Two rival clans. Two sacred pearls, the Tide Jewels, that can summon the Tide Dragons to protect the empire.Two young men, Kaito and Naoki, one a Black Crane healer, the other a Red Kite shinobi, are sucked into anancient, unresolved conflict between the gods of land and sea, when the exiled Red Kites steal the Tide Jewelsand re-ignite a bitter clan war. Kaito must find a way to restore the emperor's jewels - but how can it be donewithout betraying his own clan or angering the gods?
R. F. Kuang, Kate Elliott, Todd McCaffrey, Garth Nix, Peter S. Beagle, and other fantasy and science fiction masters take on the greatest mythical beast. From China to Europe, Africa to North America, dragons have long captured our imagination in myth and legend. Whether they are rampaging beasts awaiting a brave hero to slay or benevolent sages who have much to teach humanity, dragons are intrinsically connected to stories of creation, adventure, and struggle beloved for generations. Bringing together nearly thirty stories and poems from some of the greatest science fiction and fantasy writers working today— Garth Nix, Scott Lynch, R. F. Kuang, Ann Leckie & Rachel Swirsky, Daniel Abraham, Peter S. Beagle, Beth Cato, Zen Cho, C. S. E Cooney, Aliette de Bodard, Amal El-Mohtar, Kate Elliott, Theodora Goss, Ellen Klages, Ken Liu, Seanan Maguire, Patricia A McKillip, K. J. Parker, Kelly Robson, Michael Swanwick, Jo Walton, Elle Katharine White, Jane Yolen, Kelly Barnhill, Brooke Bolander, Sarah Gailey, and J. Y. Yang—and illustrated by award-nominated artist Rovina Cai with black-and-white line drawings specific to each entry throughout, this extraordinary collection vividly breathes fire and life into one of our most captivating and feared magical creatures as never before and is sure to become a treasured keepsake for fans of fantasy, science fiction, and fairy tales. “A treasure trove of wonder.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) “A heaping hoard of literary gems that fans of dragon-powered stories will surely treasure.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) “Seems almost certain to be the most significant fantasy anthology of 2020.” —Locus
Fans of Julie Kagawa’s Talon and Renee Ahdieh’s The Wrath and the Dawn will devour this action-packed fantasy adventure about a girl who chooses to surrender herself to a deadly dragon rather than marry an enemy prince. When two warring kingdoms unified against a deadly dragon laying waste to both their lands, they had to make a choice: vow to marry their heirs to one another, or forfeit their lives to the dragon. Now, centuries later, everyone expects Princess Sorrowlynn to choose the barbarian prince over the fire-breathing beast—but she is determined to control her own destiny or die trying. As she is lowered into the dragon’s chamber, she assumes her life is over until Prince Golmarr follows her with the hopes of being her hero and slaying the dragon. But the beast has a different plan. . . . There are no safe havens for Sorrow or Golmarr—not even with each other—and the stakes couldn’t be higher as they risk everything to protect their kingdom. "[A]n exciting and magical adventure, with heaping helpings of romance." —Booklist "[For] readers looking for new fantasy works about princes, princesses, and dragons." —SLJ
Katla, idiot of idiots, last warrior of Lundr, should know better than to release a dragon. Sacrificing humans to keep the dragons away may be less bloody than war, but it's repulsive and cowardly. Real warriors fight their enemies head on. And that's exactly what Katla intends to do. Her plans go south when, instead of preventing the sacrifice, she frees a sleeping dragon and is kidnapped to his frozen castle. Between his speed and bestial form, escape would be hard enough. But the dragon is compassionate, too-and nothing slays a lonely warrior faster than a kindhearted grouch. Soon, Katla is trapped between raging factions of her own heart. Stopping the sacrifices will recommence an age-old war, one she and her peace-loving dragon would wage from opposing sides. Now that they have tamed each other, could they truly go back to being enemies? Icy curses, blood magic, and sassy banter collide as a heroic dumbass finds herself falling for a dragon shifter in this comedic and heartwarming romance.
Deluxe Edition: Limited to 196 hand-numbered copies, full gilt-blocked goatskin, special endpapers, silk ribbon bookmarker, with slipcase. Fine condition New....This substantial work expounds the sorcerous ethos and praxes of the Crooked Path ritual system. Its contents include a cycle of ten extensive Mystery-rites, each accompanied by adjunctive solitary rituals and detailed commentaries. Additional texts relate the intricacies of Sabbatic ritualization, as well as an extensive body of stellar lore and ritual.
** A Standalone Short Story with No Cliffhanger! ** She'd bewitched him, entirely. On the night when the Order, the cult of dragon-shifters that Mason belongs to, is holding their sacrifice, called the Culling, Mason sees Laney, and knows that he needs to save her from an awful end. Laney has gone to what she thinks is an underground rave. When Mason saves her, they must go on the run. She finds herself instantly attracted to him, and she wants nothing more than a happily-ever-after, but neither one of them knows if they will even survive. Because Mason saved her, he has interrupted the sacrifice. The Order will stop at nothing to get them.
