R. Martin, a writer of unsurpassed vision, power, and imagination, has created a landmark of fantasy fiction. Now his two epic works, A Game of Thrones and A Clash of Kings are combined together in this eBook edition. Sweeping from a harsh land of cold to a summertime kingdom of epicurean plenty, A Game of Thrones tells a tale of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and bastards who come together in a time of grim omens. Here, an enigmatic band of warriors bear swords of no human metal, a tribe of fierce wildings carry men off into madness, a cruel young dragon prince barters his sister to win back his throne, a child is lost in the twilight between life and death, and a determined woman undertakes a treacherous journey to protect all she holds dear. Amid plots and counterplots, tragedy and betrayal, victory and terror, allies and enemies, the fate of the Starks hangs perilously in the balance, as each side endeavors to win that deadliest of conflicts: the game of thrones. In the eagerly awaited second volume in this epic saga, he once again proves himself a master myth-maker, setting a standard against which all other fantasy novels will be measured for years to come. Time is out of joint. The summer of peace and plenty, ten years long, is drawing to a close, and the harsh, chill winter approaches like an angry beast. Two great leaders--Lord Eddard Stark and Robert Baratheon--who held sway over an age of enforced peace are dead...victims of royal treachery. Now, from the ancient citadel of Dragonstone to the forbidding shores of Winterfell, chaos reigns, as pretenders to the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms prepare to stake their claims through tempest, turmoil, and war. As a prophecy of doom cuts across the sky--a comet the color of blood and flame--six factions struggle for control of a divided land. Eddard's son Robb has declared himself King in the North. In the south, Joffrey, the heir apparent, rules in name only, victim of the scheming courtiers who teem over King's Landing. Robert's two brothers each seek their own dominion, while a disfavored house turns once more to conquest. And a continent away, an exiled queen, the Mother of Dragons, risks everything to lead her precious brood across a hard hot desert to win back the crown that is rightfully hers. A Clash of Kings transports us into a magnificent, forgotten land of revelry and revenge, wizardry and warfare. It is a tale in which maidens cavort with madmen, brother plots against brother, and the dead rise to walk in the night. Here a princess masquerades as an orphan boy; a knight of the mind prepares a poison for a treacherous sorceress; and wild men descend from the Mountains of the Moon to ravage the countryside. Against a backdrop of incest and fratricide, alchemy and murder, the price of glory may be measured in blood. And the spoils of victory may just go to the men and women possessed of the coldest steel ... and the coldest hearts. For when rulers clash, all of the land feels the tremors. Audacious, inventive, brilliantly imagined, A Clash of Kings is a novel of dazzling beauty and boundless enchantment--a tale of pure excitement you will never forget.

    This edition is NOT the entire book.

    R. Martin’s magnificent cycle of novels that includes A Clash of Kings and A Storm of Swords. As a whole, this series comprises a genuine masterpiece of modern fantasy, bringing together the best the genre has to offer. Magic, mystery, intrigue, romance, and adventure fill these pages and transport us to a world unlike any we have ever experienced. Already hailed as a classic, George R. R. Martin’s stunning series is destined to stand as one of the great achievements of imaginative fiction.A GAME OF THRONESLong ago, in a time forgotten, a preternatural event threw the seasons out of balance. In a land where summers can last decades and winters a lifetime, trouble is brewing. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes to the north of Winterfell, sinister and supernatural forces are massing beyond the kingdom’s protective Wall. At the center of the conflict lie the Starks of Winterfell, a family as harsh and unyielding as the land they were born to. Sweeping from a land of brutal cold to a distant summertime kingdom of epicurean plenty, here is a tale of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and bastards, who come together in a time of grim omens.Here an enigmatic band of warriors bear swords of no human metal; a tribe of fierce wildlings carry men off into madness; a cruel young dragon prince barters his sister to win back his throne; and a determined woman undertakes the most treacherous of journeys. Amid plots and counterplots, tragedy and betrayal, victory and terror, the fate of the Starks, their allies, and their enemies hangs perilously in the balance, as each endeavors to win that deadliest of conflicts: the game of thrones.source: georgerrmartin.com

