Search Worlds Without End

Beautiful, daring Anastasia, known as Stacy, is of noble birth. But she discarded a life of suitors and servants to live in the lush forest of the Haven.

Embracing her adventurous nature, she suddenly leaves her life in the Haven to set out on a dangerous journey. Buoyed by the memory of Old One, Stacy travels across vast and dangerous seas to the forbidden land of the white wolves, taking the name Khalea.

In the land of Rhonnda she meets Alryc, a giant and astronomer, and Elias, captain of the ship the Brora. With their help she voyages to the lost city of Satra.

But Satra is besieged from above by barbarian hordes, who constantly strive to protect themselves against those creatures which attack it from below.

These 'things' are half-human, half-baboon.

Stacy and her friends are imprisoned on Satra, while savage wolves lurk in the darkness if they should escape. Stacy must gain the trust of these wolves to survive.

Her training in the Haven is the only way to save herself and her friends.

Dungeons of Kuba

Adventures of the Empire Princess: Book 2

The sun grew dark. A winter's wind blew out of nowhere... This was an ill omen. The Empire's great fleet had set sail in search of a legendary treasure island, leaving the Haven unprotected. The vision meant the fleet had been tricked by a treacherous enemy. And the purpose? A scheme to force Stacy, the Empire Princess, to confront her archenemy in the faraway and mysterious island of Kuba -- a dark and forbidding place where no one ever went willingly.

The Falcon of Eden

Adventures of the Empire Princess: Book 3

The Falcon of Eden is a revered relic of the Russak nation, a bejeweled golden statue that has been lost for centuries.

Stacy, the Lady of the Haven and Princess of the Empire, needs the Russaks as allies. To gain their cooperation, she is forced into a quest for their legendary bird.

But Stacy and her small band of intrepid balloonists do not realize how far their sky journey will lead: to a strange fantasy civilization at the top of the world...

Across icy mountains and frozen caverns they travel - Stacy in search of treasure, and her only chance to gain true power in alliance.

The Beasts of Hades

Adventures of the Empire Princess: Book 4

American Empire: Blood & Iron

The Haven is doomed...

From the tranquil forests of the Haven, a small and gentle rabbit brings a message.

The peace of the empire is now threatened by vicious creatures, maddened with blood-lust. And in their violent wake, there is an unearthly creature: not animal, not man.

With her trusted wolf at her side, and the small rabbit as a guide, Stacy the Empire Princess begins a hellish descent far beneath the forest.

In a subterranean world of fire and brimstone lives the true enemy.

But their plans do not include either the feeble human race or the many animals that live on the earth's surface in the idyllic land of the Haven.

It is up to Stacy and her animal friends to put a stop to their evil machinations, and end forever their plot to transform the peaceful world into another hell.

Empire of Night

Age of Legends: Book 2

Kelley Armstrong

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.

Empire of Unreason

Age of Unreason: Book 3

J. Gregory Keyes

There has never been an epic quite like The Age of Unreason. By interweaving reality with arcane fantasy, J. Gregory Keyes proves himself a literary alchemist who vividly recreates the eighteenth century-and brings it brilliantly to new life.

When Sir Isaac Newton uncovered the secrets of alchemy, he could never have imagined the tragic results. Dark sorcery rules. Europe is lost and the American colonists have been driven south. The demonic creatures known as the Malekim won't tolerate even a flicker of hope. Any who oppose them- Franklin, Voltaire, even the mysterious daughters of Lilith-will be swept away. However Benjamin Franklin and his secret society, the Junto, manage a precarious existence founded on the mutual trust of Native Americans, whites, and freed blacks. And as armies and alchemy clash, the Choctaw shaman Red Shoes witnesses a vision of an ancient, implacable evil-and of a young boy who shines as brightly as an angel... the fallen, avaricious kind.

American Empire: Book 1

AMERICAN EMPIRE: BOOK ONE

Twice in the last century, brutal war erupted between the United States and the Confederacy. Then, after a generation of relative peace, The Great War exploded worldwide. As the conflict engulfed Europe, the C.S.A. backed the Allies, while the U.S. found its own ally in Imperial Germany. The Confederate States, France, and England all fell. Russia self-destructed, and the Japanese, seeing that the cause was lost, retired to fight another day.

The Great War has ended, and an uneasy peace reigns around most of the world. But nowhere is the peace more fragile than on the continent of North America, where bitter enemies share a single landmass and two long, bloody borders.

In the North, proud Canadian nationalists try to resist the colonial power of the United States. In the South, the once-mighty Confederate States have been pounded into poverty and merciless inflation. U.S. President Teddy Roosevelt refuses to return to pre-war borders. The scars of the past will not soon be healed. The time is right for madmen, demagogues, and terrorists.

At this crucial moment in history, with Socialists rising to power in the U.S. under the leadership of presidential candidate Upton Sinclair, a dangerous fanatic is on the rise in the Confederacy, preaching a message of hate. And in Canada another man--a simple farmer--has a nefarious plan: to assassinate the greatest U.S. war hero, General George Armstrong Custer.

With tension on the seas high, and an army of Marxist Negroes lurking in the swamplands of the Deep South, more than enough people are eager to return the world to war. Harry Turtledove sends his sprawling cast of men and women--wielding their own faiths, persuasions, and private demons--into the troubled times between the wars.

The Center Cannot Hold

American Empire: Book 2

The Victorious Opposition

AMERICAN EMPIRE: BOOK TWO

In this spectacular, thought-provoking epic of alternate history, Harry Turtledove has created an unparalleled vision of social upheaval, war, and cutthroat politics in a world very much like our own--but with dramatic differences.

It is 1924--a time of rebuilding, from the slow reconstruction of Washington's most honored monuments to the reclamation of devastated cities in Europe and Canada. In the United States, the Socialist Party, led by Hosea Blackford, battles Calvin Coolidge to hold on to the Powell House in Philadelphia. And it seems as if the Socialists can do no wrong, for the stock market soars and America enjoys prosperity unknown in a half century. But as old names like Custer and Roosevelt fade into history, a new generation faces new uncertainties.

The Confederate States, victorious in the War of Secession and in the Second Mexican War but at last tasting defeat in the Great War, suffer poverty and natural calamity. The Freedom Party promises new strength and pride. But if its chief seizes the reins of power, he may prove a dangerous enemy for the hated U.S.A. Yet the United States take little note. Sharing world domination with Germany, they consider events in the Confederacy of little consequence.

As the 1920s end, calamity casts a pall across the continent. With civil war raging in Mexico, terrorist uprisings threatening U.S. control in Canada, and an explosion of violence in Utah, the United States are rocked by uncertainty.

In a world of occupiers and the occupied, of simmering hatreds, shattered lives, and pent-up violence, the center can no longer hold. And for a powerful nation, the ultimate shock will come when a fleet of foreign aircraft rain death and destruction upon one of the great cities of the United States....

American Empire: Book 3

Harry Turtledove's acclaimed alternate history series began with a single question: What if the South had won the Civil War? Now, seventy years have passed since the first War Between the States. The North American continent is locked in a battle of politics, economies, and moralities. In a world that has already felt the soul-shattering blow of the Great War, North America is the powder keg that could ignite another global conflict--complete with a new generation of killing machines.

"Freedom! Freedom! Freedom!" In 1934, the chant echoes across the Confederate States of America, a country born of bloodshed and passion, stretching from Mexico to Virginia. But while people use the word to greet each other in the streets, the meaning of "Freedom" has become increasingly unclear.

Jake Featherston, leader of the ruling Freedom Party, has won power--and is taking his country and the world to the edge of an abyss. Charismatic, shrewd, and addicted to conflict, Featherston is whipping the Confederate States into a frenzy of hatred. Blacks are being rounded up and sent to prison camps, and the persecution has just begun. Featherston has forced the United States to give up its toeholds in Florida and Kentucky, and as the North stumbles through a succession of leaders, from Socialist Hosea Blackford to Herbert Hoover and now Al Smith, Featherston is feeling his might. With the U.S.A. locked in a bitter, bloody occupation of Canada, facing an intractable rebellion in Utah, and fatigued from a war in the Pacific against Japan, Featherston may pursue one dangerous proposition above all: that he can defeat the U.S.A. in an all-out war.

The Victorious Opposition is a drama of leaders and followers, spies and traitors, lovers and soldiers. From California to Canada, from combat on the high seas to the secret meetings where former slaves plot a desperate strategy for survival, Harry Turtledove has created a human portrait of a world in upheaval. The third book in his monumental American Empire series, The Victorious Opposition is a novel of ideas, action, and surprise--and an unforgettable re-imagining of history itself.

The Empire's Ruin

Ashes of the Unhewn Throne: Book 1

Brian Staveley

The Annurian Empire is disintegrating. The advantages it used for millennia have fallen to ruin. The ranks of the Kettral have been decimated from within, and the kenta gates, granting instantaneous travel across the vast lands of the empire, can no longer be used.

In order to save the empire, one of the surviving Kettral must voyage beyond the edge of the known world through a land that warps and poisons all living things to find the nesting ground of the giant war hawks. Meanwhile, a monk turned con-artist may hold the secret to the kenta gates.

But time is running out. Deep within the southern reaches of the empire and ancient god-like race has begun to stir.

What they discover will change them and the Annurian Empire forever. If they can survive.

In Conquest Born

Azean Empire: Book 1

C. S. Friedman

In Conquest Born is the monumental science fiction epic that received unprecedented acclaim-and launched C.S. Friedman's phenomenal career. A sweeping story of two interstellar civilizations-locked in endless war, it was nominated for the John W. Campbell Award.

The Wilding

Azean Empire: Book 2

C. S. Friedman

The tribal Braxaná-created to become the ultimate warriors. The Azeans-raised to master the power of the mind. Two civilizations fighting an endless war over a long-forgotten cause. Now, after a century and a half, the legacy of their greatest military leaders threatens to tear apart both empires.

Clash of Empires

Battlesaurus: Book 2

Brian Falkner

In the wake of his crushing victory at Waterloo, Napoléon unleashes his vicious French general Marc Thibault and his brigade of giant battlesaurs to strike terror across Europe. England stands alone, but an invasion is looming. Its only hope is a secret attack led by Willem, a magician's son, deep inside enemy territory, to the very heart of Napoléon's terrifying new army.

Deception and betrayal threaten the mission from its outset, but the courage and perseverance of Willem the "saur killer" and his compatriots lead to a clash of titanic proportions.

Shardik

Beklan Empire: Book 1

Richard Adams

Shardik is a fantasy of tragic character, centered on the long-awaited reincarnation of the gigantic bear Shardik and his appearance among the half-barbaric Ortelgan people. Mighty, ferocious, and unpredictable, Shardik changes the life of every person in the story. His advent commences a momentous chain of events. Kelderek the hunter, who loves and trusts the great bear, is swept on by destiny to become first devotee and then prophet, then victorious soldier, then ruler of an empire and priest-king of Lord Shardik-Messenger of God-only to discover ever-deeper layers of meaning implicit in his passionate belief in the bear's divinity.

A gripping tale of war, adventure, horror and romance, Shardik, on a deeper level, is a remarkable exploration of mankind's universal desire for divine incarnation.

Maia

Beklan Empire: Book 2

Richard Adams

Sold into slavery to the dealer Lalloc by her mother when her stepfather seduces her, the beautiful 15-year-old Maia is almost raped by Genshed, one of Lalloc's employees but is saved by Occula, a black slave girl. With no-one but Occula at her side, Maia must summon all her courage, strength and intelligence as she navigates the seedy side of the Beklan empire.

Dead Empire

Black Wolves: Book 2

Kate Elliott

Publication of this book has been cancelled by the publisher

Marshal Dannarah devoted her life to her father's legacy of stable rule in the Hundred, only to find it betrayed by people she thought she could trust. As Captain Kellas and his rebel Black Wolves struggle to overthrow the last heirs of the palace regime she was once part of, Dannarah abandons her homeland to fight for the throne of the Sirniakan Empire.

But the fates of the Hundred and the Empire are linked in a way no one, not even Dannarah and Kellas, could ever expect, when stolen magic rouses an enemy long ago left for dead.

The Dragon Engine

Blood Dragon Empire: Book 1

Andy Remic

Five noble war heroes of Vagandrak get drunk one night and sign a contract – to journey to the Karamakkos in search of the Five Havens. There, it is written, there lies untold, abandoned wealth and, more importantly, the three Dragon Heads, legendary jewels claimed to give unspeakable power and everlasting life to those who wield them.

But the Dragon Heads aren't what the adventurers think they are, and the world has not encountered their like in many, many generations!

Twilight of the Dragons

Blood Dragon Empire: Book 2

Andy Remic

During a recent dwarf civil-war deep under the Karamakkos Mountains, the magick-enslaved dragonlords have broken free from centuries of imprisonment and slaughtered tens of thousands throughout the Five Havens before exploding from the mountain and heading in fire and vengeance for the lands of Vagandrak.

Two once-noble war heroes of Vagandrak -- Dakeroth and his wife Jonti Tal, an archer and scholar, the Axeman, the White Witch and a Kaalesh combat expert find themselves in a unique position: for they have discovered the ancient dragon city of Wyrmblood, and a thousand unhatched dragon eggs.

Dakeroth and his companions must work with their enemies, Skalg and the Church of Hate, in order to bring down the dragonlords and save the world of men and dwarves. But there is no bartering with these ancient dragons; for they seek to hatch their eggs and rebuild the cruel Wyrmblood Empire of legend.

Empire of Exiles

Book of the Usurper: Book 1

Erin M. Evans

Twenty-three years ago, a Duke with a grudge led a ruthless coup against the empire of Semilla, killing thousands. He failed. The Duke was executed, a terrifyingly powerful sorcerer was imprisoned, and an unwilling princess disappeared.

The empire moved on.

Now, when Quill, an apprentice scribe, arrives in the capital city, he believes he's on a simple errand for another pompous noble: fetch ancient artifacts from the magical Imperial Archives. He's always found his apprenticeship to a lawman to be dull work. But these aren't just any artifacts - these are the instruments of revolution, the banners under which the Duke lead his coup.

Just as the artifacts are unearthed, the city is shaken by a brutal murder that seems to have been caused by a weapon not seen since the days of rebellion. With Quill being the main witness to the murder, and no one in power believing his story, he must join the Archivists - a young mage, a seasoned archivist, and a disillusioned detective - to solve the truth of the attack. And what they uncover will be the key to saving the empire - or destroying it again.

Valiant Dust

Breaker of Empires: Book 1

Richard Baker

Sikander Singh North has always had it easy -- until he joined the crew of the Aquilan Commonwealth starship CSS Hector. As the ship's new gunnery officer and only Kashmiri, he must constantly prove himself better than his Aquilan crewmates, even if he has to use his fists. When the Hector is called to help with a planetary uprising, he'll have to earn his unit's respect, find who's arming the rebels, and deal with the headstrong daughter of the colonial ruler -- all while dodging bullets.

Sikander's military career is off to an explosive start -- but only if he and CSS Hector can survive his first mission.

Restless Lightning

Breaker of Empires: Book 2

Richard Baker

Lieutenant Sikander North has avoided an outright court martial and finds himself assigned to a remote outpost in the crumbling, alien Tzoru Empire-where the navy sends trouble-makers to be forgotten. When Sikander finds himself in the middle of an alien uprising, he, once again, must do the impossible: smuggle an alien ambassador off-world, break a siege, and fight the irrational prejudice of his superior officers. The odds are against his success, and his choices could mean disgrace-or redemption.

Scornful Stars

Breaker of Empires: Book 3

Richard Baker

Now a captain, Sikander Singh North commands the destroyer Decisive, assigned to Zerzura, a haven for piracy and the next playing-board in the Great Game. The Aquilan Commonwealth and the Empire of Dremark vie for the allegiance of local ruler Marid Pasha, a competition with stakes that reach far beyond the sector's pirate-infested limits.

Sikander must stop the pirate attacks while charting his course between the ambitions of Marid Pasha, a dubious alliance with a shipping magnate, and the inexperience of Decisive's crew... a situation that only grows more complicated when an old enemy returns.

The Skin Map

Bright Empires: Book 1

It is the ultimate quest for the ultimate treasure. Chasing a map tattooed on human skin. Across an omniverse of intersecting realities. To unravel the future of the future.

Kit Livingstone’s great-grandfather appears to him in a deserted alley during a tumultuous storm. He reveals an unbelievable story: that the ley lines throughout Britain are not merely the stuff of legend or the weekend hobby of deluded cranks, but pathways to other worlds. To those who know how to use them, they grant the ability to travel the multi-layered universe of which we ordinarily inhabit only a tiny part.

One explorer knew more than most. Braving every danger, he toured both time and space on voyages of heroic discovery. Ever on his guard and fearful of becoming lost in the cosmos, he developed an intricate code—a roadmap of symbols—that he tattooed onto his own body. This Skin Map has since been lost in time. Now the race is on to recover all the pieces and discover its secrets.

But the Skin Map itself is not the ultimate goal. It is merely the beginning of a vast and marvelous quest for a prize beyond imagining.

The Bright Empires series—from acclaimed author Stephen R. Lawhead—is a unique blend of epic treasure hunt, ancient history, alternate realities, cutting-edge physics, philosophy, and mystery. The result is a page-turning, adventure like no other.

The Bone House

Bright Empires: Book 2

ONE PIECE OF THE SKIN MAP HAS BEEN FOUND. NOW THE RACE TO UNRAVEL THE FUTURE OF THE FUTURE TURNS DEADLY.

An avenue of Egyptian sphinxes, an Etruscan tufa tomb, a Bohemian coffee shop, and a Stone Age landscape where universes collide …

Kit Livingstone met his great grandfather Cosimo in a rainy alley in London where he discovered the reality of alternate realities.Now he's on the run – and on a quest, trying to understand the impossible mission he inherited from Cosimo: to restore a map that charts the hidden dimensions of the multiverse while staying one step ahead of the savage Burley Men. The key is the Skin Map – but where it leads and what it means, Kit has no idea. The pieces have been scattered throughout this universe and beyond. Mina, from her outpost in seventeenth-century Prague, is quickly gaining both the experience and the means to succeed in the quest. Yet so are those with evil intent, who from the shadows are manipulating great minds of history for their own malign purposes. Across time and space, through manifest and hidden worlds, those who know how to use ley lines to travel through astral planes have left their own world behind in this, the second quest: to unlock the mystery of The Bone House.

The Spirit Well

Bright Empires: Book 3

The quest for the Skin Map, originally tattooed on The Man Who is Map is now in pieces and scattered across time and space in universe of multiple realities.

But what if the true treasure isn't the map at all... what if the map marks something far greater? Those wanting to unlock that mystery are in race to possess the secret – for good or evil. Kit Livingstone is mastering the ability to travel through the Omniverse using ley lines and has forged link from the Bone House, sacred lodge made of animal bones, to the fabled Spirit Well, place of profound power.

His friend Mina, still determined to find Kit, is beginning to experience greater destiny than she can fathom.Enter Cassandr Clarke. She is overseeing an archaeological dig in Arizon when chance encounter transports her to 1950s Damascus. There, she finds herself pursued by the Seekers—members of the Zetetic Society who need her help to track down the missing Cosimo Livingstone and his grandson Kit.They're all desperate to gain the ultimate prize in treasure hunt where ancient history, alternate realities, cutting edge physics, eternal mystery, and philosophy intersect. The next clue might reside at The Spirit Well.

Well of Souls, from medieval Oxford to modern-day Spain, from the pyramids of Egypt to an ancient shrine in China, the race continues for prize beyond all imagining.

The Shadow Lamp

Bright Empires: Book 4

The quest for answers hinges on finding the cosmic link between the Shadow Lamp, the Skin Map, and the Spirit Well.

The search for the map of blue symbols started in a rainy alley in London, but has since expanded through both space and time.

Mina, Kit, Gianni, Cass, Haven, and Giles have gathered in Mina's 16th-century coffee house and are determined to find a path back to the Spirit Well. Yet with their shadow lamps destroyed and key pieces of the map still missing, the journey will be far costlier than they imagine. And when one of their own disappears with the coveted green book, they no longer know who to trust.

At the same time, the Zetetic Society is on the verge of a most disturbing discovery. The expansion of the universe is slowing and soon will begin to reverse. And when it does, the effect will be far more than a setback. It will be the systematic annihilation of all that exists . . . the end of everything.

The quest for answers is no longer limited to treasure. Now everything depends on cracking the code.

The Fatal Tree

Bright Empires: Book 5

Kit stared at his fellow questors. "Is this it?"

It started with small, seemingly insignificant wrinkles in time: A busy bridge suddenly disappears, spilling cars into the sea. A beast from another realm roams modern streets. Napoleon's army appears in 1930s Damascus ready for battle. But that's only the beginning as entire realities collide and collapse.

The questors are spread throughout the universe. Mina is stuck on a plain of solid ice, her only companion an angry cave lion named Baby. Tony and Gianni are monitoring the cataclysmic reversal of the cosmic expansion--but coming up short on answers. And Burleigh is languishing in a dreary underground dungeon--his only hope of survival the very man he tried to kill.

Kit and Cass are back in the Stone Age trying to reach the Spirit Well. But an enormous yew tree has grown over the portal, effectively cutting off any chance of return. Unless someone can find a solution--and fast--all Creation will be destroyed in the universal apocalypse known as The End of Everything.

In the final volume of the fantastic Bright Empires series, Stephen R. Lawhead brings the multi-stranded tale to a stunning and immensely satisfying conclusion.

Upon a Burning Throne

Burnt Empire Saga: Book 1

From international sensation Ashok K. Banker, pioneer of the fantasy genre in India, comes the first book in a ground-breaking, epic fantasy series inspired by the ancient Indian classic, The Mahabharata

In a world where demigods and demons walk among mortals, the Emperor of the vast Burnt Empire has died, leaving a turbulent realm without a sovereign. Two young princes, Adri and Shvate, are in line to rule, but birthright does not guarantee inheritance: For any successor must sit upon the legendary Burning Throne and pass The Test of Fire. Imbued with dark sorceries, the throne is a crucible -- one that incinerates the unworthy.

Adri and Shvate pass The Test and are declared heirs to the empire. But there is another with a claim to power, another who also survives: a girl from an outlying kingdom. When this girl, whose father is the powerful demonlord Jarsun, is denied her claim by the interim leaders, Jarsun declares war, vowing to tear the Burnt Empire apart -- leaving the young princes Adri and Shvate to rule a shattered realm embroiled in rebellion and chaos...

A Dark Queen Rises

Burnt Empire Saga: Book 2

Queen Aqreen of Aquila leaves her husband Jarsun and flees across the Red Desert. She is determined to keep her daughter from being used by Jarsun to stake his claim to the Burning Throne of Hastinaga, seat of the all-powerful Burnt Empire. But Jarsun is vengeful and can summon legions of demoniac forces at will. The Red Desert is vast, and the journey dangerous.

Aqreen and Krushita's caravan of ten thousand wagons will take several years to reach the only safe harbor, the queendom of Reygar. Jarsun's pursuit is relentless and his vengeance terrible, but hope shines from the growing powers of little Krushita herself, along with the four-armed, twin-bodied Vanjhani wagon train leader and their band of valiant desert militia. Fierce battles are in store.

There are other players in this great game of demigods and mortals, each pursuing their own agendas. The powerful seer-mage Vessa seeks to join Krushita's talents with that of Drishya, an avatar destined to confront and kill Tyrak, Jarsun's diabolical son-in-law. Ladislew the assassin aligns with Tyrak for her own reasons. All paths culminate in a feverish finale on the hot sands of Reygar, as father, mother, and daughter confront each other in one ultimate showdown.

The Blind King's Wrath

Burnt Empire Saga: Book 3

The Sentimental Agents in the Volyen Empire

The Demonlord Jarsun is poised to claim the Burning Throne and cement his rule over the Burnt Empire. Standing in his way is his daughter, now reincarnated into a new avatar named Krushni, who is determined to avenge her mother's death by his hand--and put an end to her father's reign of terror once and for all. Aligned with him is the vast army of the Empire, the One Hundred children of Emperor Adri, and their former guru, the legendary warrior Dronas.

Krushni has allies too. Also opposing the tyrant Jarsun are the children of his nephew Shvate--the supernaturally-gifted quintet known as the Five. But Krushni and The Five are vastly outnumbered, while other rogue individuals like Ladislew, the warrior-witch, serve their own secret agendas.

In this final volume of Banker's epic saga of the Krushan dynasty, the land of Hastinaga will be torn asunder as the final battle for the empire rages between father and daughter, uncle and nephew, lover and enemy. And the Burning Throne will revel in the violence of it all.

Canopus in Argos: Archives: Book 5

Doris Lessing

The fifth and final volume in Doris Lessing's visionary novel cycle "Canopus in Argos: Archives". It is a mix of fable, futuristic fantasy and pseudo-documentary accounts of 20th-century history.

Gold Mountain

This short story originally appeared in Postscripts, Autumn 2005, and was reprinted in Clarkesworld Magazine, #94 July 2014. It can also be found in the anthology The Year's Best Science Fiction: Twenty-Third Annual Collection (2006), edited by Gardner Dozois.

Read the full story for free at Clarkesworld.

O One

The Sky Is Large and the Earth Is Small

Sidewise Award winning and World Fantasy Award nominated short story. It originally appeared in the anthology Live Without a Net (2003), edited by Lou Anders. The story can also be found in the anthologies The Mammoth Book of Alternate Histories (2010), edited by Ian Watson and Ian Whates, and Steampunk II: Steampunk Reloaded (2010), edited by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer.

Read the full story for free at the author's website.

The Voyage of Night Shining White

This short story orignally appeared in Asimov's Science Fiction, July 2007. It can also be found in the anthologies The Year's Best Science Fiction: Twenty-Fifth Annual Collection (2008), edited by Gardner Dozois, and The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year: Volume Two (2008), edited by Jonathan Strahan.

Read the full story for free at the author's website.

In an alternate history dominated by Imperial China, the forces of the Dragon Throne control most of the Earth, and now turn their attentions to the heavens. In the tradition of its great fifteenth century admiral, Zheng He, the Chinese Empire constructs a massive Treasure Fleet. But unlike the dragon boats which coursed across terrestrial seas, the ships of this new armada are ceramic and steel, fuelled by nuclear reactors and spun against tethered counterweights to provide a semblance of gravity for their crews. Rather than sailing to open new trade routes to foreign shores, this new fleet sails interplanetary gulfs, to the red planet fourth from the sun, in search of mineral wealth and territorial claims.

The least of the ships of the Treasure Fleet is Night Shining White, one of many water tenders. It will be the last to reach the red planet, and the first to return, its hold emptied of precious water and filled with mineral samples and ores to be milled and studied back on Earth. The ship's captain, a eunuch who has sacrificed much in the service of his emperor, has never ventured beyond the bounds of Earth before, much less in command of a ship and her crew.

Before it reaches its destination, Night Shining White's reactor coolant system fails, and the crew is faced with the prospect of a quick death by runaway nuclear meltdown, or a slow painful demise by radiation poisoning. Their only hope of salvation is the captain, but will his inexperience only ensure their demise?

This novella can also be found in the anthology Best Short Novels: 2007, edited by Jonathan Strahan.

The Dragon's Nine Sons

Celestial Empire: Book 1

A disgraced naval captain and a commando who knows secrets he should never have learned are picked to lead a suicide mission, piloting a salvaged Mexica spacecraft to Xolotl, the asteroid stronghold of their enemies, armed with enough explosives to reduce the Mexica base to dust. But when they arrive to find dozens of Chinese prisoners destined to be used as human sacrifices, their suicide mission suddenly becomes a rescue operation.

Iron Jaw and Hummingbird

Celestial Empire: Book 2

Mars is controlled by the Chinese, who call their civilization the Celestial Empire. But for teenagers Gamine and Huang, it is anything but heavenly. Gamine was taken off the street by an aristocrat, schooled as a fine young lady--then abandoned at her patron's whim and forced to make her living as a grifter. Huang's army career is cut short by a bandit ambush. When the two meet, Gamine --"Iron Jaw"--is the leader of a sham religious movement, and Huang, or "Hummingbird," is the bandits' chief tactician. They join forces to bring down the corrupt government that has determined their lives.

Iron Jaw and Hummingbird offers a planet's worth of adventure!

Three Unbroken

Celestial Empire: Book 3

David Drake
Thomas T. Thomas

'Three Unbroken' is the next epic novel in the Celestial Empire sequence and details the explosive war between the Chinese and Aztec empires as they battle for control of the red planet, Fire Star.

Empire of the Saviours

Chronicles of a Cosmic Warlord: Book 1

A. J. Dalton

In the Empire of the Saviours, the People are forced to live in fortified towns. Their walls are guarded by an army of Heroes, whose task is to keep marauding pagans out as much as it is to keep the People inside. Several times a year, living Saints visit the towns to exact the Saviours' tithe from all those coming of age - a tithe often paid in blood. When a young boy, Jillan, unleashes pagan magicks in an accident, his whole town turns against him. He goes on the run, but what hope can there be when the Saviours and the entire Empire decide he must be caught?

Jillan is initially hunted by just the soldiers of the Saint of his region, but others soon begin to hear of his increasing power and seek to use him for their own ends. Some want Jillan to join the fight against the Empire, others wish to steal his power for themselves and others still want Jillan to lead them to the Geas, the source of all life and power in the world. There are very few Jillan can trust, except for a ragtag group of outcasts. His parents threatened, his life in tatters, his beliefs shaken to the core, Jillan must decide which side he is on, and whether to fight or run ...

End of Empires

Chronicles of Isambard Smith: Book 5

Toby Frost

The lemming men of Yullia are rushing headlong towards the cliffs of destiny, and they intend to take the British Space Empire with them. When moral fiber clashes with lemming spirit, only one thing is certain--surrender is no longer an option. In the back-streets of Ravnavar, greatest planet of the Space Empire, revolution stirs. Someone will have to go deep undercover, take on the robot underworld, and reveal what lies behind the mysterious Popular Front. Worst of all, Major Wainscott--commando and nudist--has gone renegade in the most dangerous jungle in the galaxy. Someone will have to travel upriver, terminate Wainscott's command, and make him put some trousers on. That someone is Isambard Smith. Once more, Smith and his crew must leap into action, civilize the galaxy, and force legions of angry rodents to stop their nonsense at once. Smith is destined to topple a mighty empire. The only question is--whose empire will it be?

Empire's Daughter

Chronicles of Kydan: Book 1

Simon Brown

Third Prince Maddyn Kevleren is one of the few members of his royal family who cannot Wield - cannot access the realm of magic. When he crosses the most powerful magician in the empire, he will be forced to set out across the sea to find the new colony of Kydan to escape her revenge... but even the wide ocean may not be enough to protect him.

The Empire of Time

Chronoplane Wars: Book 1

Crawford Kilian

Jerry Pierce's new assignment... preventing Earth's destruction... will be a challenge even for this most experienced of Intertemporal Agents. Especially since he's now programmed to kill.

Empire of the Atom

Clane: Book 1

A. E. Van Vogt

The novel concerns adventures of a mutant genius in a barbaric future where spaceships and other forms of advanced technology are used without being understood, most knowledge having been destroyed in an atomic war with an alien species long before the opening of the story.

A Crown for Cold Silver

Crimson Empire / Cobalt Zosia: Book 1

Alex Marshall

"It was all going so nicely, right up until the massacre."

Twenty years ago, feared general Cobalt Zosia led her five villainous captains and mercenary army into battle, wrestling monsters and toppling an empire. When there were no more titles to win and no more worlds to conquer, she retired and gave up her legend to history.

Now the peace she carved for herself has been shattered by the unprovoked slaughter of her village. Seeking bloody vengeance, Zosia heads for battle once more, but to find justice she must confront grudge-bearing enemies, once-loyal allies, and an unknown army that marches under a familiar banner.

