A brilliant narrative history tracing today’s troubles back to the grandiose imperial overreach of Great Britain and the United States. Kingmakers is the gripping story of how the modern Middle East came to be, as told through the lives of the Britons and Americans who shaped it. Some are famous (Lawrence of Arabia and Gertrude Bell); others infamous (Harry St. John Philby, father of Kim); some forgotten (Sir Mark Sykes, Israel’s godfather, and A. T. Wilson, the territorial creator of Iraq). All helped enthrone rulers in a region whose very name is an Anglo-American invention. The aim of this engrossing character-driven narrative is to restore to life the colorful figures who gave us the Middle East in which Americans are enmeshed today.
The epic Vampire Empire trilogy rushes to a heart-wrenching conclusion of honor and love, hatred and vengeance, sacrifice and loss. A war to the death. Empress Adele has launched a grand crusade against the vampire clans of the north. Prince Gareth, the vampire lord of Scotland, serves the Equatorian cause, fighting in the bloody trenches of France in his guise as the dashing Greyfriar. But the human armies are pinned down, battered by harsh weather and merciless attacks from vampire packs. To even the odds, Adele unleashes the power of her geomancy, a fearsome weapon capable of slaughtering vampires in vast numbers. However, the power she expends threatens her own life even as she questions the morality of such a weapon. As the war turns ever bloodier and Adele is threatened by betrayal, Gareth faces a terrible choice. Their only hope is a desperate strike against the lord of the vampire clans--Gareth's brother, Cesare. It is a gamble that could win the war or signal the final days of the Greyfriar. From the Trade Paperback edition.
Explores the history of the Marcher Lords through their turbulent history on the Welsh frontier from trusted nobles to individual powerhouses and eventually to kings themselves.
The Rune Blade The wanderer Red Kian has ruled Skai as Regent, but now it is time for him to step down. War clouds are gathering. Maedun sorcerers have taken the continent, and Saesnesi raiders are pillaging the islands. But Kian has three sons. One is a prince of Skai blood, one is a wizard touched by Tyadda fire, and one is a dreamer who longs to unite the Celi against their enemies. Which will inherit the rune blade known as Kingmaker? Which will have the power to confront the Black Riders who bring darkness like a cloak to cover the land? The answer will surprise you. Just as it surprises them.
Kingship (chieftaincy) disputes are commonplace in Ghana. These disputes may begin as rivalries among eligible candidates, or when ineligible candidates are elected caretaker kings due to their invaluable services to a royal family. However, upon the demise of the caretaker rulers, sometimes their descendants refuse to cede power, thus creating protracted and sometimes violent power struggles. This is exactly what happened to the Ᾱwutu-ābe (Effutu) of Simpa. In 1898, twenty-seven years after the death of a caretaker ruler elected by the Otuano Royal Family for his invaluable service to the royal family, his nephew contested the throne plunging the Ᾱwutu into a cycle of contentious internecine struggle. The Making of an African King examines the source of the struggle as seen by colonial administrators, and the final court ruling in June 2013 between the patrilineal Otuano Royal Family against the non-royal Acquah faction that favors the matrilineal system of descent practiced by the Akan.
Prince, Pen, and Sword offers a synoptic interpretation of rulers and elites in Eurasia from the fourteenth to the eighteenth century. Four core chapters zoom in on the tensions and connections at court, on the nexus between rulers and religious authority, on the status, function, and self-perceptions of military and administrative elites respectively. Two additional concise chapters provide a focused analysis of the construction of specific dynasties (the Golden Horde and the Habsburgs) and narratives of kingship found in fiction throughout Eurasia. The contributors and editors, authorities in their fields, systematically bring together specialised literature on numerous Eurasian kingdoms and empires. This book is a careful and thought-provoking experiment in the global, comparative and connected history of rulers and elites.
WITH THE POWER OF THE GODS AT HER FINGERTIPS Cat Fisa's destiny has finally caught up with her. But fully accepting her fate means taking a final, terrifying step—reuniting all three realms and embracing her place as Queen with warlord-turned-king Griffin at her side. Yet forging their kingdom can only mean going to war with Fisa and its violent Alpha—Cat's own mother, Andromeda. Although Cat used to be Andromeda's sole weakness, that's no longer true. And while Andromeda seems to know every trick and spell, Cat's own magic refuses to work like it should. When tragedy strikes, Cat unleashes the power she's been afraid of all her life, but her misuse of the Gods' gifts comes with a terrible price. Ripped away from Griffin and the home she's come to love, Cat's only option is to fully accept the power she's always denied so that she can return to the people she loves, confront her murderous mother, and finish restoring her kingdom—no matter the ultimate cost. Discover exciting bonus material, including maps, illustrations, and an expanded look at the world of Thalyria. Fans of Jennifer Armentrout, Scarlett St. Clair and Sarah J. Maas will burn for this spicy romantic fantasy. The Kingmaker Chronicles: A Promise of Fire (Book 1) Breath of Fire (Book 2) Heart on Fire (Book 3) A Curse of Queens (A Kingmaker Chronicles novel, Book 1) Readers are raving about the Kingmaker Chronicles: "Give this to your Game of Thrones fans." —Booklist STARRED Review "Loved it!" —ELOISA JAMES, New York Times bestselling author "Utterly breathtaking!" —DARYNDA JONES, New York Times bestselling author "Masterful worldbuilding." —Kirkus STARRED Review "Absolutely fabulous." —C.L. WILSON, New York Times bestselling author "Magic, action, romance—everything I love in a series." —JENNIFER ESTEP, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author "Sweeping in its world building and poignant in its emotion. A Homeric trilogy not to be missed." —GRACE DRAVEN, USA Today bestselling author "Easily my favorite book of 2016!" —Bookriot "Delivers with both heat and heart—loved it!" —JEFFE KENNEDY, award-winning author
Triumphing over adversity and evil, Kian dav Leydon brings the fabled Rune Blade, Kingmaker, back to the Isle of Celi after it was stolen, so the Isle will be ready when and if invasion comes. A revised re-print of Ann Marston's Book 1 of the much beloved "Rune Blades of Celi" series.
The delicious bodyguard romance of From Blood and Ash meets the delightful charm of The Princess Bride in this cozy fantasy romance from New York Times bestselling author T. Kingfisher Halla has unexpectedly inherited the estate of the wealthy distant uncle she's been caring for for the past decade. Unfortunately, she is also saddled with money-hungry relatives full of devious plans for how to wrest the inheritance away from her. While hiding in her bedroom to escape her family, Halla inspects the ancient sword that's been collecting dust on the wall since before she moved in. On a whim, she pulls it down and unsheaths it—and suddenly a man appears in her bedroom. His name is Sarkis, he tells her, and he is an immortal warrior trapped in a prison of enchanted steel. Sarkis is sworn to protect whoever wields the sword, and for Halla—a most unusual wielder—he finds himself not fending off grand armies and deadly assassins but instead everything from kindly-seeming bandits to roving inquisitors to her own in-laws. But as Halla and Sarkis become closer, they overlook the biggest threat of all—the sword itself. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
