Science Fiction and Fantasy Books You Can Read for $5 or Less

In New York City, fearing the dangers of the Eterna Compound—supposedly the key to immortality—Clara Templeton buries information vital to its creation. The ghost of her clandestine lover is desperate to tell her she is wrong, but though she is a clairvoyant, she cannot hear him.

In London, Harold Spire plans to send his team of assassins, magicians, mediums, and other rogue talents to New York City, in an attempt to obtain Eterna for Her Royal Majesty, Queen Victoria. He stays behind to help Scotland Yard track down a network of body snatchers and occultists, but he'll miss his second-in-command, Rose Everhart, whose gentle exterior masks a steel spine.

Rose's skepticism about the supernatural has been shattered since she joined Spire's Omega Branch. Meeting Clara is like looking into a strange mirror: both women are orphans, each is concealing a paranormal ability, and each has a powerful and attractive guardian who has secrets of his own.

The hidden occult power that menaces both England and America continues to grow. Far from being dangerous, Eterna may hold the key to humanity's salvation.

Nita is a child of the Institute. Ever since she can remember, she has roamed its sterile halls, living out her youth in the care of a fur-covered guardian from another world. The Institute’s computers give her everything she could want—except another human to share her life with. Long ago there were people at the Institute, but something happened that wiped them out. As she matures, Nita slowly realizes that she may be the only human being left on Earth—and that the fate of humanity could well lie with her.

Beyond a door marked Authorized Personnel Only is the “cold room,” a laboratory that may hold the key to Nita’s past—and her future. This is where her guardian found her, and it is to this place that Nita must return if she is to learn the secret of the Institute and what has happened to the rest of her kind.

Saigo City is caught in the grip of a savage murder spree by a perp who kills without compunction, then eliminates the evidence by torching the crime scenes. After a private residence is set on fire, killing two adults and four children, the hunt intensifies for this monster who seems intent on destroying both humans and Elakis. But there may be something else going on. The arsonist is targeting supper clubs, and afterward, the burned-out real estate is being snatched up by members of a sinister cult.

With the help of an Elaki law enforcer named String and the alluring female psychic Teddy Blake, homicide detective David Silver follows his instincts and uncovers two startling connections between the arson killings: a shadowy mind institute and the disappearance of a Chicago heiress. As he moves closer to the truth, Silver is thrust into the line of fire. His marriage and life are on the line as he races to unmask the killer before the uneasy peace between humans and Elakis is destroyed forever.

It is on this planet, where only the Windmasters can summon the devastating power of rain, gale, thunder, and lightning, that the last surviving remnants of humankind have come, fleeing the destruction of their empire at the hands of the alien Csendook. And it is here the human race will be resurrected... or exterminated. The sorcerers of this barbaric, inhospitable world have vowed to cleanse Innasmorn of the uninvited "abomination." And somewhere in the swirl of the dimensions—eons distant but as near as a word of power—the relentless Csendook destroyers scent human blood on the galactic wind.

The wyrmeweald is a hostile place, an arid wasteland where man is both hunter and hunted, and where the dragon-like wyrmes reign supreme. Seventeen-year-old Micah enters the wyrmeweald intent on stealing a wyrme egg to sell for a bounty. With the riches such an egg will bring—returner’s wealth—Micah can go home to a life of luxury, and win the hand of the girl he loves. But the wyrmeweald is a treacherous place, and Micah quickly finds himself in mortal danger. 

When a tracker named Eli rescues him, Micah is forced to prove his worth, and together he and Eli defend a rare wyrme hatchling from kith bandits intent on stealing and selling wyrme eggs. As Micah soon discovers, this hatchling has a guardian already—the beautiful, brave, and dangerous Thrace. Micah and Thrace make the worst possible match: Micah is a would-be bandit, and Thrace is a wyrme rider-assassin, devoted protector of the wyrmeweald. Yet their chemistry is undeniable, and soon Micah and Thrace join forces to protect the rare wyrme and battle the evil forces that encroach on their native habitat. 

But is there anything left in the devastated wyrmeweald to be saved?

Possessing technology that allows him to travel across alternate worlds, John Rayburn begins building a transdimensional commercial empire, led by him, his closest friends, and their doppelgängers from several different parallel universes. But not every version of every person is the same, and their agendas do not always coincide.

Despite their benign intentions, the group's activities draw unwanted attention from other dimensional travelers who covet their technology and will kill anyone to control it, a threat that culminates in a nuclear standoff for dominance throughout the multiverse.

The International Security for Technological Innovations, a federal agency tasked with finding unsanctioned and unethical technologies that pose a threat to global safety, hires Ten to track down the scientists behind the creation and weaponization of chimpanzee human hybrids. His friend Maria, upon learning of the human trafficking involved, sets out to help Ten put a stop to the horrible hybrid production—and save the lives of innocent victims from these vile experiments.

A duke dies and his evil brother usurps his throne. Who do you call? In master world builder Ru Emerson’s spellbinding Night-Threads fantasy series, the rightful heir summons a warrior, a shape-shifter, and a sorceress from Earth. But not just anywhere on Earth—California! And if you do not think this trio has what it takes to harness the power of Night-Threads, you do not know your Marina Del Rey from your Santa Rosa. The problem is, they are afraid to use their powers. These three have been chosen to fight in a dangerous battle of unbelievable magic—a magic they must believe in... or die.