Search Worlds Without End

A series of essays and reviews on and of genre fiction by Michael Chabon.

Winner of the 2010 Bram Stoker Award for Best Anthology!

Darkly thrilling, these twenty new ghost stories have all the chills and power of traditional ghost stories, but each tale is a unique retelling of an urban legend from the world over.

Multiple award-winning editor Ellen Datlow and award-nominated author and editor Nick Mamatas recruited Jeffrey Ford, Ramsey Campbell, Joe R. Lansdale, Caitlin Kiernan, Catherynne M. Valente, Kit Reed, Ekaterina Sedia, and thirteen other fine writers to create stories unlike any they've written before. Tales to make readers shiver with fear, jump at noises in the night, keep the lights on.

These twenty nightmares, brought together by two renowned editors of the dark fantastic, are delightful visions sure to send shivers down the spines of horror readers.

Table of Contents:

• Saying Boo: Why We Like Ghost Stories - essay by Nick Mamatas
• Knickerbocker Holiday - shortstory by Richard Bowes
• That Girl - shortfiction by Kaaron Warren
• Akbar - shortstory by Kit Reed
• The Spring Heel - shortfiction by Steven Pirie
• As Red as Red - shortstory by Caitlín R. Kiernan
• Tin Cans - shortstory by Ekaterina Sedia
• Shoebox Train Wreck - shortfiction by John Mantooth
• Fifteen Panels Depicting the Sadness of the Baku and the Jotai - shortfiction by Catherynne M. Valente
• La Llorona - shortfiction by Carolyn Turgeon
• Face Like a Monkey - shortfiction by Carrie Laben
• Down Atsion Road - shortstory by Jeffrey Ford
• Return to Mariabronn - shortfiction by Gary A. Braunbeck
• Following Double-Face Woman - shortfiction by Erzebet YellowBoy
• Oaks Park - shortfiction by M. K. Hobson
• For Those in Peril on the Sea - shortfiction by Stephen Dedman
• The Foxes - shortfiction by Lily Hoang
• The Redfield Girls - shortfiction by Laird Barron
• Between Heaven and Hull - shortfiction by Pat Cadigan
• Chucky Comes to Liverpool - shortfiction by Ramsey Campbell
• The Folding Man - shortfiction by Joe R. Lansdale

Fabian's success and popularity as an artist came with his graceful fantasy book and magazine illustrations of the 1970s and 1980s, depicting the work of H. P. Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard, Jack Vance, and many others. He also contributed interior and cover art to such magazines as Galaxy, If, Amazing Stories, and Fantastic. Introduction by Gerry de la Ree.

A spectacular collection of fantasy art, assembling the best of Fabian's book and magazine illustrations. The first collection of the fantasy artist's drawings. The book contains over 140 of Fabian's science fiction & fantasy illustrations (all in B&W, even those that originally appeared in colour) . Fabian has a very interesting style which works very well in black & white, especially his use of tones.

This collection is not recommended for those offended by scantily-clad women (there are a few scattered throughout the book).

Table of Contents:

• Stephen E. Fabian's Ladies & Legends - interior artwork
• Stephen E. Fabian's Ladies and Legends (frontispiece) - interior artwork (variant of Morreion: A Tale of the Dying Earth [7] 1979)
  - Introduction (Stephen E. Fabian's Ladies and Legends) - essay by Gerry de la Ree
• The Dragon of the Ishtar Gate by L. Sprague de Camp - (1982) - interior artwork (variant of Cover: The Dragon of the Ishtar Gate)
• Fantasy Illustration - interior artwork
• Fantasy Illustration [2] - interior artwork
• Bellerophon - interior artwork
• Fantasy Illustration [3] - interior artwork
• Among those whom Vermoulian had called forth was a graceful Mersei - (1984) - interior artwork (variant of Among those whom Vermoulian had called forth was the graceful Mersei)
• One day at idle whim Rhialto built a sand-castle on the beach - (1984) - interior artwork
• I come in Lord Asteroth's stead," boomed the awful voice - interior artwork (variant of Upon Entering the World 1977)
• His other arm was raised high, ax in hand - interior artwork (variant of Among the Vikings 1977)
• Price's fist crashed against Ali's jaw - interior artwork (variant of Price's Fist Crashed Against Ali's Jaw 1978)
• Malikar leapt into the tomb - interior artwork
• The battle in the garden - interior artwork (variant of The Battle in the Garden 1987)
• The castle of Sir Sagramour - interior artwork (variant of The Castle of Sir Sagramour 1987)
• The seventeen virgins - interior artwork (variant of Cover: The Seventeen Virgins 1979)
• The Rat Cave - (1979) - interior artwork
• The Iron Coach - interior artwork
• The Incantation - interior artwork
• You must reach into the pot, thoroughly stir the chips, and bring forth one - (1984) - interior artwork (variant of you must reach into the pot, thoroughly stir the chips, and bring forth one)
• The semblance of Calanctus took form on the worktable - interior artwork (variant of The semblance of Calanctus too form on the worktable: first an armature of silver and tantalum wires 1984)
• A hairy, black horror swung past him with a clashing of frothing fangs - interior artwork (variant of "He had a flashing glimpse of a hairy, black horror that swung past him with a clashing of frothing fangs." 1977)
• Red Sonya (from "The Shadow of the Vulture" by Robert E. Howard) - interior artwork (variant of Red Sonya from "The Shadow of the Vulture" 1976)
• Like a true queen she lay, with her plunder heaped high about her - interior artwork (variant of "Like a true queen she lay, with her plunder heaped high about her." 1976)
• Duare (from "Pirates of Venus" by E. R. Burroughs) - interior artwork (variant of Duare from "Pirates of Venus" 1976)
• from "A Letter from God" by Ian Watson - interior artwork (variant of A Letter from God 1981)
• He uncovered twelve men and five women ... - interior artwork (variant of He uncovered twelve men and five women 1980)
• Four or five of the prospects and initiates were begging for their lives - interior artwork (variant of Carnifex Mardi Gras [6] 1982)
• from "Carnifex Mardi Gras" by John F. Carr - interior artwork (variant of Cover: Carnifex Mardi Gras 1982)
• He pointed his finger; a flicker of emotion spurted forth to shatter a boulder - interior artwork (variant of Morreion: A Tale of the Dying Earth [20] 1979)
• He cast a spell of bouyancy upon the palace - interior artwork (variant of Morreion: A Tale of the Dying Earth [8] 1979)
• Zaraide's Dwelling - interior artwork (variant of Zaraides' Dwelling 1977)
• The Laughing Magician's Manse - (1979) - interior artwork
• Price saw it was a bleached human skull - interior artwork (variant of Price Saw It Was a Bleached Human Skull 1978)
• Price rode down into the wadi - interior artwork (variant of Price Rode Down into the Wadi 1978)
• Vekya - interior artwork
• She wrapped the cloak about his shoulders - interior artwork (variant of She Wrapped the Cloak About His Shoulders 1978)
• They seemed like creatures trained to hide and hunt - interior artwork (variant of The Pedlar of Pendle 1980)
• A fleeting glimpse showed the giant tawny shape, rearing upright against the stars... - interior artwork (variant of "A fleeting glimpse showed the Cimmerian the giant tawny shape, rearing upright against the stars... " 1977)
• Flowers were tangled in her hair - interior artwork (variant of Into the Dark Land 1981)
• Ephemeral towers and embattlements and gates flickered like mirages in a desert. - interior artwork (variant of The Riddle of the Horn 1981)
• from "Born to Exile" by Phyllis Eisenstein - interior artwork (variant of Born to Exile (frontispiece) 1978)
• from "Alien Flesh" by Seabury Quinn - interior artwork (variant of Alien Flesh (frontispiece) 1977)
• The ghostly city - interior artwork (variant of The Ghostly City 1977)
• "What intricate effort is this?" - interior artwork
• "They wanted me, oh how they wanted me." - interior artwork (variant of Scape-Goats 1988)
• "Once every generation or so, the desert spat out its demons." - interior artwork (variant of The Skins of the Fathers 1988)
• The "Return of the Sea-Farer" by Robert E. Howard - interior artwork (variant of The Return of the Sea-Farer 1978)
• He scooped the mermaid up before she even had time to bite. - interior artwork (variant of The Jennifer 1990)
• from "Locksley Hall-2025 A. D." by G. H. Stine - interior artwork (variant of Locksley Hall, 2050 AD: Prologue to "The Space Enterprise" 1980)
• The Missionaries - interior artwork (variant of Cover: Science Fiction Review, Summer 1981 1981)
• The Demon Encounter - (1979) - interior artwork
• On closer inspection Cugel saw a prodigious mound of gelatinous flesh - interior artwork (variant of The Bagful of Dreams 1979) from "The Compleat Crow" by Brian Lumley - interior artwork

A popular Celtic fantasy writer brings the rich flavor of legend-based stories to a contemporary tale. While developing a Celtic theme park in Ireland, Michael Kean encounters a beautiful, otherworldly woman who manages to stow away on his return flight to New York. The trouble begins when a trio of Celtic protectors follows her, determined to save her from a fate she desires--and bound to relive an ancient battle on the streets of Manhattan.