    It's all there - a wicked duke and duchess, the ghost of the murdered king, dim soldiers, strolling players, a land in peril. And who stands between the Kingdom and destruction? Three witches. Granny Weatherwax (intolerant, self-opinionated, powerful), Nanny Ogg (down-to-earth, vulgar) and Magrat Garlick (naïve, fond of occult jewellery and bunnies).Stephen Briggs has been involved in amateur dramatics for over 25 years and he assures us that the play can be staged without needing the budget of Industrial Light and Magic. Not only that, but the cast should still be able to be in the pub by 10 o'clock!Oh, and a world of advice omitted from the play text:LEARN THE WORDSHavelock, Lord Vetinari

    He gets board and lodging and free use of company horse, and doesn't even need time off for his grandmother's funeral. The trouble begins when instead of collecting the soul of a princess, he kills her would-be assassin, and changes history.

    An ordinary Londoner stops to help an enigmatic girl and joins a battle to save the strange underworld kingdom of London Below from destruction.

    He is Morpheus, the lord of story. Older than humankind itself, he inhabits -- along with Destiny, Death, Destruction, Desire, Despair, and Delirium, his Endless sisters and brothers -- the realm of human consciousness. His powers are myth and nightmare -- inspirations, pleasures, and punishments manifested beneath the blanketing mist of sleep.Surrender to him now.A stunning collection of visions, wonders, horrors, hallucinations, and revelations from Clive Barker, Barbara Hambly, Tad Williams, Gene Wolfe, Nancy A. Collins, and sixteen other incomparable dreamers -- inspired by the groundbreaking, bestselling graphic novel phenomenon by Neil Gaiman.

    Through richly detailed full-color paintings and line drawings, magical kingdoms emerge from a sea of dreams. Cassandra Aisling, who is nine years and eleven months old, doesn't care “a jot” about what sensible people think. She likes strange, mysterious, and magical things. So when her world gets tumbled upside down, she boards the H.M.S. Basset, ready to explore the landscape of her imagination. Pledging allegiance to the Basset's motto, “Credendo do Vides...Believing is Seeing,” Cassandra, her skeptical older sister Miranda, and their father, Professor Algernon Aisling, set out in search of the ancient legends. From the flickering flight of fairies and the mermaids' siren songs to a labyrinth-bound Minotaur and a fire-breathing dragon, the Aisling family witnesses firsthand the wonder of mythological worlds. In this lavishly illustrated edition, Cassandra's adventures intertwine with her father's scientific scribblings to present both new tales and the essence of classical myths. From the two voices, readers learn the power of imagination, the importance of believing in oneself, the value of family, and the need for creative, cooperative problem-solving. The story of a magical journey and the exquisite fantasy artwork will appeal to young and old alike.

    And then she met the stranger from off-world. He said he was a Crystal Singer - one of the unique ones of the Galaxy - and when Killashandra tried to find out what a Crystal Singer was the answers were vague, obtuse. All she could discover was that they were special people, shrouded in mystery, and danger, and beauty and something altogether incomprehensible. It was then that she decided she too must try and become a Crystal Singer - with all the dangers and gruelling demands made of the elite and glittering ones of Ballybran. This is the story, of Killashandra and the mysterious exploits of the Singers.

    Ciri, the granddaughter of Queen Calanthe, the Lioness of Cintra, has strange powers and a stranger destiny, for prophecy names her the Flame, one with the power to change the world - for good, or for evil ...Time of Contempt The Elves and other non-humans are still suffering under decades of repression, and growing numbers join the commando units hidden deep in the forest, striking at will and then dissolving into the trees. Baptism of Fire The Wizards Guild has been shattered by a coup and, in the uproar, Geralt was seriously injured. The Witcher is supposed to be a guardian of the innocent, a protector of those in need, a defender against powerful and dangerous monsters that prey on men in dark times. The Tower of the Swallow The world has fallen into war. Ciri, the child of prophecy, has vanished. Hunted by friends and foes alike, she has taken on the guise of a petty bandit and lives free for the first time in her life. The Lady of the Lake After walking through a portal in the Tower of the Swallow, thus narrowly escaping death, the Witcher girl, Ciri, finds herself in a completely different world...

