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Arriving in the capital city of Sherreen to take her place at court, Miss Eliste vo Derrivale is suddenly stripped of her rank, home, and family during v'Aleur's reign of terror.

The place is the House of Obran. In the House of Szar, Zargal was supposed to uphold it's dignity because he's the son of the Duke. He insults King Laza and gets the curse of gluttony, meaning he can't stop eating. He then tries to seek pardon and help from King Laza, but he runs into another curse King Laza was under because of the ancient Queen Godescalc which twisted Laza and is now in the process of destroying Princess Bellora.

To save the princess and himself, he must go to a swamp filled with horror where the queen fled. Impossible? Maybe, especially because Queen Godescalc was under a subtle and fearful curse herself. Who cast that curse? Will he have to go to that person for help? Is that person cursed as well?

In a fragile alliance, the natives are stirring uneasily under their foreign rulers. Rebellion is brewing, and at the heart of the conflict lies the bloody and powerful cult of the god Aoun, whose followers will stop at nothing to rid their land of alien domination. So civil servant Renille vo Chaumelle, scion of a proud, conquering line mingled with native blood, is conscripted as a spy and ordered to penetrate the fortress-temple known as the Fastness of the Gods.

There he is to discover the secrets of the priests of Aoun and - if the chance presents itself - assassinate the lead priest, named in legend as the god's own son. But in the holiest depths of the temple, Renille finds there is more to the cult than his superiors suspect - far more than they will ever believe. What he learns leads him to the beautiful princess Jathondi, daughter of the native ruler, who is fated to be the crux of a violent confrontation between the fanatic followers of a flesh-hungry god and their arrogant overlords.

Together, Jathondi and Renille must brave a whirlwind of revolution and apocalyptic magic that could shatter a nation, and open the long-sealed portal between heaven and earth.

In the modern, civilized republic of Vonahr, a land blessed with gaslight, steam engines, and indoor plumbing, the need for magic seems a thing of the past. But soon the Vonahrish will find that magic is their only hope--for an unstoppable evil is on the march. The Grewzians, an imperialistic race of fanatics, are intent on conquering the world. Nation after nation has disappeared down the maw of these barbaric invaders. No one has been able to halt them--and now they are massing on Vonahr's borders.

But the Vonahrish still have one slim chance for salvation. In a nearby neutral kingdom, a brilliant savant has conjured up the ultimate weapon: Sentient Fire, a miraculous flame that responds to the command of its maker. The potential military value of such a discovery is immeasurable. But Low Hetz's mad, flamboyant king refuses to relinquish the secret and jeopardize his nation's neutrality. And so the desperate government of Vonahr, unable to take no for an answer, has come up with an enterprising plan.... Her name is Luzelle Devaire. An intrepid adventurer of rare beauty, she is exactly the sort to appeal to the king's weakness for exquisite women.

There is just one drawback: To obtain an audience, Luzelle must enter and win the Grand Ellipse, King Miltzin's extraordinary test of endurance, ingenuity, and valor--a race that will cover distant lands and harsh terrain. To the daring Luzelle, it is a challenge worth taking, for she has her own reasons for wanting to win. But it won't be easy--ahead lie more obstacles, more mystery, and more perils than she ever dreamed. The race is on...and the future of the world rests on its outcome. Superbly written and imbued with drama and magic, poignancy and power, The Grand Ellipse is fantasy at its finest--unforgettable and deliciously entertaining.

The Luck of Relian Kru. So far this morning Relian Kru has broken three goblets, torn his best doublet, and been insulted by a snake. And those are the disasters he knows about! What he doesn't know is that he been condemned to death for dressing badly, and that the kindly sorcerer who invited him to dinner actually has in mind something a bit more permanent than a mere meal- like eternal slavery...

In a land pockmarked with the grim relics of a long-ago war live a people consumed by the fear of magic. Those suspected of sorcery die at the hands of the infamous White Tribunal. And death and terror will reign until a young man pawns his soul for the temporary power to destroy his murdered father's false accusers.

Now, disguised as a foreigner and with his time measured by the sands of a magical hourglass, Tradain liMarchborg enters the capital city of Lis Folaze, stronghold of the White Tribunal's power. Here his path will cross that of the beautiful Glennian liTarngrav, whose own mission will lock them together in a vortex of love, revenge, death, and enchantment that could save a land... or thrust them both--as Tradain's hourglass sands run out--into eternal torment.

Dedicating herself to bringing her brother Cerrov, the rightful heir, to the Wolf Throne of Rhazaulle, Shalindra is taken captive in the mountain stronghold of her uncle Varis, the master of the dead who hopes to usurp the crown.