Book picks similar to
Ill Met in the Arena by Dave Duncan
fantasy
sf
sff
21st-century-lit
Footsteps in the Sky
Greg Keyes - 2014
. . but a century later, they are about to meet the planet's ownersOne hundred years ago, Sand's ancestors made the long, one-way trip to the Fifth World, ready to work ceaselessly to terraform the planet. Descendants of native peoples like the Hopi and Zuni, they wanted to return to the way of life of their forebears, who honored the Kachina spirits.Now, though, many of the planet's inhabitants have begun to resent their grandparents' decision to strand them in this harsh and forbidding place, and some have turned away from the customs of the Well-Behaved People. Sand has her doubts, but she longs to believe that the Kachina live on beyond the stars and have been readying a new domain for her people.She may be right. Humans have discovered nine habitable worlds, all with life that shares a genetic code entirely alien to any on Earth. Someone has been seeding planets, bringing life to them. But no other sign of the ancient farmers has ever been discovered--until one day they return to the Fifth World. They do not like what they find.Originally written in 1994, Footsteps in the Sky is finally being released in digital form by Open Road Media.
The Sleeping Dragon
Joel Rosenberg - 1983
But sorcerous gamemaster Professor Deighton had something else planned for this unsuspecting group of college students. And the "game" soon became a matter of life and death as the seven adventurers found themselves transported to an alternate world and into the bodies of the actual characters they had been pretending to be.Cast into a land where magic worked all too well, dragons were a fire-breathing menace, and only those quick enough with a sword or their wits survived, the young gamers faced a terrible task. For the only way they would ever see Earth again was if they could find the legendary Gate Between Worlds - a place guarded by the most terrifying and deadly enemy of all....THE SLEEPING DRAGON
Demon Sword
Ken Hood - 1995
Scotland, in addition, lies under the heel of England. Young Toby Strangerson, a half-English bastard, reared by a witchwife, wants only to shed his hated "Sassenach" blood and free his beloved highlands. Toby wields a sword as the outlaw Longdirk. The sword can cut down men like so many stalks of corn. But stranger winds are swirling and howling across the lochs, eldritch winds that are ridden by "hobs" and "wisps" and demons. The enemy Sassenach king is also a sorcerer. His demon soul needs a body and his Black Arts can free Europe from the Khan's Golden Horde. This book was originally published under the name Ken Hood.
A Secret Atlas
Michael A. Stackpole - 2005
They not only draw the maps, but also explore uncharted territories, expanding and updating the existing knowledge of the world. Their talent has yielded them enormous power and wealth–and it can also cost them their lives.Now the Royal Cartographer’s two grandsons, Keles and Jorim, have been sent on a dangerous mission to explore the darkest corner of the unknown. As one charts the seas, looking for new lands, the other braves a region torn apart by ancient magics. Meanwhile, back home, their sister, Nirati, tries to protect her brothers from the intrigues, passions, and jealousies that constantly endanger their family. But what Keles and Jorim discover this time is bigger and more terrifying than any new land or sea. It will threaten the fragile peace maintained since the near-apocalyptic Cataclysm years earlier. And provoke a murderous act against the Cartographers that will set off a chain of events shaking the world–both discovered and undiscovered–to its core.…
The Calling of the Three
Ru Emerson - 1990
To usurp the throne and prevent theDukes son, Aletto, from taking his rightful place, the Dukes bother, Jadek, marries his widow and exercises enormous power of Zelharri. Fearingthat all the good in Zelharri will be unraveled, Aletto and his sister, Lialla, summon allies to aid them. In this bewitching fantasy novel, threeCalifornians are recruited into helping Aletto assume his royal position as Duke of Zelharri. The workaholic lawyer Jennifer, her irresponsible sister Robyn, and Robyns flippant son Chris must harness the mighty power of the Night-Threads to combat the sinister Jadek. The only problem is that they have no faith in this awesome power.