    A city of monsters and saints, murderers and angels, knights in armour and pale girls in black velvet. This is the city of the people who have fallen between the cracks.Richard Mayhew, a young businessman, is going to find out more than enough about this other London. A single act of kindness catapults him out of his workday existence and into a world that is at once eerily familiar and utterly bizarre. And a strange destiny awaits him down here, beneath his native city: Neverwhere.

    Secure in work, contemplation, and dreams of the wider world, a miracle bursts into Aidan's quiet life. He is chosen to accompany a small band of monks on a quest to the farthest eastern reaches of the known world, to the fabled city of Byzantium, where they are to present a beautiful and costly hand-illuminated manuscript, the Book of Kells, to the Emperor of all Christendom.Thus begins an expedition by sea and over land, as Aidan becomes, by turns, a warrior and a sailor, a slave and a spy, a Viking and a Saracen, and finally, a man. He sees more of the world than most men of his time, becoming an ambassador to kings and an inmate of Byzantium's fabled Golden Court. And finally this valiant Irish monk faces the greatest trial that can confront any man in any age: commanding his own Destiny.A magnificent epic of sweep, grandeur, and heroism, Byzantium is certain to secure Stephen R. Lawhead's place as one of the leading historical novelists of our time.

    The two novels combined in this omnibus (Caldé of the Long Sun and Exodus from the Long Sun) comprise the second half of Gene Wolfe's long novel, The Book of the Long Sun.

    Presented here in English for the first time, The Stranger will strike a chord with readers of all stripes. Part fantasy, part horror, part philosophy, part dark comedy, the writing is united by a sharp wit and a web of clues that will open up the imagination of every reader. Max Frei was a twenty-something loser-a big sleeper (that is, during the day; at night he can't sleep a wink), a hardened smoker, and an uncomplicated glutton and loafer. But then he got lucky. He contacts a parallel world in his dreams, where magic is a daily practice. Once a social outcast, he's now known in his new world as the "unequalled Sir Max." He's a member of the Department of Absolute Order, formed by a species of enchanted secret agents; his job is to solve cases more extravagant and unreal than one could imagine-a journey that will take Max down the winding paths of this strange and unhinged universe.

    Her mentor, the acclaimed poet Davis Cooper, has mysteriously died in the canyons east of Tucson, bequeathing her his estate and the mystery of his life--and death.Maggie is astonish by the power of this harsh but beautiful land and captivated by the uncommon people who call it home--especially Fox, a man unlike any she has ever known, who understands the desert's special power.As she reads Cooper's letters and learns the secrets of his life, Maggie comes face-to-face with the wild, ancient spirits of the desert--and discovers the hidden power at its heart, a power that will take her on a journey like no other.

    But the Discworld people are real, and here they are, warts (except, of course, in the case of Granny Weatherwax) and all, from Rincewind the incompetent wizard to Greebo, the rather too human cat. *once there were five, but that's another story

    Illustrated in color throughout.

    Award winner, national bestseller, and one of the genre's most respected and acclaimed talents, she has transcended the boundaries of science fiction and fantasy with her widespread success. Available for the first time in one volume, this is the long out-of-print trilogy that launched her remarkable career: King's Blood Four, Necromancer Nine, and Wizard's Eleven. In the lands of the True Game, your lifelong identity emerges as you play-Prince or Sorcerer, Demon or Doyen. Raising the dead is the least of the Necromancer's Talents-he is a wild card who threatens the True Game itself. A giant stalks the mountains. Shadowpeople gather by the light of the moon. Bonedancers raise up armies of the dead. And the Wizard's Eleven sleep trapped in their dreams. Players, take your places. The final Game begins now...

    Trolls features new and classic work by both Brian and his wife, Wendy, woven together along with artifacts and symbols of the natural world to create a fascinating revelation about the world of trolls. The book explores trolls and troll culture, revealing their philosophies, their home life, and their world attitudes through their tales, mythology, and archaeology. Trolls affirms that trolls are real, that they have lived and are living now. The texture of the world and the deeply immersive, cinematic images will appeal to the legions of fantasy—and Froud—fans.

