Khelben Arunsun, Chosen of Mystra, Archmage of Waterdeep, is as close to a demigod as you're likely to meet on the streets of Faerûn's mightiest city. But when the skies rain lightning and a long-forgotten city arises from the earth, he can seem like just another wizard.
A young group of friends must navigate conspiracy and sorcery in one of the most legendary cities of the Forgotten Realms—Waterdeep When the newest Blackstaff—a powerful wizard who defends the city of Waterdeep—is captured as part of an evil ploy for power, a motley crew of accomplices must band together to restore the Blackstaff to power and save the city. Laraelra, Meloon, Renaer and other legendary heroes of the Forgotten Realms form an unlikely team, rising above their humble origins to complete an epic quest through the City of Splendors. Together, they fight side by side in the race to reach Blackstaff Tower before the forces of evil can claim it as their own. Blackstaff Tower is the first book in a series of standalone novels set in Waterdeep.
***50 MILLION TERRY BROOKS COPIES SOLD AROUND THE WORLD*** THE SHANNARA CHRONICLES IS NOW A MAJOR TV SERIES 'Terry's place is at the head of the fantasy world' Philip Pullman Five hundred years have passed since the devastating demon-led war that almost exterminated humankind. Those who escaped the carnage were led to sanctuary by the boy saviour known as Hawk: the gypsy morph. But now, the unimaginable has come to pass: the cocoon of protective magic surrounding the valley has vanished. When Sider Ament, last surviving Knight of the Word, detects unknown predators stalking the valley, and Trackers from the human village of Glensk Wood find two of their own gruesomely killed, there can be no doubt: the once safe haven of generations has been laid bare. Together, the young Trackers, the aging Knight and a daring Elf princess race to spread word of the encroaching danger. But suspicion and hostility among their countrymen threaten to doom their efforts from within, while beyond the breached borders, a ruthless Troll army masses for invasion. Standing firm between the two, the last wielder of the black staff and its awesome magic must find a successor to carry on the fight against the cresting new wave of evil. Praise for Terry Brooks: 'A master of the craft . . . required reading' Brent Weeks 'I can't even begin to count how many of Terry Brooks's books I've read (and re-read) over the years' Patrick Rothfuss, author of The Name of the Wind 'I would not be writing epic fantasy today if not for Shannara' Peter V. Brett, author of The Painted Man 'If you haven't read Terry Brooks, you haven't read fantasy' Christopher Paolini, author of Eragon Legends of Shannara: BEARERS OF THE BLACK STAFF THE MEASURE OF THE MAGIC
17th century northern Nigeria. A royal messenger has died under suspicious circumstances. Tasked with investigating the death, a Durbar warrior and his young apprentice must endure trials of loyalty, betrayal, and sacrifice to solve the mystery and prevent the bitter rivalry between two kingdoms from descending into a bloody war.
An anthology of specially commissioned short stories exploring the weird, surreal, and dream-like. Bringing together some of the best of Northern Ireland's literary talents as well as new and exciting voices, this collection is dark, funny, and unsettling.
New York Times bestseller: Midnight and Adon are tasked with returning the magical Tablets of Fate to their rightful guardian—finding adventure, friendship, and romance along the way After their adventures in Tantras, Midnight and her allies are tasked with returning the Tablets of Fate—mysterious and ancient artifacts on which the responsibilities of the gods are recorded—to the god Ao. However, their quest is more complicated than it appears. The evil gods Myrkul and Bhaal also seek the Tablets, hoping to twist them to their own dark ends. And they aren’t the only ones with a selfish hidden agenda. Hungry for power, the deity Cyric is on a similar mission—one that further imperils the very existence of Faerûn itself. Though Cyric was once Midnight’s trusted friend, their history cannot save her from his ruthless ambition . . . The destiny of the world will soon be decided and a new pantheon of gods will rise into the heavens.
The creator of the Forgotten Realms leads readers through a rollicking fantasy adventure and murder mystery set in the city of Waterdeep Revealed in death to have been Masked Lords, three more citizens had been murdered over the preceding day and night: the Sembian wine-seller and collector Oszbur Malankar; the half-elf sorceress and artisan Dathanscza Meiril; and the moneylender, landlord, and investor Ammasker Gwelt. All of Waterdeep now knew someone was killing the Lords of Waterdeep, one by one. Yet that was about where truth ended and speculation—however plausible—began. The broadsheets were full of wild conjecture. Who's behind this? The ousted Lord Neverember? The Zhentarim, the Cult of the Dragon or some other Outland Power? The Xanathar? Some cabal of guilds or nobles planning a coup? The rumors would rage on, whether the Open Lord Laeral Silverhand did something or not. That was the trouble with rumors; once loosed, they roamed free like snarling, untamed beasts, with no simple way of stopping them. And all rumors aside, Waterdeep has become . . . a City of Murderers. Death Masks is loosely connected to the Elminster series and Sage of Shadowdale series.
"Northern Protestants is based on over sixty in-depth interviews with a wide range of northern Protestants, Susan McKay presents an uncompromising and clear-eyed examination of her own people - the Protestants of Northern Ireland." "For this updated edition Susan McKay has written a new introduction covering events since 2000. Her analysis of the continuing upheavals within the Protestant community and unionist politics is a timely contribution to current debates about the future of Northern Island."--BOOK JACKET.
Conducting a Lacanian-inspired psychoanalysis of some of the most candid interview materials ever gathered from former IRA members and loyalists, the author demonstrates through a careful examination of their slips of the tongue, jokes, rationalisations and contradictions, that it is the unconscious dynamics of socio-ideological fantasy, i.e. the unconscious pleasure people find in suffering, domination, submission, ignorance, failure and rivalry over jouissance, that lead to the reproduction of antagonism between the Catholic and Protestant communities in Northern Ireland. In the light of this, he concludes that traditional approaches to conflict resolution which overlook the unconscious are doomed to failure and that a Lacanian psychoanalytic understanding of socio-ideological fantasy has great potential for informing the way we understand and study all inter-religious and ethnic conflicts. Whether you find yourself agreeing with the arguments in this book or not, you are sure to find it a welcome change from both the existing, mainly conservative, analyses of the Northern Ireland conflict and traditional approaches to conflict resolution.
This innovative book explores the role of evangelical religion in the conflict in Northern Ireland, including how it may contribute to a peaceful political transition. Ganiel offers an original perspective on the role of a 'strong' religion in conflict transformation, and the misunderstood role of evangelicalism in the process.