Magic's backs.... The world has changed, and out of the ashes, myths are given new forms. But nobody likes to lose power, and humans... they lost the most. As a hunter for the exclusive Catch and Release Mercenary Guild, Mackenzie Green has little choice in her assignments. When Lucan, the arrogant Dragon Protector, hires her to track a kidnapped child, she balks, her elemental magic far better suited to playing bodyguard or hunting down rogue vampires. But as Mackenzie learns, nothing is as it seems. Not her magic, not the child, not even Lucan. With evil stirring, Kenzie must make a choice. Lose face and save an innocent child or forsake her honor and let a monster snuff out the kid's bright light. Pick up the first book in the Mackenzie Green Series, a new urban fantasy novel full of powerful magic, cultured vampires, and arrogant shifters.
The exciting second book in the fantastical series for ages 10-14 by NYT bestselling author, Kelley Armstrong. Rowan is now the Royal Monster Hunter, and her twin brother, Rhydd, is destined to be king. But her mother's cousin Heward is still determined that his children be the ones to inherit the titles, and will stop at nothing to show that Rowan and Rhydd are too immature to properly lead. After the gryphon that Rowan captured in Book One gives birth but then dies, Rowan is left with a baby gryphon she knows she cannot keep. And it grows faster than anyone can imagine . . . In order to save face after an accident involving the troublesome gryphon, Rowan, with the help of her friends Dain and Alianor, along with an entourage of monstrous companions, must make a journey to the mountains to release the gryphon back into the wild. What starts off as a simple enough task soon becomes a dangerous quest, as the group encounters numerous rare and deadly monsters along the way, including wyverns and ceffyl-dwrs. Nothing is easy when you're a "monster magnet" like Rowan. Can she prove herself worthy of the title of Royal Monster Hunter? Find out in this exciting second book in the Royal Guide to Monster Slaying series!
It has been ten years since the magical Cataclysm, which destroyed the twin strongholds of the two world's most powerful Mages, killing Urtho, creator of the gryphons, and sending his forces into exile. Now Urthro's peoples--human and non-human alike live in a terraced city carved into the face of a gleaming white cliff on the edge of the Western Ocean. Secure at least, ...until the fleet of the mysterious Black Kings appears in their harbor, bringing envoys who inform the residents of White Gryphon that their newfound home lies on the northern perimeter of lands claimed by this powerful kingdom. Desperate not to lose their hard won home, Skandranon, along with his longtime friend Amberdrake--agree to accompany the envoys back to the Court of the Black Kings, hoping to negotiate an alliance. ...When a high ranking noble who opposes this alliance is found murdered--Skandranon and Amberdrake realize that they are up against unknown enemies who will stop at nothing, even the use of diabolical Blood Magic, to destroy White Gryphon.
Four friends meet a mysterious stranger with a robotic voice ... an encounter that will change their lives forever. Jake and Leo have spent the last two years working on a sequel to a successful shooter / role-playing game at Scrub-Liminal Studios in Austin, Texas, working under industry legend Mickey Whitmore. Meanwhile, their friends Tim and Allison worked on a hugely anticipated new sci-fi space exploration game at Green Gryphon Games on the outskirts of town, under the eccentric leadership of Bentley Bartle. As the stranger asks them to recount their tale, they tell the story of their epic quest to achieve game development greatness -- a story of teamwork, ambition, struggle, tragedy, office politics, clashing expectations and personalities, extraordinary personal suffering, and a helper who guides them to a profound new understanding of how values drive culture, and how culture drives outcomes. This book gives a unique and entertaining perspective on game development, an "in the trenches" view of how teams succeed or fail from the point of view of the hard-working developers doing everything they can to help their teams succeed. It shows the critical role of leadership and values, the seemingly trivial mistakes that can snowball into serious problems, and insights into what it takes to change things for the better. Book Review 1: "Tozour's parable of game development dissects the industry with candor and wit." -- Michel Sabbagh Book Review 2: "Congratulations on making something I didn’t think was possible. I’ll be recommending this to lots of people." -- John Harries Book Review 3: "Genuinely enjoying the tone and pacing of your novel … I think it's going to sell really well. You always, always, end your chapters perfectly." -- Jared Rasic Book Review 4: "I think you’ve created a great ‘mirror’ for studios and individuals to hold up to themselves. I see people reading it, or being asked to read it, and simply reflecting on themselves, their team, their company and how that impacts what happens in their workplace. The afterword is super helpful, and I love that it is so personal. It demonstrates your values and critically the behaviours that underpin a strong culture (a great starting point for a studio). Awesome job Paul, I really enjoyed it." -- Chris Johnson
What's your magical personality: Dragon? Pegasus? Mermaid? Written by a professional psychologist and psychotherapist, this book outlines 12 different personality types based on the four elements of the ancient world.