    Greasebeam, B.Sc. (Serpentology), F.R.Aud., to serve up this compendium of dragon lore and sheer inventive nonsense. Expanding on a dozen illustrations from his calendar Dragons Draaks & Beasties, Base fabricates a trio of correspondents?a Viking, a Chinese silk trader and a Prussian explorer?whose letters chronicle their discoveries of dragons in various continents. The resulting web of yarns that Base spins is nothing short of hilarious ("Hope the looting and pillaging went well," writes Bjorn of Bromme in a letter to Olaf the Grim, for instance). Illustrations showcase the kind of intricate detail for which Base is so well known, and he bolsters his dragon art with a deadpan running commentary set in a border at the bottom of each page. "Dagbar defunctus est" notes one caption in a fit of understatement, as the accompanying cartoon depicts the demise of one of Bjorn's companions. There's much to enjoy here, and much to propel readers to seek out every last drop of humor. All ages. Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

    Thanks to Brian Froud's discovery of the notebooks of Dashe, a goblin portraitist, this rare breed is now an open book. This is a definitive, profusely illustrated field guide to the goblin world, annotated by Terry Jones, Monty Python professor emeritus of Obscure, Absurd and Truly Hilarious Arts. Full-color illustrations.

    The peaceful Eldarin were the last of three ancient races.  The mystical Oltor, healers and poets, had fallen before the dread power of the cruel and sadistic Daroth.  Yet in one awesome night the invincible Daroth had vanished from the face of the earth.  Gone were their cities, their armies, their terror.  The Great Northern Desert was their only legacy.  Not a trace remained for a thousand years...The War of the Pearl had raged for seven years and the armies of the four Duchies were exhausted and weary of bloodshed.  But the foremost of the Dukes, Sirano of Romark, possessed the Eldarin Pearl and was determined to unravel its secrets.Then, on one unforgetable day, a dark moon rose above the Great Northern Desert, and a black tidal wave swept across the land.  In moments the desert had vanished beneath lush fields and forests and a great city could be seen glittering in the morning sunlight.From this city re-emerged the blood-hungry Daroth, powerful and immortal, immune to spear and sword.  They had only one desire:  to rid the world of humankind for ever.Now the fate of the human race rests on the talents of three heroes:  Karis, warrior-woman and strategist; Tarantio, the deadliest swordsman of the age; and Duvodas the Healer, who will learn a terrible truth.A new world of myth and magic, love and heroism, from the bestselling author of The Legend of Deathwalker.

    But one thing he never expected was his cellmate. Spy, rogue, thief, and noble, Seregil of Rhiminee is many things–none of them predictable. And when he offers to take on Alec as his apprentice, things may never be the same for either of them. Soon Alec is traveling roads he never knew existed, toward a war he never suspected was brewing. Before long he and Seregil are embroiled in a sinister plot that runs deeper than either can imagine, and that may cost them far more than their lives if they fail. But fortune is as unpredictable as Alec’s new mentor, and this time there just might be… Luck in the Shadows.

    Five were taken before the girl's parents agreed to give her up. They called in Cousin Cory, Aunt Marta, all the known practitioners. The ones who could teach me how to hide in a leaf, dip into minds, and find the secret herbs that heal. Her childhood now over, the girl must face the Dark of the Other Side.

    Clare also feels compelled to take midnight walks in Ravensmere's abandoned China Garden. Then her mother reveals that their own past is tragically linked to the estate. But when Clare discovers that Ravensmere is in grave danger, will she risk her future-and Mark's-to save it?

    Carol Rose introduces the reader to the little--and not so little--folk, delightfully various and, at the same time, strikingly similar from country to country. Wherever humans have lived, the supernatural beings have dwelt alongside us. People serve to explain the unexplainable--the strange disappearance of a traveler in a dark wood, that odd thumping in the attic, the fresh cream turned sour overnight. Often they reveal the stoic humor with which human societies have faced their difficulties. But whatever their source, our guilts, fears, dreams, or imaginations, the spirits have fascinated and enchanted us through the millennia. Chosen by Library Journal as a Best Reference Source.