Award-winning science-fiction mastermind Kenneth Johnson blends epic adventure, romance, and evocative drama into an intense supernatural thriller rooted in one of the great untold legends of human history.

New York City, New Year's weekend, 2001. Jillian Guthrie, a troubled young journalist, stumbles onto a tantalizing mystery: the same man, unaged, stands alongside Ulysses S. Grant, Theodore Roosevelt, and Gandhi in three different photographs spanning eighty-five years of history.

In another part of town, Will--an enigmatic thirty-three-year-old of immense charm, wit, and intelligence--looks forward to the new year with hope and trepidation. Haunted by his secret past and shadowed by a dangerous stranger, he finds himself the object of an intense manhunt spearheaded by an ambitious Vatican emissary and an elderly former UN envoy named Hanna.

During the next forty-eight hours, a catastrophic event unites Will, Jillian, and Hanna--and puts them in the crosshairs of a centuries-old international conspiracy. Together, the three must unravel an ancient curse that stretches back two millennia and beyond, and face a primal evil that threatens their lives and thousands more.

Table of Contents:

• 1 - Out of the Past: Myths, Legends, and True History - essay
• 5 - The River of Air, the Ocean of Sky - (1988) - short story
• 31 - The Tale of the Fish Who Loved a Bird - (1991) - short fiction
• 37 - Realm of the Senses - (1990) - short story
• 41 - One Big Wish - (1991) - short story
• 45 - Present: The Branching of a Fractal Tree - (1991) - essay
• 47 - Projects - (1990) - short story
• 65 - Vacuum States - (1988) - short story
• 75 - True Confessions - (1989) - short story
• 85 - In the Future: We Will All Be Legends - (1991) - essay
• 89 - Sundancer Falling - (1989) - short story
• 107 - To Live in Hell - (1987) - poem
• 109 - A Long Time Dying (A Love Story in Twelve Cantos) - (1991) - short story (variant of A Long Time Dying)

In the bleak northlands, Grimnir, the living god of the plundering Vanir, is leading his hordes across Cimmeria. Tales of Grimnir's fury spread as refugees scatter throughout the land to escape his wrath.

In the village of Gaud, the young warrior Kern, the "Wolf-Eye," has been exiled, an outcast from clan and kin. It is he who is fated to confront the dreaded Grimnir. But as loyal friends and desperate fighters rally to his side, even Kern does not know whether he leads his people to deliverance, or certain death.

Kern "Wolf-Eye" and his Men of the Wolves continue their war against the Vanir raiders. But innocents are paying the price for the Wolves' actions as the Vanir pillage and burn one village after another.

Only by uniting the Cimmerian clans under one banner--and one army--will Kern be able to rid the land of the Vanir once and for all.

The army of Kern "Wolf-Eye" has been scattered, and as the dead are buried, the tribes gather to choose new leaders.

To prove his worth, Kern must seek out the House of Crom, where rests a weapon of legend that can kill any man, beast, or god. For in his heart he knows that not all glory lies on the battlefield, and that there is no sacrifice too great to sing one last song of victory.

In the Forest of the Dead, where the empire's worst criminals are exiled, twin sisters Moria and Ashyn are charged with a dangerous task. For they are the Keeper and the Seeker, and each year they must quiet the enraged souls of the damned.

Only this year, the souls will not be quieted.

Ambushed and separated by an ancient evil, the sisters' journey to find each other sends them far from the only home they've ever known. Accompanied by a stubborn imperial guard and a dashing condemned thief, the girls cross a once-empty wasteland, now filled with reawakened monsters of legend, as they travel to warn the emperor. But a terrible secret awaits them at court--one that will alter the balance of their world forever.

In this heart-stopping sequel to the New York Times best-selling Sea of Shadows, which Kirkus Reviews called "a standout", Ashyn and Moria must overcome deadly enemies - not all of them human - as they attempt to help avert a war for the empire. Blending fantasy, romance, danger, and action, Kelley Armstrong sends readers on a thrilling journey through an unforgettable world, perfect for fans of Graceling and Game of Thrones.

Sisters Moria and Ashyn are the Keeper and Seeker of Edgewood. Or at least they were. Their village is gone. Their friends have betrayed them. And now the emperor has sent them on a mission to rescue the captured children of Edgewood - accompanied by Prince Tyrus and a small band of imperial warriors. But the journey proves more perilous than any of them could have imagined. And with treachery and unrest mounting in the empire, the girls are running out of places to turn.

With all the pulse-pounding action and romance that have made her a number-one New York Times best-selling author, this second book in the Age of Legends trilogy will appeal to Kelley Armstrong's legions of fans around the world and win her many new ones.

Perfect for fans of Graceling and Game of Thrones, this is the breathtaking conclusion to the Age of Legends trilogy--from #1 New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong.

The empire rests on the edge of a knife, and sisters Ashyn and Moria are the handle and the blade. Desperate to outmaneuver the evil Alvar Kitsune, whose hold on the people grows stronger every day, Emperor Tatsu begs Moria to put aside past grievances and ally with Gavril--at least long enough to make an attempt on Alvar's life. Meanwhile, reunited with her long-lost grandfather, Ashyn discovers that she is the key to a ritual that could reawaken an ancient dragon and turn the tide of the coming battle in their favor.

But with lies and betrayal lurking around every corner, Ashyn and Moria will have to decide once and for all where their allegiances lie. And it may not be where their hearts would lead them....

In this third and final book in her epic and enchanting trilogy, #1 New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong blends fantasy, action, and romance to give readers the unforgettable ending they've been waiting for.

This book has also been published under the title Changer's Daughter.

In the emergent Nigerian city of Monamona, a scourge once eradicated has resurfaced--a terrible disease reintroduceed into the world by a fanatic who may or may not be athanor: Shopona, the one time God of Smallpox. Conquering Aferica withplague is only the first step in this madman's dream of power. There are those who oppose him, and they willneed the help of the shapeshifter Changer--Perhaps the Earth's oldest being-- to prevail.

But Changer has problems of his own: a wild daughter, Shahrazad--a free sperit, unchained and idomitable, testing the limits of her powers against new realities in a new world. And even the combined efforts of Athur, the Changer, and Shahrazad may notbe enough. For the fanatic master of diseaseis not only creature of legend who seeks to walk like a god among men.In the emergent Nigerian city of Monamona, a scourge once eradicated has resurfaced-a terrible disease reintroduced into the world by a fanatic who may or may not be athanor:Shopona, the onetime God of Smallpox, Conquering Africa with plague is only the first step in this madman's dream of power. There are those who oppose him, and they will need the help of the shapeshifter Changer-perhaps the Earth's oldest being-to prevail.

But Changer has problems of his own: a wild daughter, Shahrazad-a free spirit, unchained and indomitable, testing the limits of her powers against new realities in a new world. And even the combined efforts of Arthur, the Changer, and Shahrazad may not be enough. For the fanatic master of disease is not the only creature of legend who seeks to walk like a god among men.

Sequestered in the blackness of the dreaded Tower of High Sorcery in Palanthas, surrounded by nameless creatures of evil, Raistlin Majere weaves a plan to conquer the darkness--to bring it under his control.

Crysania, a beautiful and devoted cleric of Paladine, tries to use her faith to lead Raistlin from the darkness. She is blind to his shadowed designs, and he draws her slowly into his neatly woven trap.

Made aware of Raistlin's plan, a distraught Caramon travels back in time to the doomed city of Istar in the days before the Cataclysm. There, together with the ever-present kender Tasslehoff, Caramon will make his stand to save Raistlin's soul.

Or so he believes.

One hundred years have passed since the fiery Cataclysm that changed the face of Krynn forever. For one hundred years, the people of Krynn have struggled to survive. But for some, those one hundred years have passed in the blink of an eye.

Catapulted forward in time by Raistlin's powerful magic, Caramon and Crysania find themselves aiding the mage's unholy quest to master the Queen of Darkness. To his dismay, Raistlin discovers along the way that the annals of Time are not so easily bent to his will. Neither are the longings of his heart.

Defying the fate that claimed his evil predecessor, Raistlin opens the Portal to the Abyss and passes through. With Crysania at his side, he engages the Queen of Darkness in a battle for the ultimate prize--a seat among the gods.

