Ancient Short Stories

In the dark corners of Japan's ancient past, five stories echo with blood, betrayal, ghosts, and honor. These are not just tales—they are warnings whispered by time itself. Here, the line between life and death blurs, and those who break the code of loyalty often pay with their souls. In this gripping anthology, you will find stories filled with: Samurai vengeance, cursed spirits, legendary battles, unshakable loyalty, and the wrath of the forgotten. Included in this collection: The Divine Wind A mighty empire sets sail to conquer Japan, but nature has its own plans. Witness the storms ...

What if a handful of simple Zen-rooted fables could reshape the way you think, act, and live in under five minutes a day? Ever catch yourself replaying the same limiting thoughts on autopilot? Struggle to find calm when your mind races from one worry to the next? Wish you could tap into ancient wisdom without hours of chanting or retreat? In Short Stories for Adults - Think Again, Manoj Chenthamarakshan distills over a decade of NLP coaching and mindfulness practice into 33 ageless parables drawn from villages in India, China, Zen monasteries, and beyond. Each fable is paired with a concise...

5 SHORT STORY GEMS is a compendium of short stories written by New Zealand author Lance Morcan and published by Sterling Gate Books in 2019/2020. The stories, which have also been released as standalone Kindle ebooks, are aimed at lovers of thrillers, adventure, romance and historical fiction. Details follow… ONCE WERE BROTHERS – Life will never be the same for young Benjamin Thomas after disaffected Maoris abduct his identical twin brother in this moving short story adventure set in Nineteenth Century New Zealand. Mr. 100% – When New York defense lawyer Madison ‘Mr. 100%’ Harley ...

Where the Shadows Feed: Short Tales of Horror - Volume I Are you brave enough to confront the darkness that lurks within? Joe Ippolito invites you on a chilling descent into the macabre with Where the Shadows Feed, a collection of short horror stories that will haunt your dreams. More than just jump scares, these tales delve into the psychological landscapes of fear, exploring the lingering echoes of trauma, the corrosive power of guilt, and the terrifying realization that we are not always in control of our own destinies. From the depths of the Amazonian jungle, where a research expedition...

Many stories have stood the test of time, but this selection have entranced audiences for thousands of years and remain as fresh today as they were when first told. A fascinating collection which gives vivid insights into lives in ancient times and the issues that occupied the people of the day.

A Captivating Short Story Inspired by Innuit Legend and The Modern Day Plight of The Polar Bear. Journey into a world where an ancient spirit walks among mortals, and the balance of nature hangs by a delicate thread. Immerse yourself in a mesmerizing narrative that weaves together the captivating stories of Nanuk, the Polar Bear Shapeshifter Goddess, and the clash of cultures in the icy realms of Greenland. Witness the legacy of a young Inuit hunter chosen by destiny, the intricate magic of totems holding ancestral power, and the plight of the Arctic bears facing extinction at the hands of ...

Pompeii was a lively resort flourishing in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius at the height of the Roman Empire. When Vesuvius erupted in an explosion of flame and ash, the entire town would be destroyed. Some of its citizens died in the chaos, some escaped the mountain’s wrath . . . and these are their stories. Six authors bring to life overlapping stories of patricians and slaves, warriors and politicians, villains and heroes who cross each other’s paths during Pompeii’s fiery end. But who will escape, and who will be buried for eternity?

Britannia: land of mist and magic clinging to the western edge of the Roman Empire. A red-haired queen named Boudica led her people in a desperate rebellion against the might of Rome, an epic struggle destined to consume heroes and cowards, young and old, Roman and Briton . . . and these are their stories.

Horror and the supernatural are the background of Bierce's short stories. His style is marked by vivid description, grim situations, and sardonic twists of fate. In terms of technique, he was far ahead of his time and his short stories are among the very best in American literature.

An ancient tomb. A deadly secret. A brotherhood that kills to protect it. When professional treasure hunter Porter Pursley receives an urgent call from his archaeologist friend George Jackson, he drops everything to fly to the Egyptian desert. The team has discovered the tomb of Bek-rah, a master sculptor from the nineteenth dynasty—but the magnificent chamber is completely empty. Porter specializes in solving the puzzles that technology can't crack, reading the minds of ancient architects who built elaborate deceptions to protect their greatest treasures. But as he investigates the ...