    Tolkien is as beautiful and unique as its predecessor. This breathtaking four-color volume is designed in a deluxe, oversized format, and includes paintings from a diverse group of international artists. Each picture is accompanied by text from the relevant passage in Tolkien's fiction as well as a personal statement by the artist about the inspiration and influence J.R.R. Tolkien has had on their work. Includes works by an electric group of artists, both famous and up-and-coming: Alan Lee, renowned for his atmospheric interpretations of folklore and legend, as well as his stunning illustrations for "The Lord of the Rings" John Howe, creator of many Tolkien book covers and acclaimed for his powerful representations of the landscapes and peoples of Middle-earth Ted Nasmith, known for his classically accurate and dramatic pictures Inger Edelfeldt, illustrator of many beautiful and unusual Tolkien calendars, book covers and posters.

    And Cutter, brave leader of the elves, knows what he must do. Somewhere in the world there are other elves divided and persecuted like his own tribe. Unless he finds them-and unites them--the elves' final destruction is at hand.

    Each collection sparkles with pieces seen on book covers from around the world. Fantasy, science fiction, eroticism, etc... Royo has devised a special personal mix of media that makes his work so uncannily real, so beguilingly engaging as to make him a best-selling star.

    He is one of just a handful of characters in sword-and-sworcery fiction who have had a seminal impact on the entire genre, and his compelling tale and tortured conscience have inspired countless rendering by artists both famed and unknown. Elric has even inspired songs from groups as diverse as Hakwind and Blue Oyster Cult to Cirith Ungol and the Tygers of Pan Tang.

    One summer, Beth visits her grandmother and meets the irresistable Morgan, and her descent into darkness begins. The beloved child they conceive foretells a future of evil.

    Set in England in the time of William the Conqueror, the first novel in this marvelous series that explores what might have been if Merlin had had three beautiful daughters, each possessing just a touch of magic, resolved to use her special skills to battle evil, and determined to find love.

    Lady Cottington's previously unknown twin brother, Quentin, employs his "psychic image nebulizing generator" and "psychic odour nasalizing gasificator" to analyze the protoplasmic nature of the mysterious stains left by pressed fairies.

    In the world of Amrahly nn, magic is a constant and science has yet to gain a foothold on civilization. Roaming through this hazardous land is a misanthropic elf named Lusiphur. A wanderer without alliegences, Lusiphur (no relation to the guy down below ) encounters demon-summoning wizards, bumbling thieves, serial killers, purple-festooned misogynists, and plenty of shallow love interests. This series of books, which collects one of the biggest cult-favorite comics of the 90s, is perfect for any fan of gothic fantasy or vampires.

    It's hard to find history written by the ones who lose," says the mystery history teacher, Kat O'Malley. Unbeknownst to her students, she's living the nine lives of a cat, and her history lessons come from four hundred years of underdog experience with witch trials, prejudice, intolerance and poverty. With much coaxing from the school's headmaster-a man with as many secrets in his past as Kat has in hers-"the CatWoman" ventures out from the mirage oasis she shares with fifty cats to teach lessons that never made it into the history books. Through her considerable gifts as a storyteller, she teaches a new generation to live as if they, too, had to live nine lives and jump back eight times into any messes they create. But when history repeats itself and the nightmare intolerance of Kat's past resurfaces, will she retreat forever into the safety of her cat-filled mirage? Or will she embrace her new life, her teaching and the love of the one person who knows her secret?

    As his journey takes him across an 8th century world of turbulent change and uncertainty, where the old magics fight to survive the rise of a new religion, Bran will have epic adventures through which he learns of life, death and the ways of the world.

    Through science, faith and force of will, the Harmonics carved out for themselves a society that they conceived of as perfect. Diverse peoples held together by respect for each other and the prospect of swift punishment if they disobeyed their laws. Fertile land that embraced a variety of climates and seasons. Angels to guard the mortals and mystics to guard the forbidden knowledge. Jehovah to watch over them all... But an age of corruption has come to the land, threatening their peace and placing the Samarians in grave danger. Their only hope lies in the crowning of a new Archangel. The oracles have chosen for this honor the angel named Gabriel, and further decreed that he must first wed a mortal woman named Rachel. It is his destiny and hers. And Gabriel is certain that she will greet the news of her betrothal with enthusiasm, and a devotion to duty equal to his own. Rachel, however, has other ideas...

    Rachel sometimes imagined she glimpsed a beautiful land in it - beyond the silver speckles.Then one day Rachel and her brother Robert polished the mirror. A few minutes later, a little pearl-white unicorn leapt out of it in a swirl of star-dust. This was just the beginning of an amazing adventure ... Another enchanting picture book by award-winning author/illustrator Shirley Barber.