FIVE VILLAINS. ONE LEGENDARY GENERAL. A FINAL QUEST FOR VENGEANCE.

A Blade of Black Steel

Crimson Empire / Cobalt Zosia: Book 2

Alex Marshall

After five hundred years, the Sunken Kingdom has returned, and brought with it a monstrous secret that threatens to destroy every country on the Star.

As an inhuman army gathers on its shores, poised to invade the Immaculate Isles, the members of the Cobalt Company face an ugly choice: abandon their dreams of glory and vengeance to combat a menace from another realm, or pursue their ambitions and hope the Star is still there when the smoke clears.

Five villains. One legendary general. A battle for survival.

A War in Crimson Embers

Crimson Empire / Cobalt Zosia: Book 3

Alex Marshall

Former warrior queen and now pariah, Cold Zosia wakes in the ashes of a burning city. Her vengeance has brought her to this - her heroic reputation in tatters, her allies scattered far and wide, and her world on the cusp of ruin.

General Ji-Hyeon has vanished into the legendary First Dark, leaving her lover Sullen alone to carry out the grim commands of a dead goddess. The barbarian Maroto is held captive by a demonic army hell-bent on the extermination of the Crimson Empire, and only his protégé Purna believes he can be saved.

Zosia must rally her comrades and old enemies one last time, for what will prove the greatest battle of her many legends...if anyone lives to tell it.

An Honorable Defense

Crisis of Empire: Book 1

The assassination of the emperor disrupts the carefully crafted balance of power in an empire that blends humans and other sentient species. Who will give up the peace first in a move toward domination? The blow falls on the paradise world of Palaccio, a green and blue planet of fair winds and playtime for humans, which most other species avoid as "Stink World." When the war breaks out, the man who must devise a defense is the least likely to succeed, Taddeuz Bertingas, a public relations functionary who never took basic military service. He finds himself the point man in an interspecies coalition to save the last remnants of empire.

Cluster Command

Crisis of Empire: Book 2

David Drake
William C. Dietz

THEIR FINEST HOUR,
OR THEIR FINAL DAYS...

The First Empire has entered what may very well be its last crisis: the Emperor is dead by assassination and has left an infant heir. Worse, the imperial mystique is but a fading memory: nobody believes in empire anymore. Indeed nobody believes in much of anything beyond the boundaries of self. There are exceptions, of course, and to those few falls the self-appointed duty of maintaining a military-civil order that is corrupt, despotic--and infinitely preferable to the barbarous chaos that will accompany its fall.

One such is commander Anson Merikur. This is his story.

The War Machine

Crisis of Empire: Book 3

David Drake
Roger MacBride Allen

What's worse than a corrupt, decadent, autocratic, oppressive regime? Corrupt, decadent, autocratic, oppressive aliens...

"For Reasons of State" they ripped his marriage apart and forced his wife into the bed of another man. Now their empire is in danger and he is the one man in place to stop the alien threat.

But there's a problem: when the Empire ruined this loyal servant's perfect marriage--and his life--with its political maneuverings they turned Captain Allison Spencer into a junkie.

But sometimes necessity can bring out the best in a man, no matter how far he's fallen. In a story of personal heroism and individual boldness Drake & Allen bring The Crisis of Empire to a rousing climax.

Crown of Empire

Crisis of Empire: Book 4

Chelsea Quinn Yarbro

AN EMPIRE OF FOUR THOUSAND WORLDS The Pact of Mankind is a dinosaur lumbering toward oblivion; hedged about by alien enemies, rotten with decadence and corruption, run by competing oligarchies of criminal corporations, but ruled by a single man - the High Secretary of the Pact.

If the High Secretary should die, the contest to succeed him would draw in:

The head of the armed services, using the Fleet as a tool of his political will
Powerful corporations, acting with calculated ruthlessness to loose alien enemies into the heart of the empire
The High Secretary's children and his faithless widow, pawns in a struggle which only one need survive
A secret cabal among the non-human races enslaved to do Mankind's labor, now ready to supplant their masters and
Rebellious troops from the empire's borders, determined to place one of their own sort in the High Secretary's chair

If the High Secretary should die, it would be feeding time in the piranha tank.

And the High Secretary is dead!

Gunpowder Empire

Crosstime Traffic: Book 1

The Crown of the Conqueror

Jeremy Solter is a teenager growing up in the late 21st century. During the school year, his family lives in Southern California--but during the summer the whole family lives and works on the frontier of the Roman Empire. Not the Roman Empire that fell centuries ago, but a Roman Empire that never fell: a parallel timeline, one of an infinity of possible worlds.

For in our timeline, we now have the technology to move among these. Some are uninhabitable; some are ghastly, such as the one where Germany won World War II. But many are full of resources and raw materials that our world can use. So we send traders and businesspeople--but to keep the secret of crosstime traffic to ourselves, these traders are trained, in whole-family groups, to pass as natives.

But when Jeremy's mother gets sick--really sick, the kind you can't cure with antibiotics. Both parents duck out through the gateway for a quick visit to the doctor. But while they're gone, the gateways stop working. So do the communications links to their home timeline. The kids are on their own, and things are looking bad. The Lietuvans are invading. The city is besieged. The kids are doing their best to carry on business and act like everything's normal, but there's only so much you can do when cannonballs are crashing through your roof.

And in the meantime, the city government has gotten suspicious, and is demanding a *full* report on how their family does business, where they get their superior merchandise, why they want all that wheat... exactly the questions they don't want to answer.

The Crown of the Blood

Crown / Empire of the Blood: Book 1

Gav Thorpe

He had brought his master's Empire to the furthest reaches of the world. All had fallen before him. Now he longs for home.

But home isn't what it was. Could it be that everything he's fought for all those years has been a lie?

A sweeping fantasy of immense battles, demonic magic and dark politics.

Crown / Empire of the Blood: Book 2

Gav Thorpe

Ullsaard has won the crown.

But when he is confronted with a truth too shocking to contemplate, he has to make the impossible choice between power and honour.

And now the real battle has begun in this stunning sequel to The Crown of the Blood, packed with gargantuan battles, demonic magic and treacherous politics.

The Crown of the Usurper

Crown / Empire of the Blood: Book 3

Gav Thorpe

The stunning conclusion to the epic Crown of the Blood trilogy.

Ullsaard rules the known world. All are subject to his will.

Yet even as another king bows before him, there are those who would wrench his empire from beneath him. He must risk losing the lands he has conquered to confront a foe far more powerful than any he has faced before.

As alliances shift and old enemies return, will he save the empire he has given his life to, or let it fall to ruin?

Wildeblood's Empire

Daedalus Mission: Book 3

Brian Stableford

They call them the "rat-catchers." They're the crew of the spaceship Daedalus, which a declining Earth has sent to re-establish contact with its long-lost colonies. Biologist Alex Alexander, together with his staff, must help solve the mysteries of human and alien ecosystems that they encounter far from home.

On the world called Wildeblood, named for the ecologist/Emperor who founded it, the settlers' descendants harbor a terrible secret--a secret that Alex must uncover, if the colony is to survive. But he must also make contact with the world OTHER intelligent species, something that will take time--time that the colonists are determined not to give him. And even if can solve the biological problem, what about the diplomatic one? The Daedalus Mission, Book Thre

The Empire of Gold

Daevabad Trilogy: Book 3

S. A. Chakraborty

Daevabad has fallen.

After a brutal conquest stripped the city of its magic, Nahid leader Banu Manizheh and her resurrected commander, Dara, must try to repair their fraying alliance and stabilize a fractious, warring people.

But the bloodletting and loss of his beloved Nahri have unleashed the worst demons of Dara's dark past. To vanquish them, he must face some ugly truths about his history and put himself at the mercy of those he once considered enemies.

Having narrowly escaped their murderous families and Daevabad's deadly politics, Nahri and Ali, now safe in Cairo, face difficult choices of their own. While Nahri finds peace in the old rhythms and familiar comforts of her human home, she is haunted by the knowledge that the loved ones she left behind and the people who considered her a savior are at the mercy of a new tyrant. Ali, too, cannot help but look back, and is determined to return to rescue his city and the family that remains. Seeking support in his mother's homeland, he discovers that his connection to the marid goes far deeper than expected and threatens not only his relationship with Nahri, but his very faith.

As peace grows more elusive and old players return, Nahri, Ali, and Dara come to understand that in order to remake the world, they may need to fight those they once loved... and take a stand for those they once hurt.

Deep Empire

Deathlands: Book 19

James Axler

Once an idyllic chain of inlets running from Key Largo to Key West, the Florida Keys have become an isolated universe of grotesquely mutated wildlife and bizarre submarine malformations. Blind seventy-foot sea snakes lurk among the reefs around underwater volcanoes, while typhoons and pirates turn the crystal waters above into a death zone.

But Ryan Cawdor and his band of warrior-survivalists find a slice of heaven in this ocean hell at a marine research center created to further the amazing promise of the dolphins. Here, a brilliant scientist offers the perfect vacation of sun, fishing and fun. Until Ryan discovers this post-holocaust aquatic paradise is a hoax -- and gentle dolphins are being mutated into killers.

Welcome to the Deathlands, and the future nobody planned for.

The Empire of Glass

Doctor Who Virgin Missing Adventures: Book 16

Andy Lane

"There is a old Venetian saying," the Doctor murmured. "The council of ten send you to the torture chamber; the council of three send you to the grave."

A strange invitation brings the Doctor, Steven and Vicki to Venice in the year of our Lord 1609: a place of politics and poison, science and superstition, telescopes and terror. Galileo Galilei is there demonstrating his new invention to the Doge, and William Shakespeare is working as a spy for King James I. And there are other visitors too: inhuman ones that lurk in the shadows, watching -- and killing.

Vicki is abducted to a flying island. Steven is accused of murder and challenged to a duel. The Doctor, meanwhile, finds himself at the centre of what looks like an attempted invasion. But who are the invaders? And why can't they proceed without his help?

Empire of the Wolf

Doctor Who: Decide Your Destiny: Book 16

Neil Corry

Join the 11th Doctor and Amy on their travels through time and space in the TARDIS and influence the story with your decisions. Choose a direction and let the adventures begin.

The Masked Empire

Dragon Age: Book 4

Patrick Weekes

Empress Celene of Orlais rose to the throne of the most powerful nation in Thedas through wisdom, wit, and ruthless manipulation. Now, the empire she has guided into an age of enlightenment is threatened from within by imminent war between the templars and the mages even as rebellion stirs among the downtrodden elves. To save Orlais, Celene must keep her hold on the throne by any means necessary.

Fighting with the legendary skill of the Orlesian Chevaliers, Grand Duke Gaspard has won countless battles for the empire and the empress. But as the Circle fails and chaos looms, Gaspard begins to doubt that Celene's diplomatic approach Orlais' problems will keep the empire safe. Perhaps it is time for a new leader, one who lives by the tenets of the Chevalier's Code, to make Orlais strong again.

Briala has been Celene's handmaid since the two of them were children, subtly using her position to help improve the lives of elves across Orlais. She is Celene's confidante, spymaster, and lover, but when politics force the empress to choose between the rights of the elves and the Orlesian throne, Briala must decide where her true loyalties lie.

In this thrilling tie-in to the award-winning Dragon Age™ games, alliances are forged and promises broken as Celene and Gaspard battle for the throne of Orlais. But in the end, the elves who hide in the forests or starve in the slums may decide the fate of the masked empire.

Empire of Blood

Dragonlance: The Minotaur Wars: Book 3

Richard A. Knaak

The War of Souls has ended, but Krynn is still rife with conflict. The elven land of Silvanesti is no more, replaced by the minotaur colony of Ambeon.

A new emperor sits on the throne in Nethosak, his dark Protectors backed by the magic of the Forerunners. Resistance to the empire is all but crushed.

The rebellion's last hope, Faros, struggles with personal demons. But, unexpectedly bolstered by the very gods he has renounced, the legitimate heir rises up against obstacles all too real as well as others fantastical. A plague of abominations descends upon Faros's forces as they storm the capital... forcing a memorable showdown with the evil usurpers.

The trilogy that began with dire events of NIGHT OF BLOOD and continued with the epic struggles in TIDES OF BLOOD now arrives at this thrilling conclusion.

A Shadow of All Night Falling

Dread Empire Main Sequence: Book 1

Across the mountains called Dragon's Teeth, beyond the chill reach of the Werewind and the fires of the world's beginning, above the walls of the castle Fangdred, stands Windtower. From this lonely keep the Star Rider calls forth the war that even wizards dread, fought for a woman's hundred-lifetime love. A woman called Nepanthe, princess to the Stormkings...

October's Baby

Dread Empire Main Sequence: Book 2

Cradled in swords, the war-child comes October. When the leaves turn blood and the wind turns bone: a time for doings dark and strange. The princess bears a child to the winged thing and the cries are heard far beyond the peaks of Dragon's Teeth, at the end of the world's Beginning, where Nepanthe and Mocker wait for the war that wizard's dread.

All Darkness Met

Dread Empire Main Sequence: Book 3

At empire's end war is not all hell. Mocker finds old friends in the halls of death, and Nepanthe new lovers in the fields of blood and bone. The war-child wields the sword of truth: the Star Rider's dread secret is at last revealed. And so it ends. Though "end" is but a wizard-word for new beginnings.

The Fire in His Hands

Dread Empire Prequels: Book 1

Once a mighty kingdom reigned – now all is chaos and darkness! In the vast reaches of the desert, a young heretic escapes certain death and embarks on a mission of madness and glory. He is El Murid – the Disciple – who vows to bring order, prosperity and righteousness to the desert people of Hammad al Nakir. But among the warriors, rebellion seethes as they plot to execute the justice of the desert on their evil leader. For after four long centuries, a sorcerer appears among them – a savior destined to build a new Empire from the blood of their enemies!

With Mercy Toward None

Dread Empire Prequels: Book 2

The holy wars had begun, his family was slaughtered by bandits. He was abandoned to die in the desert – but he survived, with the help of his god, and became El Murid, the Disciple. Against him rides Haroun ben Yousif, High Prince of sorcery. Their war will soak the desert with magic, and with blood.

Impersonations

Dread Empire's Fall

Nebula Award-winning author Walter Jon Williams returns to the sweeping space opera adventure of his Praxis universe with Impersonations, an exciting new novel featuring the hero of Dread Empire's Fall!

Having offended her superiors by winning a battle without permission, Caroline Sula has been posted to the planet Earth, a dismal backwater where careers go to die. But Sula has always been fascinated by Earth history, and she plans to reward herself with a long, happy vacation amid the ancient monuments of humanity's home world.

Sula may be an Earth history buff, but there are aspects of her own history she doesn't want known. Exposure is threatened when an old acquaintance turns up unexpectedly. Someone seems to be forging evidence that would send her to prison. And all that is before someone tries to kill her.

If she's going to survive, Sula has no choice but to make some history of her own.

Investments

Dread Empire's Fall

Unable to find a meaningful posting due to the hostility of his superiors, Captain Lord Gareth Martinez has accepted a meaningless post as Inspector General of Chee, a newly-settled world. Intending nothing more than a pleasant vacation with his family, he first stumbles across a murderous conspiracy, and then learns he must battle a literal cosmic menace that threatens to wipe out all life on the planet.

This novella originally appeared in the anthology Between Worlds (2004), edited by Robert Silverberg, and was reprinted in Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 101, October 2018. It can also be found in the anthology The Year's Best Science Fiction: Twenty-Second Annual Collection (2005), edited by Gardner Dozois.

The Praxis

Dread Empire's Fall: Book 1

All will must bend to the perfect truth of The Praxis

For millennia, the Shaa have subjugated the universe, forcing the myriad sentient races to bow to their joyless tyranny. But the Shaa will soon be no more. The dread empire is in its rapidly fading twilight, and with its impending fall comes the promise of a new galactic order . . . and bloody chaos.

A young Terran naval officer marked by his lowly birth, Lt. Gareth Martinez is the first to recognize the insidious plot of the Naxid -- the powerful, warlike insectoid society that was enslaved before all others -- to replace the masters’ despotic rule with their own. Barely escaping a swarming surprise attack, Martinez and Caroline Sula, a pilot whose beautiful face conceals a deadly secret, are now the last hope for freedom for every being who ever languished in Shaa chains -- as the interstellar battle begins against a merciless foe whose only perfect truth is annihilation.

The Sundering

Dread Empire's Fall: Book 2

The Dread Empire of the Shaa is no more, following the death of the last oppressor. But freedom remains elusive for the myriad sentient races enslaved for ten centuries, as an even greater terror arises. The Naxids -- a powerful insectoid species themselves subjugated until the recent Shaa demise -- plan to fill the vacuum with their own bloody domination, and have already won a shattering victory with superior force and unimaginable cruelty.

But two heroes survived the carnage at Magaria: Lord Gareth Martinez and the fiery, mysterious gun pilot Lady Caroline Sula, whose courageous exploits are becoming legend in the new history of galactic civil war. Yet their cunning, skill, and bravery may be no match for the overwhelming enemy descending upon the loyalist stronghold of Zanshaa, as the horrific battle looms that will determine the structure of the universe -- and who shall live to inhabit it -- for millennia to come.

Conventions of War

Dread Empire's Fall: Book 3

The universe has fallen into bloody chaos now that the dread empire of the tyrannical Shaa is no more -- at the mercy of the merciless insectoid Naxid, who now hunger for domination. But the far-flung human descendants of Terra have finally tasted liberty, and their warrior heroes will not submit. Separated by light-years, Lord Gareth Martinez and the mysterious guerrilla fighter Caroline Sula each pursue a different road to victory in tomorrow's ultimate battle -- for the new order will be far more terrible than the old ... unless one last, desperate stratagem can hold a shattered galaxy together.

The Accidental War

Dread Empire's Fall: Book 4

It's been seven years since the end of the Naxid War. Sidelined for their unorthodox tactics by a rigid, tradition-bound military establishment, Captain Gareth Martinez and Captain the Lady Sula are stewing in exile, frustrated and impatient to exercise the effective and lethal skills they were born to use in fighting the enemy.

Yet after the ramshackle empire left by the Shaa conquerors is shaken by a series of hammer blows that threaten the foundations of the commonwealth, the result is a war that no one planned, no one expected, and no one knows how to end.

Now, Martinez, Sula, and their confederate Nikki Severin must escape the clutches of their enemies, rally the disorganized elements of the fleet, and somehow restore the fragile peace – or face annihilation at the hands of a vastly superior force.

Fleet Elements

Dread Empire's Fall: Book 5

The Praxis, the empire of now extinct Shaa, has again fallen into civil war, with desperate and outnumbered humans battling several alien species for survival. Leading the human forces are star-crossed lovers Gareth Martinez and Caroline Sula, who must find a way to overcome their own thorny personal history to defeat the aliens and assure humanity's survival.

But even if the human fleet is victorious, the divisions fracturing the empire may be too wide to repair, as battles between politicians, the military, and fanatics who want to kill every alien threaten to further tear the empire apart. While Martinez and Sula believe they have the talent and tactics to defeat an overwhelming enemy, what will prevent their fellow humans from destroying themselves?

Imperium Restored

Dread Empire's Fall: Book 6

A Cruel Wind: A Chronicle of the Dread Empire

Star-crossed lovers Gareth Martinez and Caroline Sula have decisively beaten the forces of the corrupt Zanshaa government. It seems all there's left to do is to travel to the capital of Zanshaa to reunite the empire under the banner of the Restoration. Before they can sweep up the pieces, though, it's revealed that any advance would spring an enemy trap. To make things worse, their opponents have more resources than Martinez and Sula could have imagined, and a superior force is now aimed at the heart of the Restoration.

But before Martinez and Sula can contend with the gathering enemy forces, a surprising act of violence on Sula's part threatens their relationship--and damages their trust. Hurt and confused, Martinez sends Sula into exile while he tries to recover from his broken heart. Somehow, these two lovers must repair their relationship in order to defeat this new enemy threat... especially when more than love is at stake.

Dread Empire: Omnibus volumes

A Fortress in Shadow: A Chronicle of the Dread Empire

An omnibus collection the first three Dread Empire novels: A Shadow of All Night's Falling, October's Baby and All Darkness Met.

Dread Empire: Omnibus volumes

An Empire Unacquainted with Defeat: A Chronicle of the Dread Empire

This is an omnibus edition of The Fire in His Hands and With Mercy Toward None.

Once a mighty kingdom reigned, but now all is chaos. In the vast reaches of the desert, a young heretic escapes certain death and embarks on a mission of madness and glory. He is El Murid - the Disciple - who vows to bring order, prosperity and righteousness to the desert people of Hammad al Nakir. El Murid incites rebellion against the godless kingdoms and tribes as he plots to execute the justice of the desert. After four long centuries, El Murid is the savior who is destined to build a new empire from the blood his enemies. Or so it seems. El Murid has victory in his grasp, the desert tribes of Hammad al Nakir are rallying around him, and the last remaining thread of the royal lineage wanders the desert with only Heathens to help him. But all is not as it seems, and the sinister forces pulling the strings of empire come into the light. Who and what lies behind El Murid's vision of a desert empire?

Dread Empire: Omnibus volumes

The Dread Empire, a gritty world of larger-than-life plots, nation-shattering conflict, maddening magic, strange creatures, and raw, flawed heroes, all shown through the filter of Glen Cook's inimitable war-correspondent prose. The Dread Empire, spanning from the highest peaks of the Dragon's Teeth to the endless desert lands of Hammad al Nakir, from besieged Kavelin to mighty Shinshan, the Empire Unacquainted with Defeat, with its fearless, masked soldiers, known as the Demon Guard...

An Empire Unacquainted with Defeat collects all of Glen Cook's short fiction set in the vast world of the Dread Empire, from "The Nights of Dreadful Silence", featuring the first appearance of Bragi Ragnarson, Mocker, and Haroun bin Yousif, to the culture-clashing novella "Soldier of an Empire Unacquainted with Defeat"; from "Silverheels", Cook's first published work of fiction, to "Hell's Forge", a haunting tale of cursed pirates and strange lands, appearing here for the first time. Also including a detailed introduction and extensive story notes by Glen Cook, An Empire Unacquainted with Defeat charts the development of this influential American author and the massive, multifaceted world that he created.

Reap the East Wind

Dread Empire: Sequels: Book 1

It has ended. It begins again. In Kavelin, Lady Nepanthe's new life with the wizard Varthlokkur is disturbed by visions of her lost son, while King Bragi Ragnarson and Michael Trebilcock scheme to help the exiled Princess Mist re-usurp her throne - under their thumb. In Shinsan, a pig-farmer's son takes command of Eastern Army, while Lord Kuo faces plots in his council and a suicide attack of two million Matayangans on his border. But in the desert beyond the Dread Empire, a young victim of the Great War becomes the Deliverer of an eons-forgotten god, chosen to lead the legions of the dead. And the power of his vengeance will make a world's schemes as petty as dust, blown wild in the horror that rides the east wind.

An Ill Fate Marshalling

Dread Empire: Sequels: Book 2

A Path to Coldness of Heart

King Bragi Ragnorson decides to join Chatelain Mist's coup against the Dread Empire. Varhlokkur — the King's wizard — tries to dissuade Ragnorson from this chosen path, but only the drum-beat of war is heard. The King's Spymaster Michael Trebilcock joins with the wizard to stave off The Ill Fate Marshaling, to no effect.

Many of the characters from past volumes take center stage, and the climatic events of this book shake the world of the Dread Empire to its very core, creating A Path to Coldness of Heart. Glen Cook's final Dread Empire novel was to have been published 20 years ago, but the manuscript was stolen, and the fate of The Dread Empire has been in Limbo — until now! Night Shade is proud to present the long delayed final Dread Empire Trilogy, of which An Ill Fate Marshalling is Volume 2.

Dread Empire: Sequels: Book 3

Celestial Empire: The Emergence of Chinese Science Fiction

At long last, the conclusion to Glen Cook's Dread Empire saga has arrived! King Bragi Ragnarson is a prisoner, shamed, nameless, and held captive by Lord Shih-kaa and the Empress Mist at the heart of the Dread Empire.

Far away in Kavelin, Bragia's queen and what remains of his army seek to find and free their king, hampered by the loss or desertion of their best and brightest warriors. Kavelina's spymaster, Michael Trebilcock, is missing in action, as is loyal soldier Aral Dantice. Meanwhile, Dane, Duke of Greyfells, seeks to seize the rule of Kavelin and place the kingdom in his pocket, beginning a new line of succession through Bragia's queen, Dane's cousin Inger. And in the highest peaks of the Dragona's Teeth, in the ancient castle Fangdred, the sorcerer called Varthlokkur uses his arts to spy on the world at large, observing the puppet strings that control kings and empires alike, waiting... For the time of the wrath of kings is almost at hand, and vengeance lies along a path to coldness of heart.

Early Classics of Science Fiction: Book 33

Nathaniel Isaacson

Challenging assumptions about science fiction's Western origins, Nathaniel Isaacson traces the development of the genre in China, from the late Qing Dynasty through the New Culture Movement. Through careful examination of a wide range of visual and print media--including historical accounts of the institutionalization of science, pictorial representations of technological innovations, and a number of novels and short stories--Isaacson makes a case for understanding Chinese science fiction as a product of colonial modernity. By situating the genre's emergence in the transnational traffic of ideas and material culture engendered by the presence of colonial powers in China's economic and political centers, Celestial Empires explores the relationship between science fiction and Orientalist discourse. In doing so it offers an innovative approach to the study of both vernacular writing in twentieth-century China and science fiction in a global context.

The Garden of Stones

Echoes of Empire: Book 1

Mark T. Barnes

When the Shrianese Empire explodes into civil war, fighters of all kinds flock to the banners of their lords. Indris, a skilled swordsman and brilliant sorcerer, seeks to end the bloodshed once and for all. He knows this war is simply a ruse—a power play by a ruling Family desperate to take control of the Empire by any means necessary. Indris cares little for the politics except to see that justice is upheld. But even he can't see the terrible price his opponents are willing to pay to secure their legacy.

A true epic, the first book in the Echoes of Empire series creates a spellbinding new world. With its twisted politics, new races, compelling heroes and villains, and unique magic, The Garden of Stones is a lyrical fantasy on the grandest scale.

The Obsidian Heart

Echoes of Empire: Book 2

Mark T. Barnes

An uneasy peace has settled over the Shrianese Empire, and for Indris and Mari, a life together just might be possible. But while the fighting may be over, the struggle between the two great Houses vying to rule has just begun, and caught between them are Indris and Mari--warriors of the highest caliber... and members of the opposing families.

With the court moved to a new city, the old machinations of Mari's father, Corajidin, are still churning as he maneuvers to shape the future Empire. For Mari and Indris, though, it could be the past that's their undoing, as lost lovers and forgotten flames reappear as if by dark magic.

And dark magic it could be, for a dangerous alliance with witches could not only grant Corajidn control of Shrian, but once again plunge the nation back into war--especially after a sorcerous battle destroys much of the city... and forces Indris and Mari to part ways.

In The Obsidian Heart, the second volume of the Echoes of Empire series, darkness falls over a kingdom already reeling from a costly civil war. Can the Indris and Mari survive this new threat to save not only the ones they love, but possibly the entire world?

The Pillars of Sand

Echoes of Empire: Book 3

Mark T. Barnes

Prophecy declared that corrupt politician Corajidin would rule the Shrianese Federation, even become its new Emperor--and sinister magic has helped him defy death in order to do it. But his victory is not assured, thanks to clashing rival factions that hinder any attempts to unify the nation. Though he has taken increasingly brutal measures to eliminate all obstacles in his path, the dark forces supporting him grow dangerously impatient. And the harder they press, the more drastic Corajidin's actions become.

Soon, only his most powerful adversaries will stand in his way: Indris, the peerless swordsman and sorcerer who has long fought to end the Federation's bloody turmoil; and the warrior-poet Mari, Corajidin's own daughter and the woman Indris loves. Fate has torn them apart, forcing them into terrifying personal trials. But if Indris can bring to bear the devastating knowledge of the Pillars of Sand, and Mari can rise up as a rebel leader, Corajidin's enemies will rally--and the decisive battle for the soul and future of the Shrianese will begin.

This epic tale of intrigue, love, and betrayal, painted in the blood of allies and enemies by Mark T. Barnes, concludes the Echo of Empire trilogy that began with The Garden of Stones and The Obsidian Heart.

Empire & Ecolitan

Ecolitan Envoy

L. E. Modesitt, Jr.

Major Jimjoy Earle Wright, secret agent of the Empire, is intelligent and highly trained. But he succeeds all too well in overthrowing a military dictatorship--and the result is a new government inimical to the Empire and disgrace for Jimjoy. After surviving two assassination attempts, Jimjoy realizes that it's his own imperial superiors who want him dead; that, in fact, his worst enemies could become his best friends. He fights his way to safety on the planet Accord, where the Ecolitan Institute wins his loyalty and changes his identity. Now he is James Joyson Whaler, Ecolitan, in the middle of a war of independence against the inconceivably superior forces of the Empire.

The Slow Empire

Eighth Doctor Adventures: Book 47

Dave Stone

The Slow Empire's advanced and complex technology is helping the Vortex Wraiths to materialize. The Empire's pride in its advanced communications systems has invited in a menace that could mean the end of the confederation altogether. But, as the Doctor discovers, this may be no bad thing...

The Diabolical Miss Hyde

Electric Empire: Book 1

Viola Carr

Forensic science, magic, mystery, and romance mix in this edgy steampunk fantasy--a retelling of the horror classic, in which Dr. Eliza Jekyll, daughter of the infamous Dr. Henry Jekyll--pursues a dangerous murderer in an alternate Victorian London.

In an electrified Victorian London, Dr. Eliza Jekyll is a crime scene investigator, hunting killers with newfangled technological gadgets. She will need every advantage available to catch a terrifying new psychopath splattering London with blood. Hidden in the grimy shadows, the fiendish murderer preys on beautiful women, drugging them before slicing off their limbs. Finding the "Slicer" can make Eliza's career... or unmask her darkest secret. Like her father, she has a hidden second self that emerges when she drinks his forbidden magical elixir. Just a few sips, and a seductive and impulsive Lizzie Hyde is unleashed.

The members of the Royal Society do not trust Eliza, and they send their enforcer, the mercurial Captain Lafayette, to prove she's a dangerous sorceress. The careful doctor knows that one wrong step can make her prey to the clever Lafayette, a man who harbors an evil curse of his own. No matter how much she craves the elixir, she must resist.

But as the Slicer case draws her into London's luminous magical underworld, Eliza will need the potion's power to help her... even if it might attract the attentions of Lafayette. .

Even if it means setting the wild Lizzie free....

The Devious Dr. Jekyll

Electric Empire: Book 2

Viola Carr

Dr. Eliza Jekyll, heroine of the electrifying The Diabolical Miss Hyde--an edgy steampunk retelling of the classic Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde--investigates a bizarre murder case in an alternate Victorian London while battling her treacherous secret half: Lizzie Hyde.

Solving the infamous Chopper case has helped crime scene physician Dr. Eliza Jekyll establish her fledgling career in the chauvinistic world of Victorian law enforcement. But the scrutiny that comes with her newfound fame is unwelcome for a woman with a diabolical secret. And there is the mercurial Royal Society agent and wolf man Remy Lafayette. Does he want to marry her, eat her, or burn her at the stake? Though Eliza is uncertain about Remy, her dark and jealous shadow self, Lizzie, wants to steal the magnetic and persistent agent, and usurp Eliza's life.

It's impossible to push Remy away when he tempts her with the one thing she can't resist: a bizarre crime. The search for a bloodthirsty ritual torturer dubbed the Pentacle Killer draws them into a terrifying world of spies, art thieves, and evil alchemy, where the price of immortality is madness--or damnation--and only Lizzie's dark ingenuity can help Eliza survive.

As Eliza and Remy race to thwart a foul conspiracy involving the sorcerous French, they must also overcome a sinister enemy who is all too close: the vengeful Lizzie, determined to dispose of Eliza for good.