As a fae, she’s meant for one of her own kind. But when she falls for a dragon, she will sacrifice it all to be with her forbidden love… Years ago, fairy princess Marigold fell in love with a dragon shifter—a forbidden affair which resulted in her being disowned and exiled. Doomed from the start, the budding relationship was shattered when a dragon consumes her true love. The beast adds insult to injury by stalking Mari day and night, taunting her by watching her with the eyes of her soulmate who she can no longer reach. Dragons need female sacrifices to tame their beasts. But those females are supposed to be human and not fae. Trapped in his animal form after falling for a fairy, dragon shifter Rhyol struggles daily with his beast to set him free to return to the fairy he loves. When trouble at home brings an unexpected invite for Mari to return to her people and her land, she’s finally ready to give up on any chance of Rhyol breaking free of his dragon. But when he learns of her decision, Rhyol will move between heaven and earth, crossing the veil between worlds to take back his life and the fairy he loves. If you love alpha male shifters, fated mates, and steamy romance with a touch of 80’s nostalgia, then you don’t want to miss The Last Dragons series!
Diagnosed with an incurable disease, she thought her life was over. When she is sacrificed to a dragon, she learns it has only just begun... The day Chrysanthemum Jones goes to exact revenge on the man responsible for her sister’s death is the day she knows will be her last. Instead, she finds herself stolen away to another dimension and sacrificed to a real live dragon. Rather than a cave full of gold, this dragon’s lair is a throwback to the 1980's complete with pixelated video games, unwound VHS tapes, and animal print spandex. And the mythical creature in question is totally more sex on a stick than Smaug. Schweet! As one of the last dragon shifters beyond the Veil, Corun is desperate to control the beast inside of him. The only thing guaranteed to keep the dragon under control is the surrender of a human female. But sacrificial offerings have been in short supply since his realm was cut off from Earth -something or other about women's liberation? So when a sacrifice turns up on his doorstep, Corun should be elated. But as totally tubular as Chryssie’s curves are, her health is fragile and he fears she wouldn’t survive the claiming that would soothe his beast. Death has never bothered Chryssie. With an incurable, hereditary disease, she's been prepared to die her whole life. Now she has a chance to lose her V card and birth dragon babies before she goes? Talk about bad ass exits. Count her in! She just needs to get her sexy dragon shifter on board and in bed. As Corun becomes more attached to his sassy little human, his beast roars that Chryssie is his and pushes to claim her. If he doesn’t claim her and soothe the beast inside of him, he will become stuck in dragon form for the rest of his life. However, if he does claim her, the birth of his offspring could be the last day of her life. If you love alpha male shifters, fated mates, and steamy romance with a touch of 80’s nostalgia, then you don’t want to miss The Last Dragons series!
After years of abuse, she believed she was worth nothing. But when she is sacrificed to a dragon she becomes his treasure. Born of violence, Beryl is the biggest and brawniest of his dragon shifter brothers. His beast loves a good fight and has been nicknamed The Hulk after his heroes; Incredible and Hogan. When his last fight gets out of control and his dragon nearly kills another shifter, he knows the only thing that will wrangle the beast is a female sacrifice. However, when the human he’s destined to mate with arrives, she’s small and meek and cringes from his touch. With a prostitute as a mother and a pimp as a boyfriend, Poppy is all too familiar with the violent tendencies of the opposite sex. The unsightly spots on her skin make her unsuitable for work on the streets. Her lack of skills in the kitchen disqualify her as a domestic goddess. So when she is sacrificed to a fire breathing dragon, she’s certain it’s as a late night snack. Though the hulking man’s gentle touch awakens a desire she’s never felt before, his brutish ways aggravate the wounds she keeps hidden. Beryl realizes he can’t continue to brawl and earn his timid mate’s trust. He’s willing to be patient, but with each day she isn’t claimed, his beast gets worse and other shifters become more of a threat. To accept Beryl’s claim, Poppy will need to overcome her past and learn to love herself, something she’s not sure she could ever do -even for the gentle giant she’s falling for. If you love alpha male shifters, fated mates, and steamy romance with a touch of 80’s nostalgia, then you don’t want to miss The Last Dragons series!
Sacrificed to a dragon as a teen, she was coddled for years. But when her dragon shifter fails to notice she’s all grown up and willing, she may just have to claim him herself. Since she was dropped on his doorstep, Cardi has had the hots for Kimber. Despite prancing around him in her off-the-shoulder shirts that showcase her bare midriff and her assortment of tight skorts that showcase her shapely thighs, he doesn’t take much notice of her. Kimber may have marked her as his, but he has yet to claim her by bopping her brains out. Cardi’s done waiting. Now she’s sure it’s time to resort to drastic measures. Kimber has his hands full with the upcoming Accords which aims to bring shifters to a peaceful agreement to get the Valkyrie to lift the ban of sacrifices coming into the Veil. The trouble is, his own sacrifice continues to act like a child and demand his attention at every turn. When grounding Cardi doesn’t work, she drops a bombshell by dumping Kimber. It seems like a perfect solution as the peace and quiet settles in… but then Kimber comes to understand that being dumped means she’s going to date other shifters. Their break up puts the Accords in jeopardy when Kimber has to abide by the new rules; rules that say a sacrifice makes her own choice of mate. With Cardi now a free agent, Kimber isn’t so sure she’ll choose him in the end. If he can’t win her back, and he resorts to ripping out the throats of the shifters sniffing around her, the fragile peace he’s cobbled together will turn to chaos. If you love alpha male shifters, fated mates, and steamy romance with a touch of 80’s nostalgia, then you don’t want to miss The Last Dragons series!