    91 color images; 32 line drawings.

    Now he returns with a breathtaking new novel combining myth and history, magic and adventure...Attila's Treasure.From out of the icy steppes they came, the fiercest and most feared warriors the world had ever known. At their head was the wily and ferocious Attila of the Huns, and behind him lay a trail of pillage and carnage. To forge peace with the mighty Attila, a young Burgundian prince is sent as a foster son to the merciless warlord. Here young Hagan learns the fighting arts of the Huns as he develops an uneasy relationship with his unpredictable new foster father.But it is during his first battle that Hagan learns the most important -- and most dangerous -- lesson of all. A gasp away from death, he discovers the pathway to the otherworld -- a knowledge he must guard carefully, for it makes him a dangerous adversary of Attila himself.Bold, lyrical, replete with the timeless themes of war, brotherhood, sacrifice, and romance, Attila's Treasure is an unforgettable novel.

    Inside, you will see more than 50 of Keith's classics, including work for Guardians and cover art for Terry Brooks, David Eddings and more, as well as sketches and techniques never before seen. This is your chance to witness fantastic worlds from a master of fantasy.

    Also useful for its exploration of the crossover genre known as "dark fantasy." Noteworthy authors include Peter S. Beagle, Ursula Le Guin, Stephen King, Lucy Taylor, Steve Rasnic Tem, Tanith Lee, A. S. Byatt, David J. Schow, and Joyce Carol Oates.Contents: * Summation 1995: Fantasy by Terri Windling * Summation 1995: Horror by Ellen Datlow * Horror and Fantasy in the Media: 1995 by Edward Bryant * Obituaries by James Frenkel * Home for Christmas by Nina Kiriki Hoffman * Heartfires by Charles de Lint * Screens by Terry Lamsley * King of Crows by Midori Snyder * Professor Gottesman and the Indian Rhinoceros by Peter S. Beagle * The Hunt of the Unicorn by Ellen Kushner * More Tomorrow by Michael Marshall Smith * Penguins for Lunch by Scott Bradfield * Either, OR by Ursula K. Le Guin * Paper Lantern by Stuart Dybek * Lunch at the Gotham Café by Stephen King * Queen of Knives (poem) by Neil Gaiman * Dragon-Rain by Eileen Kernaghan * Llantos de La Llorona: Warnings from the Wailer (poem) by Pat Mora * Too Short a Death by Peter Crowther * The James Dean Garage Band by Rick Moody * Because of Dust by Christopher Kenworthy * Loop by Douglas E. Winter * La Loma, La Luna by Sue Kepros Hartman * Women's Stories (poem) by Jane Yolen * Swan/Princess (poem) by Jane Yolen * Switch by Lucy Taylor * Scaring the Train by Terry Dowling * Blood Knot by Steve Resnic Tem * The Girl Who Married the Reindeer (poem) by Eilean Ni Chuilleanain * The Otter Woman (poem) by Mary O'Malley * Resolve and Resistance by S.N. Dyer * La Dame by Tanith Lee * Circe's Power (poem) by Louise Glück * Dragon's Fin Soup by S.P. Somtow * The Granddaughter by Vivian vande Velde * Daphne and Laura and So Forth (poem) by Margaret Atwood * A Lamia in the Cevennes by A.S. Byatt * The Guilty Party by Susan Moody * She's Not There by Pat Cadigan * The White Road (poem) by Neil Gaiman * Refrigerator Heaven by David J. Schow * After the Elephant Ballet by Gary A. Braunbeck * Henry V, Part 2 by Marcia Guthridge * Mrs. Greasy by Robert Reed * ############## by Joyce Carol Oates * The Printer's Daughter by Delia Sherman * Prayer (poem) by Nancy Willard * Jacob and the Angel (poem) by Jane Yolen * The Lion and the Lark by Patricia A. McKillip * Honorable Mentions: 1995Edited by Terry Windling and Ellen Datlow.

    

    Place creates an entire world for the reader to discover and marvel at. This is the first of three volumes that take the reader on an alphabetical voyage of discovery.

