Showing results by author "Chris Lester" in All Categories

Thirteen hundred years ago, the treaty was shattered. Lord Kammoloth, the King of Heaven, had fathered the Starchild, Merai hin'Dana: a half-mortal girl with the power to steal the divine essence of the gods themselves. But rather than fulfill her prophesied destiny and destroy the Gods of Shadow, Merai rejected both sides of the Pantheon, stealing their power and casting them to earth. To ensure that this power would never be abused, Merai then gave it to Lady Kyia, the spirit of Metamor Keep, to protect the mortal inhabitants she was sworn to serve.

Lt. Kathryn Kitaen, a detective of Magic Affairs for the Metamor City Police Department, is not having her best day. An unidentified man in her precinct has been burned to death by unknown magic. A powerful wizard has erased the evidence from the crime scene. The commander of a powerful paramilitary organization wants to pick a fight over jurisdiction. And to top it all off, the Empire's top spymaster wants her to find his missing daughter: a spoiled and decadent heiress who's infamous for sparking scandal and controversy wherever she goes.

In the poverty-stricken neighborhoods of the Street, ordinary citizens are turning up dead, their bodies drained of blood. What seems at first like a string of vampire attacks is soon revealed to be something even more frightening. But in the dayside world of the city's upper levels, no one notices what happens to a few dead street rats. Kathryn Kitaen, a magic affairs detective for the Metamor City Police Department, isn't supposed to be on this case or any other. Judged unfit for duty after a recent shooting, Kate is on indefinite leave.

Thirteen hundred years ago, the conquering wizard, Nasoj, cast three great spells on the people of Metamor Keep. Fueled by the power of the dark gods, these spells would irrevocably change the castle's defenders in body and soul, rendering them helpless against his advancing armies. Things did not work out as he hoped. The spells were countered, but only partially. They wove together with the castle's own magic, becoming a curse that blanketed the entire valley.

All Daniel Sharabi wanted was a family of his own. Born into a collectivist society of telepaths, he grew up believing that he and his lover Rebecca would form a new breeding cell, helping to raise the next generation of their people. But when Daniel reaches adulthood, he learns that his psychic talents are mediocre at best. He soon finds himself marginalized by the society he dedicated his life to.

Liam ard'Taxis is a young battle-mage in service to the Empire of Metamor. With the world locked in a desperate war between great powers, Liam is chosen for an almost suicidal mission: an airship bombing run, deep into the heart of enemy territory. Desperately outnumbered and far from home, Liam must draw on all his magical talents to keep his shipmates alive and get their fleet to safety. A war story set in the steampunk past of Metamor City.

John had never expected to have a steady girlfriend. As an incubus and a priest of the Church of Hedonism, he had dedicated his life to the goddess of pleasure and fertility. But police detective Kathryn Kitaen snuck past his defenses and found her way into his infernal little heart. Now, after seven months as a couple, Kate is bringing John home to meet the parents. All he has to do is pretend to be human for one week.

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Jon Tunstall is an apprentice to the wizard Artax, the owner of the wandering magic shop Spells 4 U. In the midst of the bustling Winter Solstice shopping season, Jon's routine is interrupted by the arrival of Esmeralda, a beautiful and powerful wizard. Esme and Artax have a tumultuous history together, but Esme hopes she can convince the elder wizard to help her with an important personal problem. Caught between two temperamental and headstrong wizards, it might be Jon who holds the solution to Esme's difficulties - and to the rift that has grown between them.

Distant Realms collects 13 works of speculative fiction by Chris Lester, creator of the award-winning Metamor City story universe. These stories cross worlds as diverse and broad as imagination itself, from the far future to ancient woods where forbidden gods still hold sway. Here are tales of science fiction, fantasy, and cosmic horror, of heroism and rebellion, of loves lost and found…but above all, tales of humanity and hope.