At the same time, Caramon and Tasslehoff are transported to the future. There they come to understand the consequences of Raistlin's quest--and Caramon at last realizes the painful sacrifice he must make to prevent his brother's success. Old friends and strange allies come together to aid him, but Caramon must take the last, greatest step alone.

The step into the Abyss.

Vinas Solamnus.
Soldier, Nobleman, Priest.

Vinas Solamnus.
Rebel, Commander, Conqueror.

Vinas Solamnus.
Author of The Oath and the Measure and founder of the Solamnic Knights.

No knight was ever nobler, more spiritual, more idealistic than Vinas Solamnus... but he wasn't always that way. The story of his early years, his education, and his crucible is truly one of the most famous...

A Lost Gods Book

Emilo Haversack is unusually worried for a kender -- though he can't for the life of him remember what his problem is. Still, he's been wandering across Ansalon for quite some time, trying to remember what's wrong. All he can recall is the name of a very evil, very dead wizard... Fistandantilus.

Joined by a young kendermaid, a human lad, and a devout, if somewhat naive priest, Emilo is drawn into a mysterious quest. As he draws closer to the secret of his past, he and his friends find themselves caught in an increasingly sinister web of intrigue.

And as the conclusion of the adventure approaches, the companions learn that their pourpose is one that could catapult them from Krynn -- and forever change the destiny of the world they leave behind.

Older and wiser, the humans and nonhumans of Molt Brother now suffer the consequences of their actions. They have stirred the karma of their lifetimes lived billions of years ago - when they were responsible for the destruction of a Galactic Civilization, the First Lifewave. Now they must seize the object of power that corrupted them the first time - to keep it from the hands of an implacable enemy. Can they resist its lure and save the Second Lifewave?

Acclaimed writer and editor Robert Silverberg gathered eleven of the finest writers in Fantasy to contribute to this collection of short novels. Each of the writers was asked to write a new story based on one of his or her most famous series: from Stephen King's opening piece set in his popular Gunslinger universe to Robert Jordan's early look at his famed Wheel of Time saga, these stories are exceptionally well written and universally well told. The authors include King, Jordan, and Silverberg himself, as well as Terry and Lyn Pratchett, Terry Goodkind, Orson Scott Card, Ursula K. Le Guin, Tad Williams, George R.R. Martin, Anne McCaffrey, and Raymond E. Feist.

Table of Contents:

• Introduction (Legends) - essay by Robert Silverberg
• The Dark Tower - essay by Robert Silverberg
• The Little Sisters of Eluria - [Roland] - novella by Stephen King
• Discworld - essay by Robert Silverberg
• The Sea and Little Fishes - [Discworld] - novelette by Terry Pratchett
• The Sword of Truth - essay by Robert Silverberg
• Debt of Bones - [Sword of Truth Universe] - novella by Terry Goodkind
• Tales of Alvin Maker - essay by Robert Silverberg
• Grinning Man - [The Alvin Maker Saga] - novelette by Orson Scott Card
• Majipoor - essay by Robert Silverberg
• The Seventh Shrine - [Majipoor] - novella by Robert Silverberg
• Earthsea - essay by Robert Silverberg
• Dragonfly - [Earthsea Cycle] - novella by Ursula K. Le Guin
• Memory, Sorrow and Thorn - essay by Robert Silverberg
• The Burning Man - [Memory, Sorrow & Thorn] - novelette by Tad Williams
• A Song of Ice and Fire - essay by Robert Silverberg
• The Hedge Knight - [Dunk and Egg - 1] - novella by George R. R. Martin
• Pern - essay by Robert Silverberg
• Runner of Pern - [Dragonriders of Pern] - novella by Anne McCaffrey
• The Riftwar Saga - essay by Robert Silverberg
• The Wood Boy - [Riftwar Universe] - novelette by Raymond E. Feist
• The Wheel of Time - essay by Robert Silverberg
• New Spring - [Wheel of Time] - novella by Robert Jordan

Fantasy fans, rejoice! Seven years after writer and editor Robert Silverberg made publishing history with Legends, his acclaimed anthology of original short novels by some of the greatest writers in fantasy fiction, the long-awaited second volume is here. Legends II picks up where its illustrious predecessor left off. All of the bestselling writers represented in Legends II return to the special universe of the imagination that its author has made famous throughout the world. Whether set before or after events already recounted elsewhere, whether featuring beloved characters or compelling new creations, these masterful short novels are both mesmerizing stand-alones--perfect introductions to the work of their authors--and indispensable additions to the epics on which they are based. Beyond any doubt, Legends II is the fantasy event of the season.

Table of Contents:

• Introduction (Legends II) - essay by Robert Silverberg
• Realm of the Elderlings - essay by Robert Silverberg
• Homecoming - [Realms of the Elderlings] - novella by Megan Lindholm [as by Robin Hobb ]
• A Song of Ice and Fire - (1998) - essay by Robert Silverberg
• The Sworn Sword - [Dunk and Egg - 2] - novella by George R. R. Martin
• Alvin Maker - essay by Robert Silverberg
• The Yazoo Queen - [The Alvin Maker Saga] - novella by Orson Scott Card
• Outlander - essay by Robert Silverberg
• Lord John and the Succubus - [Lord John Grey - 3] - novella by Diana Gabaldon
• Majipoor - (1998) - essay by Robert Silverberg
• The Book of Changes - [Majipoor] - novella by Robert Silverberg
• Otherland - essay by Robert Silverberg
• The Happiest Dead Boy in the World - [Otherland] - novella by Tad Williams
• Pern - (1998) - essay by Robert Silverberg
• Beyond Between - [Dragonriders of Pern] - novelette by Anne McCaffrey
• The Riftwar - essay by Robert Silverberg
• The Messenger - novelette by Raymond E. Feist
• The Symphony of Ages - essay by Robert Silverberg
• Threshold - [The Symphony of Ages] - novella by Elizabeth Haydon
• American Gods - essay by Robert Silverberg
• The Monarch of the Glen - [American Gods] - novelette by Neil Gaiman
• Shannara - essay by Robert Silverberg
• Indomitable - [Shannara] - novelette by Terry Brooks

When an injury throws a young, battle-hungry orc off her chosen path, she may find that what we need isn't always what we seek.

A journey of high fantasy, first loves, and second-hand books.

Viv's career with the notorious mercenary company Rackam's Ravens isn't going as planned.

Wounded during the hunt for a powerful necromancer, she's packed off against her will to recuperate in the sleepy beach town of Murk?so far from the action that she worries she'll never be able to return to it.

What's a thwarted soldier of fortune to do?

Spending her hours at a beleaguered bookshop in the company of its foul-mouthed proprietor is the last thing Viv would have predicted, but it may be both exactly what she needs and the seed of changes she couldn't possibly imagine.

Still, adventure isn't all that far away. A suspicious traveler in gray, a gnome with a chip on her shoulder, a summer fling, and an improbable number of skeletons prove Murk to be more eventful than Viv could have ever expected.

Frank Herbert’s Dune series is one of the great creations of imaginative literature, science fiction’s answer to The Lord of the Rings.

Decades after Herbert’s original novels, the Dune saga was continued by Frank Herbert’s son, Brian Herbert, in collaboration with Kevin J. Anderson. Working from Frank Herbert’s own notes, the acclaimed authors reveal the chapter of the Dune saga most eagerly anticipated by readers: the Butlerian Jihad.

Throughout the Dune novels, Frank Herbert frequently referred to the war in which humans wrested their freedom from “thinking machines.” In Dune: The Butlerian Jihad, Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson bring to life the story of that war, a tale previously seen only in tantalizing hints and clues. Finally, we see how Serena Butler’s passionate grief ignites the struggle that will liberate humans from their machine masters; here is the amazing tale of the Zensunni Wanderers, who escape bondage to flee to the desert world where they will declare themselves the Free Men of Dune. And here is the backward, nearly forgotten planet of Arrakis, where traders have discovered the remarkable properties of the spice melange....

The breathtaking vision and incomparable storytelling of Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson's Dune: The Butlerian Jihad, a prequel to Frank Herbert's classic Dune, propelled it to the ranks of speculative fiction's classics in its own right. Now, with all the color, scope, and fascination of the prior novel, comes Dune: The Machine Crusade.

More than two decades have passed since the events chronicled in The Butlerian Jihad. The crusade against thinking robots has ground on for years, but the forces led by Serena Butler and Irbis Ginjo have made only slight gains; the human worlds grow weary of war, of the bloody, inconclusive swing from victory to defeat.

The fearsome cymeks, led by Agamemnon, hatch new plots to regain their lost power from Omnius--as their numbers dwindle and time begins to run out. The fighters of Ginaz, led by Jool Noret, forge themselves into an elite warrior class, a weapon against the machine-dominated worlds. Aurelius Venport and Norma Cenva are on the verge of the most important discovery in human history-a way to "fold" space and travel instantaneously to any place in the galaxy.

