Fiction River is an original anthology series. Initially, based on the anthology series of old—Universe, Orbit, Pulphouse—Fiction River rapidly evolved into its own entity. Fiction River publishes stories in many genres from all kinds of writers, with New York Times bestselling authors published alongside some of the best new voices in fiction. Fiction River also goes where no anthology series has gone before, with regular audio editions, produced in-house, and ebook and trade paperback volumes that never go out of print. And Fiction River is available in English worldwide.

Pulse Pounders: Adrenaline by Fiction River

Adrenaline. Ranging from straight thriller to science fiction and fantasy to mainstream crime, these fifteen stories promise to make your pulse pound. Join an ex-president as he tries to escape the mother of all assassination attempts, a heroine on a mission straight from Hell, and a story of war so powerful it will burn into the memory. Strap in and find out why Adventures Fantastic says Fiction River "is one of the best and most exciting publications in the field today."

Table of Contents
“The Wrong Side of the Tracks” by Kelly Washington
“The Ex” by Michael Kowal
“The Demon from Hell Walks into a Speakeasy” by Ron Collins
“Blood Storm” by Bob Sojka
“So Many Ways to Die” by Dayle A. Dermatis
“Egg Thief” by Debbie Mumford
“Dust to Dust” by Annie Reed
“O’Casey’s War” by Patrick O’Sullivan
“Looting Dirt” by David Stier
“The Mark of Blackfriar Street” by Scott T. Barnes
“Death in the Serengeti” by David H. Hendrickson
“Rude Awakening” by Kevin J. Anderson
“Cleaning up the Neighborhood” by Dæmon Crowe
“Redline” by Travis Heermann
“L.I.V.E.” by Eric Kent Edstrom

CURATOR'S NOTE

PULSE POUNDERS is one of the most basic books in this bundle. I edited this anthology for WMG, and my only requirement—regardless of genre—was for a story that was fast-paced, exciting, and entertaining. – Kevin J. Anderson

 

REVIEWS

  • "[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 Fiction River series is a wonderful mind-expanding read, and the Volume 8 Universe Between collection is a great place to start!"

    – Astro Guyz

  • "… fans of the unconventional will be well satisfied."

    – Publishers Weekly on Fiction River: Pulse Pounders
 

BOOK PREVIEW

Excerpt

Introduction

FASTER THAN A SPEEDING…

KEVIN J. ANDERSON

I am not genre monogamous.

Some people like to read only mysteries, or only romance, or only science fiction. I like to read good fiction, good stories with interesting characters who do something interesting. No "slice-of-life navel-contemplating snapshots of the human condition" that win awards but nothing happens.

I want something exciting.

When I was a young student in a creative writing class at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, I kept submitting my stories about space plagues, dragon-slaying expeditions, or ghost stories with an ironic twist. The stuff I thought people would want to read.

I had grown up in a small town and still lived at home with my parents while I went to college, driving half an hour each day to get to class. My teacher, exasperated with all this genre fiction I kept handing in, finally said, "Anderson, why don't you write about something you know about? Tell us a story about a young man from a small town who commutes to college and wants to be a writer?"

I looked at him in disbelief. "Why on earth would anyone want to read that? That's my boring life. When I read fiction, I want to take part in a great adventure. I want to be thrilled."

That was—and continues to be—my motto. (I did get a decent grade in the course, even though I never delivered what the professor considered a true "creative writing class story.")

I hope to deliver thrilling stories to you in this anthology. The only criterion I gave the authors was that the story had to be exciting. I didn't care what genre: It could be science fiction, fantasy, mainstream—heck, it could even be a romance thriller, so long as it was good.

I read all the stories equally and selected the ones that made my pulse pound the most. In Pulse Pounders: Adrenaline, you'll find an excellent mix of science fiction, fantasy, mystery, edgy mainstream, urban fantasy, even outright comedy. Some are just plain entertaining; others are highly disturbing; some are thought provoking; some are potboilers.

As editor, I put them in the order that gives the best reading experience with the widest variety. You can read them in any order you like.

My one suggestion is that you not read them in bed before trying to go to sleep. You might have a hard time dozing off.

—Kevin J. Anderson
Monument, CO
June 14, 2015