Best of
High-Fantasy

2001

Fool's Errand


Robin Hobb - 2001
    Since then, Fitz has wandered the world accompanied only by his wolf and Wit-partner, Nighteyes, finally settling in a tiny cottage as remote from Buckkeep and the Farseers as possible.But lately the world has come crashing in again. The Witted are being persecuted because of their magical bonds with animals; and young Prince Dutiful has gone missing just before his crucial diplomatic wedding to an Outislander princess. Fitz’s assignment to fetch Dutiful back in time for the ceremony seems very much like a fool’s errand, but the dangers ahead could signal the end of the Farseer reign.Cover illustration by John Howe

Dragon & Issola


Steven Brust - 2001
    Now, in one handy volume, are the two newest adventures of Vlad Taltos, human in aworld of near-immortal Dragaeran "elfs," witch and telepathic partner to the winged-lizard Loiosh. Dragon tells the story htat has bedeviled Vlad's fans for years: how a self-respecting assassin ended up as a soldier on the losing side of the famous Battle of Baritt's Tomb -- an apocalyptic warbetween two sorcerous armies. Since Vlad much prefers the shadows to daylight, and a knife in the back to massed magical battle, you know the answer involves the words "kicking and screaming"... Issola finds an older and slightly wiser Vlad on the run from his employers, the house of jhereg, over the small matter of a double-cross. Unfortunately, he's going to wish he had only the jhereg to worry about, since two of his most powerful friends have been kidnapped by teh Jenoine -- the enigmatic race that may have created the Dragaerans hundreds of thousands of years ago and who are masters of time and space itself. And if that's not enough, the Jenoine apparently want to hire Vlad to kill a God....

The Curse of Chalion


Lois McMaster Bujold - 2001
    It is an assignment Cazaril dreads, for it will ultimately lead him to the place he fears most, the royal court of Cardegoss, where the powerful enemies, who once placed him in chains, now occupy lofty positions. In addition to the traitorous intrigues of villains, Cazaril and the Royesse Iselle, are faced with a sinister curse that hangs like a sword over the entire blighted House of Chalion and all who stand in their circle. Only by employing the darkest, most forbidden of magics, can Cazaril hope to protect his royal charge—an act that will mark the loyal, damaged servant as a tool of the miraculous, and trap him, flesh and soul, in a maze of demonic paradox, damnation, and death.

Tales From Earthsea & The Other Wind


Ursula K. Le Guin - 2001
    

The Novels of Tiger and Del, Volume II


Jennifer Roberson - 2001
    This second Sword omnibus edition includes the third and fourth novels in the best-selling series: Sword-Maker and Sword-Breaker.

Elric


Michael Moorcock - 2001
    An introspective weakling in thrall to his black-bladed, soul-eating sword, Stormbringer, he is yet a hero whose bloody adventures and wanderings through brooding, desolate lands leads inexorably to his decisive intervention in the war between the forces of Law and Chaos. This volume brings together The Stealer of Souls and Stormbringer, the first two published books of Elric's adventures, and confirms Michael Moorcock's place as one of the most important fantasy writers of our time.Omnibus of Stealer of Souls (collection, 1963) and Stormbringer (novel, 1977 revised version)Contents:•1 • The Dreaming City • [The Elric Saga] • (1961) • novelette by Michael Moorcock •35 • While the Gods Laugh • [The Elric Saga] • (1961) • novelette by Michael Moorcock •73 • The Stealer of Souls • [The Elric Saga] • (1962) • novelette by Michael Moorcock •119 • Kings in Darkness • [The Elric Saga] • (1962) • novelette by Michael Moorcock and James Cawthorn [as by Michael Moorcock ] •155 • The Caravan of Forgotten Dreams • [The Elric Saga] • (1962) • novelette by Michael Moorcock (aka The Flame Bringers) •191 • Stormbringer • [The Elric Saga • 6] • (1965) • novel by Michael Moorcock

Children of the Lion: Cheysuli Omnibus 3


Jennifer Roberson - 2001
    A sprawling saga of the triumphs--and exile--of a warrior race of shapechangers, the magical odyssey continues in books five and six, together for the first time in one volume...

The Lion Throne


Jennifer Roberson - 2001
    In Flight of the Raven: Aidan, only child of Brennan and Aileen, is heir to the Lion Throne of Homana and inheritor of a prophecy carried down through the generations. But will Aidan, driven as he is by strange visions and portents, prove the weak link in the ages-old prophecy—the Cheysuli who fails to achieve his foretold destiny? For as Aidan prepares to set out for Erinn to claim his betrothed, he will become the focus of forces out of legend, visited by the ghosts of long-dead kinsmen, and by the Hunter, a mysterious being who may be a Cheysuli god incarnate.Commanded by the Hunter to undertake a quest to claim a series of “god-given” golden links, Aidan will find himself challenged by the Cheysuli’s most deadly foe—Lochiel, the son of Strahan—who will use every trick of Ihlini sorcery to stop Aidan and destroy the promise of the prophecy once and for all…. In A Tapestry of Lions: Nearly a century has passed since the Prophecy of the Firstborn was set in motion—the generational quest to recreate the magical race which once held sway in the lands ruled by Homana’s Mujar. Now, Kellin, heir to Homana’s throne, has only to sire an offspring with an Ihlini woman to reach this goal. But Kellin wants nothing of prophecy, nor even of his own magical heritage. Embittered by tragedy, he refuses the sacred lir-bonding, becoming anathema in the eyes of his Cheysuli kin. But willing participant or not, Kellin provides a very real threat to the Ihlini—the ancient enemies of the Cheysuli people—for should the prophecy be fulfilled, life as the Ihlini know it will end. How can a lirless warrior ever hope to escape the traps of the Ihlini sorcerers? And how can the prophecy ever be realized when the man born to become its final champion shuns his destined role?