And on the faraway, nearly worthless planet of Arrakis, Selim Wormrider and his band of outlaws take the first steps to making themselves the feared fighters who will change the course of history: the Fremen.

Here is the unrivaled imaginative power that has put Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson on bestseller lists everywhere and earned them the high regard of readers around the globe. The fantastic saga of Dune continues in Dune: The Machine Crusade.

Following their internationally bestselling novels Dune: The Butlerian Jihad and Dune: The Machine Crusade, Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson forge a final tumultuous finish to their prequels to Frank Herbert's Dune.

It has been fifty-six hard years since the events of The Machine Crusade. Following the death of Serena Butler, the bloodiest decades of the Jihad take place. Synchronized Worlds and Unallied Planets are liberated one by one, and at long last, after years of victory, the human worlds begin to hope that the end of the centuries-long conflict with the thinking machines is finally in sight.

Unfortunately, Omnius has one last, deadly card to play. In a last-ditch effort to destroy humankind, virulent plagues are let loose throughout the galaxy, decimating the populations of whole planets . . . and once again, the tide of the titanic struggle shifts against the warriors of the human race. At last, the war that has lasted many lifetimes will be decided in the apocalyptic Battle of Corrin.

In the greatest battle in science fiction history, human and machine face off one last time. . . . And on the desert planet of Arrakis, the legendary Fremen of Dune become the feared fighting force to be discovered by Paul Muad'Dib in Frank Herbert's classic, Dune.

Ethshar and the Northern Empire have been at war for hundreds of years. Hardly anyone alive remembers why, or over what. The tempest, turmoil, and war are endless, and the killing more endless still. The war has become not just a way of life, but an institution; no one dares to dream that it could end. Not even Valder of Kardoret, Ethsharitic Scout, trapped behind enemy lines.

But now everything has changed: at a moment of great need, a hermit wizard crafted Valder a magic sword called Wirikidor -- a blade at once cursed and enchanted, a misenchanted blade that makes him unbeatable.

Soon the tides of battle will turn, and once they've turned they'll turn forever.

Tobas had been lucky to find a wizard to take him on as apprentice. But then the wizard died suddenly and unexpectedly after teaching Tobas only a solitary spell, and the youth was too old to find a new master. How could he earn a living when all the magic he could do was light fires?

A STAR RISES IN THE SOUTH

When the foreigners confronted Sterren in Ethshar of the Spices he was uneasy; when they all but abducted him, taking him to an obscure kingdom in the south, he knew he was in a terrible predicament.

A predicament some might actually find appealing -- he was by heredity the Ninth Warlord of Semma, least of the small kingdoms; he was a noble, and his rank afforded him material privileges, even in a place as insignificant and obscure as Semma.

But the office also carried certain terrible responsibilities: he was to win the war the stupid King had stirred up by his arrogance. Two larger and stronger Kingdoms were preparing to invade Semma.

And if the country lost, the first thing likely to be forfeit was the life of the Warlord.

And if it won... if it won, the fate and shape of Ethshar would change forever.

For deep in the south there are secrets of magic not even Sterren can imagine.

It was definite -- Dumery had no magical talent at all. He could never fulfill his dream to become a wizard's apprentice. Hurt, angry, and mortally disappointed, he despaired of ever choosing a trade.

But then Dumery spied a so-called great wizard humbling himself before a man selling dragon's blood -- the precious stuff that made difficult spells work. If Dumery couldn't be a wizard, maybe he could become a dragon-hunter and have all those scornful wizards crawling to him.

So, leaving his family, city, and comfortable home, Dumery began trailing Kensher, the man in brown -- even though Kensher said he didn't need a dragon-hunting apprentice. But when Dumery finally caught up with Kensher, he would discover Kensher's great secret of how the precious fluid was obtained -- a secret from which only Kensher's kin could profit.

Once again, Dumery would be left without career or future. Unless...

Kelder had always dreamed of a life more exciting than what waited for him on the family farm. So when a fortune-teller predicted a glorious future, that he'd roam free and unfettered and be a champion of the lost and forlorn, he immediately set out on the fabled Great Highway to Shan in search of adventure.

But once he was on the road, life was hardly as exciting as he'd hoped -- until he met Irith. She was the most beautiful girl, and the only girl with wings, Kelder had ever seen. They teamed up to see the world, and then Kelder found adventures aplenty: there were bandits and demons, and there were curses to lift, wizards to seek spells from, orphans to champion, and legendary cities to visit. For the young and carefree, life on the Great Highway was filled with fun, action, and magic.

But Kelder began to wonder about his beautiful companion. Irith certainly had seen a lot of the world for one so young -- and everyone along the highway seemed to know her... Soon, discovering Irith's secrets became Kelder's greatest adventure of all...

Tabaea was an ordinary thief, sneaking and prowling and stealing for a living. Then one night while burgling a house, she witnessed a wizard teaching his apprentice a spell -- the creation of a magic dagger.

Tabaea decided to try the magic for herself. But even though she could feel the power rising around her as she went through the steps of the ritual, something had clearly gone wrong. The apprentice's dagger had glowed; it had resisted attempts to pick it up; and there had been a blinding flash at the end of the ceremony.

But Tabaea's dagger didn't do any of those things. And it wouldn't free her from bonds, or heal her wounds -- it didn't seem to be magical at all. It just turned black.

Then, by chance, Tabaea discovered that her dagger indeed had its own kind of unusal magic -- a dark, powerful magic that promised invincibility to its bearer.

But magic can be dangerous even in the hands of an expert -- and for Tabaea, magic and power could spell disaster...

The Night of Madness begins when a mysterious object falls from the heavens, creating a wave of magic in all directions. The wave brings not only a dream but an infusion of warlockry to the land, and soon all hell breaks loose. Looting, rioting, petty personal revenge, and uncontrollable madness run rampant, and all of Ethshars magicians seem helpless before it.

When Magic Goes Awry...

What is an aspiring apprentice wizard to do when she finds her mentor and master frozen in his tracks by mysterious magics?

Kilisha of Eastgate, a promising young student of wizardry in the city of Ethshar of the Rocks, still has much to learn before she can assume the robes of a journeyman enchanter. But when her teacher, the venerable Ithanalin the Wise, is overcome by a peculiar spell that scatters his soul amongst a collection of runaway household furnishings, it is up to Kilisha to find the cause and restore him to his former self. Adventure and mayhem abound.

Every wizard in Ethshar knew that if you needed something special, something difficult to find, that Gresh the Supplier was the man to see. He was expensive, but always delivered. So when the Wizards' Guild finally got fed up with the little green nuisances that called themselves "spriggans," the Guild hired Gresh to fetch them the magic mirror that created the troublesome imps. The wizards thought finding it looked impossible. Gresh thought his methods would do the job. But no one had asked the spriggans what they thought!

Once, not so long ago,a warlock named Vond built an empire in the southern part of the Small Kingdoms. Vond is gone, but his empire survives under the rule of a seven-person Imperial Council and a young regent named Sterren.

The Empire of Vond was hardly trouble-free after Vond's departure. Its neighbors are understandably wary of further expansion, there are questions about how Vond's magic became so potent, and so on. Most of the World, though, doesn't care -- Vond is off there in the southeastern corner of the World, far away from anywhere important.

But one day a dockworker named Emmis watches a Vondish ship arrive in Ethshar of the Spices and finds himself hired as native guide and aide to someone who claims to be Vond's ambassador plenipotentiary to the overlords of the Hegemony of the Three Ethshars.

But who is the Vondish ambassador, really, and what is his true business in Ethshar? And who has followed him to the city?

The Calling. Sooner or later, it claimed every powerful warlock... a growing magical compulsion to go north to the mysterious land of Aldagmor that nothing could stop. None ever returned. Hanner the Warlock knew his days were numbered. The Calling pulled at him ceaselessly now, and his ability to resist had begun to crumble. So he determined to find a place where the Calling couldn't reach him... another world, located through a magic tapestry.

Every warlock knew that the farther he was from Aldagmor, the weaker the Calling was -- and the weaker his magic was, as well, but that was only a secondary consideration. That weakening had given Hanner the idea to find, or make, a place so distant from Aldagmor that the Call couldn't reach it at all. Unfortunately, the Call took him anyway.

And that's where his story really gets interesting. Because the Calling wasn't what everyone believed. And when the warlocks who had been Called over the decades suddenly woke up again at the object doing the calling -- and found themselves without their powers -- their world may never be the same!

The great wizard Nabal's death offers many opportunities, both for those who knew him and those who did not. For young conmen Ezak and Kel, it means a chance to loot the wizard's estate... if they can win the confidence of Nabal's widow, Dorna.