The Dastardly Miss Lizzie

Electric Empire: Book 3

Viola Carr

Dr. Eliza Jekyll must turn to her dark side, Miss Lizzie Hyde, to stop a madman who's targeting London's most important scientists and sorcerers, terrorizing the city with dark magic, in this third Electric Empire novel--a dazzlingly original steampunk fantasy set in the gritty world of alternate Victorian London, with echoes of H. G. Wells's classic, The Time Machine.

Being two people in one body isn't easy. Metropolitan Police crime scene physician Eliza Jekyll is trying to maintain a semblance of control, even as her rebellious second self, Lizzie, grows increasingly wild--threatening the respectable Eliza's reputation and her marriage to Remy Lafayette, the Royal Society investigator and occasional lycanthrope. With England on the brink of war, Remy's away in sorcery-riddled Paris on a secretive mission that grows ever more sinister. Has he been an enemy agent all along? Or is coping with her secret divided self finally driving Eliza mad?

Eliza needs her mind clear and sharp if she's to catch an evil genius who is killing eminent scientists. The chase uncovers a murky world of forbidden books, secret laboratories, and a cabal of fanatical inventors whose work could change the world--or destroy it--and who may hold answers to Eliza's mysterious past.

As sorcery-wielding terrorists attack London, Eliza discovers her own enemies are closing in, driving her to desperate measures--enlisting the aid of the wily, resourceful, mercurial Lizzie--to thwart the killer. But Lizzie's got her own life now, and true to her nature, will resort to the devious and diabolical to keep it. Even if it means throwing Eliza to the wolves, and letting the world burn....

Robots and Empire

Elijah Bailey / R. Daneel Olivaw: Book 4

Long after his humiliating defeat at the hands of Earthman Elijah Baley, Keldon Amadiro embarked on a plan to destroy planet Earth. But even after his death, Baley's vision continued to guide his robot partner, R. Daneel Olivaw, who had the wisdom of a great man behind him and an indestructable will to win....

Empire: Book 1

Orson Scott Card

The American Empire has grown too fast, and the fault lines at home are stressed to the breaking point. The war of words between Right and Left has collapsed into a shooting war, though most people just want to be left alone.

The battle rages between the high-technology weapons on one side, and militia foot-soldiers on the other, devastating the cities, and overrunning the countryside. But the vast majority, who only want the killing to stop, and the nation to return to more peaceful days, have technology, weapons and strategic geniuses of their own.

When the American dream shatters into violence, who can hold the people and the government together? And which side will you be on?

Orson Scott Card is a master storyteller, who has earned millions of fans and reams of praise for his previous science fiction and fantasy novels. Now he steps a little closer to the present day with this chilling look at a near future scenario of a new American Civil War.

Hidden Empire

Empire: Book 2

Orson Scott Card

The war of words between right and left collapsed into a shooting war, and raged between the high-technology weapons on each side, devastating cities and overrunning the countryside.

At the close of Empire, political scientist and government adviser Averell Torrent had maneuvered himself into the presidency of the United States. And now that he has complete power at home, he plans to expand American imperial power around the world.

Opportunity comes quickly. There's a deadly new plague in Africa, and it is devastating the countryside and cities. President Torrent declares American solidarity with the victims, but places all of Africa in quarantine until a vaccine is found or the disease burns itself out. And he sends Captain Bartholomew Coleman, Cole to his friends, to run the relief operations and protect the American scientists working on identifying the virus. If Cole and his team can avoid dying of the plague, or being cut down by the weapons of fearful African nations, they might do some good. Or they might be out of the way for good.

Reiksguard

Empire Army: Book 1

Richard Williams

The Reiksguard knights are entrusted with the sacred duty of the Emperor's protection from foes within and without. Under the command of Marshal Kurt Helborg, the Reiksguard live and breathe their code of loyalty, courage, strength and honour. But in the midst of a ruinous war, the young knight Delmar von Reinhardt discovers that this most venerated order hides deadly secrets. Battling an unholy alliance of a goblin warlord and an ogre tyrant, Delmar must unearth the truth no matter which noble knight he should find at its heart.

Iron Company

Empire Army: Book 2

Chris Wraight

When retired engineer Magnus Ironblood is tempted into one more campaign, he finds himself working alongside some unlikely allies. Sent as part of an Imperial force to bring to heel the secessionist forces of Countess von Kleister, this rag-tag army finds themselves outgunned. Digging deep into their reserves of courage and ingenuity they must fight the enemy forces with everything they have. But will it be enough to succeed where other have failed?

Call to Arms

Empire Army: Book 3

Mitchel Scanlon

Dieter Lanz is a young recruit to the 3rd Hochland Swordsmen, otherwise known as 'the Scarlets'. His regiment is called into battle when an orc army starts to rampage across the countryside, and when the Scarlets are defeated, Hochland is threatened with collapse. As a desperation measure, legendary general Ludwig Von Grahl is brought out of retirement – he is the last hope to stem the vicious green tide.

Grimblades

Empire Army: Book 4

Nick Kyme

When orcs and goblins invade the Empire, the Emperor Dieter IV does nothing. While the other elector counts bicker, Prince Wilhelm is left to defend the Reikland alone. The Grimblades are among his brave army that opposes the greenskins. Amidst desperate war across the Empire and a plot to kill the prince, the Grimblades must survive this orc invasion and be victorious.

Warrior Priest

Empire Army: Book 5

Darius Hinks

Warrior Priests are the holy crusaders of the Empire, crushing daemons, witches and heretics alike with righteous fury. These bold men wield death and damnation, with warhammers held high and the word of Sigmar on their lips. They provide the final bastion against the forces of darkness that would run rampant and forever turn the hearts of men. Jakob Wolff is one such warrior, and sets out to track down his brother, whose soul has been tainted by the Ruinous Powers. Family must be put to one side as he battles to prevent the Empire from sinking into Chaos, with only his strength of arms and the purity of his beliefs to call upon.

Empire Games

Empire Games: Book 1

Charles Stross

The year is 2020. It's seventeen years since the Revolution overthrew the last king of the New British Empire, and the newly-reconstituted North American Commonwealth is developing rapidly, on course to defeat the French and bring democracy to a troubled world. But Miriam Burgeson, commissioner in charge of the shadowy Ministry of Intertemporal Research and Intelligence -- the paratime espionage agency tasked with catalyzing the Commonwealth's great leap forward -- has a problem. For years, she's warned everyone: "The Americans are coming." Now their drones arrive in the middle of a succession crisis: for their leader, First Man Adam, is dying of cancer, and the vultures are circling.

In another timeline, the U.S. has recruited Rita, Miriam's own estranged daughter, to spy across timelines in order to bring down any remaining world-walkers who might threaten national security. But her handlers are keeping information from her.

Two nuclear superpowers are set on a collision course. Two increasingly desperate paratime espionage agencies are fumbling around in the dark, trying to find a solution to the first contact problem that doesn't result in a nuclear holocaust. And two women -- a mother and her long-lost, adopted-out daughter -- are about to find themselves on opposite sides of the confrontation.

Dark State

Empire Games: Book 2

Charles Stross

In the near-future, the collision of two nuclear superpowers across timelines, one in the midst of a technological revolution and the other a hyper-police state, is imminent. In Commissioner Miriam Burgeson's timeline, her top level agents run a high risk extraction of a major political player. Meanwhile, a sleeper cell activated in Rita's, the Commissioner's adopted daughter and newly-minted spy, timeline threatens to unravel everything.

With a penchant for intricate world-building and an uncanny ability to realize alternate history and technological speculation, Stross' writing will captivate any reader who's a fan hi-tech thrillers, inter-dimensional political intrigue, and espionage.

Invisible Sun

Empire Games: Book 3

Charles Stross

A renegade British monarch on the run through the streets of Berlin.

And robotic alien invaders from a distant timeline flood through a wormhole, wreaking havoc in the USA.

Can disgraced worldwalker Rita and her intertemporal extraordaire agent of a mother neutralize the livewire contention between their respective timelines before it's too late?

Moon's Artifice

Empire of a Hundred Houses: Book 1

Tom Lloyd

In a quiet corner of the Imperial City, Investigator Narin discovers the result of his first potentially lethal mistake. Minutes later he makes a second.

After an unremarkable career Narin finally has the chance of promotion to the hallowed ranks of the Lawbringers - guardians of the Emperor's laws and bastions for justice in a world of brutal expediency. Joining that honoured body would be the culmination of a lifelong dream, but it couldn't possibly have come at a worse time. A chance encounter drags Narin into a plot of gods and monsters, spies and assassins, accompanied by a grief-stricken young woman, an old man haunted by the ghosts of his past and an assassin with no past.

On the cusp of an industrial age that threatens the warrior caste's rule, the Empire of a Hundred Houses awaits civil war between noble factions. Centuries of conquest has made the empire a brittle and bloated monster; constrained by tradition and crying out for change. To save his own life and those of untold thousands Narin must understand the key to it all - Moon's Artifice, the poison that could destroy an empire.

Old Man's Ghosts

Empire of a Hundred Houses: Book 2

Tom Lloyd

Some men can never outrun their ghosts.

Enchei thought he'd found a home at last - a life of quiet obscurity far removed from the horror of his military days. After a decade in the Imperial City his mistakes have been few, but one has now returned to haunt him.

As Narin's pregnant lover comes to term, life has never been so perilous. There couldn't be a worse time for a nightmare to be unleashed on the Imperial City, but luck's rarely been on Narin's side.

Once, Enchei swore he'd take his own life rather than let his past catch up with him, but now it's not just his own in the balance. Demons, rogue mages and vengeful noblemen haunt the city - and a man's ghosts are always watching and waiting...

March Upcountry

Empire of Man Series: Book 1

The Royal Brat is in Trouble

Roger Ramius Sergei Chiang MacClintock didn't understand.

He was young, handsome, athletic, an excellent dresser, and third in line for the Throne of Man...so why wouldn't anyone at Court trust him?

Why wouldn't even his own mother, the Empress, explain why they didn't trust him? Or why the very mention of his father's name was forbidden at Court? Or why his mother had decided to pack him off to a backwater planet aboard what was little more than a tramp freighter to represent her at a local political event better suited to a third assistant undersecretarv of state?

It probably wasn't too surprising that someone in his position should react by becoming spoiled, selfcentered and petulant. After all, what else did he have to do with his life?

But that was before a saboteur tried to blow up his transport. Then warships of the Empire of Man's worst rivals shot the crippled vessel out of space. Then Roger found himself shipwrecked on the planet Marduk, whose jungles were full of damnbeasts, killerpillars, carnivorous plants, torrential rain, and barbarian hordes with really bad dispositions. Now all Roger has to do is hike halfway around the entire planet, then capture a spaceport from the Bad Guys, somehow commandeer a starship, and then go home to Mother for explanations.

Fortunately, Roger has an ace in the hole: Bravo Company of Bronze Battalion of The Empress' Own Regiment. If anyone can get him off Marduk alive, it's the Bronze Barbarians.

Assuming that Prince Roger manages to grow up before he gets all of them killed.

March to the Sea

Empire of Man Series: Book 2

A Bad Neighborhood

"Always Faithful." That was the IMC motto, and the Marines of Bravo Company, Bronze Battalion, of the Empress' Own Regiment, lived by it...even if they did occasionally wonder why they bothered. After all, Prince Roger MacClintock, Tertiary Heir to the Throne of Man, was a real piece of work. A spoiled rotten, arrogant, whiny, terminally handsome, thoroughly useless young pain in the butt.

But that was before the Royal Brat and his body guards were marooned on Marduk by an assassination attempt. Before they found themselves facing 120° heat in jungles where it rained five or six hours a day...during the dry season. Before they had to march half way around the entire planet, through damnbeasts, Capetoads, killerpillars, and atul-grak. Before they encountered treacherous local potentates, barbarian migrations, and an ocean full of sea serpents that could swallow a topsail schooner whole.

Under the right circumstances, even the most spoiled brat can grow up fast, and it turns out that under his petulant, spoiled exterior, Prince Roger is a true MacClintock, a scion of the warrior dynasty which created the Empire of Man a thousand years before. The Marines assigned to guard him have discovered a new belief in him -- and in their motto -- and they're determined that they will get him off of Marduk aIive.

Of course, the planet has other ideas...

March to the Stars

Empire of Man Series: Book 3

Prince Roger MacClintock, Heir to the Throne of Man, was a spoiled rotten arrogant, thoroughly useless young pain in the butt.

But that was before the royal Brat and his Marine bodyguards had their starship sabotaged, and all were marooned on the enemy-occupied planet of Marduk. Before they had to march half way around the entire planet, through steaming jungles, damnbeasts, Capetoads, and killerpillars. Before they encountered treacherous local potentates, hostile barbarian armies numbering in the thousands, and an ocean full of creatures that are big, vicious and voracious.

Under the right circumstances, even the most spoiled brat can grow up fast. Now, Roger and his loyal troops have made it to the sea, and on the way, Roger has proven himself to be a true MacClintock and a born leader. Still, the sea has monsters big enough to swallow a ship - and across the water is an enemy spaceport, bristing with heavy artillery, against which Roger's team has only hand weapons with nearly-drained power packs. But neither Roger nor the Marines are about to give up, Marduk, do your worst!

We Few

Empire of Man Series: Book 4

Prince Roger MacClintock was an heir to the galaxy's Throne of Man-and a self-obsessed spoiled young brat . . . until he and the Royal Marines sent to protect him were stranded on Marduk with only their feet to get them half way around the entire planet.

So far, they've crossed a continent, crossed a sea full of ship-eating monsters, taken over an enemy spaceport, and hijacked a starship. But they're not home-free yet, because home is no longer free.

In Roger's absence, a palace coup by enemies of the MacClintock family has seized control of the Empire. His mother the Empress is a captive in the palace and even in her own body, drugged so that her will is not her own. Roger's bother, the heir to the throne, is dead. And Roger himself has been branded an outlaw and traitor. Roger and his faithful band of human marines and native alien warriors have beaten the barbarian planet Marduk, and now they must re-conquer an interstellar empire.

But they aren't about to give up, and with the help of those on the throne planet who are still loyal to the Empress they will infiltrate (under cover of a restaurant specializing in exotic Mardukan dishes, no less), they will make anyone who gets in their way (such as local mobsters who make the mistake of kidnapping Roger's fiancé) very sorry that they did, and they will not rest until the rightful ruler has been restored.

Once again, a lot of power-hungry people are going to learn a hard lesson: You do not, ever, mess with a MacClintock!

In Solitude's Shadow

Empire of Ruin: Book 1

David Green

The Banished have returned, and they have set their eyes on the walls of Solitude.

Zanna Alpenwood, a powerful mage, and two hundred aged and forgotten Sparkers are all that stand between the Banished and the nation of Haltveldt. With time running out and the world at stake, Zanna is forced to reach out to her estranged daughter, Calene, and set her on an impossible quest.

Calene quickly learns that enemies make unlikely allies as she teams up with both friend and foe on her journey to save her mother and Haltveldt. Forging their way over land and sea, uncovering dark plots and secret societies, Calene is forced to decide between her masters and her own conscience.

Will they arrive in time to save the fortress of Solitude from destruction? Only one thing is certain; Ruin is assured if Solitude falls.

Beyond Sundered Seas

Empire of Ruin: Book 3

David Green

The Spark is no more.

Separated from her companions, Calene Alpenwood resolves to finish her task and bring an end to the bloodshed drowning Haltveldt. But violence breeds violence, and a corrupting darkness spreads where the Spark once lived in Calene's soul.

Saved from death from a mind-spinning source, the elf Brina al'Loria is tasked with the 'simple' mission of uniting the warring factions of Haltveldt. Reeling from staggering truths, Brina must navigate a hostile world ruled by humans and succeed in her undertaking before disaster strikes and faith is lost.

Kade Besem faces a reality born from his nightmares. Alone with the Banished, the former politician pieces together the plans of a seemingly unknowable mind, and discovers plots and treachery millennia in the making.

Haltveldt edges closer to the brink of ruin. With events in motion that cannot be stopped, Calene, Brina and Kade find unlikely allies and face new enemies as they fight for a future they might never see. With the odds stacked against them from the beginning, but faint embers of hope still remain as an ancient threat shows its hand at last.

At Eternity's Gates

Empire of Ruin: Book 4

David Green

THE EPIC CONCLUSION TO THE EMPIRE OF RUIN SERIES

As a long-planned endgame begins, the future of Haltveldt balances on the edge of the slimmest of blades.

Calene Alpenwood rallies her comrades against the spreading darkness, but faces overwhelming threats from both sides of enemy lines. The entity known as the Corruption, the living culmination of Haltveldt's millennia-long abuse of the Spark, approaches. And it hungers for Calene, dead or alive.

Her allies, the former elven-renegade Brina al'Loria and the aged Sparker, Greton Bouseby, scramble to her aid, but Calene's plans for Haltveldt's salvation fracture her assembled friends' wills. Meanwhile, the Follower of the Dawn's mysterious goddess, the Widow emerges, her focus fixed on Calene, revealing her hand at last.

But there is a wild card in play. The treacherous Raas has fled from the Banished, and Kade Besem gives chase, desperate to put an end to the conniving ancient's plans. For the Corruption and the Widow aren't the only parties interested in the power Calene Alpenwood wields...

Nations unite, armies clash, and the past, present, and future converge in Haltveldt's final stand. Have Calene and her allies learned enough to chart a new path to a brighter existence? Or will it prove impossible to escape the weight of bitter memories and ancient grudges - dooming Haltveldt to descend into complete and utter corrupted darkness?

It all ends At Eternity's Gates.

Eon

Empire of the Celestial Dragon: Book 1

Alison Goodman

Sixteen-year-old Eon has a dream, and a mission. For years, he's been studying sword-work and magic, toward one end. He and his master hope that he will be chosen as a Dragoneye-an apprentice to one of the twelve energy dragons of good fortune.

But Eon has a dangerous secret. He is actually Eona, a sixteen-year-old girl who has been masquerading as a twelve-year-old boy. Females are forbidden to use Dragon Magic; if anyone discovers she has been hiding in plain sight, her death is assured.

When Eon's secret threatens to come to light, she and her allies are plunged into grave danger and a deadly struggle for the Imperial throne. Eon must find the strength and inner power to battle those who want to take her magic...and her life.

Eona

Empire of the Celestial Dragon: Book 2

Alison Goodman

Eon has been revealed as Eona, the first female Dragoneye in hundreds of years. Along with fellow rebels Ryko and Lady Dela, she is on the run from High Lord Sethon's army. The renegades are on a quest for the black folio, stolen by the drug-riddled Dillon; they must also find Kygo, the young Pearl Emperor, who needs Eona's power and the black folio if he is to wrest back his throne from the selfstyled "Emperor" Sethon. Through it all, Eona must come to terms with her new Dragoneye identity and power - and learn to bear the anguish of the ten dragons whose Dragoneyes were murdered. As they focus their power through her, she becomes a dangerous conduit for their plans. . . .

Eona, with its pulse-pounding drama and romance, its unforgettable fight scenes, and its surprises, is the conclusion to an epic only Alison Goodman could create.

Empire of the East

Omnibus edition containing The Broken Lands (1968), The Black Mountains (1971) and Changeling Earth (1973). The text of these novels has been substantially revised for the omnibus publication.

In the distant future, society has crumbled. Dark forces now rule the land, keeping all humans under their oppressive thumbs.

In the darkness of the shadows and whispered on the winds, there is talk of a rebellion. In the swamps, a small band has formed. Determined to regain their freedom, the rebellion, heavily outnumbered, plans to overthrow an army of thousands... with the help of one incredible weapon.

It is only a legend, a story left over from the Old World before magic and the wizards came to the land. A weapon of technology. It is the mystical Elephant, and whoever masters it holds the key to freedom, or defeat.

One young man, determined to avenge the death of his family, sets out to join the rebellion and find Elephant. What he discovers will change everything.

The Broken Lands

Empire of the East: Book 1

The passing of thousands of years left the planet Earth a series of broken lands... a mutated world of distant alien empires and near-at-hand rapacious satraps.

The hunted common people were sustained by one last legend--that some day one would come who would "ride the Elephant" and thereby bring back the Golden Age.

This is the gripping novel of the young rebel who found out what the legend really signified, and of how he sought to use that banned knowledge in the very heart of the satrap's stronghold of alien magics and well-guarded scientific mysteries.

The Black Mountains

Empire of the East: Book 2

When Chup's castle fell to the forces of the West, the ex-lord was reduced to beggary at its gates. Each day he faced the Black Mountains of the East to which he had sworn fealty--and where he hoped his unclaimed bride still waited.

Behind, the West plotted to assault the Black Mountains with their new weapons from the forbidden lore of Old Technology. Ahead, lay the three most powerful lords in all creation. One was good, one was Evil, one was immortal.

Chup knew the East would not help him unless the could profit by it. Nor could he refuse anything asked of him and still survive. If they reached him in any way, he might be both blessed and cirsed. and then, one howling, windy night, came the deformed luminescence of a demon...

Changeling Earth

Empire of the East: Book 3

The planet was Earth. The time was fifty thousand years from now. Magic and witchcraft worked and the Old Science didn't.

Why this was so nobody knew - it had always been that way during the long tyranny of the Empire of the East. During that same period there had always been little bands of rebels using fragments of white magic against the demonic armies. Rolf was the latest of these rebels - and he had on his side the mysterious power known as Ardneh.

Ardneh's Sword

Empire of the East: Book 4

The Court of Broken Knives

It's been a thousand years since the time of Ardneh, the transcendant being that saved humanity from the vicious archdemon Orcus. It was a legndary battle between magic and technology that killed them both, but left behind tales of Ardneh's heroism and newly found hope for humanity. But in the passing years only a few remain that actually believe these legends as truths.

Chance Rolfson comes from a long line of Ardneh's followers, descendants from Rolf, the illustrious warrior who fought in Ardneh's name for humanity many years ago. A young man plagued with vivid nightmares, Chance hopes to clear his head by joining a forest expedition that seeks physical proof of Ardneh's existence. Their goal is to discover the great vault prophesized to hold the savior of humanity's secrets to his own power and wisdom. But the dangers are high in the uncharted forests, rife with bandits and demons that no magic can stop. And as Chance's dreams become more clear, he soon realizes these are not merely dreams but visions, and he alone holds the key to unlocking Ardneh's greatest gift, known to the followers as Ardneh's Sword.

Empire of the Vampire

Empire of the Vampire: Book 1

Jay Kristoff

From holy cup comes holy light;
The faithful hand sets world aright.
And in the Seven Martyrs' sight,
Mere man shall end this endless night.

It has been twenty-seven long years since the last sunrise. For nearly three decades, vampires have waged war against humanity; building their eternal empire even as they tear down our own. Now, only a few tiny sparks of light endure in a sea of darkness.

Gabriel de León is a silversaint: a member of a holy brotherhood dedicated to defending realm and church from the creatures of the night. But even the Silver Order could not stem the tide once daylight failed us, and now, only Gabriel remains.

Imprisoned by the very monsters he vowed to destroy, the last silversaint is forced to tell his story. A story of legendary battles and forbidden love, of faith lost and friendships won, of the Wars of the Blood and the Forever King and the quest for humanity's last remaining hope:

The Holy Grail.

Empire of the Damned

Empire of the Vampire: Book 2

Jay Kristoff

From holy cup comes holy light;
The faithful hands sets world aright.
And in the Seven Martyrs' sight,
Mere man shall end this endless night.

Gabriel de León has saved the Holy Grail from death, but his chance to end the endless night is lost. Drawn into an uneasy alliance with the mysterious vampire Liathe, Gabriel must now deliver the Grail to ancients of the Blood Esani, and learn the truth of how Daysdeath might be finally undone.

But the Last Silversaint faces peril, within and without. Pursued by terrors of the Blood Voss, drawn into warfare between the Blood Dyvok and duskdancers of the frozen Highlands, and ravaged by his own rising bloodlust, Gabriel may not survive to see the Grail learn her truth.

And that truth may be too awful for any to imagine.

The Justice of Kings

Empire of the Wolf: Book 1

Richard Swan

The Empire of the Wolf simmers with unrest. Rebels, heretics, and powerful patricians all challenge the power of the Imperial throne.

Only the Order of Justices stands in the way of chaos. Sir Konrad Vonvalt is the most feared Justice of all, upholding the law by way of his sharp mind, arcane powers, and skill as a swordsman. At his side stands Helena Sedanka, his talented protégé, orphaned by the wars that forged the Empire.

When the pair investigates the murder of a provincial aristocrat, they unearth a conspiracy that stretches to the very top of Imperial society. As the stakes rise and become ever more personal, Vonvalt and Helena must make a choice: Will they abandon the laws they've sworn to uphold, in order to protect the Empire?

The Tyranny of Faith

Empire of the Wolf: Book 2

Richard Swan

A Justice's work is never done.

The Battle of Galen's Vale is over, but the war for the Empire's future has just begun. Concerned by rumors that the Magistratum's authority is waning, Sir Konrad Vonvalt returns to Sova to find the capital city gripped by intrigue and whispers of rebellion. In the Senate, patricians speak openly against the Emperor, while fanatics preach holy vengeance on the streets.

Yet facing down these threats to the throne will have to wait, for the Emperor's grandson has been kidnapped - and Vonvalt is charged with rescuing the missing prince. His quest will lead him -- and his allies Helena, Bressinger and Sir Radomir -- to the southern frontier, where they will once again face the puritanical fury of Bartholomew Claver and his templar knights -- and a dark power far more terrifying than they could have imagined.

The Trials of Empire

Empire of the Wolf: Book 3

Richard Swan

THE TIME OF JUDGEMENT IS AT HAND

The Empire of the Wolf is on its knees, but there's life in the great beast yet.

To save it, Sir Konrad Vonvalt and Helena must look beyond its borders for allies - to the wolfmen of the southern plains, and the pagan clans in the north. But old grievances run deep, and both factions would benefit from the fall of Sova.

Even these allies might not be enough. Their enemy, the zealot Bartholomew Claver, wields infernal powers bestowed on him by a mysterious demonic patron. If Vonvalt and Helena are to stand against him, they will need friends on both sides of the mortal plane - but such allegiances carry a heavy price.

As the battlelines are drawn in both Sova and the afterlife, the final reckoning draws close. Here, at the beating heart of the Empire, the two-headed wolf will be reborn in a blaze of justice... or crushed beneath the shadow of tyranny.

Empire State

Empire State: Book 1

Adam Christopher

THE EMPIRE STATE IS THE OTHER NEW YORK. A parallel-universe, Prohibition-era world of mooks and shamuses that is the twisted magic mirror to our bustling Big Apple, a place where sinister characters lurk around every corner while the great superheroes that once kept the streets safe have fallen into dysfunctional rivalries and feuds. Not that its colourful residents know anything about the real New York... until detective Rad Bradley makes a discovery that will change the lives of all its inhabitants.

Playing on the classic Gotham conventions of the Batman comics and HBO's Boardwalk Empire, debut author Adam Christopher has spun this smart and fast-paced superhero-noir adventure, the sort of souped-up thrill ride that will excite genre fans and general readers alike.

The Age Atomic

Empire State: Book 2

Adam Christopher

The Empire State is dying. The Fissure connecting the pocket universe to New York has vanished, plunging the city into a deep freeze and the populace are demanding a return to Prohibition and rationing as energy supplies dwindle. Meanwhile, in 1954 New York, the political dynamic has changed and Nimrod finds his department subsumed by a new group, Atoms For Peace, led by the mysterious Evelyn McHale. As Rad uncovers a new threat to his city, Atoms For Peace prepare their army for a transdimensional invasion. Their goal: total conquest – or destruction – of the Empire State.

The Stars Undying

Empire Without End: Book 1

Emery Robin

Princess Altagracia has lost everything. After a bloody civil war, her twin sister has claimed both the crown of their planet, Szayet, and the Pearl of its prophecy: a computer that contains the immortal soul of Szayet's god.

So when the interstellar Empire of Ceiao turns its conquering eye toward Szayet, Gracia sees an opportunity. To regain her planet, Gracia places herself in the hands of the empire and its dangerous commander, Matheus Ceirran.

But winning over Matheus, to say nothing of his mercurial and compelling captain Anita, is no easy feat. And in trying to secure her planet's sovereignty and future, Gracia will find herself torn between Matheus's ambitions, Anita's unpredictable desires, and the demands of the Pearl that whispers in her ear.

For Szayet's sake and her own, she will need to become more than a princess with a silver tongue. She will have to become a queen as history has never seen before.

Empires of Dust: Book 1

Anna Smith Spark

Perfect for fans of Mark Lawrence and R Scott Bakker, The Court of Broken Knives is the explosive debut by one of grimdark fantasy's most exciting new voices.

They've finally looked at the graveyard of our Empire with open eyes. They're fools and madmen and like the art of war. And their children go hungry while we piss gold and jewels into the dust.

In the richest empire the world has ever known, the city of Sorlost has always stood, eternal and unconquered. But in a city of dreams governed by an imposturous Emperor, decadence has become the true ruler, and has blinded its inhabitants to their vulnerability. The empire is on the verge of invasion--and only one man can see it.

Haunted by dreams of the empire's demise, Orhan Emmereth has decided to act. On his orders, a company of soldiers cross the desert to reach the city. Once they enter the Palace, they have one mission: kill the Emperor, then all those who remain. Only from ashes can a new empire be built.

The company is a group of good, ordinary soldiers, for whom this is a mission like any other. But the strange boy Marith who walks among them is no ordinary soldier. Marching on Sorlost, Marith thinks he is running away from the past which haunts him. But in the Golden City, his destiny awaits him--beautiful, bloody, and more terrible than anyone could have foreseen.

The Tower of Living and Dying

Empires of Dust: Book 2

Anna Smith Spark

A powerhouse story of bloodshed, ambition, and fate, The Tower of Living and Dying is a continuation of Anna Smith Spark's brilliant Empires of Dust trilogy, which began with The Court of Broken Knives.

Marith has been a sellsword, a prince, a murderer, a demon, and dead. But something keeps bringing him back to life, and now there is nothing stopping him from taking back the throne that is rightfully his.

Thalia, the former high priestess, remains Marith's only tenuous grasp to whatever goodness he has left. His left hand and his last source of light, Thalia still believes that the power that lies within him can be used for better ends. But as more forces gather beneath Marith's banner, she can feel her influence slipping.

Read the second book in this "gritty and glorious!" (Miles Cameron) epic fantasy series reminiscent of Joe Abercrombie and Mark Lawrence where the exiled son of a king fights to reclaim his throne no matter the cost.

The House of Sacrifice

Empires of Dust: Book 3

Anna Smith Spark

Marith Altrersyr has won. He cut a path of blood and vengeance and needless violence around the world and now he rules. It is time for Marith to put down his sword, to send home his armies, to grow a beard and become fat. It is time to look to his own house, and to produce an heir. The King of Death must now learn to live.

But some things cannot be learnt.

The spoils of war turn to ash in the mouths of the Amrath Army and soon they are on the move again. But Marith, lord of lies, dragon-killer, father-killer, has begun to falter and his mind decays. How long can a warlord rotting from within continue to win?

As the Army marches on to Sorlost, Thalia's thoughts turn to home and to the future: a life grows inside her and it is a precious thing - but it grows weak.

Why must the sins of the father curse the child?

The Lost Library of Cormanthyr

Federation Series: Book 6

H. Beam Piper

Collected here for the first time anywhere are four of the best stories by one of the Grand Old Masters of science fiction.

Empire: The Edge of the Knife
A Slave is a Slave
The Ministry of Disturbance
The Return (with John J. McGuire)
The Keeper

Empire from the Ashes

Fifth Imperium

David Weber

Contents:

Mutineers' Moon
The Armageddon Inheritance
Heirs of Empire

For Colin MacIntyre, it began with a routine training flight over the moon. For Dahak, a self-aware Imperial battleship, it began millennia ago, standing guard against an unknown enemy which once devastated the galaxy-and now has returned. So Dahak grabbed MacIntyre's ship and informed him that he was drafted to be its new captain and lead the fight against the ancient enemy.