    Then she rescued a boy flung into a raging river -- and at that moment, her destiny changed. Now Balsa must protect the boy -- the Prince Chagum -- on his quest to deliver the great egg of the water spirit to its source in the sea. As they travel across the land of Yogo and discover the truth about the spirit, they find themselves hunted by two deadly enemies: the egg-eating monster Rarunga . . . and the prince's own father.

    R. MartinNovelettes"Cloud Cuckoo" by Charles Sheffield"Son of the Road" by R. NeubeShort Stories"Ghoul John and the Corpse" by Jessica Amanda Salmonson"Those Are Pearls that Were His Eyes" by Daniel MarcusPoetry"Dragon Skin" by W. Gregory Stewart"The Year of the Dragon" by Karawynn LongDepartments"Reflections: The International Language" by Robert Silverberg"Letters""On Books: Deja Vu All Over Again" by Norman Spinrad"SF Conventional Calendar" by Erwin S. StraussAsimov's Science Fiction, July 1996, Vol. 20, No. 7 (Whole No. 247)Gardner R. Dozois, editorCover art by Paul Youll

    Morlan, Robert Silverberg, Michael Swanwick, Jane Yolen, and many others. Supplementing the stories are the editors' invaluable overviews of the year in fantastic fiction, Edward Bryant's witty roundup of the year's fantasy films, and a long list of Honorable Mentions-all of which adds up to an invaluable reference source, and a font of fabulous reading.

    For a year and a day later, four Mysterious Strangers appeared, and, as Amatus grew to manhood, they guided him on a perilous quest to discover his true identity--not to mention adventure, danger, tragedy, triumph, and true love.John Barnes has been heralded as "one of the most able and impressive of SF's rising stars" (Publishers Weekly) for his widely praised novels including Orbital Resonance and A Million Open Doors.Now, in One for the Morning Glory, John Barnes has crafted an artful and immensely entertaining fable that takes its place as a modern fantasy classic beside such enduring works as William Goldman's The Princess Bride and T.H. White's The Once and Future King.

    But a pair of gentle souls once firmly rooted in the Earth cannot so easily vacate this corporeal plane. There are despoilers, witches, wolves, outlaw hackers, and rabid survivalists running wild through the soon-to-be corporately mutated Great North Woods. And Tex and Molly aren't about to vanish forever into the fast-moving eddy of Time until they take one last shot at profoundly influencing Eternity and this Life that is no longer theirs. Like a racous pagan dance in Thomas Pynchon's garden, here is a novel rich in intelligence, wit, unrestrained joy, and serious strangeness--a truly breathtaking flight of the imaginatino--written with style and heart by an award-winning storyteller whom the Washington Post once proclaimed "either a genius or a madman."

    But as Shar begins to realize her gift, the terror begins and a deadly power is rising. Can Shar summon the elements to become the Dark Caller?

    At the height of this age of chaos, the dragons decide to intervene, making their presence known to the mortals through the healer Myrilandel.The Last Battlemage:Nimbulan, the last Battlemage and the founder of the school for Communal Magic, is seeking to create a permanent protection for the kingdom of Coronnan, a spell-crafted border to keep enemies out. His search for the key to this magic leads him to terrifying discovery—the dragons, the guardians of magics, are in terrible danger.Want more Dragon novels? Look for The Star Gods trilogy and the new Children of the Dragon Nimbus series!A letter from the author, Irene Radford:Welcome to the world where dragons are real and magic works. If you are new to the Dragon Nimbus, pull up a chair and join us as we revel in tales that have touched my heart more than anything else I've written under any pen name. If you are returning after an absence, I am very happy to have you back.This is a world that began with a Christmas gift of a blown-glass dragon. The dragon sat proudly on the knick-knack shelf for several months, loved and admired, reluctantly dusted, and totally inert. Then one night at dinner, my son remarked, "You know, Mom, I think dragons are born all dark, like that little pewter dragon, then they get more silvery as they grow up until they are as clear as glass." The dragon came to life for me.Out of that chance remark came first one book, then three, five, seven, and finally ten. I built a career on these books and loved every minute of the process. These characters still live in my mind many years after they jumped into their stories and dragged me along with them.Many thanks to DAW Books and my editor Sheila Gilbert for reviving The Dragon Nimbus a lucky thirteen years after they first debuted.With these omnibus volumes, you can read about the dragons with crystal fur that directs your eye elsewhere yet defies you to look anywhere else. Wonderful dragons full of wit and wisdom. Magic abounds. Magicians and mundanes alike learn about their world and special life lessons as they explore dragon lore past and present. The books will be presented in the order in which they were written, and the order that makes the most sense of the entwined tales.So, sit back and enjoy with me. And may reading take you soaring with Dragons.