But Dorna has plans of her own. She means to leave the tiny village for a better life in the city. And all of Nabal's wizardly artifacts and talismans will pay for that new life -- if she can only get them there intact!

Young Ishta found it in the forest, buried beneath dead leaves: a rounded, flattened stone as black as onyx. One side held a golden oval that glowed with a unnatural light. Of course, it had to be magic.

But what did farmers know of magic? It could be dangerous, or it could be some harmless toy. They had to find out.

Since Ishta was too young to bring her discovery to the Baron of Varag's stronghold, her older brother, Garander, went instead. Once there, Azlia, a beautiful wizard, recognized the stone immediately as Northern sorcery. She had to call Sammel, the local sorcerer, to find out its nature... a relic of the last great war.

When the Baron takes the stone for himself, that should have ended things. But it was just the beginning for Garander. Because that magical stone wasn't the only relic left in the woods...

Five hundred years have passed since the devastating demon-led war tore apart the United States and nearly exterminated humankind. Those who escaped the carnage were led to sanctuary in an idyllic valley, its borders warded by powerful magic against the horrors beyond. But the cocoon of protective magic surrounding the valley has now vanished. When Sider Ament, the only surviving descendant of the Knights of the Word, detects unknown predators stalking the valley, he fears the worst. And when expert Trackers find two of their own gruesomely killed, there can be no doubt: The once safe haven has been made vulnerable to whatever still lurks in the outside wasteland. Together, Ament, the two young Trackers, and a daring Elf princess spearhead plans to defend their ancestral home. And in the thick of it all, the last wielder of the black staff and its awesome magic must find a successor to carry on the fight against the cresting new wave of evil.

For five hundred years, the survivors of the Great Wars lived peacefully in a valley sanctuary shielded by powerful magic from the dangerous outside world. But the enchanted barriers have crumbled, and the threat of annihilation looms large once more. As he lay dying, Sider Ament, bearer of the last black staff and protector of the valley, gave stewardship of the powerful talisman to the young Tracker Panterra Qu. Now the newly anointed Knight of the Word must take up the battle against evil wherever it threatens: from without, where an army of bloodthirsty Trolls is massing for invasion; and from within, where the Elf king of Arborlon has been murdered, his daughter stands accused, and a heinous conspiracy is poised to subjugate the kingdom. But even these affairs will pale beside the most harrowing menace Panterra is destined to confront-a nameless, merciless agent of darkness on a relentless mission: to claim the last black staff . . . and the life of whoever wields it.

This short story originally appeared in Lightspeed, Issue 103, December 2018.

Read the full story for free at Lightspeed.

This novelette originally appeared in Lightspeed, Issue 104, January 2019.

Read the full story for free at Lightspeed.

This novelette originally appeared in Lightspeed, Issue 105, February 2019.

Read the full story for free at Lightspeed.

This novelette originally appeared in Lighstpeed, Issue 106, March 2019.

Read the full story for fre at Lightspeed.

This short story originally appeared in Lightspeed, Issue 107, April 2019.

Read the full story for free at Lightspeed.

Translated from the Chinese by Anna Holmwood

China: 1200 A.D.

The Song Empire has been invaded by its warlike Jurchen neighbours from the north. Half its territory and its historic capital lie in enemy hands; the peasants toil under the burden of the annual tribute demanded by the victors. Meanwhile, on the Mongolian steppe, a disparate nation of great warriors is about to be united by a warlord whose name will endure for eternity: Genghis Khan.

Guo Jing, son of a murdered Song patriot, grew up with Genghis Khan's army. He is humble, loyal, perhaps not altogether wise, and is fated from birth to one day confront an opponent who is the opposite of him in every way: privileged, cunning and flawlessly trained in the martial arts.

Guided by his faithful shifus, The Seven Heroes of the South, Guo Jing must return to China - to the Garden of the Drunken Immortals in Jiaxing - to fulfil his destiny. But in a divided land riven by war and betrayal, his courage and his loyalties will be tested at every turn.

Translated from the Chinese by Gigi Chang

In the Jin capital of Zhongdu, Guo Jing learns the truth of his father's death and finds he is now betrothed, against his will, to two women. Neither of them is his sweetheart Lotus Huang.

Torn between following his heart and fulfilling his filial duty, he journeys through the country of his parents with Lotus, encountering mysterious martial heroes and becoming drawn into the struggle for the supreme martial text, the Nine Yin Manual. But his past is catching up with him. The widow of an evil man he accidentally killed as a child has tracked him down, intent on revenge.

Meanwhile, his true parentage at last revealed, Yang Kang, the young prince Guo Jing must face in the Garden of the Eight Drunken Immortals, is forced to choose his destiny. Will he continue to enjoy the life of wealth and privilege afforded to him by the invader of his homeland, or give up all he has known to avenge his parents?

The world has collapsed, and there are no heroes any more.

But when a lone gunman reluctantly accepts the mantle of protector to a young boy and his dying mother against the forces that pursue them, a hero may yet arise.

Second in the Tales of the Duskwalker series.

The lone gunman Three is gone.

Wren is the new governor of the devastated settlement of Morningside, but there is turmoil in the city. When his life is put in danger, Wren is forced to flee Morningside until he and his retinue can determine who can be trusted.

They arrive at a border outpost to find it has been infested with Weir in greater numbers than anyone has ever seen. These lost, dangerous creatures are harbouring a terrible secret – one that will have consequences not just for Wren and his comrades, but for the future of what remains of the world.

New threats need new heroes...

Wren is living in Greenstone under the temporary care of Charles and Mol, and the protection of Chapel. Unable to determine the fate of his mother and those he left behind in Morningside, Wren believes there is nothing left to do but wait for Asher's final blow... until a man named Haiku walks into the Samurai McGann, looking for Three. After learning of Three's fate, Asher's ascension, and Wren's gift, Haiku offers his help, and together they set out to find the remnants of House Eight and convince them to help. As Cass and the few who survived the fall of Morningside face overwhelming odds to escape Asher and the Weir, they realize it is impossible... until their daring and probably suicidal plan to strike turns out to have surprising results and unexpected discoveries.

Since time immemorial, humans have worshipped the gods they call Fhrey, truly a race apart: invincible in battle, masters of magic, and seemingly immortal. But when a god falls to a human blade, the balance of power between men and those they thought were gods changes forever. Now, only a few stand between humankind and annihilation: Raithe, reluctant to embrace his destiny as the God Killer. Suri, a young seer burdened by signs of impending doom. And Persephone, who must overcome personal tragedy to lead her people.

The Age of Myth is over; the time of rebellion has begun.

In Age of Myth, fantasy master Michael J. Sullivan launched readers on an epic journey of magic and adventure, heroism and betrayal, love and loss. Now the thrilling saga continues as the human uprising is threatened by powerful enemies from without--and bitter rivalries from within.

Raithe, the God Killer, may have started the rebellion by killing a Fhrey, but long-standing enmities dividing the Rhunes make it all but impossible to unite against the common foe. And even if the clans can join forces, how will they defeat an enemy whose magical prowess renders them indistinguishable from gods?

The answer lies across the sea in a faraway land populated by a reclusive and dour race who feel nothing but disdain for both Fhrey and mankind. With time running out, Persephone leads the gifted young seer Suri, the Fhrey sorceress Arion, and a small band of misfits in a desperate search for aid--a quest that will take them into the darkest depths of Elan. There, an ancient adversary waits, as fearsome as it is deadly.

The alliance of humans and renegade Fhrey is fragile -- and about to be tested as never before. Persephone keeps the human clans from turning on one another through her iron will and a compassionate heart. The arrogant Fhrey are barely held in check by their leader, Nyphron, who seeks to advance his own nefarious agenda through a loveless marriage that will result in the betrayal of the person Persephone loves most: Raithe, the God Killer.

As the Fhrey overlords marshal their army and sorcerers to crush the rebellion, old loyalties will be challenged while fresh conspiracies will threaten to undo all that Persephone has accomplished. In the darkest hour, when hope is all but lost, new heroes will rise... but at what terrible cost?

Each culture has its own myths and legends, but only one is shared, and it is feared by all.

After years of warfare, humanity has gained the upper hand and has pushed the Fhrey to the edge of their homeland, but no farther. Now comes the pivotal moment. Persephone's plan to use the stalemate to seek peace is destroyed by an unexpected betrayal that threatens to hand victory to the Fhrey and leaves a dear friend in peril. Humanity's only hope lies in the legend of a witch, a forgotten song, and a simple garden door.

Winter blankets the land, and more than just hope has died.

