Finding direction at last, Kevin Matchstick attempts to rescue his family by laying siege to the fortress of the Umbra Sprite. With The Pendragon at the gate, Magda and Hugo must still face mystical pitfalls as they press onward, attempting to escape from the heart of their enemies' lair.
Tells the story of cynical everyman Kevin Matchstick and the wily wizard who guides him out of his routine existence and the heroic destiny that awaits him.
Daine must confront a powerful leader in this third book of the Immortals series, featuring an updated cover for longtime fans and fresh converts alike, and including an all-new afterword from Tamora Pierce. When Daine is sent to Carthak as part of a Tortallan peace delegation, she finds herself in the middle of a sticky political situation. She doesn’t like the Carthaki practice of keeping slaves, but it’s not her place to say anything—she’s only there to heal the emperor’s birds. Her worries only expand once she learns that her own power has grown in a dark and mysterious way. As the peace talks stall, Daine puzzles over Carthak’s two-faced Emperor Ozorne. How can he be so caring with his birds, and so cruel to his people? Daine is sure he’s planning something—a terrible, power-hungry scheme. And she knows that she must fight this powerful Emperor Mage; the life of her beloved teacher is at risk.
Not all magicians go to schools of magic. Adam Binder has the Sight. It’s a power that runs in his bloodline: the ability to see beyond this world and into another, a realm of magic populated by elves, gnomes, and spirits of every kind. But for much of Adam’s life, that power has been a curse, hindering friendships, worrying his backwoods family, and fueling his abusive father’s rage. Years after his brother, Bobby, had him committed to a psych ward, Adam is ready to come to grips with who he is, to live his life on his terms, to find love, and maybe even use his magic to do some good. Hoping to track down his missing father, Adam follows a trail of cursed artifacts to Denver, only to discover that an ancient and horrifying spirit has taken possession of Bobby’s wife. It isn’t long before Adam becomes the spirit’s next target. To survive the confrontation, save his sister-in-law, and learn the truth about his father, Adam will have to risk bargaining with very dangerous beings ... including his first love.
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.
Book 1 of the Dion Chronicles Provincial and naive-and the most powerful mage in the realm-young Dion is an innocent adrift in a world of intrigues and treacheries, with foul, hungry demons lurking just beyond its borders. And now she has been called upon to serve her Duke's favorite mistress: the extraordinary Kitten Avignon, Our Lady of Roses. For the mesmerizing courtesan is a woman in dire jeopardy, stalked by a fearsome necromancer who will not sleep until his beautiful prey suffers horribly and is destroyed. And with Evil's night approaching, shielding the Lady and herself from harm will require every ounce of a power Dion is only beginning to recognize and fear-a great gift suddenly imperiled by blossoming womanhood . . . and dangerous desire. "One of the genres bright new stars . . . Routley produces a fantasy that can be read for more than myth or pyrotechnics . . . While many fantasists simply add magic to political intrigue, Routley's are noteworthy for the natural and inevitable intertwining of the two. Well drawn backgrounds and characters add to the appeal." -Publishers Weekly "A highly original romatic fantasy" -Cherry Wilder, author of Signs of Life "A superb entry into the realm of magic and demons . . . a wonderful addition to the fantasy genre" -Affaire de Coeur "Blend of tragic, comic, nitty-gritty [and} glamorous" -Locus
In 2056, the world's most powerful AI System, ARKUS, comes online. Created to extend human lifespans, it quickly makes world-changing discoveries in health science. It also develops an advanced VR headset that uses consumable nanomachines to let users experience time faster in virtual worlds.Two years later, ARKUS releases World-Tree Online, a game where players scale a giant tree with thousands of unique game worlds hanging from the branches. The game's time-dilation makes it so that one hour of playtime feels like one month to those in-game, allowing humans to virtually extend their lifespans.However, after an old gamer named Vincent joins World-Tree Online, an update begins that stretches the time-dilation to one year for every five seconds. Players are unable to exit the game during the update-with an estimated wait time of three hundred sixty years.After experimenting with an exploit, Vincent begins to develop new spells that will take him higher in the game than he ever thought possible. Unfortunately, he crosses paths with the last moderator, a young man named Lucas that uses his mod abilities to torture and subjugate other players.Lucas is willing to abuse his power to conquer the World-Tree, but Vincent's exploit might just be the key to stopping him.
Set out on a journey of fabulous adventure in lands beyond the limit of your imagination. Choose for yourself what role to play, where to venture, and what rewards to seek. In THE WAR-TORN KINGDOM, revolution rages in Sokara. You can join forces with the king to restore his throne - or look for profit in the pay of the dictator, Grieve Marlock. Use fighting skills or sorcery, bribery or skulduggery to survive the assassins in the city backstreets. Descend to the sewers of Yellowport to defeat the vile rat-king, Skabb. Retrieve the golden net of the gods from the Repulsive Ones deep beneath the sea - and use the rewards of your victories to travel beyond the boundaries of the known world in the world's first open world gamebook saga. Your journeys will bring you foes and friends, danger and triumph, fortune and fame - and more adventures than you ever dreamed of. Role-playing as you've never known it before - in the amazing world of the FABLED LANDS.
MATT WAGNER's classic saga of comics fantasy continues in the third and final part of his epic MAGE trilogy. More than a year has passed since Kevin Matchstick's nearly fatal encounter with an ancient Goddess of the Underworld. Kevin and his family have moved farther north in an effort to escape the notice of his enemies and are gradually settling into their new life once again. More than ever, the erstwhile hero is determined to forswear his role as the Pendragon and avoid calling on the power of Excalibur. But his determination is put to the test with the sudden and unexpected arrival of a familiar face from Kevin's adventuresome past. MAGE: THE HERO DENIED is a 15-issue limited series climaxing in a double-sized finale. Considered by many to be creator MATT WAGNER's masterpiece, MAGE has been a perennial favorite with old and new readers alike for nearly three decades.