Search Worlds Without End

Today's finest fantasy authors have delivered fourteen tales that run the gamut from humorous to serious, fantasy to science fiction. Certain to appeal to role-playing gamers, fantasy lovers, and megalomaniacs who want to rule the world.

Table of Contents:

• ix - Introduction (If I Were an Evil Overlord) - essay by Russell Davis
• 1 - If Looks Could Kill - novelette by Esther M. Friesner
• 27 - The Man Who Would Be Overlord - novelette by David Bischoff
• 52 - Ensuring the Succession - novelette by Jody Lynn Nye
• 78 - The Life & Death of Fortune Cookie Tyrant - short story by Dean Wesley Smith
• 96 - Daddy's Little Girl - novelette by Jim C. Hines
• 118 - Gordie Culligan vs. Dr. Longbeach & the HVAC of Doom - novelette by J. Steven York
• 140 - The Sins of the Sons - novelette by Fiona Patton
• 165 - Loser Takes All - novelette by Donald J. Bingle
• 186 - The Next Level - short story by David Niall Wilson
• 205 - Advisors at Naptime - short story by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
• 222 - A Woman's Work ... - novelette by Tanya Huff
• 245 - To Sit in Darkness Here, Hatching Vain Empires - novelette by Steven A. Roman
• 269 - Stronger Than Fate - short story by John Helfers
• 285 - Art Therapy - novelette by Nina Kiriki Hoffman

George Corson is on a secret mission which, if it comes off, will bring victory to Earth in its long smoldering war with the bird-like inhabitants of the planet Uria. Central to the scheme is a wild pegasone, the most deadly beast in the known universe, that is just about to bear its horde of young which between them could quickly lay waste to an entire planet. But what Corson takes to be a strange accident transporting him 6000 years into the future proves to be nothing of the kind, and he soon finds himself used as a pawn in a cosmic game played by beings as close to gods as any may dare imagine.

It's not fair. Kim's always lived in the shadow of his younger sister, Eila -- which is not how it's supposed to be. Eila is a prodigy, and everyone talks about how smart she is... but, in Kim's eyes, she has no common sense.

One day Kim and Eila are walking in the woods, and Eila finds an enigmatic, otherworldly object. Kim thinks it's bad news... but Eila begins to commune with it. Kim has every reason to be worried, because soon Eila is able to control the minds of everyone around her... in ways she says is the best for everyone.

Kim's problem-solving must go into high gear. He has to not only save his sister, but save the world from his sister and the forces she's unleashed.

This short story originally appeared in Lightspeed, August 2010. It can also be found in the anthologies Year's Best SF 16 (2011), edited by Kathryn Cramer and David G. Hartwell, Lightspeed: Year One (2011), edited by John Joseph Adams, and Twenty-First Century Science Fiction (2013), edited by David G. Hartwell and Patrick Nielsen Hayden. It is included in the collection Ventriloquism (2010).

Read the full story for free at Lightspeed.

The Man Who Mastered Time

It took what seemed but half a day's traveling to traverse the 28,000 years that separated Loto Rogers from the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. He had expected to find mighty cities and a flowering civilization in that future world, but instead he found only ice and snow--and Azeela.

Overlords From Space

Beware the planet-wreckers! The regime of the Zarles had turned Earth into Hell. Possessing strange unearthly perception, weapons of cosmic destruction, and motivated by an inhuman cruelty, these overlords from space had enslaved the Earth in a feudal terror. Then, one day, Jeff Gambrell, a human slave, defied his particular tyrant once too often and found himself facing the impossible challenge - how to escape. It had been done before, therefore he knew what had always seemed impossible was not...

Jeff's life and death struggle against the fiendish cunning of the Zarlesis is set against a startling background of unleashed interplanetary fury. Joseph E. Kelleam's new novel explores the frightening depths of man's inventive powers with brilliant detail and breath-taking power.

For twelve years, the virtual world of Yggdrasil has served as the playground and battlefield for the skeletal lord Momonga and his guild of fellow monsters, Ainz Ooal Gown. But the guild's glory days are over, and the game is shutting down permanently. When Momonga logs in one last time just to be there when the servers go dark, something happens--and suddenly, fantasy is reality. A rogues' gallery of fanatically devoted NPCs is ready to obey his every order, but the world Momonga now inhabits is not the one he remembers. The game may be over, but the epic tale of Ainz Ooal Gown is only beginning...

It has been a week since Momonga logged in to his favorite RPG one last time and stranded himself there. Now he leads his guild as the Ainz Ooal Gown overlord. Finding himself in dire need of better information, he travels disguised as an adventurer to the walled city of E-Rantel, with Narberal the battle maid at his side. The pair accept a mission to retrieve medicinal herbs, making for a forest said to be the home of a great and wise beast. But the sinister influence of a fanatical cabal approaches E-Rantel, and the armor-clad Ainz will face both a ruthless warrior and a legion of the undead!

Lord Ainz has made great progress moonlighting as the indomitable hero Momon, but what should be a moment of triumph is shattered--by news of rebellion. He vows to find out what has happened and to defend the honor of his guild and home--Ainz Ooal Gown.

One day, in a peaceful lizardman village, an ominous messenger visits with a warning from the Great Tomb of Nazarick: In eight days' time, they will be annihilated. Unwilling to stand by and wait, the fighter and traveler Zaryusu journeys to the other lizardman tribes--who have received the same message--hoping to form an alliance against their impossibly strong opponent. But though the warriors try valiantly to resist, Ainz Ooal Gown and his undead army hold the power to determine their fate...