Prevented from invading the Fhrey homeland by the tower of Avempartha, the western army seeks a way across the Nidwalden River before the fane obtains the secret of dragons. As time runs out for both humanity and the mystic Suri, the only chance for the living rests with the dead. Having made their fateful choice, can a handful of misfits do the impossible, or are they forever lost to an inescapable grave? Do gods truly exist? Is it possible to know the future? And what lies beyond the veil of death? In the tradition of Virgil's Aeneid, Dante's Divine Comedy, and Milton's Paradise Lost, the most epic of tales transcend the world of the living.

It's time to see what lies in Elan's Age of Death.

A door opens. An army of dragons advance. And the fate of the living rests with the dead.

After obtaining the secret to creating dragons, the leader of the Fhrey has turned the tide of war once more--but gaining the advantage has come at a terrible price. While Imaly plots to overthrow the fane for transgressions against his people, a mystic and a keeper are the only hope for the Rhunes. Time is short, and the future of both races hangs in the balance. In this exciting conclusion to the Legends of the First Empire series, the Great War finally comes to a climactic end, and with it dawns a new era in the Age of Empyre.

A band of orphan avengers. A cursed stone. A horde of zombie outlaws.

This is Keech Blackwood's new life after Bad Whiskey Nelson descends upon the Home for Lost Causes and burns it to the ground.

With his home destroyed and his family lost, Keech will have to use the lessons he learned from Pa Abner to hunt down the powerful Char Stone. Luckily, he has the help of a ragtag team of orphans. Together, they'll travel through treacherous forests, fight off the risen dead, and discover that they share mysterious bonds as they search for the legendary stone. Now it's a race against the clock, because if Bad Whiskey finds the stone first... all is lost.

But Keech and the other orphans won't hesitate. Because they're more than just heroes.

They're Lost Causes.

Dark magic meets the Old West in this rip-roaring middle-grade adventure series filled with scrappy heroes and diabolical villains.

Keech Blackwood and his band of fellow orphans demand justice for their fallen families. But the road to retribution is a long and hard-fought journey.

After defeating Bad Whiskey Nelson, the man who burned Keech's home to the ground, the Lost Causes have a new mission: find Bonfire Crossing, the mysterious land that holds clues to the whereabouts of the all-powerful Char Stone. Along the way they'll have to fend off a shapeshifting beast, a swarm of river monsters, and a fearsome desperado named Big Ben Loving who conjures tornadoes out of thin air. It's an epic standoff between the Lost Causes and the outlaw Reverend Rose, a powerful sorcerer who would be unstoppable with the Stone in his possession.

With the world, and vengeance, hanging in the balance, the Lost Causes are ready for battle.

Dark magic meets the Old West in Brad McLelland & Louis Sylvester's The Key of Skeleton Peak: Legends of the Lost Causes, the epic conclusion to the action-adventure series!

Keech Blackwood and his fellow Lost Causes have won their share of battles, but the war against the forces of darkness still rages on.

In their final standoff against the ruthless outlaw and sorcerer, Reverend Rose, the Lost Causes face their most perilous trial yet: stopping Rose and his henchmen from retrieving the ancient, powerful objects that would return him to his full, frightening strength. As the vigilante orphans race to the dangerous depths of Skeleton Peak, the site of the Key that would free the Reverend from his wicked prison, they'll have to outmaneuver Rose's most faithful?and menacing?ally: a creature spawned by darkness and shadow. But ever in pursuit of justice and vengeance for their fallen families, the Lost Causes won't give up without a fight.

Another action-packed adventure from the new master of fantasy.

The Raven travel to a new continent in search of mages to help the ruined college of Julatsa rebuild and find themselves in the midst of an ancient curse--a curse that has unleashed a plague that threatens to wipe out the elven race. Barclay excels with another tale that pitches The Raven against the clock and unseen foes. Full of desperate fights and secret betrayals, the story also fills in more of Balaia's history and delves deeper into the ancient emnities between the colleges.

Barclay has created a wonderfully appealing group of heroes, and with every book their history grows and the land they live in becomes wider and richer. This is landmark fantasy in the making.

The second of James Barclay's Legends of The Raven trilogy sees Barclay up the ante yet again and throw Balaia into a full blown war. Barclay has never been afraid of killing off favourite characters, but now in the latest of his blisteringly paced, all-action heroic fantasies he puts The Raven through a trial that all of them will be hard pressed to survive.

Barclay has proved himself to be the most successful fantasy writer of his generation. With 200,000 copies in print, Chronicles and Legends of the Raven are building into landmark fantasy.

THIS IS THE END ...

The dragons have gone home, the elves are safe. The Raven have kept their promises. But fate has not finished with them.

As the war between the colleges rages on an old enemy senses that his chance to revenge a bitter defeat has come. Tessaya, Lord of the Paleon Tribes has waited patiently for his moment and now, with Balaia in flames, he makes his move and unleashes the Wesmen hordes.

In Xetesk, his forces scattered, Dystran, Lord of the Mount faces certain defeat by the Wesmen unless he unleashes the horrfying power of dimensional magics. And Dystran has not come this far to be beaten at the last by a rabble of ignorant tribesmen. And so the veil between dimensions is torn...

And beyond, a predatory evil stirs. Demons catch the scent of countless souls in Balaia. Can even the Raven prevail when the world is coming to an end?

A fantasy milestone is reached. James Barclay brings his sensational saga of The Raven to a heartsopping conclusion.

Death cannot separate them.

For those who believe that death is the end, an unbroken rest and peace, here is the wake-up call. For those who believed that the defeat of the demons had finally secured peace for Balaia, here is an enemy far more deadly, far more ruthless and far, far colder.

The Garonin: dimensional travelers seeking new worlds to rape of the element of magical power. Technologically advanced in weaponry and armor, and facing only swords and magic, they are destroying everything in their path.

Surely this is not a battle The Raven can win, even with allies both elven and dragon. But prevail they must, somehow. One thing we know for sure is that they will not subside meekly into the void.

For aficionados of The Raven, this is the ultimate challenge. It cuts to the very heart —from calls beyond the veil of death, to dissension in their ranks, to the greed of men who cannot see they are about to die, to betrayal by one they loved. But above it all, the heroism and selfless sacrifice displayed will bring tears to the eyes of even the most hardened fantasy reader.

This is The Raven, older, wiser, some returned from the grave. Grieving they seek nothing but rest from conflict, something the world will not grant them. But they remain The Raven, still answering when the call comes, still the force most likely to survive and bring the world with them, and still willing to die so that those they love can live.

Following in the footsteps of writers like China Miéville and Richard K. Morgan, Mark Charan Newton balances style and storytelling in this bold and brilliant debut. Nights of the Villjamur marks the beginning of a sweeping new fantasy epic.

Beneath a dying red sun sits the proud and ancient city of Villjamur, capital of a mighty empire that now sits powerless against an encroaching ice age. As throngs of refugees gather outside the city gates, a fierce debate rages within the walls about the fate of these desperate souls. Then tragedy strikes-and the Emperor's elder daughter, Jamur Rika, is summoned to serve as queen. Joined by her younger sister, Jamur Eir, the queen comes to sympathize with the hardships of the common people, thanks in part to her dashing teacher Randur Estevu, a man who is not what he seems.

Meanwhile, the grisly murder of a councillor draws the attention of Inspector Rumex Jeryd. Jeryd is a rumel, a species of nonhuman that can live for hundreds of years and shares the city with humans, birdlike garuda, and the eerie banshees whose forlorn cries herald death. Jeryd's investigation will lead him into a web of corruption-and to an obscene conspiracy that threatens the lives of Rika and Eir, and the future of Villjamur itself.

But in the far north, where the drawn-out winter has already begun, an even greater threat appears, against which all the empire's military and magical power may well prove useless-a threat from another world.

Villiren: a city of sin that is being torn apart from the inside. Hybrid creatures shamble through shadows and barely human gangs fight turf wars for control of the streets. Amidst this chaos, Commander Brynd Lathraea, commander of the Night Guard, must plan the defence of Viliren against a race that has broken through from some other realm and already slaughtered hundreds of thousands of the Empire's people.

When a Night Guard soldier goes missing, Brynd requests help from the recently arrived Inqusitor Jeryd. He discovers this is not the only disappearance the streets of Villiren. It seems that a serial killer of the most horrific kind is on the loose, taking hundreds of people from their own homes. A killer that cannot possibly be human. The entire population of Villiren must unite to face an impossible surge of violent and unnatural enemies or the city will fall. But how can anyone save a city that is already a ruin?

A new and corrupt Emperor seeks to rebuild the ancient structures of Villjamur to give the people of the city hope in the face of great upheaval and an oppressing ice age. But when a stranger called Shalev arrives, empowering a militant underground movement, crime and terror becomes rampant. The Inquisition is always one step behind, and military resources are spread thinly across the Empire. So Emperor Urtica calls upon cultists to help construct a group to eliminate those involved with the uprising, and calm the populace. But there's more to The Villjamur Knights than just phenomenal skills and abilities - each have a secret that, if exposed, could destroy everything they represent.

