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: Countdown by Fiction River

The relentless ticking of a clock as time slips away marks the breathless pace of these remarkable stories. In Fiction River's third edition of its Pulse Pounders series, these sixteen authors push the envelope of the thriller form. From a man desperately searching for his missing little girl to a chef racing to finish a cooking competition to an airship captain facing a deadly adversary, these stories will keep your pulse racing until the very end.

Table of Contents
"Payback is a Bitch" by Diana Deverell
"Death-Blind" by Robert Jeschonek
"The Airship Adventures of Captain Jane Fury" by Anthea Sharp
"Fifteen Men on a Dead Man's Chest" by Henry Martin
"The Tomb of Arisel" by Bonnie Elizabeth
"Goodnight, Madison" by Lisa Silverthorne
"Romancing the Puffin" by Louisa Swann
"Dominant Species" by Dayle A. Dermatis
"Three Seconds" by T. Thorn Coyle
"Blood Chase" by Leah Cutter
"Caterpillar Boot Man" by Valerie Brook
"The Case of the Dead Son" by Laura Ware
"Breakfast at Luigi's" by Thea Hutcheson
"Black Phantom, Gray Op" by Stefon Mears
"The Last Ramekin" by Liz Pierce
"The Princess, the Huntsman and the Monster" by Erik Lynd

 

REVIEWS

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

    – Publishers Weekly on Fiction River: Pulse Pounders
  • "...this selection of tales is fast-paced and explosive. It's like a rollercoaster ride of thrills and excitement."

    – Tangent Online on Fiction River: Pulse Pounders: Countdown
 

BOOK PREVIEW

Excerpt

Introduction

The Ticking Clock

Tick. Tick. Tick.

Time is running out.

Sometimes it feels as if life is like a nuclear reactor overheating, a race car with a stuck pedal, accelerating out of control. Your "To Read" stack grows higher and higher, while your reading time decreases each week. Too many responsibilities. Too many distractions. Too little quiet time.

Tick. Tock.

Who has time to spend hours in an afternoon slowly sinking in to the languidly paced prose of an author who feels he has all the time in the world to engage your interest? For a reader who has all the time in the world and nothing better to do?

Tick. Tock.

In a fast-paced world, you want a story that grabs you from the beginning, stomps on the accelerator, and hits sixty miles an hour in two paragraphs or less. You want a ride in a super-sonic jet, not a casual Sunday bicycle ride around the park.

Tick. Tock.

These stories cut to the chase. The concept of a "pulse pounder" is a story that starts with a bang, ends with a bang, and has plenty of bang in between. It's a death-defying rollercoaster, not a kiddy storybook ride.

When I selected these stories I had no requirements nor preconceptions of genre. I didn't care if they were science fiction, mysteries, westerns, fantasies, thrillers, or even comedies. They just had to be exciting. Pulse pounding.

Do you feel your heart racing yet? Time is running out. You've got stories to read.

Tick. Tock. …

Kevin J. Anderson
Monument, Colorado
January 3, 2018