In the kingdom of Re-Estize, a sinister organization known as the Eight Fingers holds sway of the criminal underworld. Ainzs orders Sebas to infiltrate the capital to gather intel on this shadowy group sucking the marrow from the kingdom's bones. At the same time, a young soldier named Climb struggles to hone his skills to better serve the "Golden Princess" while the once great warrior Brian returns home a broken man... Against the backdrop of an ancient city fraying at its edges, three men will challenge the corruption of the vicious Eight Fingers!

After weathering several setbacks and attacks, the Eight Fingers criminal organization is not about to simply sit back and watch quietly. To retaliate, they've dispatched the infamously brutal enforcers, the Six Arms. Rushing out to meet them in battle is the adamantite-rank adventurer party, the Blue Roses, led by Lakyus herself.

A group of "workers" whose better judgement has been clouded by hopes and expectations have descended into the unknown depths of a mysterious tomb.

These trespassers include the small but elite team Foresight, the storied warriors of Heavy Masher, the crew lead by a legendary elder worker, Green Leaf, and the invincible swordsmen of Angel.

They are some of the best that can be hired, but as more and more vengeful residents of Nazarrick appear, will any make it out alive?

After being saved from danger by Ainz, Enri and the apothecary Nfirea have been living life to the fullest as they spend their days together in Carne Village alongside their goblin-guard neighbors. But after the Wise King of the Forest left the region, the balance of the forest has been disrupted and something has filled the vacuum of power...

Every year, a conflict breaks out between the Kingdom and the Empire that usually ends as nothing more than a stalemate. But when the Empire's ruler, the Fresh Blood Emperor Jircniv, visits the Great Tomb of Nazarick, Ainz will enter the fray, turning the border skirmish into an all-out war!

After establishing the Kingdom of Darkness, Ainz is determined to turn it into a utopia-a place where many races and creatures can all enjoy unending prosperity. His first step toward his ultimate goal is the expansion of the Adventurers Guild and training of adventurers themselves, which leads him to pay a visit to the Empire! Elsewhere, the regional leaders have been unsettled by the sudden appearance of the Kingdom of Darkness and are quickly plotting their own ways to deal with the upstart nation... Ainz's first actions as ruler of an immortal kingdom have only just begun!

In search of the lost art of rune crafting, Ainz journeys to the land of the dwarves. Accompanied by Aura and Shalltear, he arrives only to find that the Dwarven Kingdom is beset by an invasion run by someone besides himself! He soon strikes a deal to obtain the secrets behind the making of runes in return for assisting the natives in reclaiming their capital, but it may not be so easy when a legendary frost dragon stands in his way!

The heinous demon lord Jaldabaoth has launched his attack on the Sacred Kingdom, bringing its people to their knees. In such dire times, they have little choice but to turn to the Nation of Darkness, even if its ruler is an undead, the mortal enemy of all living beings!

The Sacred Kingdom is surrounded on all sides. As the army of feral creatures closes in, the country's strongest paladin Remedios leads her exhausted troops in a valiant defense. It will not be enough to save them. Their only chance of survival is to place all their bets on the King of Darkness-Ainz Ooal Gown!

A caravan flying the flag of the Nation of Darkness has been attacked by a noble who hails from the Re-Estize Kingdom. Coincidence...or conspiracy? Either way, Nazarick interprets this as an act of brazen hostility and readies for war! The people of the kingdom, still reeling from the disastrous battle at Katze Plain, reluctantly prepare themselves for another bloody day. When a ruthless campaign of extermination begins sweeping through the entire country, and near-certain doom looms over them all, every single living being within the kingdom's borders must decide for themselves how to weather the storm that is Ainz Ooal Gown!

The Nation of Darkness continues to expand its territory, and in preparation for a potential looming war, the Slane Theocracy plans to overthrow the elven king. Unaware of this plot, Ainz heads to country of elves for vacation with Aura and Mare in hopes of helping them make new friends only to get caught in the political crossfire!

Who knew making friends could be this hard?

Ainz and Mare have donned disguises and joined Aura in the dark elf village, where things aren't exactly going according to plan.The villagers have no idea how they should interact with these extraordinary visitors, and it looks like finding some friends for the twins is going to be a lot tougher than expected. Meanwhile, the Theocracy's invasion finally knocks on the doors of the elf capital, prompting Ainz to make his move even as some ofthis world's most powerful figures pursue their own interests in the besieged city...

Young gamer Shuutarou is among the lucky few chosen to playtest Eternity, the latest VRMMORPG, and he wastes no time in activating his unique dungeon creation skill... at the exact moment when the game glitches out! Now he and his fellow playtesters are trapped, and their very lives are at stake. Shuutarou happens to end up in the one area that has yet to be patched into the game: the final-boss lair where the six Evil Overlords lurk. They promptly declare him their master--and with Eternity's strongest baddies on his team, Shuutarou is up for any adventures this new life will throw at him!

IT'S TIME FOR A CHANGE!

Shuutarou and his Evil Overlord pals made it out of Ross Maora Castle, but a spirit barrier is keeping them and the rest of Eternity's players from entering a certain area. In order to progress in this game world, Shuutarou decides to switch character classes... from a swordfighter to a summoner! This way, he can call upon his six Evil Overlords whenever he wants. But being a summoner comes with its own caveats: He can bring only one Overlord with him at a time! Which of his six faithful boss minions will he pick?!