MacIntyre had doubts that he could handle the job, but Dahak had definitely picked the right man. Before it was all over, MacIntyre would:

Defeat a cadre of mutineers, formerly part of Dahak's crew, kept alive through untold generations by alien technology, who have been secretly manipulating life on earth for thousands of years...

Mobilize the planet into a fighting force that might have a slender chance of stopping the ancient alien menace from eradicating all intelligent life in its path...

And resurrect the ancient galactic empire, which had fallen into chaos and barbarism, with himself as Emperor-which meant that he immediately became the target of a plot to assassinate him, and strand his son and daughter on a planet where their chances of surviving in a superstitious pre-tech society would be zero for the average human...

Fortunately for the galaxy, Colin MacIntyre and his heirs have never even heard of average, and anyone, human or alien, who got in their way was going to be very, very sorry.

Heirs of Empire

Fifth Imperium: Book 3

David Weber

For really tough jobs, Emperor Colin, the first of that name, is your man. The only person in the galaxy ever to stop the genocidal Achuutani, he went on from there to resurrect an empire that died fourty-five thousand years ago. He's still got a few problems - like a traitor out to murder him and three-quarters of a billion of his subjects - but if anyone can handle the job, it's Colin. But the rest of the galaxy better brace itself, because his progeny are on the way. Not that Sean and Harriet aren't nice kids; it's just that they've had a bad day.They're a long way from home, marooned with a blown up starship that's left them stranded on a theocratic world of gun powder and pikes, and Mother Church of that world doesn't like them very much. In fact, she's declared them demons, proclaimed Holy War, marshalled the Holy Host, and ordered them exterminated. You might think that things look pretty bleak for the kids, but in reality it's Mother Church that's in trouble - because Sean and Harry are chips off the old block - and they're about to get angry...

Relic of Empire

Forbidden Borders: Book 2

W. Michael Gear

THE CALL TO BATTLE...

The Forbidden Borders, an unassailable gravity-powered barrier, confine rival human empires to a few star systems, leaving them to strive endlessly against one another for domination. Now the balance of power has shifted so drastically that the long-dreaded final war between Rega and Sassa, the last surviving empires, is about to begin. Staffa kar Therma, Lord Commander of the Companions, the finest of mercenary soldiers, knows this war could reduce all human civilization to ashes, and he is desperately striving to avert the spiral into total destruction.

Then, seeking to blackmail Staffa into fighting for them, the Regans kidnap Skyla Lyma, Staffa's second-in-command and the woman he loves. And suddenly Staffa is forced to choose between Skyla's life and the possible end of his universe. Yet perhaps the choice will not be left to him at all. For Sinklar, the son stolen from the Lord Commander as an infant, now a general who has become Staffa's sworn enemy, is already mobilizing his own forces for a pre-emptive strike....

But others, too, are weaving strategies of intrigue and betrayal as they reach out to seize control of the known worlds. And only time will tell if anyone will survive to claim the title of victor....

ON IMPERIAL SASSA--
An empire drained of precious resources by decades of interstellar war prepares for a final strike against its last surviving enemy - a winner-take-all campaign of conquest....

ON REGA--
The capital hovers on the brink of civil war as, with Emperor Tybalt assassinated, Sinklar Fist is forced to take control of preparations for a pre-emptive strike against the Sassan Empire....

AND IN THE ITREATIC ASTEROIDS--
Staffa kar Therma, Lord Commander of the elite mercenary troops, the Companions, struggles to find a way to force the two warring empires to make peace - before all of human civilization within the Forbidden Borders finds itself driven one step too far along the road to destruction....

Forgotten Realms: Lost Empires: Book 1

Mel Odom

The Lost Library of Cormanthyr

Is it just a myth? Or does it still stand... somewhere in the most ancient corners of Faerûn?

An intrepid human explorer sets out to find the truth and what starts as an archaeological expedition soon becomes a race against time as an undying avenger is determined to protect the secrets of the ancient, xenophobic elven empire of Cormanthyr.

Lost Empires is a bold new series that uncovers the secrets of the lost, ancient Forgotten Realmsworld.

Faces of Deception

Forgotten Realms: Lost Empires: Book 2

Troy Denning

Atreus of Erlkazar

Hidden from his powerful family's enemies behind the hideous mask of his own face. Sent by the goddess of beauty on an impossible mission. Driven to find a way past his own flesh, into a soul torn between destiny and love.

Deep in the ancient valleys of the enigmatic Utter East, Atreus will finally look into the... Faces of Deception.

Star of Cursrah

Forgotten Realms: Lost Empires: Book 3

Clayton Emery

Lurking in the ruins is a horrific tale of greed, power, and revenge. The Protector crawls forth, the shade of a dead city whose rulers refuse to die, and young companions in two distant epochs learn of a dreadful destiny they cannot escape... and a deadly threat to all they hold dear.

The Lost Empires series uncovers the secrets of the ancient civilizations of the Forgotten Realms world. Why did Cursrah fall? Who was the Star of Cursrah? And how can a long-dead city threaten the modern realm of Calimshan?
Uncover the secrets for yourself - if you dare.

The Nether Scroll

Forgotten Realms: Lost Empires: Book 4

Lynn Abbey

Ansoain has been murdered, and her son Galimer taken hostage.

Druhallen, a young magic user, must avenge the murder of his teacher and rescue her son from a dubious fate. But not everyone is telling Druhallen the truth.

Druhallen and his companions must brave the ruins of Dekanter to find a missing artifact... the Nether Scroll.

Without the Nether Scroll Galimer may die. With it Druhallen may go mad.

Horselords

Forgotten Realms: The Empires Trilogy: Book 1

David Cook

Between the valiant kingdoms of the western Realms and the exotic eastern lands of Kara-Tur lies a vast, unexplored kingdom. For centuries, the "civilized" peoples of the Forgotten Realms have given little notice to these barbarians. Now, a powerful leader has united the wild horsemen into a mighty force--an army powerful enough to challenge the world. The Empires Trilogy: Book One.

Dragonwall

Forgotten Realms: The Empires Trilogy: Book 2

Troy Denning

New York Times best-selling author Troy Denning pens the 2nd novel in the Empires Trilogy, a saga set in the land of Kara-Tur within the Forgotten Realms.

The barbarbarian horde has breached the ancient Dragonwall and now threatens the oriental land of Shou Lung. Powerful as they are, the Shou army's only hope lies with Batu Min Ho, a young general who is himself a third generation descendant of Tuigan barbarians. But Batu's wife must fight her own battle in the treacherous political terrain of the imperial court, as a psy attempts to undermine the empreror's confidence in her husband. And if Batu is to retain his command and save Shou Lung, it is a battle she must not lose.

Crusade

Forgotten Realms: The Empires Trilogy: Book 3

James Lowder

Picking up from where Dragonwall left off, the book sheds light on the Cormyrean king, masterminding and then leading the crusade in the defense of the entire continent following the invasion of eastern Faerun, Ashanath, Rashemen, and Thesk, by Khahan Yamun and the Tuigan horsemen. Whereas Horselords looks at the story from the point of view of Koja and the Tuigan, and Dragonwall looks at the continuation of the same story from the point of view of General Batu and the Shou Lung, Crusade is written from King Azoun's and subsequently the West's perspective. In addition, there are two parallel stories running: the king's relations with Alusair, his estranged daughter, and the adventures of John Razor, a fletcher from Suzail, as he takes part in the Crusade.

Galactic Empires

Brian W. Aldiss

Omnibus edtion of Galactic Empires Volume One and Galactic Empires Volume Two, originally published in 1976.

Galactic Empires Volume One

Galactic Empires: Book 1

Brian W. Aldiss

Table of Contents:

Introduction - (1976) - essay by Brian W. Aldiss
A Sense of Perspective - (1976) - essay by Brian W. Aldiss
Been a Long, Long Time - (1970) - short story by R. A. Lafferty
The Possessed - (1953) - short story by Arthur C. Clarke
Protected Species - (1951) - short story by H. B. Fyfe
All the Way Back - (1952) - short story by Michael Shaara
'Wider Still and Wider...' - (1976) - essay by Brian W. Aldiss
The Star Plunderer - (1952) - novelette by Poul Anderson
Foundation - (1942) - novelette by Isaac Asimov
We're Civilized! - (1953) - short story by Mark Clifton and Alex Apostolides
Horses in the Starship Hold - (1976) - essay by Brian W. Aldiss
The Crime and the Glory of Commander Suzdal - (1964) - short story by Cordwainer Smith
The Rebel of Valkyr - (1950) - novella by Alfred Coppel
Brightness Falls from the Air - (1951) - short story by Margaret St. Clair
Immigrant - (1954) - novella by Clifford D. Simak
The Health Service in the Skies - (1976) - essay by Brian W. Aldiss
Resident Physician - (1961) - novelette by James White
Age of Retirement - (1954) - short story by Hal Lynch
Planting Time - (1975) - short story by Pete Adams and Charles Nightingale

Galactic Empires Volume Two

Galactic Empires: Book 2

Brian W. Aldiss

Table of Contents:

Introduction - (1976) - essay by Brian W. Aldiss
"You Can't Impose Civilization by Force" - (1976) - essay by Brian W. Aldiss
Escape to Chaos - (1951) - novella by John D. MacDonald
Concealment - (1943) - short story by A. E. van Vogt
To Civilize - (1954) - short story by Algis Budrys
Beep - (1954) - novelette by James Blish
The Other End of the Stick - essay by Brian W. Aldiss
Down the River - (1950) - short story by Mack Reynolds
The Bounty Hunter - (1958) - short story by Avram Davidson
Not Yet the End - (1941) - short story by Fredric Brown
All Things Are Cyclic - (1976) - essay by Brian W. Aldiss
Tonight the Stars Revolt! - (1952) - novella by Gardner F. Fox
Final Encounter - (1964) - novelette by Harry Harrison
Big Ancestors and Descendants - (1976) - essay by Brian W. Aldiss
Lord of a Thousand Suns - (1951) - novelette by Poul Anderson
Big Ancestor - (1954) - novelette by F. L. Wallace
The Interlopers - (1954) - short story by Roger Dee
Epilogue - (1976) - essay by Brian W. Aldiss

Vaster Than Empires and More Slow

Galaxy Science Fiction: Book 7

Clifford D. Simak

Spencer Chambers wants to make the solar system his own personal Empire. A trillionaire and industrialist he owns the ships that can carry humanity to freedom and plenty in the untapped riches of the solar system. In return he wants to charge exorbitant prices making it so that he will end up owning every planet and asteroid. Gregory Manning has a different idea. He sees a solar system open to everyone. Only one man's vision for the future of humanity can come true: slavery or freedom. Gregory Manning has an ace up his sleeve--a scientific ace.

Ghosts of Empire

Ghosts of Manhattan: Book 4

George Mann

In the aftermath of the events in Ghosts of Karnak, and with the political climate somewhat eased, Gabriel takes Ginny to London by airship to recuperate. But he isn't counting on coming face-to-face with a man who claims to embody the spirit of Albion itself, sinister forces gathering in the London Underground and an old ally--the British spy, Peter Rutherford--who could desperately use his help.

Sins of Empire

Gods of Blood and Powder: Book 1

Brian McClellan

Enter a war-torn world where gunpowder and magic collide

The nation of Fatrasta is a haven for criminals, rebels, adventurers and sorcerers seeking relics of the past. As insurrection grows, only the iron will of the Lady Chancellor holds the capital city of Landfall together.

Yet an ancient power as old as time is rising, and the fate of this young nation now rests in the hands of a spy, a disgraced war hero and a mercenary general with a past as turbulent as Landfall's present.

Sins of Empire is the bold new epic fantasy from Gemmell Award-winning author Brian McClellan.

Wrath of Empire

Gods of Blood and Powder: Book 2

Brian McClellan

The country is in turmoil. With the capital city occupied, half a million refugees are on the march, looking for safety on the frontier, accompanied by Lady Flint's soldiers. But escaping war is never easy, and soon the battle may find them, whether they are prepared or not.

Back in the capital, Michel Bravis smuggles even more refugees out of the city. But internal forces are working against him. With enemies on all sides, Michel may be forced to find help with the very occupiers he's trying to undermine.

Blood of Empire

Gods of Blood and Powder: Book 3

Brian McClellan

As the final battle approaches a sellsword, a spy, and a general must find unlikely and dangerous allies in order to turn the tides of war in this epic fantasy tale of magic and gunpowder by acclaimed author Brian McClellan.

The Dynize have unlocked the Landfall Godstone, and Michel Bravis is tasked with returning to Greenfire Depths to do whatever he can to prevent them from using its power; from sewing dissension among the enemy ranks to rallying the Palo population.

Ben Styke's invasion of Dynize is curtailed when a storm scatters his fleet. Coming ashore with just twenty lancers, he is forced to rely on brains rather than brawn - gaining new allies in a strange land on the cusp of its own internal violence.

Bereft of her sorcery and physically and emotionally broken, Lady Vlora Flint now marches on Landfall at the head of an Adran army seeking vengeance against those who have conspired against her. While allied politicians seek to undo her from within, she faces insurmountable odds and Dynize's greatest general.

Beyond the Empire

Hail Bristol: Indranan War: Book 3

K. B. Wagers

Gunrunner-turned-Empress Hail Bristol was dragged back to her home planet to take her rightful place in the palace. Her sisters and parents have been murdered, and the Indranan Empire is reeling from both treasonous plots and foreign invasion.

Now, on the run from enemies on all fronts, Hail prepares to fight a full-scale war for her throne and her people, even as she struggles with the immense weight of the legacy thrust upon her. With the aid of a motley crew of allies old and new, she must return home to face off with the same powerful enemies who killed her family and aim to destroy everything and everyone she loves. Untangling a legacy of lies and restoring peace to Indrana will require an empress's wrath and a gunrunner's justice.

Hainish Cycle

Ursula K. Le Guin

Hugo Awared nominated short story in Le Guin's Hainish setting. It originally appeared in the anthology New Dimensions 1 (1971), edited by Robert Silverberg. The story can also be found in the anthologies:

The Best Science Fiction of the Year #1 (1972), edited by Terry Carr
Women of Wonder (1975), edited by Pamela Sargent
Explorers of Space (1975) edited by Robert Silverberg
Explorers: SF Adventures to Far Horizons (2000) edited by Gardner Dozois
The Big Book of Science Fiction (2016), edited by Jeff and Ann VanderMeer

It is included in the collections The Wind's Twelve Quarters (1975), Buffalo Gals and Other Animal Presences (1987) and The Wind's Twelve Quarters & The Compass Rose (2015).

Principles of Angels

Hidden Empire: Book 1

Khesh City floats above the surface of the uninhabitable planet of Vellern. Topside, it's extravagant, opulent, luxurious; the Undertow is dark, twisted and dangerous. A place where nothing is forbidden, Khesh City is also a democracy, of sorts, policed by the Angels—elite, state-sponsored killers who answer only to their enigmatic master, the Minister.

Taro lived a privileged life with his Angel aunt until a strange man, who bought his body for the night, followed him home and murdered her. Taro wants to find the killer who ruined his future, but he's struggling just to survive in the brutal Undertow—then an encounter with the Minister sets him on a new course. Elarn Reen is a famous musician sent to Khesh City as the unwilling agent of mankind's oldest enemy, the Sidhe.

To save her own life, she must find and kill a renegade Sidhe. As Taro and Elarn's paths converge, it becomes clear that the lives of everyone in Khesh City are at risk—and a common prostitute and an uncommon singer are the city's only chance.

Consorts of Heaven

Hidden Empire: Book 2

When a naked, amnesiac stranger is found outside a remote highland village, he is taken in by Kerin, a widow whose unconventional ways are tolerated because her son Damaru is "skytouched."

All skytouched are able to affect matter, and are tested by the Beloved Daughter, the living goddess who rules the world from the City of Light. If he is found worthy, Damaru will become a Consort of the skymothers, the gods themselves.

Kerin and the stranger - nicknamed Sais - accompany Damaru to the City, but as Sais recovers his memory, he realizes that the world does not work the way everyone else assumes it does. As Kerin and Sais uncover the true nature of the world, they discover the unimaginable fate of the Consorts, a fate Kerin will do anything to stop her son from sharing.

Guardians of Paradise

Hidden Empire: Book 3

Most people believe the Sidhe are long dead, exterminated centuries ago when the males of the race rose up and fought alongside the humans subjugated and enslaved by the female Sidhe. But Jarek Reen knows better: he's discovered, the painful way, that the Sidhe are alive and well, and still screwing over humanity. They've already killed his sister, so he's not surprised when he discovers an old friend and her partner are next on the Sidhe's hitlist. He helps not only to foil the assassination attempt, but also to muddy the scene of the crime, leaving the Angels Nual and Taro sanMalia presumed dead - and free to join his crusade to expose the insidious influence of the Sidhe, and their evil plans to enslave the human race again. Their mission takes them across human-space, from utilitarian hub-points to rich, exotic planets - where they discover that a brilliant vacation spot hides some of the darkest secrets of all. And that's when they discover how easy it is for the hunters to become the hunted ...

Bringer of Light

Hidden Empire: Book 4

Jarek Reen is trying to save a lost world. He discovered the primitive theocracy of Serenein by accident, and now he wants it to take its place in human-space. To do this he needs a shiftspace beacon - without it, there is no way to find the planet again. The beacons were made by the Sidhe, the race that originally gave humanity access to the stars - and dominated human-space for millennia, before a coalition of human rebels and Sidhe males brought the evil Sidhe females down.

Most people think the Sidhe are long dead, but Jarek knows better: a renegade female Sidhe is one of his companions, and a male Sidhe gave her and her lover the special powers that made them Angels, very unusual trained assassins. Jarek's only hope is to find Aleph, the hidden system where the last Sidhe males are rumoured to live. But even if he can persuade these eccentric, introspective beings to put aside their interminable internal squabbles, he still has to persuade Serenein that joining the rest of humankind is a good thing ...for the price of progress is likely to be high. Can he stop it turning into tragedy?

Queen of Nowhere

Hidden Empire: Book 5

The Throne of the Five Winds

When paranoia is a way of life, trust doesn't come easily. The Sidhe look like us. They live amongst us. What they lack in numbers they make up with their fearsome mental abilities and the considerable physical resources at their disposal. And their biggest advantage? No one believes they exist. Almost no one. Bez, the best hacker in human-space, is fighting a secret war against them. Always one step ahead, never lingering in one place, she's determined to bring them down. But she can't expose the Hidden Empire alone and when the only ally she trusted fails her she must accept help from an unexpected quarter. Just one misstep, one incorrect assumption, and her Sidhe trap - her life's work - could end in vicious disaster. Worse, if Bez fails then humanity may never have another chance to win free of the manipulative and deadly Sidhe …

Hostage of Empire: Book 1

S. C. Emmett

Two queens, two concubines, six princes. A single hidden blade.

The imperial palace -- full of ambitious royals, sly gossip, and unforeseen perils -- is perhaps the most dangerous place in the Empire of Zhaon. Komor Yala, lady-in-waiting to the princess of the vanquished kingdom of Khir, has only her wits and her hidden blade to protect herself and her charge, who was sacrificed in marriage to the enemy as a hostage for her conquered people's good behavior, to secure a tenuous peace.

But the Emperor is aging, and the Khir princess and her lady-in-waiting soon find themselves pawns in the six princes' deadly schemes for the throne -- and a single spark could ignite fresh rebellion in Khir.

Then, the Emperor falls ill -- and a far bloodier game begins...

The Poison Prince

Hostage of Empire: Book 2

S. C. Emmett

The crown princess has been assassinated, reigniting tensions between her native Khir and the great Zhaon empire. Now her lady-in-waiting, Komor Yala, is alone in a foreign court, a pawn for imperial schemes. To survive and avenge her princess, Yala will have to rely on unlikely allies -- the sly Third Prince and the war-hardened general who sacked her homeland.

But as the Emperor lies upon his deathbed, the palace is more dangerous than ever before -- for there are six princes, and only one throne.

Empire of the Eagle

Imperial Lady: Book 2

Andre Norton
Susan Shwartz

When Rome's might is crushed at the battle of Carrhae, the tribune Quintus can only watch in horror as the golden Eagles of Rome, symbols of everything he believes to be just, are dragged through the mud. Vowing vengeance, Quintus travels east into the mists of myth and legend, where visions of magic no Roman has ever seen astound him. And where he learns the secrets of barbarian magic that will help him win back the Empire of the Eagle

Republic and Empire

Imperial Stars: Book 2

Jerry Pournelle
John F. Carr

Contained in this volume are stories and articles with space colonies, dictators, ambassadors, utopias, colleges of the future, cults, alien invaders, and interstellar politics.

Contents:

Republic and Empire - essay by Jerry Pournelle
Outward Bound - (1964) - novelette by Norman Spinrad
In the Realm of the Heart, in the World of the Knife - (1985) - short story by Wayne Wightman
Litany for Dictatorships - (1935) - poem by Stephen Vincent Benét^?
Doing Well While Doing Good - [Chap Foey Rider - 2] - (1975) - short story by Hayford Peirce
The Last Department - (1886) - poem by Rudyard Kipling
Constitution - [Editorial (Analog)] - (1961) - essay by John W. Campbell, Jr. (variant of Constitution for Utopia)
Minor Ingredient - (1956) - short story by Eric Frank Russell
The Turning Wheel - (1954) - novelette by Philip K. Dick
Reactionary Utopias - (1986) - essay by Gregory Benford
These Shall Not Be Lost - [The Philosophical Corps] - (1953) - novelette by Everett B. Cole
Data vs. Evidence in the Voodoo Sciences - [The Alternate View] - (1983) - essay by Jerry Pournelle
Nicaragua: A Speech to My Former Comrades on the Left - (1986) - essay by David Horowitz
The Gods of the Copybook Headings - (1911) - poem by Rudyard Kipling
Custom Fitting - (1976) - novelette by James White
Conquest by Default - (1968) - novelette by Vernor Vinge
The Skills of Xanadu - (1956) - novelette by Theodore Sturgeon
Into the Sunset - (1986) - short story by D. C. Poyer
Shipwright - [Courtship Rite Universe] - (1978) - novelette by Donald Kingsbury
Empire and Republic: Crisis and Future - essay by Jerry Pournelle

The Crash of Empire

Imperial Stars: Book 3

Jerry Pournelle
John F. Carr

Empires do not grow old gracefully. As the edifice of ancient government succumbs to entropy, as civil war reigns, the result is indeed "interesting times," the times of interstellar Huns locked in mortal combat with Imperial storm troopers.

Contents:

The Crash of Empires - essay by Jerry Pournelle
Pebble Among the Stars - (1976) - novelette by Gregory Benford (variant of Seascape)
The Claw and the Clock - [Federation of Humanity] - (1971) - novelette by Christopher Anvil
The Only Thing We Learn - (1949) - short story by C. M. Kornbluth
Remembering Vietnam - (1987) - essay by H. J. Kaplan
Blessed Are the Meek - (1955) - short story by G. C. Edmondson
Limiting Factor - (1954) - short story by Theodore R. Cogswell
Triage - (1976) - short story by William Walling
Hyperdemocracy - [Editorial (Astounding)] - (1958) - essay by John W. Campbell, Jr.
Chain Reaction - (1957) - novelette by Algis Budrys
Earthman's Burden - (1954) - short story by Morton Klass
Blood Bank - (1952) - novella by Walter M. Miller, Jr.
Here, There Be Witches - [The Philosophical Corps] - (1970) - novelette by Everett B. Cole
The Buzz of Joy - [Tower to the Sky] - (1989) - short story by Phillip C. Jennings
Second Contact - (1988) - novella by W. R. Thompson
The Quest - (1896) - poem by Rudyard Kipling

The Collapsing Empire

Interdependency: Book 1

John Scalzi

Our universe is ruled by physics and faster than light travel is not possible -- until the discovery of The Flow, an extra-dimensional field we can access at certain points in space-time that transport us to other worlds, around other stars.

Humanity flows away from Earth, into space, and in time forgets our home world and creates a new empire, the Interdependency, whose ethos requires that no one human outpost can survive without the others. It's a hedge against interstellar war -- and a system of control for the rulers of the empire.

The Flow is eternal -- but it is not static. Just as a river changes course, The Flow changes as well, cutting off worlds from the rest of humanity. When it's discovered that The Flow is moving, possibly cutting off all human worlds from faster than light travel forever, three individuals -- a scientist, a starship captain and the Empress of the Interdependency -- are in a race against time to discover what, if anything, can be salvaged from an interstellar empire on the brink of collapse.

Intergalactic Empires

Isaac Asimov's Wonderful Worlds of Science Fiction: Book 1

Isaac Asimov
Martin H. Greenberg
Charles G. Waugh

Stories deal with the rise and fall, government, exploration missions, incorporation, and defense of interstellar empires.

Table of Contents:

7 - Introduction: Empires - essay by Isaac Asimov
11 - Cycles - essay by uncredited
13 - Chalice of Death - [Lest We Forget Thee, Earth - 1] - (1957) - novella by Robert Silverberg
47 - Orphan of the Void - [Terran Federation - 1] - (1972) - novelette by Lloyd Biggle, Jr. (variant of The Man Who Wasn't Home 1960)
92 - Down to the Worlds of Men - (1963) - novelette by Alexei Panshin
120 - Governance - essay by uncredited
122 - Ministry of Disturbance - [Empire Era] - (1958) - novelette by H. Beam Piper
163 - Blind Alley - [Foundation Universe] - (1945) - short story by Isaac Asimov
186 - A Planet Named Shayol - [The Instrumentality of Mankind] - (1961) - novelette by Cordwainer Smith
222 - Concerns - essay by uncredited
224 - Diabologic - (1955) - short story by Eric Frank Russell
245 - Fighting Philosopher - [Philosophical Corps] - (1954) - novelette by Everett B. Cole [as by E. B. Cole]
281 - Honorable Enemies - [Dominic Flandry] - (1951) - novelette by Poul Anderson

Dream Dancer

Kerrion Empire: Book 1

Janet Morris

Shebat came to the empire of the Kerrions from nowhere, brought by a renegade son into that vast family regime and its endless territorial possessions. Now she stood to inherit the majesty and riches which lay before her, stretching enticingly deep into the infinities of space. Magical seductress of men , passionate in her lust for power, she moved among those who controlled the destinies of millions, for whom treachery and betrayal were as easy as murder.

Cruiser Dreams

Kerrion Empire: Book 2

Janet Morris

The Kerrion consuls - from their luxurious headquarters on Draconis they reign over a great merchant empire.

Earth Dreams

Kerrion Empire: Book 3

Janet Morris

This book is the climax to the three part saga of the Kerrion Empire. It is up to Shebot a young woman challenging the Universe's greatest power, in order to save its most magnificent creation the intelligent space-fearing cruisers.

A Love Story Written on Water

Legends of the Burnt Empire: Book 1

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

Read the full story for free at Lightspeed.

Son of Water and Fire

Legends of the Burnt Empire: Book 2

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

Read the full story for free at Lightspeed.

The Terrible Oath

Legends of the Burnt Empire: Book 3

A Hundred Thousand Arrows

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

Read the full story for free at Lightspeed.

Legends of the Burnt Empire: Book 4

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

Read the full story for fre at Lightspeed.

The Seeds of War

Legends of the Burnt Empire: Book 5

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

Read the full story for free at Lightspeed.

Age of Myth

Legends of the First Empire: Book 1

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.

Age of Swords

Legends of the First Empire: Book 2

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.

Age of War

Legends of the First Empire: Book 3

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?

Age of Legend

Legends of the First Empire: Book 4

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.

Age of Death

Legends of the First Empire: Book 5

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.

Age of Empyre

Legends of the First Empire: Book 6

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.

Heart of Light

Magical British Empire: Book 1

Sarah A. Hoyt

Set in a magical Victorian British Empire that never was, this unique fantasy blends adventure, intrigue, and romance, as a newlywed couple embark on a dangerous quest--and, in the process, discover their own heart's desires.

On a luxury magic carpetship in 1889, an English couple travel to Cairo for their honeymoon. Except for a brush with a dragon, the voyage is uneventful. But for Nigel Oldhall and his beautiful Indian-born bride, Emily, the holiday hides another purpose. Within hours of arriving in the teeming city, they are plunged into an extraordinary struggle among demons, murderers, and magic.

In Cairo, Nigel can no longer hide his secret from his wife: he is on a mission to rescue a ruby that will ensure Queen Victoria's hold on Africa forever. But the search has already swallowed up Nigel's older brother--and now it has put his own Emily in mortal danger. But is she the innocent Nigel imagines? Soon, separately and apart, the two will set off for the heart of the continent among conspirators and traitors, all seeking the ruby and the gifts and curses it offers them--and all of humankind....

Soul of Fire

Magical British Empire: Book 2

Sarah A. Hoyt

Filled with adventure and danger, intrigue and romance, this thrilling new fantasy from Sarah Hoyt follows the quest for a rare treasure--by a man of rare breed--in a magical Victorian British Empire that never was....

British gentleman and were-dragon Peter Farewell has embarked on a daunting task: to recover the Soul of Fire, a magical ruby said to lie at the heart of British-controlled India. But finding one stone in the heart of a land simmering on the cusp of rebellion, and rife with hostile magics, seems an impossible task--until Peter saves the life of a young virgin fleeing a distasteful arranged marriage. For unknown to Sofie Warington, the flawed gem that is all that is left of her dowry is the very one Peter has been seeking. And if Peter can keep her safe from the sinister factions desperate to gain control of both Sofie and her dowry, he will find more than a jewel; he will find his heart's destiny.

Heart and Soul

Magical British Empire: Book 3

Sarah A. Hoyt

Within the magical realm of a Victorian British Empire that never was, one man embarks on a fantastic mission that dates back to the first true king of Europe and that may determine the fate of the last true emperor of China-and the world.

When Nigel Oldhall hires on to pilot a magic carpetship under the name of Enoch Jones, it seems the perfect way for him to travel without attracting attention. For the English nobleman has in his possession the two most powerful jewels in the universe. His mission is to return them to their shrine in deepest Africa, restoring order to the world-and to his life. But he doesn't count on being attacked by Chinese pirates-or being held captive by a shape-shifting beauty...

Daughter of the Dragon King, sister of the new True Emperor of All Under Heaven, Red Jade is also on a mission: to reclaim the royal status stolen from her family by invaders. Since their expulsion, they have ruled only a mystical shadow-realm. Now, with the jewels in her sight, Red Jade has the chance to rule all. But she soon finds herself, and Enoch, trapped in a scheme that may cause her to change loyalties-and discover her heart's true destiny.

Night of Knives

Malazan Empire: Book 1

Return of the Crimson Guard

The small island of Malaz and its city gave the great empire its name, but now it is little more than a sleepy, backwater port. Tonight, however, things are different. Tonight the city is on edge, a hive of hurried, sometimes violent activity; its citizens bustle about, barring doors, shuttering windows, avoiding any stranger's stare. Because tonight there is to be a convergence, the once-in-a-generation appearance of a Shadow Moon--an occasion that threatens the good people of Malaz with demon hounds and other, darker things...

It was also prophesied that this night would witness the return of Emperor Kellanved, and there are those prepared to do anything to prevent this happening. As factions within the greater Empire draw up battle lines over the imperial throne, the Shadow Moon summons a far more ancient and potent presence for an all-out assault upon the island. Witnessing these cataclysmic events are Kiska, a young girl who yearns to flee the constraints of the city, and Temper, a grizzled, battle-weary veteran who seeks simply to escape his past. Each is to play a part in a conflict that will not only determine the fate of Malaz City, but also of the world beyond...

