Enter the Darkness. Kill Everyone. Save the World. When Arthur Curie learns of a chink in the Darkness's armor, he knows it's his chance to turn the tide in a millennia old conflict. There's just one problem. To take that chance, he'll have to risk his entire army, side with a former enemy, and defeat forces of Darkness far greater than he's ever faced before. But you know what they say, no guts, no glory, right?
Arthur never expected to wind up in Hell. At least, not because he found an ancient sword in a pawnshop. To make matters worse, Hell isn't as he thought. It's a desolate wasteland under siege by an all-consuming void known as the Darkness. Now, he's trapped with no way home, a ragtag army of women, and a sword whose only power is to modify the abilities of those around him. Not exactly winning odds. Worse, if the Darkness isn't stopped, not only will it devour Hell, but Earth will be next on the menu.
Myke Cole, star of CBS's Hunted and author of the Shadow Ops series returns with book two of the Sacred Throne Trilogy: The Queen of Crows. In this epic fantasy sequel, Heloise stands tall against overwhelming odds—crippling injuries, religious tyrants—and continues her journey from obscurity to greatness with the help of alchemically-empowered armor and an unbreakable spirit. No longer just a shell-shocked girl, she is now a figure of revolution whose cause grows ever stronger. But the time for hiding underground is over. Heloise must face the tyrannical Order and win freedom for her people. "A heart-wrenching, blood-racing, all-around page-turner. Spare, vivid and surprisingly sensual, with a small, fierce heroine who will stick in your mind and live in your soul."—Diana Gabaldon on The Armored Saint The Sacred Throne Trilogy #1 The Armored Saint #2 The Queen of Crows At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
'Machiavellian clockwork glory' - Mark Lawrence, author of The Broken Empire trilogy They enslaved humanity three thousand years ago. Tall, strong, perfect, superhuman and near immortal they rule from their glittering palaces in the eternal city in the centre of the world. They are called Those Above by their subjects. They enforce their will with fire and sword. Twenty five years ago mankind mustered an army and rose up against them, only to be slaughtered in a terrible battle. Hope died that day, but hatred survived. Whispers of another revolt are beginning to stir in the hearts of the oppressed: a woman, widowed in the war, who has dedicated her life to revenge; the general, the only man to ever defeat one of Those Above in single combat, summoned forth to raise a new legion; and a boy killer who rises from the gutter to lead an uprising in the capital. Those Above is the first of an extraordinary fantasy epic by the author of the acclaimed Low Town series that will sweep the reader into a wholly alien, wholly recognizable world of rebellion and revenge, of love and of death, of intrigue and pitiless war.
When it comes to political cunning, manipulation, ambition, and furthering an agenda, the forty-seven behind-the-scenes players in these pages are the gold standard. An intriguing twist on the popular ôgreat leadersö view of history, this extraordinary book focuses on dominant advisors, counselors, officials, and other king whisperers, from biblical times to the twenty-first century. They represent some of the most effective speakers, writers, revolutionaries, ideologues, and villains in world history. Whether in control of battle fields, ballot boxes, or even entire empires, these influential people rose to positions of influence from the dark shadows and narrow corridors of power. Book jacket.
For the first time in millenia, the all-consuming Darkness has been pushed back. Thanks to Arthur and his ragtag army of women, there’s finally a light at the end of the tunnel. Or there would have been if Mammon, Princess of Greed hadn’t awakened. Powerful enough to level a town with the blink of an eye and ally to no one, Mammon has one goal and one goal only. To own everything in Hell, starting with Arthur and his friends. And if he can’t stop her from taking over while fending off attacks from Hell’s ruling class, well, let’s just say that his chance to stop the Darkness will slip from slim to none.
The Final Battle is Here. When Arthur found a magic sword in a pawnshop, he never thought it would make him into the Builder of Legend and thrust him into the forefront of the fight with the Darkness. Now, on a mission only he can complete, Arthur and his girls will have to hold the lines against the Darkness’s final assault while defeating the four horsemen, freeing God from captivity, and of course, confronting the Empress. Sure, the odds might be stacked against him, but if there’s anyone who can do it, it’s the penniless orphan turned King of Heaven and Hell.
Castel del Monte – Medieval Architectural Wonder A medieval castle on the southeastern coast of Italy is famous for its symmetrical repetition of octagonal forms in the citadel’s layout, the towers, and the courtyard. A recent study reveals the design provenance, which details the inspiration, the purpose, the location choice, and the innovative science and technology employed for this one-of-a-kind architectural marvel. From conception to construction, it is a story of fascinating discoveries highlighting the designers’ new vision and the builders’ achievements and shortcomings. The castle represents the novel solution for securing Gothic vaults, albeit within an octagonal plant, which gives rise to the constellation of octagons in a fractal pattern. More significantly and concealed in the design is a new approach to defining the structures; it is based on deductive reasoning and mathematically defined dimensions, a glimpse of modern science. Surprisingly, the plant design is a geometric algorithm with a mathematical facet, much like an origami procedure. The builders laid the foundation from the designer’s plant layout with amazing precision, which is why we can decipher the medieval plant design. Inserting the plant dimensions in the plant design algorithm reveals the medieval unit of measurement at the castle, a slight variant of the Roman foot. The stonework also tells us that the construction was beset by the same complications often found in modern projects: plan changes, cost overruns, and planning shortcomings. An amazing finding is the construction blunder of short columns on the upper floor that was resolved by adding another pedestal camouflaged as bench seats extended around the room. Castel del Monte is more than a singular octagonal citadel; it is a testimonial of innovative design and construction concepts, a flash of enlightenment in the middle of the “Dark Ages.”
The Magnificent Seven meets The Wind in the Willows in this action-packed fantasy adventure from Daniel Polansky, The Builders. A missing eye. A broken wing. A stolen country. The last job didn't end well. Years go by, and scars fade, but memories only fester. For the animals of the Captain's company, survival has meant keeping a low profile, building a new life, and trying to forget the war they lost. But now the Captain's whiskers are twitching at the idea of evening the score. PRAISE FOR THE BUILDERS "A living, breathing world of vivid, winsome characters hellbent on their blaze of glory and as unforgiving as a runaway train carrying all your friends over a cliff. I haven't cared about animals this much since Watership Down." — Delilah S. Dawson, author of Hit and Wicked as They Come "Nobody does dark like Polansky. The Builders is Redwall meets Unforgiven, combining the endearing wit of Disney's Robin Hood with all the grit and violence of a spaghetti western." — Myke Cole, author of the Shadow Ops series At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