A fearless adventurer. A cursed guardian. A fate sealed by an ancient relic. Serafina Altamirano has spent her life chasing lost treasures, but nothing prepares her for the Eclipsed Relic, a mysterious artifact hidden deep within an overgrown jungle city. As she steps into the ruins’ central plaza, she encounters a breathtakingly powerful creature—a Chimera, part lion, part serpent, and entirely mesmerizing. The Chimera, bound by an ancient curse, challenges Serafina’s presence but soon becomes her guide through the deadly ruins. He warns her of the relic’s enchantments, but when ...

Four novella-length stories written to illuminate Lindsey Davis's unparalleled output of the last 30 years, with an introduction written and narrated by the author.

In this action-romance short story, dashing Greek gladiator Leonidas promises his true love he’ll buy her freedom if he wins his own in the Colosseum of Ancient Rome. First he must defeat an opponent he knows he cannot kill. The year is 83AD and it’s nine years since Roman soldiers killed a young Leonidas’s family in their farmhouse outside Athens and consigned him to the life of a gladiator at Ludus Magnus, one of the biggest and best ludi gladiatori, or gladiator schools, in Rome. Since then, he remains undefeated after twenty-five fights and has risen to the top of the gladiator ...

Troy: city of gold, gatekeeper of the east, haven of the god-born and the lucky, a city destined to last a thousand years. But the Fates have other plans—the Fates, and a woman named Helen. In the shadow of Troy's gates, all must be reborn in the greatest war of the ancient world: slaves and queens, heroes and cowards, seers and kings . . . and these are their stories.

This reissue of the 1919 classic combines the immortal stories from Homer's Iliad and Odyssey into one glorious saga of heroism and magical adventure. Beloved by generations, Padraic Colum's masterful retelling of these epic adventures is remarkably fresh, consistently spellbinding, and unmatched for its richness and poetry.

The Weight of Silence: A Tale from Jericho A gripping biblical fiction novel of faith, betrayal, and redemption What happens when silence weighs more than sin? In the aftermath of Jericho’s miraculous fall, Israel celebrates a victory delivered by God Himself. But within the joy, one man’s secret threatens to unravel everything. The Weight of Silence is a powerful Old Testament fiction retelling the story of Achan’s disobedience—through the eyes of his closest friend.A Story of Faith and Consequences Nathan, a craftsman from the tribe of Judah, shares an unbreakable bond with Achan,...

It’s business as usual on the set of another cheap sword-and-sandal production by Pharos Pictures—until the lead actress suddenly falls into a deep, mysterious sleep. Jordan Harper can talk down high-strung starlets and knock sense into stuntmen, but this…this is the kind of uncanny problem that he’d usually bring to Mrs. Hope. Unfortunately, the preternaturally capable secretary is on a business trip with the studio head. Harper must get to the bottom of the mystery on his own before another cast member succumbs—or worse, they blow the budget.

In "Presence in Prague", Father Thomas O’Neill is enjoying a solitary evening in his top-floor apartment in Rome when he receives a troubling call from a Cardinal at the Vatican. There's a crisis at St. Bede's College in Prague involving disturbing supernatural phenomena—grotesque manifestations, eerie sounds, and a series of incapacitated priests. As reports reveal walls screaming and strange writing appearing in ancient catacombs, the church's usual methods have failed, necessitating Thomas's unusual expertise in confronting genuine evil. Recalling his own past encounters with ...

In this follow-up volume to Big in Heaven, stories of life at St. Alexander the Whirling Dervish parish continue. Gather with the boys at Shooky's Taproom, or hang out in the church hall with the Teuta Ladies Baking Society, and catch up on all the gossip about Father Naum and his friends and parishioners, as their lives unfold in struggles, hope, temptations, faith, and love. You'll come away seeing your own life and those around you with new, more compassionate eyes.

From Sunday Times best-selling author Ben Kane comes a collection of short stories.