Drawing on events touched on in the prologue of Steven Erikson's landmark fantasy Gardens of the Moon, Night of Knives is a momentous chapter in the unfolding story of the extraordinarily imagined world of Malaz.

Malazan Empire: Book 2

The return of the mercenary company, the Crimson Guard, could not have come at a worse time for a Malazan Empire exhausted by warfare and weakened by betrayals and rivalries. Indeed, there are those who wonder whether the Empress Laseen might not be losing her grip on power as she faces increasing unrest as conquered kingdoms and principalities sense freedom once more.

Into the seething cauldron of Quon Tali--the Empire's heartland--marches the Guard. With their return comes the memory of the Empire--and yet all is not well with the Guard itself. Elements within its elite, the Avowed, have set their sights on far greater power. There are ancient entities who also seek to further their own arcane ends. And what of the swordsman called Traveller who, with his companion Ereko, has gone in search of a confrontation from which none have ever returned?

As the Guard prepares to wage war, so Laseen's own generals and mages, the 'Old Hands', grow impatient at what they see as her mismanagement of the Empire. But could Laseen have outwitted them all? Could she be using the uprisings to draw out and finally eliminate these last irksome survivors from the days of her illustrious predecesor, Kellanved?

Stonewielder

Malazan Empire: Book 3

Greymane believed he'd outrun his past. With his school for swordsmanship in Falar, he was looking forward to a quiet life, although his colleague Kyle wasn't as enamoured with life outside the mercenary company, the Crimson Guard. However, it seems it is not so easy for an ex-Fist of the Malazan Empire to disappear, especially one under sentence of death from that same Empire. For there is a new Emperor on the throne of Malaz, and he is dwelling on the ignominy that is the Empire's failed invasion of the Korel subcontinent.

In the vaults beneath Unta, the Imperial capital, lie the answers to that disaster. And out of this buried history surfaces the name Stonewielder. In Korel, Lord Protector Hiam, commander of the Stormguard, faces the potential annihilation of all that he holds dear. With few remaining men and a crumbling stone wall that has seen better days, he confronts an ancient enemy: the sea-borne Stormriders have returned.

Religious war also threatens these lands. The cult of the Blessed Lady, which had stood firm against the Riders for millennia, now seeks to eradicate its rivals. And as chaos looms, a local magistrate investigating a series of murders suddenly finds himself at the heart of a far more ancient and terrifying crime - one that has tainted an entire land...

"Stonewielder" is an enthralling new chapter in the epic story of a thrillingly imagined world.

Orb, Sceptre, Throne

Malazan Empire: Book 4

Darujhistan, city of dreams, city of blue flames, is peaceful at last; its citizens free to return to politicking, bickering, trading and, above all, enjoying the good things in life. Yet there are those who will not allow the past to remain buried. A scholar digging in the plains stumbles across an ancient sealed vault. The merchant Humble Measure schemes to drive out the remaining Malazan invaders. And the surviving agents of a long-lost power are stirring, for they sense change and so, opportunity. While, as ever at the centre of everything, a thief in a red waistcoat and of rotund proportions walks the streets, juggling in one hand custard pastries, and in the other the fate of the city itself.

Far to the south, fragments of the titanic Moon's Spawn have crashed into the Rivan Sea creating a series of isles... and a fortune hunter's dream. A Malazan veteran calling himself 'Red' ventures out to try his luck -- and perhaps say goodbye to old friends. But there he finds far more than he'd bargained for as the rush to claim the Spawn's treasures descends into a mad scramble of chaos and bloodshed. For powers from across the world have gathered here, searching for the legendary Throne of Night. The impact of these events are far reaching, it seems. On an unremarkable island off the coast of Genabackis, a people who had turned their backs upon all such strivings now lift their masked faces towards the mainland and recall the ancient prophesy of a return.

And what about the ex-Claw of the Malazan Empire who now walks the uttermost edge of creation? His mission -- the success or failure of which the Queen of Dreams saw long ago -- is destined to shape far more than anyone could have ever imagined.

Blood and Bone

Malazan Empire: Book 5

In the western sky the bright emerald banner of the Visitor descends like a portent of annihilation. On the continent of Jacuruku, the Thaumaturgs have mounted yet another expedition to tame the neighboring wild jungle. Yet this is no normal wilderness. It is called Himatan, and it is said to be half of the spirit-realm and half of the earth. And it is said to be ruled by a powerful entity whom some name the Queen of Witches, and some a goddess: the ancient Ardata. Saeng grew up knowing only the rule of the magus Thaumaturgs -- but it was the voices out of that land's forgotten past that she listened to. And when her rulers mount an invasion of the neighboring jungle, those voices send her and her brother on a desperate mission.

To the south, the desert tribes are united by the arrival of a foreign warleader, a veteran commander in battered ashen mail whom his men call, the Grey Ghost. This warleader takes the tribes on a raid like none other, deep into the heart of Thaumaturg lands. While word comes to K'azz, and mercenary company the Crimson Guard, of a contract in Jacuruku. And their employer... none other than Ardata herself.

Assail

Malazan Empire: Book 6

Tens of thousands of years of ice is melting, and the land of Assail, long a byword for menace and inaccessibility, is at last yielding its secrets. Tales of gold discovered in the region's north circulate in every waterfront dive and sailor's tavern and now adventurers and fortune-seekers have set sail in search of riches. And all they have to guide them are legends and garbled tales of the dangers that lie in wait - hostile coasts, fields of ice, impassable barriers and strange, terrifying creatures. But all accounts concur that the people of the north meet all trespassers with the sword - and should you make it, beyond are rumoured to lurk Elder monsters out of history's very beginnings.

Into this turmoil ventures the mercenary company, the Crimson Guard. Not drawn by contract, but by the promise of answers: answers that Shimmer, second in command, feels should not be sought. Also heading north, as part of an uneasy alliance of Malazan fortune-hunters and Letherii soldiery, comes the bard Fisher kel Tath. With him is a Tiste Andii who was found washed ashore and cannot remember his past and yet commands far more power than he really should. It is also rumoured that a warrior, bearer of a sword that slays gods and who once fought for the Malazans, is also journeying that way. But far to the south, a woman patiently guards the shore. She awaits both allies and enemies. She is Silverfox, newly incarnate Summoner of the undying army of the T'lan Imass, and she will do anything to stop the renewal of an ages-old crusade that could lay waste to the entire continent and beyond. Casting light on mysteries spanning the Malazan empire, and offering a glimpse of the storied and epic history that shaped it, Assail brings the epic story of the Empire of Malaz to a thrilling close.

Sunset Empire

Morris Baker: Book 2

Josh Weiss

The Korean War rages on in this thrilling alternate history sequel to Beat the Devils: Morris Baker, now a private investigator, must solve a missing persons case in the midst of an endless battle.

December, 1959: The Korean War rages on.

Protesting the bloody conflict, a Korean-American man by the name of William Yang suddenly blows himself up in the middle of a Los Angeles department store just before Christmas, which leads the U.S. government to reopen the internment camps used during World War II. President Joseph McCarthy's America has never been more on edge, paranoid, and above all, dangerous.

Several weeks later, a woman hires Morris Baker, now working as a private investigator, to track down her missing husband -- Henry Kissinger -- who may have a shadowy connection to Yang's purported terrorist attack. The ensuing investigation for the missing State Department consultant working for Vice President Richard Nixon sends Baker on another thrilling adventure of deceit, intrigue, sex, murder, and conspiracy where the safety of the entire world may hang in the balance.

Empire of Time

New Pompeii: Book 2

Daniel Godfrey

For fifteen years, the Romans of New Pompeii have kept the outside world at bay with the threat of using the Novus Particles device to alter time. Yet Decimus Horatius Pullus -- once Nick Houghton -- knows the real reason the Romans don't use the device for their own ends: they can't make it work without grisly consequences.

This fragile peace is threatened when an outsider promises to help the Romans use the technology. And there are those beyond Pompeii's walls who are desperate to destroy a town where slavery flourishes. When his own name is found on an ancient artifact dug up at the real Pompeii, Nick knows that someone in the future has control of the device. The question is: whose side are they on?

Dreams of Empire

Past Doctor Adventures: Book 14

Justin Richards

The Second Doctor and his companions land in what seems to be a medieval castle. In reality, it is a fortress/prison, the last stronghold for military forces. The TARDIS crew quickly finds itself in danger from outside threats and inside, not the least of which is seemingly self-animating suits of armor.

This book chosen to represent the Second Doctor in the 50th Anniversary Collection.

Empire of Death

Past Doctor Adventures: Book 65

David Bishop

In 1855, a boy discovers he can speak with the voices of the dead. He grows up to become one of England's most celebrated spiritualists. In 1863 the British Empire is effectively without a leader. Queen Victoria is inconsolable with grief following the death of her beloved husband, Prince Albert. The monarch's last hope is a secret seance.

The Fifth Doctor and Nyssa are also coming to terms with loss following the death of Adric and Tegan's sudden departure. Trying to visit the Great Exhibition of 1851, the time travelers are shocked when Adric's ghost appears in the TARDIS, beckoning them to the Other Side. What is hidden in a drowned village guarded by the British Army? Is there life after death and can it be reached by those still alive? And why is the Doctor so terrified of facing his own ghosts?

Hollow Empire

Poison War: Book 2

Sam Hawke

Poison was only the beginning.... The deadly siege of Silasta woke the ancient spirits, and now the city-state must find its place in this new world of magic. But people and politics are always treacherous, and it will take all of Jovan and Kalina's skills as proofer and spy to save their country when witches and assassins turn their sights to domination.

Empire of Dust

Psi-Tech: Book 1

Jacey Bedford

Mega corporations, more powerful than any one planetary government, use their agents to race each other for resources across the galaxy. The agents, or psi-techs, are implanted with telepath technology. The psi-techs are bound to the mega-corps -- that is, if they want to retain their sanity.

Cara Carlinni is an impossible thing -- a runaway psi-tech. She knows Alphacorp can find its implant-augmented telepaths, anywhere, anytime, mind-to-mind. So even though it's driving her half-crazy, she's powered down and has been surviving on tranqs and willpower. So far, so good. It's been almost a year, and her mind is still her own.

She's on the run from Ari van Blaiden, a powerful executive, after discovering massive corruption in Alphacorp. Cara barely escapes his forces, yet again, on a backwater planet, and gets out just in time due to the help of straight-laced Ben Benjamin, a psi-tech Navigator for Alphacorp's biggest company rival.

Cara and Ben struggle to survive a star-spanning manhunt, black-ops raids, and fleets of resource-hungry raiders. Betrayal follows betrayal, and friends become enemies. Suddenly the most important skill is knowing whom to trust.

Rise of Empire

Riyria Revelations: Book 2

David Mack
Dayton Ward
Greg Cox
Kevin Dilmore
Mike Sussman

Royce and Hadrian have been called upon to aid the struggling kingdom of Melengar as it alone stands in defiance against the newly formed empire. As war approaches a desperate gamble behind enemy lines is their only chance at forming an alliance with the Nationalists to the south.

But Royce has plans of his own and uses this opportunity to discover if an ancient wizard is using Riyria as pawns in his own bid for power. To find the truth, Royce must unravel Hadrian's hidden past. What he discovers will lead them to the end of the known world on a journey rife with treachery and intrigue.

And so continues the second tale of treachery and adventure, sword fighting and magic, myth and legend.

When author Michael J. Sullivan self-published the first books of his Riyria Revelations, they rapidly became ebook bestsellers. Now, Orbit is pleased to present the complete series for the first time in bookstores everywhere.

BOOKS IN THE RIYRIA REVELATIONS
Theft of Swords (The Crown Conspiracy & Avempartha)
Rise of Empire (Nyphron Rising & The Emerald Storm)
Heir of Novron (Wintertide & Percepliquis)

The Empire of Time

Roads to Moscow: Book 1

David Wingrove

There is only the war. Otto Behr is a German agent, fighting his Russian counterparts across three millennia, manipulating history for moments in time that can change everything. Only the remnants of two great nations stand and for Otto, the war is life itself, the last hope for his people. But in a world where realities shift and memory is never constant, nothing is certain, least of all the chance of a future with his Russian love.

A Hero of the Empire

Roma Eterna

Robert Silverberg

Sidewise award nominated novelette. It originally appreared in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, October-November 1999. The story can also be found in the anthologies The Year's Best Science Fiction: Seventeenth Annual Collection (2000), edited by Gardner Dozois, and One Lamp: Alternate History Stories from The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction (2003), edited by Gordon Van Gelder.

Alien Morning

S'hudonni Empire: Book 1

Rick Wilber

The fate of two civilizations depends on one troubled family in Rick Wilber's science-fiction adventure Alien Morning.

Peter Holman is a freelance sweeper. The year 2030 sees a new era in social media with sweepcasting, a multisensory interface that can convey every thought, touch, smell, sight, and sound, immersing the audience in another person's experience.

By fate, chance, or some darker design, Peter is perfectly positioned to be the one human to document the arrival of the aliens, the S'hudonni.

The S'hudonni offer advanced science in exchange for various trade goods from Earth. But nothing is as simple as it seems. Peter finds himself falling for, Heather Newsome a scientist chosen by the S'hudonni to act as their liaison. Engaged to his brilliant marine biologist brother, Tom, Heather is not what she seems. But Peter has bigger problems. While he and his brother fight over long-standing family troubles, another issue looms: a secret war among the aliens, who are neither as benevolent nor as unified as they first seemed.

Peter slowly learns secrets he was never meant to know, about the S'hudonni, and about his own family. Realizing that he has been used, he can only try to turn his situation around, to save what he can of his life and of the future of Earth.

Alien Day

S'hudonni Empire: Book 2

Rick Wilber

Will Peter Holman rescue his sister Kait, or will she be the one to rescue him? Will Chloe Cary revive her acting career with the help of the princeling Treble, or will the insurgents take both their lives? Will Whistle or Twoclicks wind up in charge of Earth, and how will the Mother, who runs all of S'hudon, choose between them? And the most important question of all: who are the Old Ones that left all that technology behind for the S'hudonni... and what if they come back?

Empire in Black and Gold

Shadows of the Apt: Book 1

Adrian Tchaikovsky

The city states of the Lowlands have lived in peace for decades, bastions of civilization, prosperity and sophistication, protected by treaties, trade and a belief in the reasonable nature of their neighbors.

But meanwhile, in far-off corners, the Wasp Empire has been devouring city after city with its highly trained armies, its machines, it killing Art . . . And now its hunger for conquest and war has become insatiable.

Only the aging Stenwold Maker, spymaster, artificer and statesman, can see that the long days of peace are over. It falls upon his shoulders to open the eyes of his people, before a black-and-gold tide sweeps down over the Lowlands and burns away everything in its path.

But first he must stop himself from becoming the Empire's latest victim.

Shards of Empire

Shards of Empire: Book 1

Susan Shwartz

In the tenth century, the center of the world is not Rome, but Byzantium--a glorious empire, upon which the sun never sets. Constantinople, the center of this mighty dynasty, is starting to unravel. The great kings and princes, the holy city, the affluence of the empire will be scattered to the winds. Attacked by the Turks on all sides, Byzantium looks to its emperor for deliverance. Leo Ducas, heir to the Byzantine crown, must fight for his inheritance, but he doesn't truly know who his enemies are. Shunned by the citizens of Constantinople, Leo flees the city and great works are revealed to him. He learns of a realm that falls outside his Christian training, a realm of magic and wisdom...

Cross and Crescent

Shards of Empire: Book 2

Susan Shwartz

The center of the greatest empire in the world, the seat of Christianity, Byzantium is a revered city. Marked by gargantuan monuments to God and peopled by the most royal of princes, and the most affluent citizens, Byzantium cannot possibly ever fall. Now under siege by Islam, the Byzantine Empire must look to Christians from the West for help in winning back Jerusalem, the most hallowed of cities. The Byzantines must prevent the disintegration of their empire while protecting the faith of many, but at what expense?

Soleri

Soleri Empire: Book 1

Michael Johnston

The ruling family of the Soleri Empire has been in power longer than even the calendars that stretch back 2,826 years. Those records tell a history of conquest and domination by a people descended from gods, older than anything in the known world. No living person has seen them for centuries, yet their grip on their four subjugate kingdoms remains tighter than ever.

On the day of the annual eclipse, the Harkan king, Arko-Hark Wadi, sets off on a hunt and shirks his duty rather than bow to the emperor. Ren, his son and heir, is a prisoner in the capital, while his daughters struggle against their own chains. Merit, the eldest, has found a way to stand against imperial law and marry the man she desires, but needs her sister's help, and Kepi has her own ideas.

Meanwhile, Sarra Amunet, Mother Priestess of the sun god's cult, holds the keys to the end of an empire and a past betrayal that could shatter her family.

A Shattered Empire

Sorcery Ascendant: Book 3

Mitchell Hogan

In a battle of armies and sorcerers, empires will fall.

After young Caldan's parents were slain, a group of monks raised the boy and initiated him into the arcane mysteries of sorcery. But when the Mahruse Empire was attacked, and the lives of his friends hung in the balance, he was forced to make a dangerous choice.

Now, as two mighty empires face off in a deadly game of supremacy, potent sorcery and creatures from legend have been unleashed. To turn the tide of war and prevent annihilation, Caldan must learn to harness his fearsome and forbidden magic. But as he grows into his powers, the young sorcerer realizes that not all the monsters are on the other side.

And though traps and pitfalls lie ahead, and countless lives are at stake, one thing is certain: to save his life, his friends, and his world, Caldan must risk all to defeat a sorcerer of immense power.

Failure will doom the world.

Success will doom Caldan.

Empires of Flux & Anchor

Soul Rider: Book 2

Jack L. Chalker

Cassie did not feel the soul rider enter her body... but suddenly she knew that Anchor was corrupt, and that, far from being a formless void from which could issue ony mutant changelings and evil wizards, Flux was the soure of Anchor's very existence. The price of her new knowledge is exile, yet Cassie and the Rider of her soul are the only hope for the redemption of both Flux and Anchor.

Empire 99

Star Hawks: Book 1

Ron Goulart

Far above planet Esmeralda whirls an awesome satellite nicknamed The Hoosegow. Headquarters of the Interplanetary Law Service, it is home of the cleverest, most powerful secret agents in the universe. They go where they are needed, bringing law and order, triumphing over evil.

This time, an explosive crisis on dread Empire 99 must be defused. Unfortunately the last agent to try that was sent back in an ashtray. Dare the Service try again? Now their last hope lies with:

Rex: our daredevil of the airways
Chavez: he'd rather make love and war
Sniffer: a robot dog with a foul mouth

Our heroes? You must be kidding...

Glass Empires

Star Trek: Crossovers: Mirror Universe: Book 1

Contents:

Age of the Empress - [Star Trek: Mirror Universe - 1] - novel by Mike Sussman and Dayton Ward and Kevin Dilmore
The Sorrows of Empire - [Star Trek: Mirror Universe - 2] - (2007) - novel by David Mack
The Worst of Both Worlds - [Star Trek: Mirror Universe - 3] - novel by Greg Cox

There are moments glimpsed only in shadow, where darkness rules and evil incarnate thrives. You hope against hope that in your lifetime, evil is relegated to the shadows. But what if it wasn't?

What if you lived in a universe where your life was measured only by what you could do for the Empire? What would you do to survive? Would you sell your soul to free yourself? If you were offered the chance to rule, would you seize it? If you could free your universe from the darkness but only at the cost of your life, would you pay that price?

Star Trek: Enterprise - She seized power in a heartbeat, daring to place herself against all the overlords of the Empire. Empress Hoshi Sato knows the future that could be; now all she has to do is make sure it never happens. For her to rule, she must hold sway not only over the starship from the future but also over her warlords, the resistance, and her Andorian husband. As quickly and brutally as Hoshi seized power, imperial rule is taken from her. Her only chance to rule again is to ally herself with a lifelong foe, and an alien.

Star Trek - One man can change the future, but does he dare? Spock, intrigued by the vision of another universe's Federation, does what no Vulcan, no emperor, has ever done: seize power in one blinding stroke of mass murder. And at the same instant he gains imperial power, Spock sows the seeds for the Empire's downfall. Is this a form of Vulcan madness, or is it the coolly logical plan of a man who knows the price his universe must pay for its freedom?

Star Trek: The Next Generation - Humanity is a pitiful collection of enslaved, indentured, and abused peoples. No one dares to question the order, except at peril of their lives. One man survives by blinding himself to the misery around him. However, Jean-Luc Picard resists, just once. And in that one instant he unlocks a horror beyond the tyranny of the Alliance. Can a man so beaten down by a lifetime of oppression stop the destruction?

The Sorrows of Empire

Star Trek: Crossovers: Mirror Universe: Book 4

David Mack

One man can shape the future... but at what cost?

"In every revolution, there is one man with a vision."

Captain James T. Kirk of the United Federation of Planets spoke those prophetic words to Commander Spock of the Terran Empire, hoping to inspire change. He could not have imagined the impact his counsel would have.

Armed with a secret weapon of terrifying power and a vision of the alternate universe's noble Federation, Spock seizes control of the Terran Empire and commits it to the greatest gamble in its history: democratic reform.

Rivals within the empire try to stop him; enemies outside unite to destroy it.

Only a few people suspect the shocking truth: Spock is knowingly arranging his empire's downfall. But why? Have the burdens of imperial rule driven him mad? Or is this the coldly logical scheme of a man who realizes that freedom must always be paid for in blood?

Spock alone knows that the fall of the empire will be the catalyst for a political chain reaction -- one that will alter the fate of his universe forever.

Rough Beasts of Empire

Star Trek: Crossovers: Typhon Pact: Book 3

David R. George III

Still on Romulus in pursuit of his goal of reunifying the Vulcans and Romulans, Spock finds himself in the middle of a massive power struggle. In the wake of the assassination of the Praetor and the Senate, the Romulans have cleaved in two. While Empress Donatra has led her nascent Imperial Romulan State to establish relations with the Federation, Praetor Tal'aura has guided the original Romulan Star Empire toward joining the newly formed Typhon Pact. But numerous factions within the two Romulan nations vie for power and undivided leadership, and Machiavellian plots unfold as forces within and without the empires conduct high-stakes political maneuvers.

Meanwhile, four years after Benjamin Sisko returned from the Celestial Temple, circumstances have changed, his hopes for a peaceful life on Bajor with his wife and daughter beginning to slip away. After temporarily rejoining Starfleet for an all-hands-on-deck battle against the Borg, he must consider an offer to have him return for a longer stint. Beset by troubling events, he seeks spiritual guidance, facing demons new and old, including difficult memories from his time in the last Federation-Tzenkethi war.

Shadows of the Empire

Star Wars

Steve Perry

Darth Vader joins forces with Xizor, an ambitious and ruthless Underlord of a criminal organization called Black Sun, to target the young Jedi knight Luke Skywalker, while Princess Leia launches a desperate campaign to free Han Solo, frozen in a carbonite slab.

Star Wars, Episode 5: The Empire Strikes Back

Star Wars Movie Cycle: Book 5

Donald F. Glut

Although they had won a significant battle, the war between the Rebels and the Empire had really just begun. Soon, Luke, Han, the princess and their faithful companions were forced to flee, scattering in all directions--the Dark Lord's minions in fevered pursuit....

Empire's End

Star Wars: Aftermath: Book 3

Chuck Wendig

As the final showdown between the New Republic and the Empire draws near, all eyes turn to a once-isolated planet: Jakku.

The Battle of Endor shattered the Empire, scattering its remaining forces across the galaxy. But the months following the Rebellion's victory have not been easy. The fledgling New Republic has suffered a devastating attack from the Imperial remnant, forcing the new democracy to escalate their hunt for the hidden enemy.

For her role in the deadly ambush, Grand Admiral Rae Sloane is the most wanted Imperial war criminal--and one-time rebel pilot Norra Wexley, back in service at Leia's urgent request, is leading the hunt. But more than just loyalty to the New Republic drives Norra forward: Her husband was turned into a murderous pawn in Sloane's assassination plot, and now she wants vengeance as much as justice.

But Sloane, too, is on a furious quest: pursuing the treacherous Gallius Rax to the barren planet Jakku. As the true mastermind behind the Empire's devastating attack, Rax has led the Empire to its defining moment. The cunning strategist has gathered the powerful remnants of the Empire's war machine, preparing to execute the late Emperor Palpatine's final plan. As the Imperial fleet orbits Jakku, an armada of Republic fighters closes in to finish what began at Endor. Norra and her crew soar into the heart of an apocalyptic clash that will leave land and sky alike scorched. And the future of the galaxy will finally be decided.

Soldier for the Empire

Star Wars: Dark Forces: Book 1

William C. Dietz

Kyle Katarn is a decorated graduate from the Imperial Military Academy who would forfeit his life for the Empire. But when he learns of his father's untimely death--and the devastating way in which he was killed--Kyle swears revenge against the very Imperial forces he was about to join. His opportunity comes when the Rebel Alliance offers him a special mission: break into the Imperial Research Facility on Danuta, find the Death Star plans, and bring them out. Any sensible person would call it suicide. Kyle calls it vengeance.

Razor's Edge

Star Wars: Empire and Rebellion: Book 1

Martha Wells

Times are desperate for the Rebel Alliance. Harassment by the Empire and a shortage of vital supplies are hindering completion of a new secret base on the ice planet Hoth. So when Mid Rim merchants offer much-needed materials for sale, Princess Leia Organa and Han Solo lead an Alliance delegation to negotiate a deal.

But when treachery forces the rebel ship to flee into territory controlled by pirates, Leia makes a shocking discovery: the fierce marauders come from Leia's homeworld of Alderaan, recently destroyed by the Death Star. These refugees have turned to pillaging and plundering to survive-and they are in debt to a pirate armada, which will gladly ransom the princess to the vengeful Empire... if they find out her true identity.

Struggling with intense feelings of guilt, loyalty, and betrayal, Leia is determined to help her wayward kinspeople, even as Imperial forces are closing in on her own crippled ship. Trapped between lethal cutthroats and brutal oppressors, Leia and Han, along with Luke, Chewbacca, and a battle-ready crew, must defy death-or embrace it--to keep the rebellion alive.

Honor Among Thieves

Star Wars: Empire and Rebellion: Book 2

James S. A. Corey

When the Empire threatens the galaxy's new hope, will Han, Luke, and Leia become its last chance?

When the mission is to extract a high-level rebel spy from the very heart of the Empire, Leia Organa knows the best man for the job is Han Solo-something the princess and the smuggler can finally agree on. After all, for a guy who broke into an Imperial cell block and helped destroy the Death Star, the assignment sounds simple enough.

But when Han locates the brash rebel agent, Scarlet Hark, she's determined to stay behind enemy lines. A pirate plans to sell a cache of stolen secrets that the Empire would destroy entire worlds to protect-including the planet where Leia is currently meeting with rebel sympathizers. Scarlet wants to track down the thief and steal the bounty herself, and Han has no choice but to go along if he's to keep everyone involved from getting themselves killed. From teeming city streets to a lethal jungle to a trap-filled alien temple, Han, Chewbacca, Leia, and their daring new comrade confront one ambush, double cross, and firestorm after another as they try to keep crucial intel out of Imperial hands.

But even with the crack support of Luke Skywalker's x-wing squadron, the Alliance heroes may be hopelessly outgunned in their final battle for the highest of stakes: the power to liberate the galaxy from tyranny or ensure the Empire's reign of darkness forever.

From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back

Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View: Book 2

Elizabeth Schaefer

On May 21, 1980, Star Wars became a true saga with the release of The Empire Strikes Back. In honor of the fortieth anniversary, forty storytellers re-create an iconic scene from The Empire Strikes Back through the eyes of a supporting character, from heroes and villains, to droids and creatures. From a Certain Point of View features contributions by bestselling authors and trendsetting artists:

Austin Walker explores the unlikely partnership of bounty hunters Dengar and IG-88 as they pursue Han Solo.
Hank Green chronicles the life of a naturalist caring for tauntauns on the frozen world of Hoth.
Tracy Deonn delves into the dark heart of the Dagobah cave where Luke confronts a terrifying vision.
Martha Wells reveals the world of the Ugnaught clans who dwell in the depths of Cloud City.
Mark Oshiro recounts the wampa's tragic tale of loss and survival.
Seth Dickinson interrogates the cost of serving a ruthless empire aboard the bridge of a doomed Imperial starship.

Plus more hilarious, heartbreaking, and astonishing tales:

Title	Author	Character
Eyes of the Empire	Kiersten White	Maela
Hunger	Mark Oshiro	Wampa
Ion Control	Emily Skrutskie	Toryn Farr
A Good Kiss	C.B. Lee	Chase Wilsorr
She Will Keep Them Warm	Delilah S. Dawson	Murra
Heroes of the Rebellion	Amy Ratcliffe	Corwi Selgrothe
Rogue Two	Gary Whitta	Zev Senesca
Kendal	Charles Yu	Kendal Ozzel
Against All Odds	R.F. Kuang	Dak Ralter
Beyond Hope	Michael Moreci	Emon Kref
The Truest Duty	Christie Golden	Maximilian Veers
A Naturalist on Hoth	Hank Green	Kell Tolkani
The Dragonsnake Saves R2-D2	Katie Cook	Dragonsnake
For the Last Time	Beth Revis	Firmus Piett
Rendezvous Point	Jason Fry	Wedge Antilles
The Final Order	Seth Dickinson	Captain Canonhaus
Amara Kel's Rules for TIE Pilot Survival (Probably)	Django Wexler	Amara Kel
The First Lesson	Jim Zub	Yoda
Disturbance	Mike Chen	Darth Sidious
This Is No Cave‎	Catherynne M. Valente	Sy-O
Lord Vader Will See You Now	John Jackson Miller	Rae Sloane
Vergence	Tracy Deonn	Cave of Evil
Tooth and Claw	Michael Kogge	Bossk
STET!	Daniel José Older	TK-7
Wait for It	Zoraida Córdova	Boba Fett
Standard Imperial Procedure	Sarwat Chadda	Carl Ashon
There Is Always Another	Mackenzi Lee	Obi-Wan Kenobi
Fake It Till You Make It	Cavan Scott	Jaxxon
But What Does He Eat?	S.A. Chakraborty	Torro Sbazzle
Beyond the Clouds	Lilliam Rivera	Isabalia
No Time for Poetry	Austin Walker	Dengar & IG-88
Bespin Escape	Martha Wells	Lonaste
Faith in an Old Friend	Brittany N. Williams	L3-37
Due on Batuu	Rob Hart	Willrow Hood
Into the Clouds	Karen Strong	Jailyn Cirri
The Witness	Adam Christopher	Deena Lorn
The Man Who Built Cloud City	Alexander Freed	Yathros Condorius the First
The Backup Backup Plan	Anne Toole	Tal Veridian
Right-Hand Man	Lydia Kang	2-1B
The Whills Strike Back	Tom Angleberger	The Whills

William Shakespeare's The Empire Striketh Back

Star Wars: Shakespeare: Book 5

Ian Doescher

The saga that began with the interstellar best seller William Shakespeare's Star Wars continues with this merry reimagining of George Lucas's enduring classic The Empire Strikes Back.

Many a fortnight have passed since the destruction of the Death Star. Young Luke Skywalker and his friends have taken refuge on the ice planet of Hoth, where the evil Darth Vader has hatched a cold-blooded plan to capture them. Only with the help of a little green Jedi Master--and a swaggering rascal named Lando Calrissian--can our heroes escape the Empire's wrath. And only then will Lord Vader learn how sharper than a tauntaun's tooth it is to have a Jedi child.

What light through Yoda's window breaks? Methinks you'll find out in the pages of The Empire Striketh Back!