The Bone Doll's Twin


Lynn Flewelling - 2001
    But the people grew complacent and Erius, a usurper king, claimed his young half sister’s throne. Now plague and drought stalk the land, war with Skala’s ancient rival Plenimar drains the country’s lifeblood, and to be born female into the royal line has become a death sentence as the king fights to ensure the succession of his only heir, a son. For King Erius the greatest threat comes from his own line — and from Illior’s faithful, who spread the Oracle’s words to a doubting populace.As noblewomen young and old perish mysteriously, the king’s nephew — his sister’s only child — grows toward manhood. But unbeknownst to the king or the boy, strange, haunted Tobin is the princess’s daughter, given male form by a dark magic to protect her until she can claim her rightful destiny. Only Tobin’s noble father, two wizards of Illior, and an outlawed forest witch know the truth. Only they can protect young Tobin from a king’s wrath, a mother’s madness, and the terrifying rage of her brother’s demon spirit, determined to avenge his brutal murder....

The Novels of Tiger and Del, Volume I


Jennifer Roberson - 2001
    She was Del, born of ice and storm, trained by the greatest of Northern sword masters. Together, they discover a kinship and friendship that grows to love while facing dangers of both sword and sorcery.

Legacy of the Wolf: Cheysuli Omnibus #2


Jennifer Roberson - 2001
    A sprawling saga of the triumphs—and exile—of a warrior race of shapechangers. The magical odyssey began with the first two books collected in the recent omnibus Shapechangers Song, and now continues in books three and four, together for the first time in one volume.

The Complete History of Middle-earth, Vol. 2


J.R.R. Tolkien - 2001
    J.R.R. Tolkien is famous the world over for his unique literary creation, exemplified in The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion. What is less well known, however, is that he also produced a vast amount of further material that greatly expands upon the stories that were published, and which herein gives added life to the tales of the hobbits, Gandalf and the quest of the Fellowship as told in The Lord of the Rings. It was to this enormous task of literary construction that Tolkien's youngest son and literary heir, Christopher, applied himself to produce the monumental and endlessly fascinating series of twelve books, The History of Middle-earth. This brand new collector's edition brings together volumes VI - IX of The History of Middle-earth - The Return of the Shadow, The Treason of Isengard, The War of the Ring and Sauron Defeated - into one volume. Together these books give a fascinating and complete account of the writing of The Lord of the Rings, and provide the reader with numerous additional scenes, together with rare maps and illustrations, which never made it into the final book, including the epilogue in its entirety. Bound in black leather and cloth, and set in a matching cloth-bound slipcase, this deluxe edition hardback is limited to just 1,000 copies and has been printed on fine India paper in order to bring the 1,700 pages of material down to a manageable-sized book. Epic in scope and extent, this second deluxe volume of a planned trilogy will present the reader with a unique opportunity to complement their copies of the deluxe editions of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings with a once-in-a-lifetime limited collector's hardback.

The Devil's Mouth


Thomas Williams - 2001
    He falls in love with a beautiful tavern maid who is hiding from the moral condemnation of the powerful Lochlaund church, which has a stranglehold on the kingdom. Ultimately Lanson must decide whether to release her to the church's legalistic justice or defy the church and save her life by wedding her. This mythical story of freedom, justice, and forbidden love is the second book in "The Seven Kingdoms Chronicles."

Thieves' House: Tales of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser


Fritz Leiber - 2001
    This collection contains ten stories in the "Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser" series, seven originally collected in Swords Against Death, two originally collected in Swords in the Mist, plus "Bazaar of the Bizarre", as follows, with dates of original publication:Thieves' House * Unknown, February 1943The Bleak Shore * Unknown, November 1940The Howling Tower * Unknown, June 1941The Sunken Land * Unknown, February 1942The Seven Black Priests * Other Worlds, May 1953Claws from the Night ["Dark Vengeance"] * Suspense, November 1951The Price of Pain-Ease * ss Swords Against Death, Ace, 1970Bazaar of the Bizarre * Fantastic, August 1963The Cloud of Hate * Fantastic, May 1963Lean Times in Lankhmar * Fantastic, November 1959

Summers at Castle Auburn


Sharon Shinn - 2001
    But now that she is a young woman, she begins to see the dark side of this magical place...

8 Bit Theater Vol. 1


Brian Clevinger - 2001
    Follow the Fighter and Black Mage as they go on many quests and adventures, normally ending in peril and hilarity. Each page is in "Episode" format. Issue one consists of 31 adventures that the dumb Fighter and sadistic Black Mage travel on.