboldened only by a sense of obligation, or the promise of wealth. Whether by the blade or other means, they endeavor to take down all who threaten what is good and right in their world. By hook or by crook, through cunning or combat, with tooth and claw or iron and steel, they are all united in one goal, willingly or not: to live – and die, if necessary – a hero. Choose your weapon. Fight for what you believe in. Never give up. Nineteen fantasy writers gather to bring nineteen tales to life, each one a unique glimpse into a wholly original world.

Hidden pasts. Secrets untold. Legends half-remembered. Fifteen fantasy writers gather to bring fifteen tales to life, each one a unique glimpse into a wholly original world. On the Emerald Road, a dead Sage triggers a brutal trial beneath the forest floor. There, a young man must fight—and kill—both friends and enemies to become the next wielder of the fabled Emerald Blade. In Midgard, a priestess of humble birth forges a strange bond with an ancient being as she searches for justice in a land that often rewards cruelty, betrayal, and bloodshed. And in the Yarnsworld, the Magpie King teaches two brothers a dangerous lesson about the power of stories. Sticks and stones may indeed break bones . . . but they cannot hurt the Bramble Man. In worlds ravaged by flood, fire, and frost, mere mortals strive to make their own legends amidst demons and deities alike. And in lands racked with human strife—where evil endures and no one is ever safe—scarred heroes fight forces even darker than their own personal demons. Why do they fight? Some seek to better the world, or themselves. Others are out to right old wrongs. But whatever their goal - reward, redemption, or just respite - the truth will out eventually. For no story is ever truly lost so long as there exists one to tell it.

Contemporary Mythic Fantasy. New Adult Fiction. Gods, monsters, angels, devils. Call them what you like. They exist. The epic battles between titans, giants, and gods, heaven and hell, the forces of light and darkness. They happened. And the war isn't over. 17 year old Fi Patterson lives with her stuffy English uncle and has an internship at a local hospital for the aged. She doesn't know what she wants to do with her life, misses her dead mother, wonders about the father she never knew. One bright spot is caring for Peter, a dimentia-ridden old man whose occasional faraway smile can make her whole day. And there's her conflicted attraction to Zeke - awkward, brilliant, talented - who plays guitar for the old folks. Then a group of very strange and frightening men show up for a "visit"... Fi and Zeke's worlds are shattered as their typical everyday concerns are suddenly replaced by the immediate need to stay alive - and they try to come to grips with the unimaginable reality of the firstborn. What readers are saying: "Keep an open mind, and forget everything you know..." "What if the myths were real? Which is like Percy Jackson, but this takes it a whole lot further. Think your favorite Teen and YA adventures, but for grownups. I loved it!" "A deep and believable world with extremely compelling characters. Funny, snarky and exciting. A really fun read." "Bold epic fantasy that takes myths, science, and legends, and creates an original cosmology that spills into the present day with action and surprises left and right. Fantastic." "Excellent storytelling. Inventive and captivating. Ashton pulls you in and takes you on a wild ride." Dyrk Ashton has been a filmmaker, actor, climber, spelunker, world traveler and nutcase. Today he's a professor, writer, and still a nutcase. He loves the beach but lives in NW Ohio. Go figure. www.paternusbooks.com. Twitter and Instagram Instagram: @undyrk. Cover Art: Lin Hsiang. Design: Brie Rapp. ©Paternus Books Media. All rights reserved.

Hardback edition of Wrath of Gods

From the bestselling editor of Unfettered comes a brand-new anthology of new SF&F short stories by some of the best writers working today.

War of Gods is the highly anticipated conclusion to the critically acclaimed, award winning epic urban fantasy series, The Paternus Trilogy. From Africa to Asgard, to an invisible island in the Pacific and the Bone Road of a forgotten realm, Fi and Zeke must come to grips with not only their newfound abilities, but also who and what they are-and accept what they are becoming: wielders of ancient and dangerous powers, warriors, and maybe even heroes. But the end of worlds is coming, and time is short... Titans will clash. Gods will battle. Monsters will swarm. Can Peter and the Deva possibly defeat their age-old enemy in the face of overwhelming odds against them? There's only one way to find out. CRY HAVOC, AND LET SLIP THE GODS OF WAR. ***** "This is urban fantasy at its utter best. If you love massive battles, mythology, engaging narratives and satisfying conclusions, you have to read this book." -Novel Notions "It's like standing on a mountain summit at night, seeing the universe laid out before you. And it's a battlefield. It. Is. Amazing. " -The Speculative Faction "The epochal ending to The Paternus Trilogy, War of Gods does it all on a 'maha' level with its magical battles and insane action sequences, and confirms why Ashton should be considered the Tolkien of the Twenty-first century." -Fantasy Book Critic "Brace yourself for an epic battle that makes Avengers: Endgame feel like a school chess match. War of Gods is a triumph." -Well Tempered Proof ***** Genre: Contemporary Fantasy / Epic Urban Fantasy / Mythic Fiction. Market: Adult to New Adult (as opposed to Teen or YA, though savvy 16 or 17 year olds might survive without permanent damage).

Epic urban fantasy

"What do you think a hero is? It's just the right person in the right place making the right choice at the right time. Heroes aren't born. They're made." **r/Fantasy Stabby Award Winner - Best Anthology 2019** A demonic assassin. A half-orc boxer. A ratman necromancer. Though they take many different shapes and forms, there are heroes all around us. Bravery can be found in the most unexpected places: a subterranean dwarven city; the sands of a temple courtyard in Ancient Egypt; a besieged castle, a Victorian brothel, a goblin warren, the post-apocalyptic ruins of a demon-infested village. Heroes dwell in the shadows as well as the light; you just have to look a little harder to find them. Who do they fight?Some heroes challenge injustice in all its numerous guises, while others hunt monsters both human and bestial. Others battle inner demons, the ghosts of their past, their deepest nightmares - or even the gods themselves. Why do they fight?For glory? Sometimes. For honor? Perhaps. There are those who instinctively strive to protect those weaker than themselves, and there are others emboldened only by a sense of obligation, or the promise of wealth. Whether by the blade or other means, they endeavor to take down all who threaten what is good and right in their world. By hook or by crook, through cunning or combat, with tooth and claw or iron and steel, they are all united in one goal, willingly or not: to live - and die, if necessary - a hero. Choose your weapon. Fight for what you believe in. Never give up. Nineteen fantasy writers gather to bring nineteen tales to life, each one a unique glimpse into a wholly original world.