Tales from the Empire

Star Wars: Tales: Book 4

Peter Schweighofer

Contents:

ix - Introduction: A Galaxy Filled with Stories - essay by Peter Schweighofer
1 - First Contact - [Star Wars] - novelette by Timothy Zahn
26 - Tinian on Trial - novelette by Kathy Tyers
50 - The Final Exit - novelette by Patricia A. Jackson
83 - Missed Chance - novelette by Michael A. Stackpole
116 - Retreat from Coruscant - novelette by Laurie Burns
144 - A Certain Point of View - novelette by Charlene Newcomb
166 - Blaze of Glory - novelette by Tony Russo
198 - Slaying Dragons - shortstory by Angela Phillips
214 - Do No Harm - shortstory by Erin Endom
233 - Side Trip [Part One of Four] - novella by Timothy Zahn
255 - Side Trip [Part Two of Four] - novella by Michael A. Stackpole
278 - Side Trip [Part Three of Four] - novella by Michael A. Stackpole
299 - Side Trip [Part Four of Four] - novella by Timothy Zahn
321 - About the Authors (Tales from the Empire) - essay by uncredited
[325] - The World of Star Wars Novels - essay by uncredited

Heir to the Empire

Star Wars: The Thrawn Trilogy: Book 1

Timothy Zahn

It's five years after Return Of The Jedi: the Rebel Alliance has destroyed the Death Star, defeated Darth Vader and the Emperor, and driven out the remnants of the old Imperial Starlfleet to a distant corner of the galaxy. Princess Leia and Han Solo are married and expecting Jedi Twins. And Luke Skywalker has become the first in a long-awaited line of Jedi Knights.

But thousands of light-years away, the last of the emperor's warlords has taken command of the shattered Imperial Fleet, readied it for war, and pointed it at the fragile heart of the new Republic. For this dark warrior has made two vital discoveries that could destroy everything the courageous men and women of the Rebel Alliance fought so hard to build.

The explosive confrontation that results is a towering epic of action, invention, mystery, and spectacle on a galactic scale -- in short, a story worthy of the name Star Wars.

Empire's End

Sten: Book 8

Chris Bunch
Allan Cole

At last! The explosive finale of Sten's adventures as the eternal emperor's most trusted friend, bodyguard, troubleshooter... and assassin!

See Sten undertake the ultimate treasure hunt, as he and his comrades seek out the source of the Eternal Emperor's power: Anti-Matter Two.

Learn the secret of the Eternal Emperor's past: Who is he? Where did he come from? And how did he become immortal?

Watch as the loyal Sten turns traitor at last, turning on the Eternal Emperor to save his own skin...and the Empire itself!

Eternity is doomed to end. And if sten has his way, it will end sooner than later!

The Risen Empire

Succession: Book 1

Scott Westerfeld

The undead Emperor has ruled his mighty interstellar empire of eighty human worlds for sixteen hundred years. Because he can grant a form of eternal life-after-death, creating an elite known as the Risen, his power is absolute. He and his sister, the Child Empress, who is eternally a little girl, are worshipped as living gods.

The Rix are machine-augmented humans who worship very different gods: AI compound minds of planetary size. Cool, relentless fanatics, their only goal is to propagate such AIs. They seek to end the Emperor's prolonged rule, and supplant it with an eternal cybernetic dynasty. They begin by taking the Child Empress hostage. Captain Laurent Zai of the Imperial Frigate Lynx is tasked with her rescue.

Separated by light years, bound by an unlikely love, Zai and pacifist Senator Nara Oxham must both face the challenge of the Rix, and both will hold the fate of the empire in their hands.

Empire of Silence

Sun Eater: Book 1

Christopher Ruocchio

It was not his war.

On the wrong planet, at the right time, for the best reasons, Hadrian Marlowe started down a path that could only end in fire. The galaxy remembers him as a hero: the man who burned every last alien Cielcin from the sky. They remember him as a monster: the devil who destroyed a sun, casually annihilating four billion human lives--even the Emperor himself--against Imperial orders.

But Hadrian was not a hero. He was not a monster. He was not even a soldier.

Fleeing his father and a future as a torturer, Hadrian finds himself stranded on a strange, backwater world. Forced to fight as a gladiator and into the intrigues of a foreign planetary court, he will find himself fight a war he did not start, for an Empire he does not love, against an enemy he will never understand.

Naked Empire

Sword of Truth: Book 8

Terry Goodkind

Beginning with Wizard's First Rule and continuing with six subsequent fantasy masterpieces, Terry Goodkind has thrilled and awed millions of readers worldwide. Now Goodkind returns with a broad-canvas adventure of epic intrigue, violent conflict, and terrifying peril for the beautiful Kahlan Amnell and her husband, the heroic Richard Rahl, the Sword of Truth.

Richard Rahl has been poisoned. Saving an empire from annihilation is the price of the antidote. With the shadow of death looming near, the empire crumbling before the invading hordes, and time running out, Richard is offered not only his own life but the salvation of a people, in exchange for delivering his wife, Kahlan, into bondage to the enemy.

The Unbound Empire

Swords and Fire: Book 3

Melissa Caruso

The final volume of the Gemmell Morningstar Award-shortlisted Swords and Fire fantasy trilogy, in which political scion Amalia and her bound fire warlock Zaira must save the Empire from a ruthless, magical enemy. Perfect for fans of Tamora Pierce, The Queen of the Tearling, and Uprooted.

While winter snows keep the Witch Lord Ruven's invading armies at bay, Lady Amalia Cornaro and the fire warlock Zaira attempt to change the fate of mages in the Raverran Empire forever, earning the enmity of those in power who will do anything to keep all magic under tight imperial control. But in the season of the Serene City's great masquerade, Ruven executes a devastating surprise strike at the heart of the Empire - and at everything Amalia holds most dear.

To stand a chance of defeating Ruven, Amalia and Zaira must face their worst nightmares, expose their deepest secrets, and unleash Zaira's most devastating fire.

Tarzan and the Lost Empire

Tarzan: Book 12

Edgar Rice Burroughs

Somewhere in the heart of Africa, a young archaeologist disappeared in the remote jungle mountains--Erich von Harben, son of an old missionary friend of Tarzan of the Apes. Now the ape-man seeks to rescue the lost scholar. The trail leads to a mysterious valley where Tarzan discovers two surviving outposts of ancient Rome, virtually unchanged by time. And there, Tarzan is thrust into the bloody gladiatorial arena, doomed to face every peril the cruel and corrupt emperor of Castra Sanguinarius can devise to ensure the ape-man's death. Miles away in Castrum Mare, Erich von Harben also awaits execution upon the sands of another tyrant's arena, destined to die before he can pledge his heart to the fair Favonia, daughter of one of the emperor's favored patricians.

Rise of the Terran Empire

Technic Civilization Saga: Book 3

Poul Anderson

Nicholas van Rijn, the most flamboyant member of the Polesotechnic League of star traders, could see dark times ahead. Fellow league members were using tactics verging on outright piracy, and others were all too eager to sell starships and high-tech weapons to alien barbarians. A planet not previously known for interstellar commerce suddenly revealed a secret fleet of armed starships, and started building an empire. Even if Van Rijn and his right-hand man David Falkayn could find a way to stop this blatant aggression, the glory days of the League were over. Hereafter, for its own protection against well-armed alien marauders the Earth must maintain a strong military fleet, and one charismatic man would found an empire that would learn nothing of the lessons history taught about the fates of other empires as it began annexing other star systems, whether they wanted to join the Terran Empire or not...

This is the third volume in the first complete edition of Poul Anderson's Technic Civilization saga, and it includes a classic novella which appears here in book form for the first time. And the next volume begins the adventures of Poul Anderson's other legendary character, Captain Sir Dominic Flandry.

Table of Content

Mirkheim (1977)
"Wingless" (also known as "Wingless on Avalon") (1973)
"Rescue on Avalon" (1973)
"The Star Plunderer" (1952)
"Saragasso of Lost Starships" (1951)
The People of the Wind (1973)

Agent of the Terran Empire

Technic Civilization: Dominic Flandry: Book 5

Poul Anderson

Contents:

Tiger by the Tail
Warriors from Nowhere
Honorable Enemies
Hunters of the Sky Cave

The Game of Empire

Technic Civilization: Dominic Flandry: Book 10

Poul Anderson

Now that Dominic Flandry is of an age more suited to deciding the fate of empires from behind the throne, others must take up the challenge of courting danger on strange planets filled with still stranger creatures. So begins the career of Diana and her faithful Tigery companion.

A Memory Called Empire

Teixcalaan: Book 1

Arkady Martine

Ambassador Mahit Dzmare arrives in the center of the multi-system Teixcalaanli Empire only to discover that her predecessor, the previous ambassador from their small but fiercely independent mining Station, has died. But no one will admit that his death wasn't an accident – or that Mahit might be next to die, during a time of political instability in the highest echelons of the imperial court.

Now, Mahit must discover who is behind the murder, rescue herself, and save her Station from Teixcalaan's unceasing expansion – all while navigating an alien culture that is all too seductive, engaging in intrigues of her own, and hiding a deadly technological secret – one that might spell the end of her Station and her way of life – or rescue it from annihilation.

The Man of Gold

Tékumel: The Empire of the Petal Throne: Book 1

M. A. R. Barker

Forgotten knowledge re-emerging from the distant past now threatens the Empire of the Petal Throne. Harsan, raised among the alien Pe Choi, must take his place among humans when the Emperor summons him to decipher the secret of the Man of Gold. Follow Harsan on his quest as he searches for the knowledge that will change the world.

This is the first electronic publication of Prof. M.A.R. Barker's novel, "The Man of Gold." Originally published in 1984, it has been carefully prepared for a modern audience. You, too, can now enjoy the first of Prof. Barker's novels set in Tekumel, a world where technology is forgotten and replaced by magic.

Flamesong

Tékumel: The Empire of the Petal Throne: Book 2

M. A. R. Barker

On the far-off planet of Tékumel®, the Empire of Tsolyánu has enjoyed a comfortable dominance for centuries. However, Baron Áld of the neighboring nation of Yán Kór seeks to bring that dominance to an end by waging a bloody war for vengeance, driven by grievances both old and new.

Trínesh hiKétkolel, an officer in the Tsolyáni army, is charged with defending the empire against the Baron's forces. After capturing a remote fortress, his command is suddenly thrown off-course when he captures enemy agents who know of a weapon that could decide the war for Yán Kór. When his soldiers and prisoners are plunged into the subterranean ruins of the ancients, Trínesh and his enemies must form an uneasy truce if they are to survive. What this means for the war raging above them-and for the fate of Tékumel-not even the gods can tell.

Empire of Ivory

Temeraire: Book 4

Naomi Novik

Tragedy has struck His Majesty's Aerial Corps, whose magnificent fleet of fighting dragons and their human captains valiantly defend England's shores against the encroaching armies of Napoleon Bonaparte. An epidemic of unknown origin and no known cure is decimating the noble dragons' ranks-forcing the hopelessly stricken into quarantine. Now only Temeraire and a pack of newly recruited dragons remain uninfected-and stand as the only means of an airborne defense against France's ever bolder sorties. Bonaparte's dragons are already harrowing Britain's ships at sea. Only one recourse remains: Temeraire and his captain, Will Laurence, must take wing to Africa, whose shores may hold the cure to the mysterious and deadly contagion. On this mission there is no time to waste, and no telling what lies in store beyond the horizon or for those left behind to wait, hope, and hold the line.

Vows of Empire

The Bloodright Trilogy: Book 3

Emily Skrutskie

Gal and Ettian have never been farther apart. Once, they were roommates and best friends, each suffocating under a secret of galactic consequence. When Gal's came to light--that he was heir to the Umber Empire and all of its brutal conquest--the two were forced to flee their military academy, fall in with a brewing rebellion to reclaim the Archon Empire from Umber's grasp, and face their long-held feelings for each other.

Then the rebellion discovered Gal's identity and to save his life, Ettian had no choice but to unveil his own secret: that he was the long-lost heir to the Archon throne. With Gal as a political prisoner, Ettian began the fight to restore his own empire--and to open Gal's eyes to the possibility of a galaxy reclaimed from Umber's greed. But just when Gal was starting to come around, a team of Umber operatives rescued him from Archon's clutches and dragged him home to take up his crown.

Now, separated for the first time and in full command of the might of their respective forces, the star-crossed rulers find themselves truly at odds. And with the war reaching a tipping point, the time has finally come for Gal and Ettian to confront what they owe their empires, their friends, and each other if they're ever to forge a universe where the two of them can be together.

Empire of Sand

The Books of Ambha: Book 1

Tasha Suri

The Amrithi are outcasts; nomads descended of desert spirits, they are coveted and persecuted throughout the Empire for the power in their blood. Mehr is the illegitimate daughter of an imperial governor and an exiled Amrithi mother she can barely remember, but whose face and magic she has inherited.

When Mehr's power comes to the attention of the Emperor's most feared mystics, she must use every ounce of will, subtlety, and power she possesses to resist their cruel agenda.

Should she fail, the gods themselves may awaken seeking vengeance...

Prince of Thorns

The Broken Empire: Book 1

Mark Lawrence

When he was nine, he watched his mother and brother killed before him. By the time he was thirteen, he was the leader of a band of bloodthirsty thugs. By fifteen, he intends to be king...

It's time for Prince Honorous Jorg Ancrath to return to the castle he turned his back on, to take what's rightfully his. Since the day he was hung on the thorns of a briar patch and forced to watch Count Renar's men slaughter his mother and young brother, Jorg has been driven to vent his rage. Life and death are no more than a game to him-and he has nothing left to lose.

But treachery awaits him in his father's castle. Treachery and dark magic. No matter how fierce, can the will of one young man conquer enemies with power beyond his imagining?

King of Thorns

The Broken Empire: Book 2

Mark Lawrence

The boy who would be king has gained the throne...

At age nine, Prince Honorous Jorg Ancrath vowed to avenge his slaughtered mother and brother—and to punish his father for not doing so. At fifteen, he began to fulfill that vow. Now, at eighteen, he must fight for what he has taken by torture and treachery.

Haunted by the pain of his past, and plagued by nightmares of the atrocities he has committed, King Jorg is filled with rage. And even as his need for revenge continues to consume him, an overwhelming enemy force marches on his castle.

Jorg knows that he cannot win a fair fight. But he has found a long-hidden cache of ancient artifacts. Some might call them magic. Jorg is not certain—all he knows is that their secrets can be put to terrible use in the coming battle...

Emperor of Thorns

The Broken Empire: Book 3

Mark Lawrence

The boy who would rule all may have finally met his match...

King Jorg Ancrath is twenty now—and king of seven nations. His goal—revenge against his father—has not yet been realized, and the demons that haunt him have only grown stronger. Yet no matter how tortured his path, he intends to take the next step in his upward climb.

Jorg would be emperor. It is a position not to be gained by the sword but rather by vote. And never in living memory has anyone secured a majority of the vote, leaving the Broken Empire long without a leader. Jorg plans to change that. He’s uncovered the lost technology of the land, and he won’t hesitate to use it.

But he soon finds an adversary standing in his way, a necromancer unlike any he has ever faced—a figure hated and feared even more than himself: the Dead King.

The Empire of Ashes

The Draconis Memoria: Book 3

Anthony Ryan

In the White Drake's war, the price of freedom is paid in blood and fire...

For hundreds of years, the Ironship Trading Syndicate was fueled by drake blood--and protected by the Blood-blessed, those few who could drink it and wield fearsome powers. But now the very thing that sustained the corporate world threatens to destroy it.

A drake of unimaginable power has risen, and it commands an army of both beasts and men. Rogue Blood-blessed Claydon Torcreek, Syndicate agent Lizanne Lethridge and Ironship captain Corrick Hilemore have been spread to disparate corners of the world, but they are united in their desire to defeat the White Drake and the Spoiled who follow it.

Humanity itself is at stake, but with the aid of ancient knowledge, revolutionary technology and unexpected allies, all hope is not lost. Saving the world will require sacrifice, as Clay, Lizanne and Hilemore will see all they know either consumed by flames or reborn from the ashes.

Scales of Empire

The Dragon Empire Trilogy: Book 1

Kylie Chan

An exciting new adventure filled with diverse characters, strong heroes and heroines and wild creatures from the bestselling author of White Tiger.

Corporal Jian Choumali is on the mission of a lifetime - security officer on one of Earth's huge generation ships, fleeing Earth's failing ecosystem to colonise a distant planet.

The ship encounters a technologically and culturally advanced alien empire, led by a royal family of dragons. The empire's dragon emissary offers her aid to the people of Earth, bringing greater health, longer life, and faster-than-light travel to nearby stars.

But what price will the people of Earth have to pay for the generous alien assistance?

In this first book in a brand new series, Kylie Chan brings together pacey, compelling storytelling and an all-too-possible imagined future in a tale packed with action, adventure, drama and suspense.

Guardian of Empire

The Dragon Empire Trilogy: Book 2

Kylie Chan

The Dragon Empire is under threat ... Kylie Chan, bestselling author of White Tiger, returns with the follow-up to Scales of Empire - imaginative, epic and a whole lot of fun.

Earth has joined the Galactic Empire, a vast interstellar society ruled by dragon-like aliens where everybody is immortal. Pain, famine and disease have been eradicated, but this doesn't mean the end of conflict.

A cruel alien Republic has been watching from afar and wants to take the Empire's progress for its own. Jian Choumali, ex-British forces and now Colonel in the Imperial space force, must fight to keep her friends, family and fellow citizens in the Empire safe. A brutal battle of skill and wits begins as Jian and her human colleagues attempt to combat the invaders -- but with all their technology, enhancements and weapons in the hands of their enemies, the odds are stacked against them, and there is the very real threat of the destruction of the Empire itself.

Dawn of Empire

The Dragon Empire Trilogy: Book 3

Kylie Chan

Life seems settled for Jian in the Dragon Empire. She's comfortable in her position as Captain of the Imperial Guard and content with her unusual domestic arrangements. But when trouble stirs at the edge of the Empire, they discover that the Cat Republic has been hiding a powerful and dangerous force that could destroy everything the Empire represents. Jian and her family must work together to save the Empire - and travel further than any dragon has ever gone.

Blade of Empire

The Dragon Prophecy: Book 2

Mercedes Lackey
James Mallory

They thought the war was over. They were wrong.

Runacarendalur Caerthalien has been a master of battle for hundreds of years, but he found himself on the wrong side?the losing side?in the last war. Betrayed by his brother, trapped in a prophecy he does not understand, Runacar flees the battlefield.

Yet Runacar is no coward. In a twist he could never have imagined, the Elven War-Prince finds himself leading a new army into battle?a force of centaurs, merfolk, gryphons, minotaurs, and talking bears who can perform magic. For centuries they have been trying to reclaim their lands from Elven invaders. With Runacar at the helm, they just might manage it.

Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory's first collaboration, the Obsidian Mountain trilogy, introduced readers to a brilliant, continent-spanning fantasy world of high adventure and epic battle. Civilization shimmered with magic while in the nooks and crannies of the world, dragons and unicorns hid from people who believed them to be nothing more than legends.

The Dragon Prophecy, set thousands of years before that story, illuminates a time when long-lived Elves rule the Fortunate Lands. It is a time of dire prophecy, of battle and bloodshed, of great magics unlike any the Elvenkind have seen before. It is the story of the end of one world and the beginning of the next.

The Empire of the Stars

The Dragon Throne: Book 2

Alison Baird

Proclaimed the long-prophesied ruler of the Celestial Empire, Princess Ailia escapes her enemies and flees to the world of Arainia, where she joins her trusted companions Damion, Jomar, and Lorelyn. But as Ailia strives to control her growing powers and gather allies, time is running out. The mad tyrant Khalazar is entering into an unholy alliance with the Dragon Prince Mandrake, a shapechanger with the blodd, and magic, of dragons in his veins. Together the villains assemble a fearsome military force for an attack on Arainia. Desperate to strike first, Jomar and Damion muster a brave, though untested, army of their own. Yet as they prepare for what might be their last battle, Ailia must embark alone on a perilous mission, one that will place her in Mandrake's power...

The Bone Shard Emperor

The Drowning Empire: Book 2

Andrea Stewart

The Emperor is Dead. Long live the Emperor.

Lin Sukai finally sits on the throne she won at so much cost, but her struggles are only just beginning. Her people don't trust her. Her political alliances are weak. And in the north-east of the Empire, a rebel army of constructs is gathering, its leader determined to take the throne by force.

Yet an even greater threat is on the horizon, for the Alanga-the powerful magicians of legend-have returned to the Empire. They claim they come in peace, and Lin will need their help in order to defeat the rebels and restore peace.

But can she trust them?

The Bone Shard War

The Drowning Empire: Book 3

Andrea Stewart

Lin Sukai has won her first victory as Emperor, but the future of the Phoenix Empire hangs in the balance -- and Lin is dangerously short of allies.

As her own governors plot treason, the Shardless Few renew hostilities. Worse still, Lin discovers her old nemesis Nisong has joined forces with the rogue Alanga, Ragan. Both seek her death.

Yet hopes lies in history. Legend tells of seven mythic swords, forged in centuries past. If Lin can find them before her enemies, she may yet be able to turn the tide.

If she fails, the Sukai dynasty -- and the entire empire -- will fall.

A Rich, Full Week

A Small Price to Pay for Birdsong

This novelette was anthologized in Swords & Dark Magic: The New Sword and Sorcery edited by Lou Anders and Jonathan Strahan (2010) and The Mammoth Book of Warriors and Wizardry edited by Sean Wallace (2014), reprinted in Clarkesworld Magazine #97, October 2014, and collected in Academic Exercises (2014).

Read this story for free at Clarkesworld Magazine.

World Fantasy Award-winning Novella

This story originally appeared in Subterranean, Winter 2011. It was anthologized in The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year: Volume Six (2012), edited by Jonathan Strahan, The Year's Best Science Fiction & Fantasy 2012 (2012), edited by Rich Horton, and The Best of Subterranean (2017), edited by William Schafer, and collected in Academic Exercises (2014).

Read the full story for free at Subterranean Online.

Academic Exercises

Academic Exercises is the first collection of shorter work by master novelist K.J Parker, and it is a stunner. Weighing in at over 500 pages, this generous volume gathers together thirteen highly distinctive stories, essays, and novellas, including the recent World Fantasy Award-Winner, "Let Maps to Others". The result is a significant publishing event, a book that belongs on the shelf of every serious reader of imaginative fiction.

The collection opens with the World Fantasy Award-winning "A Small Price to Pay for Birdsong," a story of music and murder set against a complex mentor/pupil relationship, and closes with the superb novella "Blue & Gold," which features what may be the most beguiling opening lines in recent memory. In between, Parker has assembled a treasure house of narrative pleasures. In "A Rich, Full Week," an itinerant "wizard" undergoes a transformative encounter with a member of the "restless dead." "Purple & Black," the longest story in the book, is an epistolary tale about a man who inherits the most hazardous position imaginable: Emperor. "Amor Vincit Omnia" recounts a confrontation with a mass murderer who may have mastered an impossible form of magic.

Rounding out the volume--and enriching it enormously--are three fascinating and illuminating essays that bear direct relevance to Parker's unique brand of fiction: "On Sieges," "Cutting Edge Technology," and "Rich Men's Skins."

Taken singly, each of these thirteen pieces is a lovingly crafted gem. Together, they constitute a major and enduring achievement. Rich, varied, and constantly absorbing, Academic Exercises is, without a doubt, the fantasy collection of the year.

Table of Contents:

A Small Price to Pay for Birdsong (2011) - novella
A Rich, Full Week (2010) - novelette
Amor Vincit Omnia (2010) - novelette
On Sieges (2009) - essay
Let Maps to Others (2012) - novella
A Room with a View (2011) - novelette
Cutting Edge Technology (2011) - essay
Illuminated (2012) - novelette
Purple & Black (2009) - novella
Rich Men's Skins: A Social History of Armour (2010) - essay
The Sun and I (2013) - novelette
One Little Room an Everywhere (2012) - short story
Blue & Gold (2010) - novella

Amor Vincit Omnia

I Met a Man Who Wasn't There

This novelette originally appeared in Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine #45, May 2010, and was reprinted in Subterranean Magazine, Summer 2010. It was anthologized in The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year: Volume Five (2011), edited by Jonathan Strahan and The Year's Best Science Fiction & Fantasy 2011, edited by Rich Horton and collected in Academic Exercises (2014).

Read the full story for free at Subterranean Online.

This short story originally appeared in Subterranean Magazine, Winter 2014. It was anthologized in The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year: Volume Nine edited by Jonathan Strahan (2015) and collected in The Father of Lies (2018).

Read the full story for free at Subterranean Online.

Illuminated

This novelette was originally published in Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine #55, December 2012, and reprinted in Subterranean Magazine, Summer 2013. It was collected in Academic Exercises (2014).

Read this story for free at Subterranean Online.

Let Maps to Others

World Fantasy Award-winning Novella

This story originally appeared in Subterranean Magazine, Summer 2012. It was anthologized in The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year: Volume Seven (2013) edited by Jonathan Strahan, and collected in Academic Exercises (2014).

Read the full story for free at Subterranean Online.

Many Mansions

This novelette was originally published in Beneath Ceaseless Skies #313, September 24, 2020.

Read this story for free at Beneath Ceaseless Skies.

Mightier than the Sword

An Imperial legate is called into see his aunt, who just happens to be the empress running the civilized world while her husband's in his sick bed. After some chastisement, she dispatches her nephew to take care of the dreaded Land and Sea Raiders, pirates who've been attacking the realm's monasteries.

So begins a possibly doomed tour of banished relatives and pompous royals put in charge of monasteries like Cort Doce and Cort Malestan, to name a few. While attempting to discover the truth of what the pirates might be after, the legate visits great libraries and halls in each varied locale and conducts a romance of which he knows but doesn't care his aunt will not approve.

My Beautiful Life

One Little Room an Everywhere

As the story begins, the nameless, dying narrator takes us back to his childhood home in a remote corner of the ubiquitous Empire. The second of three sons, he lives there with his mother in a state of unrelieved poverty. Life eventually becomes so dire that the mother -- who can only find work as a prostitute -- is forced to sell one of her children. The oldest son, Nico, volunteers to be sold in order to protect his family, and that decision sets in motion everything that follows. Nico's journey takes him, in time, to the heart of the Empire and the very center of power. Over time, he acquires considerable power of his own and uses it to bring his younger brothers into the circle of his influence, changing their lives forever. Under Nico's guidance, the middle brother -- our nameless narrator -- achieves a destiny that will alter not only his own life, but the life of the Empire itself.

This short story was originally published in Eclipse Online, October 22, 2012. It was collected in Academic Exercises (2014).

Read this story for free at Eclipse Online.

Portrait of the Artist

This novelette was originally published in Beneath Ceaseless Skies #287, April 26, 2019.

Read this story for free at Beneath Ceaseless Skies.

Purple and Black

The Dragonslayer of Merebarton

When his father, brothers and uncles wiped each other out in a murderous civil war, Nicephorus was forced to leave the University and become emperor.

Seventy-seven emperors had met violent deaths over the past hundred years, most of them murdered by their own soldiers. Hardly surprising, then, that Nico should want to fill the major offices of state with the only people he knew he could trust, his oldest and closest friends.

But there's danger on the northern frontier, and Nico daren't send a regular general up there with an army, for fear of a military coup. He turns to his best friend Phormio, who reluctantly takes the job.

Military dispatches, written in the purple ink reserved exclusively for official business, are a miserable way for friends to keep in touch, at a time when they need each other most. But there's space in the document-tube for another sheet of paper.

This novella was originally published as a chapbook, and was collected in Academic Exercises (2014).

This novelette oriignally appeared in the anthology Fearsome Journeys (2013), edited by Jonathan Strahan, and was reprinted in Clarkesworld #125, February 2017. It was anthologized in The Year's Best Science Fiction & Fantasy 2014 edited by Rich Horton, and collected in The Father of Lies (2018).

Read the full story for free at Clarkesworld Magazine.

The Long Game

The unnamed narrator of The Long Game is an Adept, a member of an Ecclesiastical order charged, among other things, with opposing a race of immaterial demons, creatures capable of possessing and controlling human minds. Complicating the narrator's life is the fact that, over time, he has developed a cordial "relationship" with one of the demons. Complicating matters further is the unexpected arrival of Amalasomtha, a young woman with impossible abilities who claims to have come from the remote -- perhaps mythical -- country of Idalia. She also claims that, for reasons she does not entirely understand, she has been tasked with capturing one such demon and returning with it to Idalia. The truth, it turns out, is considerably more complex.

Amalasomtha's arrival sets in motion a chain of events encompassing murder, magic, deception, and an array of unintended consequences. By the story's end, this consistently witty account of demonic possession, hidden agendas and Ecclesiastical politics has taken us to some unexpected places and given us a glimpse of a larger story still, the "long game" that lies at the heart of all human history.

The Sun And I

The Things We Do for Love

World Fantasy Award-nominated Novelette

This story originally appeared in Subterranean Magazine, Summer 2013. It was anthologized in The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year: Volume Eight (2014) edited by Jonathan Strahan, and collected in Academic Exercises (2014).

Read the full story for free at Subterranean Online.

This novella was originally published in Subterranean Magazine, Summer 2014. It was anthologized in The Year's Best Science Fiction & Fantasy Novellas 2015 edited by Paula Guran (2015) and collected in The Father of Lies (2018).

Read this story for free at Subterranean Online.

The Thought That Counts

Raymond E. Feist
Janny Wurts

This novelette was originally published in Beneath Ceaseless Skies #250, April 26, 2018.

Read this story for free at Beneath Ceaseless Skies.

Hope and Red

The Empire of Storms: Book 1

Jon Skovron

In a fracturing empire spread across savage seas, a warrior and a thief must come together and find common cause.

Hope, the lone survivor when her village is massacred by the emperor's forces is secretly trained by a master Vinchen warrior as an instrument of vengeance.

Red, an orphan adopted by a notorious matriarch of the criminal underworld, learns to be an expert thief and con artist.

Together they will take down an empire.

Bane and Shadow

The Empire of Storms: Book 2

Jon Skovron

A killer adventure fantasy follow-up to HOPE AND RED, set in a fracturing empire spread across savage seas, where two young people from different cultures find common purpose.

Red is being trained as a cold-blooded assassin by the biomancers. As he becomes increasingly embroiled in palace politics, he learns that even life among the nobility can be deadly.

While terrorizing imperial ships as the pirate Dire Bane, Hope stumbles onto a biomancer plot of such horrifying scope that it makes even the massacre of her childhood village seem small in comparison.

With the biomancers tightening their grip of fear over the empire, Hope and Red struggle to fill their new roles and responsibilities, but the cost will be greater than any of them realize.

Blood and Tempest

The Empire of Storms: Book 3

Jon Skovron

Two young people from a fracturing empire spread across savage seas must find a way to keep their nation together.

Still reeling from the events at Dawn's Light, Hope struggles to understand what it means to be a warrior who has vowed to never again take up a sword.

Red is enjoying his new role as imperial spy. Perhaps a bit too much. But his loyalties will be tested when his employer, assigns him the one task he's been begging for all along: recruiting Hope and Brigga Lin to help rid the empire of biomancery once and for all.

Fate brought them together; it will tear their empire apart.

Daughter of the Empire

The Empire Trilogy: Book 1

Magic and murder engulf the realm of Kelewan. Fierce warlords ignite a bitter blood feud to enslave the empire of Tsuranuanni. While in the opulent Imperial courts, assassins and spy-master plot cunning and devious intrigues against the rightful heir. Now Mara, a young, untested Ruling lady, is called upon to lead her people in a heroic struggle for survival.

But first she must rally an army of rebel warriors, form a pact with the alien cho-ja, and marry the son of a hated enemy. Only then can Mara face her most dangerous foe of all--in his own impregnable stronghold.

An epic tale of adventure and intrigue. Daughter of the Empire is fantasy of the highest order by two of the most talented writers in the field today.

Servant of the Empire

The Empire Trilogy: Book 2

Raymond E. Feist
Janny Wurts

In this thrilling sequel to Daughter of the Empire, Lady Mara faces a vengeful blood enemy who doesn't know Mara has a strategic secret weapon--a rakish Midkemian slave whose real identity will change the rimworld forever.