A bloody massacre. A looming civil war. Can two opposed gryphons work together to save their kind? Zeph thrills at the wind in his wings and the hunt for wild parrot. As a simple forest gryphon, he never thought much about his sophisticated city-dwelling cousins living in the lofty eyrie at the edge of the woods. But his carefree life turns upside down when he comes across a young city gryphon stunned by her discovery of a field littered with slaughtered animals. Kia always has her beak in a book. But when her best friend goes missing, she flies down to the woodland and gets tangled up with a wild country gryphon and a shocking conspiracy. With food in short supply and war on the horizon, Kia must choose between forsaking her own or allowing Zeph’s people to be wiped off the map. Forced to overcome their prejudice and misconceptions, the unlikely pair races against time to prevent an apocalypse. Can Zeph and Kia unite their species before a fiery conflict destroys them all? Eyrie is the first book in the high-flying Gryphon Insurrection epic fantasy series. If you like mythical creatures, graphic battles, and moral dilemmas, then you’ll love K. Vale Nagle’s darkly compassionate tale. Buy Eyrie to soar into action today!
During an entertaining jousting tournament, a mysterious villain attacks the capital with his army. Three young adults decide to fight back against insurmountable odds despite knowing their slim chances of survival. Follow Stephen Brightflame, a nineteen-year-old who aspires to become a knight, Tyrus Canard, an arrogant warrior, and Kari Quinn, a Halfling archer in this first volume in the five-part series, "The Story of Evil." It has been raved for its “intense action scenes,” “riveting twists,” and a conclusion that “leaves you on the edge of your seat” (SPR and US Review of Books).
The first book in Mercedes Lackey's classic Mage Wars trilogy featuring the gryphons, set in the beloved fantasy world of Valdemar It is an age when Valdemar is yet unfounded, its organization of Heralds yet unformed, and magic is still a wild and uncontrolled force. Skandranon Rashkae is perhaps the finest specimen of his race, with gleaming ebony feathers, majestic wingspan, keen magesight, and sharp intelligence. Courageous, bold, and crafty, Skan is everything a gryphon should be. He is the fulfillment of everything that the Mage of Silence, the human sorcerer called Urtho, intended to achieve when he created these magical beings to be his champions, the defenders of his realm—a verdant plain long coveted by the evil mage Maar. Now Maar is once again advancing on Urtho's Keep, this time with a huge force spearheaded by magical constructs of his own—cruel birds of prey ready to perform any evil their creator may demand of them. And when one of Urtho's Seers wakes from a horrifying vision in which she sees a devastating magical weapon being placed in the hands of Maar's common soldiers, Skandrannon is sent to spy across enemy lines, cloaked in the protective of Urtho's powerful Spell of Silence.
Do you ever wonder what happened to Oliver Twist and the Artful Dodger from the Dickens novel? This volume includes Mr. Montgomery's previous novel, The Further Adventures and Life of Jack Dawkins, Also Known as the Artful Dodger, polished, changed slightly, and expanded in order to give more attention to all aspects of Dodger's personality. In it, Dodger meets people from his past, some of them good and some quite nasty. The greatest danger, however, comes through his love for Angelica. The second portion of this book begins four years after the close of the first. Oliver Twist, still in England, finds a formidable enemy in Ian Ross, a man who is trying to distance himself from the reputation of his family, notably his Uncle Fagin. Once Oliver flees England to America, he meets his old friends, also finding people lost to him in his past. But enemies don't give up easily, and the staunch foe appears again to threaten all those who knew and felt loyalty to Fagin.
It was a long fall from Clan Heir to common thief, but Aaron never wanted any part of his father’s brutal outlander reign. In fact, besides coin purses and jewels, there’s very little in all of Cisali that interests Aaron, until he stumbles—quite literally—into a prince’s bedchamber... Prince Davish of Ischia is a skilled swordsman both on the field and beneath the sheets, at least when he isn’t outrageously drunk. But the wine helps him forget all the ways he’s disappointed his father, his family, and soon enough, his young bride-to-be... A trained Wizard of the Nine with more raw talent than real-world experience, Princess Chandra has no interest in the politically arranged marriage. She flees to the royal city of Ischia seeking a way out of the union. But there, she discovers something far more shocking than Prince Davish’s rakish reputation... The Stone of Ischia has been stolen. A powerful talisman, The Stone protects the city from the active volcano that looms over its terraces and streets. Without it, Ischia will be destroyed and the kingdom of Cisali will fall. Its only hope is an unlikely band of heroes—a failed thief, a drunken prince, and a runaway wizard—who must face pirates, powerful magic, and their own carefully guarded secrets in order to find and restore the Stone of Ischia. REVIEWS “The delightful camarderie of three unlikely heroes and well controlled fantasy elements make Huff's adventure great fun to read.” —Publishers Weekly “Huff arranges the ordinary elements of fantasy into an extraordinary tale of adventure and transformation.” —Library Journal “An exciting adventure ... they face pirates, storms, traitors ... each has unique talents that can bring their mission to a successful conclusion, each has weakness that could destroy themselves and a city of people.” —Voya