Investigator Fulcrom of the Villjamur Inquisition is given the unenviable task of managing the Knights', but his own skills are tested when a mysterious priest, who has travelled from beyond the fringes of the Empire, seeks his help. The priest's existence threatens the church, and his quest promises to unweave the fabric of the world. And in a distant corner of the Empire, the enigmatic cultist Dartun Sur steps back into this world, having witnessed horrors beyond his imagination. Broken, altered, he and the remnants of his cultist order are heading back to Villjamur. And all eyes turn to the Sanctuary City, for Villjamur's ancient legends are about to be shattered ...

The fourth book in this epic about a civilisation on the brink of collapse

War spills into the Boreal Archipelago, as two rival cultures bring their eternal battle into this adjacent realm.

Fresh from a military victory, Commander Brynd Lathraea plans to rebuild the city of Villiren, where he is confronted with a dilemma. There are friendly forces who have no other choice but to live alongside his own people, and their numbers will be required to fight in the looming conflict. The commander turns politician as he seeks to build bridges and embrace mysterious new technologies to further his ambitions. However, many in Villiren are sceptical of aliens coming to their city, tensions run high, and even the dream of a peaceful future brings with it inevitable clashes of beliefs.

Meanwhile, Villjamur has been destroyed. A vast swathe of refugees from the legendary city are now on the run from an immense alien presence in the sky. Villages are being cleared and people are dying en masse. And Inquisitor Fulcrom finds himself at the helm of an operation to aid the refugee exodus to the coast, but it's a race against time before this threatened genocide is complete. Ancient civilisations line up on the field of battle. Exotic creatures and a possible god walk alongside citizens of the Empire. As the Legends of the Red Sun series draws to a close, there will be one final and immense conflict to decide the fate of multiple cultures forever.

In the frozen northlands of the embattled realm of Midkemia, fate can form strange alliances.

It is nine long, bloody years into the ongoing Riftwar that is tearing Midkemia asunder. Having survived a disastrous encounter with their sworn enemy, the Tsurani, Dennis Hartraft's cold, hungry, and exhausted Marauders arrive at a frontier garrison-at the same time as a Tsurani patrol. But a more devastating threat resides within the stronghold: moredhel, a migrating horde of dark elves so deadly and vicious that the only hope for survival is if bitter enemies band together and fight as one.

Now two hostile groups must make their way to freedom, facing a common foe, braving the merciless elements, and haunted by the voice of conscience demanding, "what is more important, a man's life . . . or his honor?"

In Midkemia, there are no easy roads . . .

For twenty years the mercenaries Durine, Kethol, and Pirojil have fought other people's battles. Having already defeated the Tsurani, the Bugs, and the goblins, it seems there are no more enemies for them to vanquish-even as the Riftwar rages on in the west. What lies ahead for the able trio are a few welcomed months of restful garrison duty.

When ordered to accompany the promiscuous Lady Mondegreen, her aging husband, and her current lover to a summit in the city of LaMut, the Three Swords willingly comply, expecting an uncomplicated and undemanding assignment. But nothing is straightforward in this land of violence and treachery. And when the fury of a winter's storm traps them inside a castle teeming with ambitious, plotting lords and ladies, the mercenaries suddenly find themselves with a series of cold-blooded murders to solve . . . and the political future of Midkemia resting in their hands.

Jimmy the Hand, boy thief of Krondor, lived in the shadows of the city. The sewers were his byways and a flea-ridden, rat-infested cellar his home. Although gifted beyond his peers, he was still but a nimble street urchin, a pickpocket with potential. Until the day he met Prince Arutha.

Aiding the Prince in his rescue of Princess Anita from imprisonment by Duke Guy du Bas-Tyra, Jimmy runs afoul of Black Guy's secret police. Given the choice of disappearing on his own or in a weighted barrel at the bottom of Krondor's harbor, Jimmy flees the only home he's ever known, venturing south to the relatively safe haven of Land's End. Suspecting that the rural villagers have never encountered a lad with his talent and nose for finding wealth-other people's wealth-he's fairly optimistic about his broadening horizons. But Jimmy is completely unprepared for what greets him.

For Land's End is home to others who tread the crooked path, and more, to a much darker secret: a dangerous presence unknown even to the local thieves and smugglers. And Jimmy's youthful bravado and courage will plunge him deep into the maw of chaos and even-if he isn't careful-death.

After the death of her parents and her beloved instructor Wind, Glynn devotes herself to the care of her sick twin sister, feeling her own life to be unimportant. One night, during a midnight swim, she is swept across the Void to the troubled watery world of Keltor, through a portal created to summon the mythical Unraveller. What is the mysterious connection between Glynn's world and Keltor? And why does the man who rescued her from the waves bear an eerie resemblance to Wind?

These are the signs by which the Unraveller shall be known:

Half-blind yet seeing all,
marked by visioning yet without Darkfall mark,
who lives yet sings the death song,
who is born yet is not of the Song of Making,
who is gifted from the Great Waters,
who is crowned in bright flame
-- Legendsong of the Unykorn.

After crossing to the troubled world of Keltor, Ember learns that her twin sister also crossed, and is in great danger. She must find Glynn and warn her before it is too late.

Darksong is the second in the parallel world trilogy, The Legendsong Saga, which began with Darkfall. The third and final book in the series will be Darkbane (to be published after the completion of her Obernewtyn series).

Seven billion years from now, long after the Sun has died and human life has become extinct, alien beings reconstruct homo sapiens from our fossilized DNA drifting as debris in deep space. We are reborn to serve as bait in a battle to the death between the Rimstalker, humankind's re-animator, and the zotl, horrific creatures who feed vampire-like on the suffering of intelligent lifeforms.

The resurrected children of Earth are told: "You owe no debt to the being that roused you to this second life. Neither must you expect it to guide you or benefit you in any way." Yet humans choose sides, as humans will, participating in the titanic struggle between Rimstalker and zotl in ways strange and momentous.

Set in the artificial planetary system of Chalco-Doror, which is no more and no less than a vast cosmic machine, The Last Legends of Earth is a love story, a gripping saga of struggle against alien control, and an examination of the machinery of creation and destruction.

Chaplin Cassius and the Ultramarines defend the heart of the Imperium against the most dangerous of enemies--the bio-engineered horrors of the hive fleets.

In the 41st millennium, the human Imperium must fight a constant battle for survival against the myriad enemies who seek to destroy it. At the forefront of this battle stand the Space Marines, genetically engineered superhumans whose sole purpose is to fight--and win. When a tyranid hive fleet is detected dangerously close to the Sol system, two entire companies of Ultramarines are sent to find and destroy the aliens. Led by their legendary Chaplain, Cassius, the Ultramarines must stop the tyranids, no matter the cost.

With typical bravery, courage and honour, the Ultramarines set about their task, but faced with impossible odds, and Cassius's impetuous nature, victory is far from certain.

Supreme Grand Master Azrael of the Dark Angels is forced into an uneasy alliance with the eldar to keep his Chapter's secret past safely buried.

The Dark Angels Chapter sprang from the First Legion of Space Marines to fight and die at the Emperor's side. But over ten thousand years, even the most staunchly loyal warriors of the Imperium can fall from grace, and the Dark Angels guard their own murky secrets most carefully - only Supreme Grand Master Azrael knows them all. A legend among Space Marines, he has fought for centuries and ever at the forefront of battle.

Now, with the enigmatically alien eldar as his uneasy and unlikely allies, he must tread the fine line once more between the pursuit of victory, and keeping the Chapter's past safely buried...

Across many campaigns, Kayvaan Shrike of the Raven Guard pursues his nemesis, the ork warlord Gorkrusha.

Vaunted warrior of the Raven Guard, Shrike has ascended the ranks of this most mysterious and deadly brotherhood all the way to Chapter Master. He is a legend amongst his battle-brothers, one that began humbly enough in the wilds of Kiavahr. Shrike has fought and bested many foes, but one in particular, the Ork Warlord Gorkrusha, dogged him throughout many campaigns.

From veteran to Shadow Captain, Shrike clashed with his old nemesis time and again, determined to bring about a final reckoning and bloody vengeance to the greenskin.

Lemartes, the Blood Angels' Guardian of the Lost, leads the Death Company into battle on a world gripped by a blood-madness that reflects his own tortured soul.

Lemartes is the Guardian of the Lost, a Space Marine warrior who balances on the edge of madness, ever close to falling into the grip of the Black Rage, the secret curse of the Blood Angels Chapter. When he is awakened to lead the Death Company into battle on the war-wracked world of Phlegethon, Lemartes must battle his incipient madness as his forces clash with equally insane foes: the blood-crazed servants of Chaos.