Mistress of the Empire

The Empire Trilogy: Book 3

Raymond E. Feist
Janny Wurts

The world on the other side of the rift: Kelewan, a land seething with political intrigue and deadly conspiracies. Following the opulent panoply of Daughter Of The Empire and the dazzling pageantry of Servant Of The Empire comes the resounding conclusion to the Empire trilogy.

Besieged by spies and rival houses, stalked by a secret and merciless brotherhood of assassins, the brilliant Lady Mara of the Acoma faces the most deadly challenge she has ever known. The fearsome Black Robes see Mara as the ultimate threat to their ancient power. In search of allies who will join her against them, Mara must travel beyond civilization's borders and even into the hives of the alien cho-ja. As those near and dear to her fall victim to many enemies, Mara cries out for vengeance. Drawing on all of her courage and guile she prepares to fight her greatest battle of all--for her life, her home, and the Empire itself.

Prosper's Demon

The Empire: Prosper's Demon: Book 1

In a botched demonic extraction, they say the demon feels it ten times worse than the man. But they don't die, and we do. Equilibrium.

The unnamed and morally questionable narrator is an exorcist with great follow-through and few doubts. His methods aren't delicate but they're undeniably effective: he'll get the demon out--he just doesn't particularly care what happens to the person.

Prosper of Schanz is a man of science, determined to raise the world's first philosopher-king, reared according to the purest principles. Too bad he's demonically possessed.

Inside Man

The Empire: Prosper's Demon: Book 2

An anonymous representative of the Devil, once a high-ranking Duke of Hell and now a committed underachiever, has spent the last forever of an eternity leading a perfectly tedious existence distracting monks from their liturgical devotions. It's interminable, but he prefers it that way, now that he's been officially designated by Downstairs as "fragile." No, he won't elaborate.

All that changes when he finds himself ensnared, along with a sadistic exorcist, in a labyrinthine plot to subvert the very nature of Good and Evil. In such a circumstance, sympathy for the Devil is practically inevitable.

Blue and Gold

The Empire: Saloninus: Book 1

'Well, let me see,' I said, as the innkeeper poured me a beer. 'In the morning I discovered the secret of changing base metal into gold. In the afternoon, I murdered my wife.'

For a man as remarkable as the philosopher Saloninus, just another day.

Of course, we only have his word for it, and Saloninus has been known to be creative with the truth. Little white lies are inevitable expedients when you're one jump ahead of the secret police and on the brink of one of the greatest discoveries in the history of alchemy. But why would a scientist with the world's most generous, forgiving patron be so desperate to run away? And what, if anything, has blue got to do with gold?

This novella was originally published as a chapbook, and was collected in Academic Exercises (2014).

The Devil You Know

The Empire: Saloninus: Book 2

The greatest philosopher of all time is offering to sell his soul to the Devil. All he wants is twenty more years to complete his life's work. After that, he really doesn't care.

But the assistant demon assigned to the case has his suspicions, because the philosopher is Saloninus--the greatest philosopher, yes, but also the greatest liar, trickster and cheat the world has yet known; the sort of man even the Father of Lies can't trust.

He's almost certainly up to something; but what?

This novella was originally published as a chapbook. It was collected in The Father of Lies (2018).

The Big Score

The Empire: Saloninus: Book 3

Pulling the Wings Off Angels

Saloninus is a man with two distinct professions. In idle moments, he dashes off immortal masterpieces – philosophical treatises, musical compositions, dramas of Shakespearean range and depth – that never manage to turn a profit. His primary profession – that of thief, grifter and itinerant con man – is equally unprofitable, and he spends his life in constant flight from the encroaching forces of the law.

The story opens in the aftermath of Saloninus's own funeral, an act of self-concealment he has staged many times before. Newly risen from the dead, he encounters an old flame – a sort of archetypal femme fatale – with whom he shares a colorful – and highly illegal – history. She has a plan in mind, one that involves both of Saloninus's skill sets: criminality and literary genius. If successful, that plan will lead to the elusive "big score" that will set them free forever. Against his better judgment, and fully aware that failure and betrayal may await him, Saloninus agrees to participate. The result is this ingenious – and very funny – tale.

The Empire: Saloninus: Book 4

Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City

Pulling the Wings Off Angels is a madcap adventure brimming with the ethical quandaries and sardonic wit of The Good Place by World Fantasy Award-winning author K. J. Parker

Long ago, a wealthy man stole an angel and hid her in a chapel, where she remains imprisoned to this day.

That's the legend, anyway.

A clerical student who's racked up gambling debts to a local gangster is given an ultimatum--deliver the angel his grandfather kidnapped, or forfeit various body parts in payment.

And so begins a whirlwind theological paradox--with the student at its center--in which the stakes are the necessity of God, the existence of destiny--and the nature of angels.

The Empire: The Siege: Book 1

How to Rule an Empire and Get Away with It

A siege is approaching, and the city has little time to prepare. The people have no food and no weapons, and the enemy has sworn to slaughter them all.

To save the city will take a miracle, but what it has is Orhan. A colonel of engineers, Orhan has far more experience with bridge-building than battles, is a cheat and a liar, and has a serious problem with authority. He is, in other words, perfect for the job.

Sixteen Ways To Defend a Walled City is the story of Orhan, son of Siyyah Doctus Felix Praeclarissimus, and his history of the Great Siege, written down so that the deeds and sufferings of great men may never be forgotten.

The Empire: The Siege: Book 2

A Practical Guide to Conquering the World

This is the history of how the City was saved, by Notker the professional liar, written down because eventually the truth always seeps through.

The City may be under siege, but everyone still has to make a living. Take Notker, the acclaimed playwright, actor, and impresario. Nobody works harder, even when he's not working. Thankfully, it turns out that people enjoy the theater just as much when there are big rocks falling out of the sky.

But Notker is a man of many talents, and all the world is, apparently, a stage. It seems that the empire needs him - or someone who looks a lot like him - for a role that will call for the performance of a lifetime. At least it will guarantee fame, fortune, and immortality. If it doesn't kill him first.

The Empire: The Siege: Book 3

The Bullet-Catcher's Daughter

This is the true story of Aemilius Felix Boioannes the younger, the intended and unintended consequences of his life, the bad stuff he did on purpose, and the good stuff that happened in spite of him.

It is, in other words, the tale of a war to end all wars, and the man responsible.

The Fall of the Gas-Lit Empire: Book 1

Rod Duncan

Elizabeth Barnabus lives a double life - as herself and as her brother, the private detective. She is trying to solve the mystery of a disappearing aristocrat and a hoard of arcane machines. In her way stand the rogues, freaks and self-proclaimed alchemists of a travelling circus.

But when she comes up against an agent of the all-powerful Patent Office, her life and the course of history will begin to change. And not necessarily for the better...

Unseemly Science

The Fall of the Gas-Lit Empire: Book 2

Rod Duncan

In the divided land of England, Elizabeth Barnabus has been living a double life - as both herself and as her brother, the private detective. Witnessing the brutal hanging of someone very close to her, Elizabeth resolves to throw the Bullet Catcher's Handbook into the fire, and forget her past. If only it were that easy!

There is a new charitable organisation in town, run by some highly respectable women. But something doesn't feel right to Elizabeth. Perhaps it is time for her fictional brother to come out of retirement for one last case? Her unstoppable curiosity leads her to a dark world of body-snatching, unseemly experimentation, politics and scandal. Never was it harder for a woman in a man's world...

The Custodian of Marvels

The Fall of the Gas-Lit Empire: Book 3

Rod Duncan

You'd have to be mad to steal from the feared International Patent Office. But that's what Elizabeth Barnabus is about to try. A one-time enemy from the circus has persuaded her to attempt a heist that will be the ultimate conjuring trick.

Hidden in the vaults of the Patent Court in London lie secrets that could shake the very pillars of the Gas-Lit Empire. All that stands in Elizabeth's way are the agents of the Patent Office, a Duke's private army and the mysterious Custodian of Marvels.

Rod Duncan returns with the climactic volume of the Fall of the Gas-Lit Empire, the breathtaking alternate history series that began with the Philip K Dick Award-nominated The Bullet-Catcher's Daughter.

Phoenix Unbound

The Fallen Empire: Book 1

Grace Draven

Every year, each village is required to send a young woman to the Empire's capital--her fate to be burned alive for the entertainment of the masses. For the last five years, one small village's tithe has been the same woman. Gilene's sacrifice protects all the other young women of her village, and her secret to staying alive lies with the magic only she possesses.

But this year is different.

Azarion, the Empire's most famous gladiator, has somehow seen through her illusion--and is set on blackmailing Gilene into using her abilities to help him escape his life of slavery. Unknown to Gilene, he also wants to reclaim the birthright of his clan.

To protect her family and village, she will abandon everything to return to the Empire--and burn once more.

Dragon Unleashed

The Fallen Empire: Book 2

Grace Draven

Magic is outlawed in the Krael Empire and punishable by death. Born with the gift of earth magic, the free trader Halani keeps her dangerous secret closely guarded. When her uncle buys a mysterious artifact, a piece of bone belonging to a long-dead draga, Halani knows it's far more than what it seems.

Dragas haven't been seen for more than a century, and most believe them extinct. They're wrong. Dragas still walk among the denizens of the Empire, disguised as humans. Malachus is a draga living on borrowed time. The magic that has protected him will soon turn on him--unless he finds a key part of his heritage. He has tracked it to a group of free traders, among them a grave-robbing earth witch who fascinates him as much as she frustrates him with her many secrets.

Unbeknownst to both, the Empire's twisted empress searches for a draga of her own, to capture and kill as a trophy. As Malachus the hunter becomes the hunted, Halani must risk herself and all she loves to save him from the Empire's machinations and his own lethal birthright.

Raven Unveiled

The Fallen Empire: Book 3

Grace Draven

Siora has been on the run for longer than she cares to remember, from her past and her gift. Born with the ability to see and speak to ghosts, she has heard their desperate pleas as an otherworldly predator stalks the dead amid the fertile killing fields of the collapsing Krael Empire. The creature's power and reach are growing with every soul it consumes, but Siora is preoccupied with her own troubles: namely an assassin who has sworn an oath of vengeance against her.

>Gharek of Cabast was once the right-hand man of the reviled empress but is now a wanted fugitive. Although his reasons for hunting Siora are viscerally personal, what Gharek can't anticipate is that when he finally does find her, she will hold the key to saving his world, or what's left of it. To make good on old debts and protect the vulnerable dead from a malevolent force, Gharek and Siora will both need to make an ally out of an enemy--and trust that will be enough to save each other.

Foundation and Empire

The Foundation Series: Book 2

The Unremembered Empire: A light in the darkness

The Foundation novels of Isaac Asimov are one of the great masterworks of science fiction. Unsurpassed for their unique blend of nonstop action, daring ideas, and extensive world-building, they chronicle the struggle of a courageous group of men and women to preserve humanity's light against an inexorable tide of darkness and violence.

Led by its founding father, the great psychohistorian Hari Seldon, and taking advantage of its superior science and technology, the Foundation has survived the greed and barbarism of its neighboring warrior-planets. Yet now it must face the Empire - still the mightiest force in the Galaxy even in its death throes. When an ambitious general determined to restore the Empire's glory turns the vast Imperial fleet toward the Foundation, the only hope for the small planet of scholars and scientists lies in the prophecies of Hari Seldon.

But not even Hari Seldon could have predicted the birth of the extraordinary creature called The Mule - a mutant intelligence with a power greater than a dozen battle fleets - a power that can turn the strongest-willed human into an obedient slave.

Empire Builders

The Grand Tour: Book 2

Ben Bova

Dan Randolph never plays by the rules. A hell-raising maverick with no patience for fools, he is admired by his friends, feared by his enemies, and desired by the world's loveliest women. Acting as a twenty-first privateer, Randolph broke the political strangle-hold on space exploration, and became one of the world's richest men in the bargain.

Now an ecological crisis threatens Earth--and the same politicians that Randolph outwitted the first time want to impose a world dictatorship to deal with it.

Dan Randolph knows that the answer lies in more human freedom, not less--and in the boundless resources of space. But can he stay free long enough to give the world that chance?

Seven Blades in Black

The Grave of Empires: Book 1

Sam Sykes

Her magic was stolen. She was left for dead.

Betrayed by those she trusts most and her magic ripped from her, all Sal the Cacophony has left is her name, her story, and the weapon she used to carve both. But she has a will stronger than magic, and knows exactly where to go.

The Scar, a land torn between powerful empires, where rogue mages go to disappear, disgraced soldiers go to die and Sal went with a blade, a gun, and a list of seven names.

Revenge will be its own reward.

Ten Arrows of Iron

The Grave of Empires: Book 2

Sam Sykes

An outcast mage caught between two warring empires must either save the world or destroy everything she loves...

Sal the Cacophony -- outlaw, outcast, outnumbered -- destroys all that she loves. Her lover lost and cities burned in her wake, all she has left is her magical gun and her all-consuming quest for revenge against those who stole her power and took the sky from her.

When the roguish agent of a mysterious patron offers her the chance to participate in a heist to steal an incredible power from the famed airship fleet, the Ten Arrows, she finds a new purpose. But a plot to save the world by bringing down empires swiftly escalates into a conspiracy of magic and vengeance that threatens to burn everything to ash, including herself.

Eagle and Empire

The Hesperian Trilogy: Book 3

Alan Smale

Roman Praetor Gaius Marcellinus came to North America as a conqueror, but after meeting with defeat at the hands of the city-state of Cahokia, he has had to forge a new destiny in this strange land. In the decade since his arrival, he has managed to broker an unstable peace between the invading Romans and a loose affiliation of Native American tribes known as the League.

But invaders from the west will shatter that peace and plunge the continent into war: The Mongol Horde has arrived and they are taking no prisoners.

As the Mongol cavalry advances across the Great Plains leaving destruction in its path, Marcellinus and his Cahokian friends must summon allies both great and small in preparation for a final showdown. Alliances will shift, foes will rise, and friends will fall as Alan Smale brings us ever closer to the dramatic final battle for the future of the North American continent.

The Horus Heresy: Book 27

Dan Abnett

Believing Terra has already fallen to the Warmaster, Primarch Roboute Guilliman founds the Imperium Secundus.

The unthinkable has happened – Terra has fallen to the traitor forces of Warmaster Horus! Nothing else could explain the sudden disappearance of the Astronomican’s guiding light at the heart of the Imperium, or so Roboute Guilliman would believe. Ever the pragmatist, he has drawn all his forces to Ultramar and begun construction of the new empire known as Imperium Secundus. Even with many of his primarch brothers at his side, he still faces war from without and intrigue from within – with the best of intentions, were the full truth to be known it would likely damn them all as traitors for all eternity.

God Save the Queen

The Immortal Empire: Book 1

Kate Locke

Queen Victoria rules with an immortal fist. The undead matriarch of a Britain where the Aristocracy is made up of werewolves and vampires, where goblins live underground and mothers know better than to let their children out after dark. A world where being nobility means being infected with the Plague (side-effects include undeath), Hysteria is the popular affliction of the day, and leeches are considered a delicacy. And a world where technology lives side by side with magic. The year is 2012.

Xandra Vardan is a member of the elite Royal Guard, and it is her duty to protect the Aristocracy. But when her sister goes missing, Xandra will set out on a path that undermines everything she believed in and uncover a conspiracy that threatens to topple the empire. And she is the key-the prize in a very dangerous struggle.

The Queen Is Dead

The Immortal Empire: Book 2

Kate Locke

When her brother Val gets in over his head in an investigation of Half-Blood disappearances and goes missing himself, it's up to Xandra, newly crowned Goblin Queen, to get him back and bring the atrocities to light. Xandra must frequent the seediest parts of London, while also coping with what she is, the political factions vying for her favor, and the all too-close scrutiny of Queen Victoria, who wants her head. Add this to a being a suspect in a murder investigation, a werewolf boyfriend with demands of his own, and a mother hell bent on destroying the monarchy, and Xandra barely knows which way is up. One thing she does know is that she's already lost one sibling, she's not about to lose another.

Xandra Varden is the newly crowned Goblin Queen of England. But her complicated life is by no means over. There are the political factions vying for her favor, and the all too-close scrutiny of Queen Victoria, who for some reason wants her head. Not to mention her werewolf boyfriend with demands of his own, and a mother hell bent on destroying the monarchy. Now she's the suspect in a murder investigation --- and Xandra barely knows which way is up.

What she does know is that nothing lasts forever---and immortality isn't all its cracked up to be.

Long Live the Queen

The Immortal Empire: Book 3

Kate Locke

The fantastic conclusion to the Immortal Empire series that started with the spectacular God Save the Queen.

Xandra Vardan thought life would be simpler when she accepted the goblin crown and became their queen, but life has only become more complicated. Everyone -- vampires, werewolves, and humans -- wants the goblins on their side, because whoever has the goblins --wins.

With human zealots intent on ridding the world of anyone with plagued blood and supernatural politics taking Britain to the verge of civil war, Xandra's finding out that being queen isn't all it's cracked up to be, and if she doesn't do something fast, hers will be the shortest reign in history.

The Course of Empire

The Jao Empire: Book 1

Eric Flint
K. D. Wentworth

WOULD THEY DESTROY EARTH IN ORDER TO SAVE IT

Conquered by the Jao twenty years ago, the Earth is shackled under alien tyranny--and threatened by the even more dangerous Ekhat, who are sending a genocidal extermination fleet to the solar system. Humanity's only chance rests with an unusual pair of allies: a young Jao prince, newly arrived to Terra to assume his duties, and a young human woman brought up amongst the Jao occupiers.

But both are under pressure from the opposing forces--a cruel Jao viceroy on one side, determined to drown all opposition in blood; a reckless human resistance on the other, perfectly prepared to shed it. Added to the mix is the fact that only by adopting some portions of human technology and using human sepoy troops can the haughty Jao hope to defeat the oncoming Ekhat attack--and then only by fighting the battle within the Sun itself.

The Crucible of Empire

The Jao Empire: Book 2

Eric Flint
K. D. Wentworth

Sequel to The Course of Empire

When humans and their Jao overlords joined forces in a desperate battle to save the Earth from the malevolent race called the Ekhat, the relationship between the two species was changed forever. Two years later, humans and Jao are learning to work together in an uneasy alliance. Then, in a distant nebula, three Jao ships detect signs of another sentient species during a battle with the Ekhat. Only one of the ships returns, with most of its crew dead or injured.

Earth's Preceptor Ronz suspects the unknown species was actually the Lleix, a name out of the Jao's past, and an ancient shame from the period in their development when they themselves were still ruled by the maniacal Ekhat.

Ronz sends the Lexington, a massive ship built on Earth and crewed by both human and Jao, to investigate. The Lexington dwarfs any ship ever built by the Jao and even outmasses Ekhat ships, which may enable it to survive the attack that destroyed two of the three Jao ships. But if the expedition does find a surviving remnant of the Lleix, will the survivors trust the Jao? And should they?

Empire of Grass

The Last King of Osten Ard: Book 2

Tad Williams

The kingdoms of Osten Ard have been at peace for decades, but now, the threat of a new war grows to nightmarish proportions.

Simon and Miriamele, royal husband and wife, face danger from every side. Their allies in Hernystir have made a pact with the dreadful Queen of the Norns to allow her armies to cross into mortal lands. The ancient, powerful nation of Nabban is on the verge of bloody civil war, and the fierce nomads of the Thrithings grasslands have begun to mobilize, united by superstitious fervor and their age-old hatred of the city-dwellers. But as the countries and peoples of the High Ward bicker among themselves, battle, bloodshed, and dark magics threaten to pull civilizations to pieces. And over it all looms the mystery of the Witchwood Crown, the deadly puzzle that Simon, Miriamele, and their allies must solve if they wish to survive.

But as the kingdoms of Osten Ard are torn apart by fear and greed, a few individuals will fight for their own lives and destinies-not yet aware that the survival of everything depends on them.

Extracurricular Activities

The Legend of Sigmar: Book 2

Graham McNeill

Time of Legends is Black Library's premiere fantasy series, which brings the history and legends of the Warhammer world alive. Empire follows up Heldenhammer, by Graham McNeill, with the story of the creation of the Empire in the Old World.

A space opera adventure set in a distant future where an undercover agent has to go behind enemy lines to recover a lost ship and a possible traitor.

This story is included in the anthologies The Best Science Fiction of the Year: Volume 3 (2018), edited by Neil Clarke, and The Year's Best Science Fiction & Fantasy, 2018, edtied by Rich Horton.

Read the full story for free at Tor.com.

Hexarchate Stories

An ex-Kel art thief has to save the world from a galaxy-shattering prototype weapon...

A general outnumbered eight-to-one must outsmart his opponent...

A renegade returns from seclusion to bury an old comrade...

From the incredible imagination of Hugo- and Arthur C. Clarke-nominated author Yoon Ha Lee comes a collection of stories set in the world of the best-selling Ninefox Gambit. Showcasing Lee's extraordinary imagination, this collection takes you to the very beginnings of the hexarchate's history and reveals new never-before-seen stories.

Table of Contents

Hexarchate Timeline
The Chameleon's Gloves (2017) – novelette
How the Andan Court – short story
Seven Views of the Liozh Entrance Exam – short story
Omens – short story
Honesty – short story
Bunny – short story
Black Squirrels – short story
Silence – short story
Extracurricular Activities (2017) – novelette
Gloves – short story
Hunting Trip – short story
The Battle of Candle Arc (2012) – novelette
Calendrical Rot (2016) – short story
Birthdays – short story
The Robot's Math Lessons – short story
Sword-Shopping – short story
Persimmons – short story
Irriz the Assassin-Cat – short story
Vacation – short story
Gamer's End (2015) – short story
Glass Cannon – novella

The Battle of Candle Arc

Novelette set in Lee's Machineries of Empire universe. It originally appeared in Clarkesworld Magazine, #73 October 2012. The story can also be found in the anthologies Year's Best SF 18 (2013), edited by David G. Hartwell and Clarkesworld: Year Seven (2015), edited by Sean Wallace and Neil Clarke. It is included in the collection Conservation of Shadows (2013).

Read the full story for free at Clarkesworld.

The Chameleon's Gloves

This novelette originally appeared in the anthology Cosmic Powers: The Saga Anthology of Far-Away Galaxies (2017), edited by John Joseph Adams. It can also be found in the anthology The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year: Volume Twelve (2018), edited by Jonathan Strahan.

Ninefox Gambit

The Machineries of Empire: Book 1

To win an impossible war Captain Kel Cheris must awaken an ancient weapon and a despised traitor general.

Captain Kel Cheris of the hexarchate is disgraced for using unconventional methods in a battle against heretics. Kel Command gives her the opportunity to redeem herself by retaking the Fortress of Scattered Needles, a star fortress that has recently been captured by heretics. Cheris's career isn't the only thing at stake. If the fortress falls, the hexarchate itself might be next.

Cheris's best hope is to ally with the undead tactician Shuos Jedao. The good news is that Jedao has never lost a battle, and he may be the only one who can figure out how to successfully besiege the fortress.

The bad news is that Jedao went mad in his first life and massacred two armies, one of them his own. As the siege wears on, Cheris must decide how far she can trust Jedao--because she might be his next victim.

Raven Stratagem

The Machineries of Empire: Book 2

Captain Kel Cheris is possessed by a long-dead traitor general. Together they must face the rivalries of the hexarchate and a potentially devastating invasion.

When the hexarchate's gifted young captain Kel Cheris summoned the ghost of the long-dead General Shuos Jedao to help her put down a rebellion, she didn't reckon on his breaking free of centuries of imprisonment--and possessing her.

Even worse, the enemy Hafn are invading, and Jedao takes over General Kel Khiruev's fleet, which was tasked with stopping them. Only one of Khiruev's subordinates, Lieutenant Colonel Kel Brezan, seems to be able to resist the influence of the brilliant but psychotic Jedao.

Jedao claims to be interested in defending the hexarchate, but can Khiruev or Brezan trust him? For that matter, will the hexarchate's masters wipe out the entire fleet to destroy the rogue general?

Revenant Gun

The Machineries of Empire: Book 3

When Shuos Jedao wakes up for the first time, several things go wrong. His few memories tell him that he's a seventeen-year-old cadet -- but his body belongs to a man decades older. Hexarch Nirai Kujen orders Jedao to reconquer the fractured hexarchate on his behalf even though Jedao has no memory of ever being a soldier, let alone a general. Surely a knack for video games doesn't qualify you to take charge of an army?

Soon Jedao learns the situation is even worse. The Kel soldiers under his command may be compelled to obey him, but they hate him thanks to a massacre he can't remember committing. Kujen's friendliness can't hide the fact that he's a tyrant. And what's worse, Jedao and Kujen are being hunted by an enemy who knows more about Jedao and his crimes than he does himself.

Blades of the Old Empire

The Majat Code: Book 1

Anna Kashina

Kara is a mercenary - a Diamond warrior, the best of the best, part of the Majat Guild. When her tenure to Prince Kythar comes to an end, he wishes to retain her services, but must accompany her back to her Guild to negotiate her continued protection.

When they arrive they discover that the prince's sworn enemy, the Kaddim, have already paid the Guild to engage her services - to capture and hand over the prince (who she has grown very fond of).

A warrior brought up to respect both duty and honour, what happens when her sworn duty proves dishonourable?

The Second Empire

The Monarchies of God: Book 4

Paul Kearney

WINTER LIES UPON THE WORLD...

The last Torunnan army stands at bay before the walls of its capital, as the Merduk Sultan's forces muster to crush his insolent neighbour once and for all.

King Abeleyn of Hebrion strives to maintain control of his kingdom, riven by the vying factions he has now suppressed and battered by the battles he wished he'd not had to fight.

Himerius's Church is extending its power across Normannia, rivalling the might of the long-lost Fimbrian Empire, even as a terrible corruption rises within.

Today, truly, the fate of all the Monarchies of God hangs in the balance...

The Shadow of Ararat

The Oath of Empire: Book 1

In what would be A.D. 600 in our history, the Empire still stands, supported by the Legions and Thaumaturges of Rome. Now the Emperor of the West, the Augustus Galen Atreus, will come to the aid of the Emperor of the East, the Augustus Heraclius, to lift the siege of Constantinople and carry a great war to the very doorstep of the Shahanshah of Persia. It is a war that will be fought with armies both conventional and magical, with bright swords and the darkest necromancy.

Against this richly detailed canvas of alternate history and military strategy, Thomas Harlan sets the intricate and moving stories of four people. Dwyrin MacDonald is a Hibernian student at a school for sorcerers in Upper Egypt, until he runs afoul of powerful political interests and is sent off half-trained to the Legions. His teacher, Ahmet,undertakes to follow Dwyrin and aid him, but Ahmet is drawn into service with the queen of Palmeyra. Thyatis is a young female warrior, extensively trained by her patron in the arts of covert warfare. And Maxian Atreus is Galens youngest brother, a physician and sorcerer. He has discovered that an enemy of Rome has placed a dreadful curse on the City, which must be broken before Rome can triumph. Woven with rich detail you'd expect from a first-rate historical novel, while through it runs yarns of magic and shimmering glamours that carry you deeply into your most fantastic dreams

The Gate of Fire

The Oath of Empire: Book 2

The Gate of Fire continues Tom Harlan's remarkable fantasy epic, following the increasingly dangerous conflicts both military and sorcerous. The sorcerer Dahak plots from his hidden citadel to regain the Peacock Throne. Prince Maxian, having raised both Julius Ceasar and Alexander the Great from the dead, now considers how to use them to free Rome from the curse of the Oath. Thyatis has fled with the widowed Queen of Persia to a hidden island; Dwyrin's thaumaturgic unit is shattered as Zoe discovers the destruction of Palmyra and, as its new queen, vows revenge against Rome. And in Mecca, Ahmet's friend and Palmyra's lieutenant Mohammed receives a vision, and a command, and the power to strive against the forces of darkness.

The Storm of Heaven

The Oath of Empire: Book 3

The great three-sided war continues, Rome against Persia against the tribes of the desert now commanded by Mohammed of Mekkah. The tide is turning against the Eastern Empire--the Emperor Heraclius lies bedridden in Constantinople and his brother Theodore has lost a great battle to the tribes. In the West, Rome lies devastated by the long-pent eruption of Vesuvius. And in the hidden valley of Damawand, the Persion sorcerer Dahak plots his revenge.

Among the lost are the Princess Shirin, vanished in the explosion of Vesuvius that wrought so much destruction, and Thyatis, still living but broken in mind and body. Her struggle will mirror the torment of the Empire, as it rebuilds its strength and purpose after so much destruction.

But there is hope for the West. Prince Maxian, horrified at being the cause of so many deaths, has come to realize that the Oath need not be broken; it can be changed by a skilled sorcerer. And in Judea, young Dwyrin is coming into his full powers, honed by sorcerous combat with his friend Odenathus, who now leads the shattered remnants of the army of Palmyra. And among the Goths north of the Danuvius, a new legion is being forged, by a very old general.

The Dark Lord

The Oath of Empire: Book 4

Tom Harlan brings his Oath of Empire series to a shattering conclusion in The Dark Lord.

In what would be the 7th Century AD in our history, the Roman Empire still stands, supported by the twin pillars of the Legions and Thaumaturges of Rome. The Emperor of the West, the Augustus Galen Atreus, came to the aid of the Emperor of the East, the Avtokrator Heraclius, in his war with the Sassanad Emperor of Persia. But despite early victories, that war has not gone well, and now Rome is hard-pressed. Constantinople has fallen before the dark sorceries of the Lord Dahak and his legions of the living and dead. Now the new Emperor of Persia marches on Egypt, and if he takes that ancient nation, Rome will be starved and defeated.

But there is a faint glimmer of hope. The Emperor Galen's brother Maxian is a great sorcerer, perhaps the equal of Dahak, lord of the seven serpents. He is now firmly allied with his Imperial brother and Rome. And though they are caught tight in the Dark Lord's net of sorcery, Queen Zoe of Palmyra and Lord Mohammed have not relinquished their souls to evil.

Evening's Empires

The Quiet War: Book 4

Paul J. McAuley

In the far future, a young man stands on a barren asteroid. His ship has been stolen, his family kidnapped or worse, and all he has on his side is a semi-intelligent spacesuit. The only member of the crew to escape, Hari has barely been off his ship before. It was his birthplace, his home and his future. He's going to get it back. McAuley's latest novel is set in the same far-flung future as his last few novels, but this time he takes on a much more personal story. This is a tale of revenge, of murder and morality, of growing up and discovering the world around you. Throughout the novel we follow Hari's viewpoint, and as he unravels the mysteries that led to his stranding, we discover them alongside him. But throughout his journeys, Hari must always bear one thing in mind. Nobody is to be trusted.

We Ride the Storm

The Reborn Empire: Book 1

As an empire dies, three warriors will rise. They will have to ride the storm or drown in its blood.

Seventeen years after rebels stormed the streets, factions divide Kisia. Only the firm hand of the god-emperor holds the empire together. But when an unexpected betrayal destroys a tense alliance with neighboring Chiltae, all that has been won comes crashing down.

In Kisia, Princess Miko Ts'ai is a prisoner in her own castle. She dreams of claiming her empire, but the path to power could rip it, and her family, asunder.

In Chiltae, assassin Cassandra Marius is plagued by the voices of the dead. Desperate, she accepts a contract that promises to reward her with a cure if she helps an empire fall.

And on the border between nations, Captain Rah e'Torin and his warriors are exiles forced to fight in a foreign war or die.

War built the Kisian Empire. War will tear it down.

We Lie with Death

The Reborn Empire: Book 2

War rages as one empire falls and another rises in its place in the action-packed sequel to Devin Madson's bold epic fantasy, We Ride the Storm.

There is no calm after the storm.