    For a powerful character, he was comically flawed. Old-man made the world but sometimes forgot the names of things. Victim and victimizer, he seemed closer to common experience than the awesome god Manitou. Frank B. Linderman thought Old-man was, under different names, a god for many Indian communities. These stories—collected from Chippewa and Cree elders and first published in 1920—are full of wonder at the way things are. Why children lose their teeth, why eyesight fails with age, why dogs howl at night, why some animals wear camouflage—these and other mysteries, large and small, are made vividly sensible.

    

    What would you do if you suddenly became both infinitely psychic and unable to tell even the smallest lie? And if you were also exiled from your homeland, destitute, and unhappily in love with a darkly seductive Elf who'd forced you to undertake an impossible quest? Such is the Fate of Tomas the Rhymer, the reluctant poet-hero of this historical fantasy, wherein the Celtic and Norse realms of Elves, gods and spirits converge with Viking Age Europe's real events and shifting world-views -- and evoke some haunting parallels with our own era's rapid changes.

    Profiles are brought to life with images created by Tim and Greg Hildebrandt, internationally known artists who became famous for their Tolkien illustrations in the 1970s. More J. R. R. Tolkien titles

    See how the Witchblade chose Sara and threw her into the chaotic world of the supernatural. Get the first appearances of Sara Pezzini, Ian Nottingham, Kenneth Irons and Jackie Estacado in one handy tome!

    At last these bizarre and beautiful beings have been brought magnificently to life by acclaimed artist Wayne Douglas Barlow, who has often been called the "Audubon of the Otherworld". This book is a sequel to the bestselling Barlowe's Guide to Extraterrestrials. 50+ four-color illustrations.

    Since her death, he's spent more and more time immersed in his stamp collection, and less and less time with Toots. It is on one particularly lonely afternoon when Toots is practicing headstands that she first sees a fairy walking across the living room ceiling. Before she knows what's happened, Toots finds herself reduced to the size of a mouse in an upside-down world where hardworking fairies protect the house against evil sprites and unctuous goblins. Toots must battle with good and evil, both outside and inside herself, before finding her way back down to earth and renewing her love for her widowed father. Carol Hughes makes a dazzling debut with this special book that combines fantasy and adventure with the real, everyday issues of love and loss.

    Written in the first half of the 13th century, it represents a different view of the legend of the Holy Grail from that found in Wolfram von Eschenbach or the French Quest of the Holy Grail, though all derive from Chretien's Perceval; the unknown author adds a much greater religious emphasis and a desire to glorify crusading chivalry for the secular adventures of Arthur, Perceval and Lancelet. The framework of the romance is the struggle of Arthur and his knights to impose, by force, the New Law of Christianity in place of the Old Law. This view of the Arthurian world should be of interest to students of medieval literature, Arthurian enthusiasts and to historians interested in the world of chivalry and its attitudes.

    It contains Tolkien’s own delicate illustrations plus a wealth of quotations and bibliographical details – both from Tolkien’s own life and from within his works.

    Jang's Readalouds, YouTubeK. Jang's source: The story "Stronger Than Time" is copyrighted to Patricia C. Wrede. It appears in the anthology "Book of Enchantments" originally published by Harcourt, Inc. in 1996. I'm reading from the 2005 reprint.

    Here live the Gibblins, and oppressed people held firmly in check by a ruthless dictator, Lord Mulciber the Deathless.This series, with its stunning and intricate artwork, follows the adventures of the young Gibblin hero -- Muffin Pigdoom.Muffin and Brassica, guarding the Old Hermit's invention, are captured by the Urgs. Together with the machine, they are carried off to the Urg's mountain stronghold, but the Old Hermit finds a way to outwit them and rescue Muffin and his young friend.