As a cargo ship rockets across the galaxy to Canto Bight, the deckhands on board trade stories about legendary Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker. But are the stories of iconic and mysterious Luke Skywalker true, or merely tall tales passed from one corner of the galaxy to another? Is Skywalker really a famous Jedi hero, an elaborate charlatan, or even part droid? The deckhands will have to decide for themselves when they hear The Legends of Luke Skywalker.

A collection of myths and tall-tales about the legendary Jedi Luke Skywalker, written by Nebula, Hugo, and World Fantasy award-winning author Ken Liu.

The high comedy of Michael Moorcock's outlandish futuristic world is at its most entertaining in these stories of the hedonistic immortals who dwell at the End of Time.

Werther de Goethe, womb-child and apprehensive optimist, find innocence in the form of Catherine Gratitude. When Werther's paternal feelings tourn to lust, he rejoices in a remorse he has never known before.

The Duke of Queens, always game for something diverting, challenges Lord Shrk to a duel. To make the spoart all the more fun for the spectators, the duel will be to the death--even if death is something of a trick for immortals.

And, finally, there's the arrival of prudish time-traveler Dafnish Armatuce with her sixty-year-old son, Snuffles, in tow. Snuffles is all to delighted by what he sees at the End of Time, but the wanton abandon is a bit too much for his poor mother.

Michale Moorcock's sharp social satire is cause for celebration for that breed of readers who delight in wit, whimsey and brilliance of language.

Table of Contents:

• Pale Roses - (1974) - novelette
• White Stars - (1975) - novelette
• Ancient Shadows - (1975) - novella

Magic and mysticism come alive in this magnificent historical fantasy from the New York Times-bestselling author of the Chronicles of the Deryni.

Long before Camber was revered as a saint, he was a Deryni noble, one of the most respected of the magical race whose arcane skills set them apart from ordinary humans in the medieval kingdom of Gwynedd.

For nearly a century, Camber's family has had little choice but to loyally serve the ruling Festils, Deryni usurpers who employed dark magic to wrest the throne from the rightful Haldane liege.

Now, the land suffers under the tyranny of King Imre, whose savage oppression of the human population weighs heavily on Camber's heart--a heart that is shattered when the despot and his evil mistress-sister, Ariella, cause the death of Camber's beloved son.

The grim demands of justice and vengeance drive Camber far from his family's estates in search of the last of the Haldane line. This descendant of kings will not be easily persuaded to accept Camber's unthinkable plan. But with the kingdom in turmoil, the aging mage and the reluctant Haldane heir must confront together the awesome, terrible might of the Festils for the good of all.

The breathtaking history of the Deryni continues as the greatest hero of a medieval fantasy realm is forced to make the ultimate sacrifice

The evil king is dead, and thanks to the efforts of revered Deryni magic-user Camber of Culdi, a human liege occupies the throne of Gwynedd for the first time in nearly a century. The yoke of tyranny has finally been lifted from the shoulders of an oppressed people who suffered for decades under the cruelty of the ruling magical race.

But Camber's job remains unfinished. The dangerous remnants of a conquered enemy still mass at the borders. Worse still, the former monk and new ruler King Cinhil is desperately unhappy wearing the crown, and is resentful of all Deryni, Camber in particular, and their arcane abilities. Now, with the stability of a fragile kingdom at stake, its greatest champion must make the ultimate sacrifice: Camber of Culdi must cease to exist.

In the medieval kingdom of Gwynedd, strife has long existed between the human population and the Deryni, a powerful race of magic-users. For more than a decade, a fragile peace has held under the rule of King Cinhil. The former monk reluctantly ascended the throne with the help of Camber of Culdi, Gwynedd's most revered Deryni lord, who in turn sacrificed his identity and physical form for the good of all people, earning sainthood in the process. But now Cinhil is dying, and a dark cloud is descending upon the land.

The king's heir is a mere boy of twelve, and the malevolent regents who will rule until young Alroy comes of age are determined to eliminate all Deryni. Suddenly, the future of Gwynedd hangs in the balance, and Camber--once adored as a saint, but now reviled as a heretic--must find a way to protect his people before everything and everyone he loves is destroyed in the all-consuming flames of intolerance and hate.

The elves, dwarves and humans all know the älfar to be dark, relentless warriors. This is their time.

In Dson Faïmon, the realm of the älfar, the warriors are planning a military campaign. Caphalor and Sinthoras are looking to enlist a powerful demon to strengthen their army – but the two älfar have very different goals. While Caphalor is determined to defend the borders of their empire and no more, the ambitious Sinthoras is intent on invasion: and he has the kingdoms of dwarves, elves and men firmly in his sights.

They are the enemies of the dwarves and control the darkest magics, but even then power of the Älfar has its limits. To save their own people, they must enter into an unwinnable war.

Sinthoras and Caphalor, two very different Älfar, watch as their plans come to fruition: the hidden land - the home of the dwarves - has fallen to their army of trolls, barbarians and Älfar, and now the lands of the hated elves are within their grasp.

But the alliance is beginning to crumble as greed triumphs over obedience. And Sinthoras and Caphalor face another threat: an enemy from the empire of the Älfar, thought to be defeated, has resurfaced, and while their best warriors fight in the hidden land, the Älfar homeland lies almost defenceless...

The third in the fast-and-furious fantasy adventure The Legends of the Älfar: the worlds of the dark elves and the dwarves collide in what Malazan Empire calls 'Tolkien with a dash of Gemmell and a sprinkling of George R.R. Martin'.

There are four races: the Elves, the Dwarves and the Humans and the Älfar.

The other three all know the Älfar to be dark, relentless warriors, set on conquest; they have been deadly enemies since time immemorial. But are things about to change?

The young älfar triplets Sisaroth, Tirigon and Firüsha have been banished to the deadly underground realm of Phondrasôn, two of them exiled for a murder they did not commit, the third determined to stay with them, to help them survive this terrifying place full of monsters. Then Sisaroth meets a dwarf, Tungdil, who has been locked up in the Dark Abyss (Tungdil will be well-known to readers of the Dwarves series!) - and their unexpected relationship will change the fate of the älfar and the dwarves - for ever.

Out of the mists the Fomor came to enslave the isle of Eire, a dread race of twisted men ruled by an inhuman lord: Balor of the Evil Eye. But a champion came from out of the sea, a youth called Lugh, seeking his destiny, sent to Eire by the seagod Manannan MacLir to fulfill an ancient prophecy.

With Gilla, a jesting rogue, and Aine, a spirited warrior-woman he came to love, Lugh challenged the Fomor to restore the True King to the throne of Tara, and summoned the Silver Warriors of the Sidhe to fight in the realms of men.

The tale of Lugh of the Long Arm is among the greatest of all Celtic myths. Now this mighty legend comes blazing to life in a new retelling filled with all the fire and magic of the ancient bards.

The evil lord Balor and his dark Druid Mathgen send the traitorous Bres with an inhuman army to recapture the isle of Eire.

But the young hero Lugh and his band of champions join together to defend their homeland. As the de Danann warriors seek Queen Danu's cauldron on the mystic isle of Manannan Mac Lir, Lugh and his beloved Aine host the Silver Riders to rouse the people for a final battle for the throne of the High Kings of Tara.

Now the final battle approaches. The races of Erin join to free their homeland from the foul Fomor and their nightmare engines. But the evil lord Balor plans a fearful vengeance, and captures the sea-god Manannan MacLir.

On a deadly mission go the Champions of Eire: young Lugh, the Master of the Silver Warriors; his beloved Aine; the fearless Taillta; Morrigan, the Raven warrior-woman; Shaglan, the Pooka Shapeshifter; the mighty Dagda and his brave son Angus.

The Tower of Glass has been destroyed. Balor of the Evil Eye is dead. But now the Tuatha de Danann clans must face a new threat from the piratical Fomor race. While one faction tries to make a peace, a ruthless military under High-Admiral Tharkus forms a conspiracy to thwart the attempt, gather their forces, and strike back at the Children of Danu. The young hero Lugh of the Long Arm must gain new strength for his people by seeking out the lost source of the Sidhe power.

He is aided in his quest by the giant Dagda, the shape shifting Púca, the raven-woman Morrigan, his beloved Aine, and her father, the disguised sea-god Manannan MacLir. Against them are arrayed the powerful and brutal forces of the Fomor, utilizing their ancient scientific and mechanical powers to defeat the magic of Tir-na-nog, seize the Heart of the Sidhe, and again enslave the de Danann people.

This new novel of the Sidhe series is, like the rest, an epic fantasy for all ages, blending the myths and legends of Celtic Ireland with her history in a tale of high-adventure and romance.