In Kisia's conquered north, former empress Miko Ts'ai is more determined than ever to save her empire. Yet, as her hunt for allies grows increasingly desperate, she may learn too late that power lies not in names but in people.

Dishiva e'Jaroven is fiercely loyal to the new Levanti emperor. Only he can lead them, but his next choice will challenge everything she wants to believe about her people's future.

Abandoned by his Second Swords, Rah e'Torin must learn to survive without a herd. But honor dictates he bring his warriors home--a path that could be his salvation or lead to his destruction.

And sold to the Witchdoctor, Cassandra Marius' desperate search for a cure ties her fate inextricably to Empress Hana and her true nature could condemn them both.

We Cry for Blood

The Reborn Empire: Book 3

In this bloody epic fantasy, the empire has fallen... but as alliances fracture and hope begins to wane, another powerful empire threatens to rise from the ashes of the old world.

Ambition and schemes have left the Kisian Empire in ashes. Empress Miko Ts'ai will have to move fast if she hopes to secure a foothold in its ruins. However, the line between enemies and allies may not be as clear-cut as it first appeared.

After failing to win back his Swords, former Captain Rah e'Torin finds shelter among the Levanti deserters. But his presence in the camp threatens to fracture the group, putting him on a collision course with their enigmatic leader.

Assassin Cassandra Marius knows Leo Villius's secret--one that could thwart his ambitions to conquer Kisia. But her time in Empress Hana's body is running out and each attempt they make to exploit Leo's weakness may be playing into his plans.

And, as Leo's control over the Levanti emperor grows, Dishiva e'Jaroven is caught in his web. To successfully challenge him, she'll have to decide how many of her people are worth sacrificing in order to win.

We Dream of Gods

The Reborn Empire: Book 4

There are no gods. Only men.

Betrayed by her closest allies, Empress Miko Ts'ai is thrust from ruler to pawn. But she won't suffer the whims of men. A string of dangerous gambles could win Miko her empire for good, but to take back the throne, she must become everything her ancestors failed to be.

Rah e'Torin leads a herd again. Now he seeks to honor a promise he made a lifetime ago--to safely bring his Swords home. Yet Rah's loyalty to the past may be his ultimate undoing.

Cassandra Marius is lost. Ensnared by memories that aren't her own, Cass must decide who she really is, but the answer lies beyond one final confrontation with Leo Villius.

And trapped in the heart of the Chiltaen army, Dishiva e'Jaroven is handed unexpected power. The dream of a new homeland is within her grasp--if she risks everything and trusts her former enemies.

Hidden Empire

The Saga of Seven Suns: Book 1

Kevin J. Anderson

Having colonized other worlds, humans are certain the galaxy is theirs for the taking. But they soon discover the horrifying price of their arrogance when a scientific experiment awakens the wrath of the previously unknown Hydrogues and begins a war.

A Roll of the Dice

Hugo and Nebula Award nominted novella. It originally appeared in Analog Science Fiction and Fact, July-August 2000. There are no other known publications available at this time.

Aurora in Four Voices

Hugo and Nebula Award nominated novella. It originally appeared in Analog Science Fiction and Fact, December 1998. The story can also be found in the anthology The Space Opera Renaissance (2006), edited by David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer. It is included in the collection Aurora in Four Voices (2011).

The Pyre of New Day

Nebula Award nominated novelette. It originally appeared in the anthology The Mammoth Book of SF Wars (2012), edited by Ian Whates and Ian Watson.

Walk in Silence

Hugo and Nebula Award nominated novella. It originally appeared in Analog Science Fiction and Fact, April 2003. There are no other known publications available at this time.

Primary Inversion

The Saga of the Skolian Empire: Book 1

The Skolian Empire, with its well-trained Jagernauts, rules a third of the civilized galaxy through its mastery of faster-than-light communication maintained by members of its Ruby Dynasty. But war with the rival Eubian Empire of the Traders, which thrives on slavery and whose elites are known for their cruelty, seems imminent. Such a war can only lead to slavery for the Skolians, or the destruction of both sides. Destructive skirmishes have already occurred. A desperate attempt must be made to avert total disaster.

Soz Valdoria, a Jagernaut and member of the Ruby Dynasty, is attracted to her supposed "enemy" Jabriol, the son of the ruler of the Eubian empire, or Traders. With hostile forces seeking their capture or death, Soz and Jabriol must work out their own - and hopefully their empires' - salvation.

Called by Booklist "one of the best SF first novels in years", Kirkus Reviews praised Primary Inversion: "An imaginative debut that takes off at a frantic pace, with dazzling technology, stirring battles and mental hijinks... plenty of energy and invention."

The eBook version of Primary Inversion is rewritten from the original and is considered the best version.

Catch the Lightning

The Saga of the Skolian Empire: Book 2

In the distant future, the Skolian empire rules one third of the human galaxy, and is the most powerful of all. For the ruling family has the power of telepathy, and through it, the ability to communicate faster than light across the interstellar space. but their most determined enemy, the traders, who thrive on human pain, need to interbreed with a Skolian to gain their powers. And now they have her.

Regarding the Kindle link above: The e-books Lightning Strike, Book I and Lightning Strike, Book II (not yet released) are the same story as told in Catch the Lightning, but substantially rewritten and expanded for the eBook form.

The Last Hawk

The Saga of the Skolian Empire: Book 3

When Kelric, a scion of the imperial family of Skolia, crash-lands his fighter on the off-limits planet of Coba, he figures it will be only a short time before he makes his way home. But he fails to account for the powerful matriarchy of Coba, the mistresses of the great estates who do not want the Empire to know about their recent cultural advances.

First they take him prisoner.

Then, one by one, the most powerful women on the planet fall in love with him!

The Radiant Seas

The Saga of the Skolian Empire: Book 4

Living in exile on a deserted planet, Sauscony and Jaibriol, each the heir to an interstellar empire, become entangled in the machinations of the Skolian Empire. Interstellar war erupts, and Jaibriol is snatched away to be the unwilling ruler of the Highton Aristos. Sauscony must lead an invading space fleet to rescue him from his own Empire - without revealing that they are married. With much of interstellar civilization poised on the brink of destruction, it is the devotion of these two lovers, their sacrifices, and their heroism, that might just forge a new order.

Ascendant Sun

The Saga of the Skolian Empire: Book 5

Ascendant Sun is the direct sequel to The Last Hawk, in which Kelric, heir to the Skolian Empire, crash-landed his fighter on the Restricted planet of Coba. He was imprisoned by the powerful mistresses of the great estates - women who, over time, fell in love with him. After 18 years of living in their gilded cage, Kelric finally made his escape.

In Ascendant Sun, Kelric returns to Skolian space, only to find the Empire in control of the Allied forces of Earth. With little more than the clothes on his back, Kelric is forced to take work on a merchant vessel. But when that vessel enters Euban space, Kelric finds his worst nightmare realized: he becomes a slave to the cruel Aristos - humans who use torture and sex as the ultimate aphrodesiac.

The Quantum Rose

The Saga of the Skolian Empire: Book 6

A New Adventure in the Saga of the Skolian Empire.

Kamoj Argali is the young ruler of an impoverished province on a backward planet. To keep her people from starving, she has agreed to marry Jax Ironbridge, the boorish and brutal ruler of a prosperous province. But before Argali and Ironbridge are wed, a mysterious stranger from a distant planet sweeps in and forces Kamoj into marriage, throwing her world into utter chaos.

Spherical Harmonic

The Saga of the Skolian Empire: Book 7

Separated for decades by circumstance and political machinations, the Ruby Dynasty, hereditary rulers of Skolia, struggle to bring together the tattered remnants of their family in the shadow of a disastrous interstellar war. Too many have died, others are presumed lost, yet Dyhianna, the Ruby Pharaoh, must move quickly if they are reassume their rightful place as rulers of the Skolian Empire.

The Moon's Shadow

The Saga of the Skolian Empire: Book 8

At the age of seventeen the young nobleman named Jaibriol Qox became ruler of a vast galactic empire - and lost everything he had ever valued.

Born of a clandestine liaison between a renegade daughter of the Skolian Imperialate and a scion of the genetically engineered Eubian Traders, Jai Qox grew up in exile, unaware of the powers that coursed through his noble blood. In the waning days of the bloody Radiance War, which ravaged the galaxy, Jai was captured, and returned to the Traders to play a role as a puppet Emperor in their scheme to consolidate their domination of space.

Now Jai must walk a razor's edge, to seize the power that is his by birthright, without succumbing to its dark seduction, in order to avert a conflagration which threatens to engulf a thousand worlds.

Skyfall

The Saga of the Skolian Empire: Book 9

The Birth of an Empire

Skyfall goes back to the very roots of Skolia, showing how a chance meeting on a backwater planet forges a vast interstellar empire. Eldrinson, a provincial ruler on a primitive planet, is plagued by inner demons. But when he meets Roca, a beautiful and mysterious woman from the stars, he whisks her away to his mountain retreat, inadvertently starting a great interstellar war, and birthing the next generation of rulers for the Skolian Empire.

Schism

The Saga of the Skolian Empire: Book 10

In 2002, Catherine Asaro won the Nebula Award for The Quantum Rose, the sixth novel in her Saga of the Skolian Empire. This very same novel was also named Best SF Novel by the Romantic Times. Schism: Part One of Triad is the tenth novel in this multiple award-winning series, and represents an excellent entry point into the series.

For Schism harkens back to the early years of the Skolian Empire, back to the beginning of the war between Skolia and the Euban Traders. Twenty-three years have passed since the fateful vote in the Skolian Assembly that Roca missed in Skyfall. It created the first open hostility between Eube and Skolia, which has only deepened over the ensuing years.

Now, Eube senses an opportunity, for strife has riven the first family of the Skolian Empire. Sauscony, the daughter of Roca and Eldrinson, is ready to seek her fortune as an officer-in-training in the Skolian military. When her father forbids her to undertake such a dangerous path, a wedge is formed as Soz chooses duty over family. Eube hopes to make this permanent, a divide that will leave the Skolian Empire ripe for conquest. And they're willing to kill anyone to make it happen.

The Final Key

The Saga of the Skolian Empire: Book 11

Catherine Asaro has won numerous awards for her Saga of the Skolian Empire novels, including the Nebula Award and two Romantic Times awards for Best SF Novel. Combining cutting edge scientific theory with grand romantic adventure, this series represents space opera at its finest.

The Final Key is the second half of the story arc known as Triad, which began in Schism. Schism ended with the Skolian Empire torn asunder by personal conflict within the royal family. With The Final Key, the Skolian Empire comes under all-out assault from its nemesis, the Euban Concord, who have undermined the Empire via subterfuge and assassination, leaving it ripe for conquest. The Skolian Empire's only hope? A young woman barely out of her teens who hasn't even complete her training as a cadet.

The Ruby Dice

The Saga of the Skolian Empire: Book 12

Two men, two empires. Jaibriol ruled the Eubian Concord: over two trillion people across more than a thousand worlds and habitats. Kelric ruled the Skolian Imperialate. War had come before - and it might come again, devastating vast swathes of the galaxy. Neither Jaibriol nor Kelric wanted war, but neither was complete master of his realm. And each hid a secret that, if revealed, might be his downfall.

Jaibriol was a secret psion, with telepathic abilities, and to be a psion in the Eubian Concord was to be a contemptible slave, eventually to be tortured for the pleasure of the slave's owner.

Kelric, years ago, had disappeared for nearly two decades. He had been a prisoner and slave on the planet Coba, part of neither empire, until he had managed to escape. And if the Skolian Imperialate knew of his captivity, there would be demands for vengeance, ravaging Coba - and killing the wife and children Kelric had left behind when he escaped.

Neither man knew how much longer he could keep his secret - nor how much longer they could hold back the threat of a war that could incinerate hundreds of inhabited worlds.

Diamond Star

The Saga of the Skolian Empire: Book 13

Del was a rock singer. He was also the renegade son of the Ruby Dynasty, which made his career choice less than respectable, and gave him more to worry about than getting gigs and not getting cheated by recording companies, club owners, or his agent. For one thing, the Ruby Dynasty ruled the Skolian Imperialate, an interstellar Empire, which had recently had a war with another empire, the Eubian Concord. For another, Del was singing on Earth, which was part of a third interstellar civilization, and one which had an uneasy relationship with the Imperialate.

Del undeniably had talent, and was rapidly rising from an unknown fringe artist to stardom. But, with his life entangled in the politics of three interstellar civilizations, whether he wanted that or not, talent might not be enough. And that factor might have much more effect than his music on the lives of trillions of people on the thousands of inhabited worlds across the galaxy.

Diamond Star was made into a rock opera in a collaboration between Asaro and the alternative rock band Point Valid. The rock opera's songs can be heard here, and are also available on audio CD and as mp3 downloads.

Diamond Star Track Listing

Diamond Star
Boxcar Madness
Breathing Underwater
Sapphire Clouds
Rubies
Etch-A-Sketch
Carnelians
Sound of Silence
Starlight Child
Emeralds
No Answers, with In Paradisum
Carnelians Finale
Bonus track: Carnelians Finale instrumental

Carnelians

The Saga of the Skolian Empire: Book 14

Multiple Nebula-award-winning Catherine Asaro continues her brilliant and intricate Skolian space opera opus. Two galactic emperors attempt to end a multi-generation war of the stars without both getting assassinated in the process.

The leaders of the Eubian empire and Skolian Imperialate have survived political intrigue, military coups and murder attempts as they worked to forge a peace treaty between their two empires. Now comes the hard part--making the treaty a reality.

Assassins are poised on both sides. Their mission: eliminate the leaders for the "crime" of striving to end half a millennia of hatred between empires. And as the main players in the peace process attempt to navigate the Byzantine convolutions surrounding the negotiations, an explosive pop anthem, Carnelians Finale, sweeps across three civilizations, its message inflaming passions. The violence escalates and militaries on both sides are called forth. The hope: to keep both empires alive long enough so that their rulers might somehow achieve peace at last.

The Down Deep

The Saga of the Skolian Empire: Dust Knights: Book 1

A CITY DIVIDED - For centuries The City of Cries - one of the most desired locales in the Skolian Imperialate - has existed by the thinnest of threads. On the dying world of Raylicon, the "haves" live in great luxury in Cries while the "have-nots" scrape by, eking out a marginal existence in the notorious Undercity beneath the desert. Major Bhaajan, formerly of the Pharaoh's Army, knows both worlds. Born into the Undercity, she nevertheless has made a name for herself in the Imperialate. And now, she has the chance to help her people.

HOPE FOR RECONCILIATION - For the first time, a member of the Royal class wants to extend an olive branch to the Undercity. Hoping to build bridges, Colonel Lavinda Majda recruits Bhaaj and her Dust Knights to act as guides and bodyguards on a mission of goodwill to those who live below the surface of their parched world.

THE DOWN DEEP - But the problems of the Undercity run deeper than anyone knows. To help find peace, the Dust Knights must reach the most hidden rungs in that mysterious underground world, a place known only as the Down Deep, where the scars from centuries of distrust are greatest. There they will face an unseen enemy that may destroy the lives of everyone they know--and threaten interstellar civilization.

Undercity

The Saga of the Skolian Empire: Major Bhaajan: Book 1

Major Bhaajan used to be a Skolian military officer with the Imperial Space Command. Retired from active service, she's become a private investigator, a fairly good one. When a mysterious client offers a lot of money for her services, she finds herself returning to Raylicon, the planet of her birth, where a cloistered young man of extremely good family has gone missing.

The Majdas are the second most influential family in the empire, even though the empire's ostensibly democratically ruled, and they're old-fashioned to boot: they keep their men in seclusion, in the tradition of old Skolian matriarchy. The young man who's just disappeared from their carefully-guarded household was in line to marry a member of the most influential family in the empire, and the Majdas are understandably eager to get him safely back home.

Bhaajan must sift through the shadows of dark and dangerous Undercity--the enormous capital of a vast star empire--to find the consort for the royal heir, before it's too late to stop a war.

The Bronze Skies

The Saga of the Skolian Empire: Major Bhaajan: Book 2

Major Bhaajan achieved the impossible. Born to the Undercity, the slums below the City of Cries on the planet Raylicon, she broke free from crushing poverty and crime to become a military officer with Imperial Space Command. Now retired from military duty, she walks the mean streets of Undercity as a private investigator. And she is about to embark on her most challenging case yet.

Summoned by no less than the Ruby Pharaoh herself, Major Bhaajan is tasked with finding a killer. But this is no ordinary murderer. The Ruby Pharaoh witnessed a Jagernaut cut down Assembly Councilor Tap Benton--which shouldn't have been possible. The Jagernauts are the elite of the elite soldiers in the Imperial Space Command. What's more, the spinal node implanted in all Jagernauts should have prevented the murder. But the Ruby Pharaoh is sure of what she saw, and she has reason to believe that the Jagernaut will kill again.

Now, Major Bhaajan must hunt down a killer before it is too late. To do so, she must return to the one place on Raylicon she knows best: Undercity.

The Vanished Seas

The Saga of the Skolian Empire: Major Bhaajan: Book 3

Bhaajan grew up in the Undercity, a community hidden in the ruins buried beneath the glittering City of Cries. Caught between the astonishing beauty and crushing poverty of that life, and caught by wanderlust, she enlisted in the military. Now retired, Major Bhaajan is a private investigator who solves cases for the House of Majda, a royal family centered in Cries. The powerful elite of the City of Cries are disappearing, and only Bhaajan, who grew up in the Undercity, can find them -- if she isn't murdered first.

The Jigsaw Assassin

The Saga of the Skolian Empire: Major Bhaajan: Book 4

Savage Empire: Prophecies

Selei City is the capital of the Imperialate and one of the most desired locales in all of the Skolian Empire. But its thin veneer of civilization is cracked when a series of brutal crimes implicates those in political power in a vast conspiracy. Three prominent scientists have lost their lives to a serial killer--and notes at the scenes of the crimes lead to a connection to the Royalist political party.

Major Bhaajan, former military officer turned private detective, is called back to Selei City to solve the crime. Bhaaj and her crew of Undercity Dust Knights plunge into the Byzantine world of Imperial politics--a jigsaw world where none of the pieces seem to fit. As the assassination plot becomes more and more convoluted, Bhaaj is kidnapped and threatened with death and must fight for her life against the growing number of people threatened by her investigation. Bhaaj has faced all this and more, but now she must deal with something far deadlier--interstellar politics.

The Savage Empire

Jean Lorrah
Winston A. Howlett

Zanos the Gladiator and Astra, a master reader, are loyal citizens of the Aventine Empire. Nevertheless, one holds a deadly secret and the other is drawn into a high-level conspiracy that brings them together and propels them into a desperate flight to the Savage Empire. A prophecy of peace and hope might provide a new life for them there--if their pursuing enemies don't kill them first. One of Zanos and Astra's new friends in the Savage Empire is the blind reader Torio, who has unexpectedly gained the rare talent of prophecy. The cryptic messages of his new gift send Zanos, Astra, Torio, and his beloved Melissa on a danger-filled journey north to Zanos's homeland. There, each one finds a personal destiny, and all must pay a price for confronting the lethal Sorcerers of the Frozen Isles.

Table of Contents:

9 - Flight to the Savage Empire - [The Savage Empire - 4] - (1986) - novel by Jean Lorrah and Winston A. Howlett
179 - Sorcerers of the Frozen Isles - [The Savage Empire - 5] - (1986) - novel by Jean Lorrah

Savage Empire: Dark Moon Rising

The Savage Empire

The Aventine Empire is crumbling under the attacks of savages armed with strange and dangerous powers. Exiled from the empire, a powerful telepath named Leonardo is captured by the savages, and finds himself in unfamiliar territory. Prepared for their brutality and mindless aggression, Leonardo learns their world differs from what he has been taught, and he is forced to question all of his previously held assumptions.

Table of Contents:

11 - Savage Empire - [The Savage Empire - 1] - (1981) - novel by Jean Lorrah
187 - Dragon Lord of the Savage Empire - [The Savage Empire - 2] - (1982) - novel by Jean Lorrah
367 - Captives of the Savage Empire - [The Savage Empire - 3] - (1984) - novel by Jean Lorrah

Savage Empire

The Savage Empire: Book 1

Dragon Lord of the Savage Empire

Lenardo, one of the most powerful Readers in the Aventine Empire, can read thoughts and sense details about objects and people miles away. His abilities are crucial, since the Empire is being attacked by savages with immense psychic powers. When he discovers that one of his former students, Galen, has turned traitor, he's sent on a mission to retrieve the turncoat. Instead, he encounters Lady Aradia, who dreams of ending the conflict. But most of the savage Adepts are allied with Lord Drakonius, whose only interest lies in conquest. Can Lenardo and Aradia find some means together to end the war?

The Savage Empire: Book 2

Captives of the Savage Empire

Lenardo, a master Reader with strong telepathic powers, meets Aradia, a Lady Adept who can use her powers both to heal and destroy. Together they defeat an evil Lord Adept. When the war's over, though, what then? Can they actually build an empire together? Each then decides to sacrifice their own powers to weaken the other's. Is this treachery--or something else entirely? And then a new menace appears on the horizon. There's a fine line between love and hate.

The Savage Empire: Book 3

Flight to the Savage Empire

Torio, a renegade Reader, has broken his oath and taken his powers of telepathy to the Savage Lands. The Savage Adepts have driven back the walls of the Empire, using their mysterious gifts of sorcery. Now, with the Readers in their midst, their powers--to tumble walls, to sink ships, to cause the earth to swallow entire cities--can reach into the very heart of the Empire. Melissa, Reader and Healer, must learn to leave her body for a treacherous journey into the Savage Lands, to save her true love and her world. Without her help, the Savage Empire may be doomed!

The Savage Empire: Book 4

Jean Lorrah
Winston A. Howlett

In the Aventine Empire, gladiator games still slake the multitudes' undying thirst for blood. Magister Astra hated the games - with her telepathic powers, she felt the warriors' agonies as her own. But the Master had once again sent her there to tend the wounded: it was a punishment - but for what? Even her strongest Reading couldn't tell her. Not until an unexpected death and an exotic, mind-bending drug brought her into the pat of the ex-slave warrior Zanos did Astra begin to understand the web of deceit, greed, and vengeance that would send them both in a desperate Flight To The Savage Empire.

Sorcerers of the Frozen Isles

The Savage Empire: Book 5

Jean Lorrah
Winston A. Howlett

Maldek's Evil Empire... Medura-a realm of ice and gloom, Zano's homeland and the dominion of the evil sorcerer, Maldek. It is a place of barbaric savagery and extraordinary Adept powers. Few men journey to Medura. Fewer yet leave her shores alive. Now the Blind Reader Torio impulsively demands to join Zanos on his journey home, a journey that will bring him to the heart of that forsaken land-and face to face with the evil powers of the black Lord Maldek...

Wulfston's Odyssey

The Savage Empire: Book 6

The Strangers from Africa arrived on the shores of the Savage Empire seeking aid in battle to the death against Z'Nelia the Witch-Queen. The powerful adept was forced to refuse them, for his true duity was to protect the people of his own kingdom from harm. But when the Africans kidnapped his brother by marrage, Wulfston was forced to cross the seas in pursuit of his traitorous guests. And what began as a simple rescue mission became a deadly contest of wills.

Empress Unborn

The Savage Empire: Book 7

As always Power ruled the Savage Empire. Not the crude force of sword and staff but the infinitely subtle strains of an Adept's musings. Aradia, the most powerful Adept of the Empire, is a woman thrust into greatness in order to rule a land beset by strife and ancient evil. But suddenly her strength falters. An unseen force seems to strike against her to sap Aradia's Power. Terrified she wonders about the unborn child growing inside her. Could its power be growing as well, overwhelming her own?

The Guns of Empire

The Shadow Campaigns: Book 4

Django Wexler

As the "audacious and subversive"* Shadow Campaigns novels continue, the weather is growing warmer, but the frosty threat of Vordan's enemies is only growing worse...

As the roar of the guns subsides and the smoke of battle clears, the country of Vordan is offered a fragile peace...

After their shattering defeats at the hands of brilliant General Janus bet Vhalnich, the opposing powers have called all sides to the negotiating table in hopes of securing an end to the war. Queen Raesinia of Vordan is anxious to see the return of peace, but Janus insists that any peace with the implacable Sworn Church of Elysium is doomed to fail. For their Priests of the Black, there can be no truce with heretics and demons they seek to destroy, and the war is to the death.

Soldiers Marcus d'Ivoire and Winter Ihernglass find themselves caught between their general and their queen. Now, each must decide which leader truly commands their loyalty--and what price they might pay for final victory.

And in the depths of Elysium, a malign force is rising--and defeating it might mean making sacrifices beyond anything they have ever imagined.

Empire of Light

The Shoal Sequence: Book 3

Gary Gibson

The nova war has begun to spread as the Emissaries wage a fierce and reckless campaign, encroaching on the area of space occupied by humanity and forcing the Shoal into a desperate retreat. While Dakota goes in search of the entity responsible for creating the Maker caches, Corso, left in charge of a fleet of human-piloted Magi ships, finds his authority crumbling in the face of assassination attempts and politically-motivated sabotage.

If any hope exists at all, it lies in an abandoned asteroid a thousand light-years beyond the Consortium's borders, and with Ty Whitecloud, the only man alive with the skill to decipher the messages left behind by an ancient race of star travellers. Unfortunately Whitecloud is locked in a prison cell aboard a dying coreship adrift in space, awaiting execution for war crimes against Corso's own people.

But if humanity has any hope of survival, Corso is going to have to find some way to keep him alive - and that's only if Dakota doesn't kill him first...

Dreamer

The Silent Empire: Book 1

It is through first contact with an alien species that humanity learns of the Dream. It is a plane of mental existence where people are able to communicate by their thoughts alone--over distances of thousands of light-years. To ensure that future generations will have this ability, human genetic engineering produces newborns capable of finding and navigating the Dream.

They become known as the Silent.

Rust is just one planet among many in the Empire of Human Unity. It's nothing special, nothing unusual...except for the fact that it is home to an unknown boy who may be the most powerful Silent telepath ever born--a Silent with the ability to possess the bodies of others against their will. This mysterious child may be causing tremors within the Dream itself.

For now, only the Children of Irfan know about him. A monastic-like order of the Silent, the Children protect their members even as they barter their services with the governments and corporations that control known space. But power like that cannot be hidden, and soon every Silent in the universe will know about the boy--and every government will be willing to go to war to control him.

And if the Children of Irfan cannot find him first, the Dream itself may be shattered...

Nightmare

The Silent Empire: Book 2

In the future, dreams keep the universe running. Dreamers, known as "Silent," are able to look into other people's dreams, communicate with other Silent across the galaxy, and speak to aliens. Silent construct dreams for themselves more vivid than reality.

But some dreams have become nightmares...

Kendi Weaver doesn't know he's Silent. Hijacked into slavery, he has resigned himself to a life of servitude. Then the discovery of his innate gift for dream communication changes everything. Suddenly Kendi is a very valuable commodity. He is rescued by the Children of Irfan--a society dedicated to freeing enslaved Silent--and taken to their planet, Bellerophon.

But Bellerophon is hardly a safe refuge. A brutal serial killer is murdering Silent in their telepathic dreams, and Kendi is soon embroiled in a world of madness and murder. To catch the killer, he must enter the victims' dreams...

Trickster

The Silent Empire: Book 3

The Dream has been shattered, and the majority of Silent who telepathically communicated through it have been cast out by the event known as the Despair, unable to reenter. Now the remaining Silent still capable of linking to the Dream have become a valuable commodity to those in power seeing to keep the lines of galactic communication open...

In the midst of the Despair, Father Kendi Weaver and the crew of the Poltergeist have a limited window of opportunity to find the loved ones they have lost--including Kendi's parents and siblings, who were sold into slavery more than fifteen years ago.

But just as Kendi closes in on the whereabouts of his brother and sister, they are taken by a mysterious group intent on using them for their own secret agenda...

Offspring

The Silent Empire: Book 4

The lush and beautiful forest planet of Bellerophon is home to a cacophony of noises, but its resident psychics are known as the Silent. Previously they could travel to the Dream, a telepathic plane of existence where they could twist the laws of reality. But that time is over...

One madman's lust for power tore the Dream asunder. Now only a handful of the Silent can enter it. Kendi Weaver is one of them.

As an election for the governorship of Bellerophon begins, Kendi is caught in the crossfire. Attempts on his life--and a rash of Silent kidnappings--point to a political enemy... or a personal one. Either way, the future of the Dream is at stake. And Kendi fears it may become a nightmare.

In the Empire of Shadow

Three Worlds / World of Shadow: Book 2

Lawrence Watt-Evans

A handful of ordinary Americans -- housewives, lawyers, interior decorators, and the like -- found themselves caught up in a transdimensional conflict, and transported from their homes to realms where magic worked, to desert planets and rebel worlds, to places straight out of science fiction and fantasy. But these were not the harmless, happy-ending lands of film and fable. The sweat and blood was real, and the horrors they faced genuinely dangerous. One world was a world of magic, ruled by a dark force called Shadow. A handful of would-be heroes resisted Shadow's dominion, and sought assistance in their desperate struggle to free their homeland. The other reality was a universe of spaceships and rayguns, dominated by a Galactic Empire that saw Shadow as a threat -- and that demanded the exiles from our world aid them in their campaign. Against their will, these few people were flung into battle... IN THE EMPIRE OF SHADOW

Empire of Storms

Throne of Glass: Book 5

Sarah J. Maas

The long path to the throne has just begun for Aelin Galathynius. As the kingdoms of Erilea fracture around her, enemies must become allies if Aelin is to keep those she loves from falling to the dark forces poised to claim her world. With war looming on all horizons, the only chance for salvation lies in a desperate quest that may mark the end of everything Aelin holds dear. Will Aelin succeed in keeping her world from splintering, or will it all come crashing down?

This fifth instalment in the sensational New York Times bestselling series is the most thrilling yet and cannot be missed.

Empire of Salt

Tomes of the Dead: Book 9

Weston Ochse

A DREAD TIDE!

The Olivers have a chance to make a new home by the Salton Sea. Looking forward to Californian fun, sun and adventure they are unprepared for the ecological devastation they find. The sea is rotting, the town of Bombay Beach is dying and the citizens are like bait, waiting to be plucked from their homes by what comes from the sea. For just off the coast something lies in wait, a government secret gone wrong, a deadly experiment that has created a breed of zombie like no other. Beware the coming of the green, the townsfolk say. Beware the coming of the night!

Pebble in the Sky

Trantorian Empire: Book 1

One moment Joseph Schwartz is a happily retired tailor in Chicago, 1949. The next he's a helpless stranger on Earth during the heyday of the first Galactic Empire. Earth, as he soon learns, is a backwater, just a pebble in the sky, despised by all the other 200 million planets of the Empire because its people dare to claim it's the original home of man. And Earth is poor, with great areas of radioactivity ruining much of its soil--so poor that everyone is sentenced to death at the age of sixty. Joseph Schwartz is sixty-two.

This is young Isaac Asimov's first novel, full of wonders and ideas, the book that launched the novels of the Galactic Empire, culminating in the Foundation series. This is Golden Age SF at its finest.

The Stars, Like Dust

Trantorian Empire: Book 2

Biron Farrell was young and naïve, but he was growing up fast. A radiation bomb planted in his dorm room changed him from an innocent student at the University of Earth to a marked man, fleeing desperately from an unknown assassin.

He soon discovers that, many light-years away, his father, the highly respected Rancher of Widemos, has been murdered. Stunned, grief-stricken, and outraged, Biron is determined to uncover the reasons behind his father's death, and becomes entangled in an intricate saga of rebellion, political intrigue, and espionage.

The mystery takes him deep into space where he finds himself in a relentless struggle with the power-mad despots of Tyrann. Now it is not just a case of life or death for Biron, but a question of freedom for the galaxy.

The Currents of Space

Trantorian Empire: Book 3