Shadow Raiders
Margaret Weis - 2011
The largest of these land masses are ruled by the rival empires of Freya and Rosia. Magic is intrinsic to the functioning of these societies, and is even incorporated into their technological devices. But now a crucial scientific discovery has occurred that could destroy the balance of power-and change the empires forever.
High Sorcery
Andre Norton - 1970
Those who have enjoyed the alchemy of Norton’s other mind-bending tales should enjoy these!Few authors have achieved such renown as World Fantasy Life Achievement honoree and Grand Master by the Science Fiction Writers of America, Andre Norton. With the love of readers and the praise of critics, Norton's books have sold millions of copies worldwide.Warlocks of other worlds - or scientists of times unknown? Craike, a man hunted in two worlds… Miss Rutheven, whose needles pointed to secret kingdoms… Dagmar, with the fatal fascination of Helen of Troy… Ully, whose music touched the powers before mankind… Tamisan, the sorceress who found herself the victim of her toys…These and others like them, inhabit Andre Norton’s world of HIGH SORCERY, where the primeval desires and fears of man – his loving and loathing – are merged with his dreams of future knowledge and technological power. Those who have enjoyed the alchemy of Norton’s other mind-bending tales should enjoy these!“The grande dame of science fiction.” – Life Magazine“A superb storyteller with a narrative pace all her own.” – The New York Times“Andre Norton is a superb storyteller.” – Chicago Tribune“One of the most popular authors of our time.” – Publisher’s Weekly“One of the most distinguished living SF and fantasy writers.” – Booklist“She remains one of the most underrated masters of science fiction and fantasy.” – Minneapolis Star-Tribune
The Flight of the Silvers
Daniel Price - 2014
The sky looms frigid white. The electricity falters. Airplanes everywhere crash to the ground. But the Givens are saved by mysterious strangers, three fearsome and beautiful beings who force a plain silver bracelet onto each sister’s wrist. Within moments, the sky comes down in a crushing sheet of light and everything around them is gone.Shielded from the devastation by their silver adornments, the Givens suddenly find themselves elsewhere, a strange new Earth where restaurants move through the air like flying saucers and the fabric of time is manipulated by common household appliances.Soon Hannah and Amanda are joined by four other survivors from their world—a mordant cartoonist, a shy teenage girl, a brilliant young Australian, and a troubled ex-prodigy. Hunted by enemies they never knew they had and afflicted with temporal abilities they never wanted, the sisters and their companions begin a cross-country journey to find the one man who can save them—before time runs out.
The Last Watch
J.S. Dewes - 2021
The Last Watch, where a handful of soldiers stand between humanity and annihilation.The Divide.It’s the edge of the universe.Now it’s collapsing—and taking everyone and everything with it.The only ones who can stop it are the Sentinels—the recruits, exiles, and court-martialed dregs of the military.At the Divide, Adequin Rake, commanding the Argus, has no resources, no comms—nothing, except for the soldiers that no one wanted.They're humanity's only chance.
Lost Things
Melissa Scott - 2012
What they awakened had been drowned for two thousand years. For a very good reason.Veteran aviator Lewis Segura has been drifting since the Great War ended, fetched up at last at the small company run by fellow veterans and pilots Alma Gilchrist and Mitchell Sorley, assisted by their old friend Dr. Jerry Ballard, an archeologist who lost his career when he lost part of his leg. It’s a living, and if it’s not quite what any of them had dreamed of, it’s better than much that they’ve already survived. But Lewis has always dreamed true, and what he sees in his dreams will take them on a dangerous chase from Hollywood to New York to an airship over the Atlantic, and finally to the Groves of Diana Herself….The world is full of lost treasures. Some of them are better off not found.
First King of Shannara
Terry Brooks - 1996
If the peoples of the Four Lands are to escape eternal subjugation, they must unite. But they need a weapon, something so powerful that the evil Magic of Brona will fail before its might.
The Black Prism
Brent Weeks - 2010
He is high priest and emperor, a man whose power, wit, and charm are all that preserves a tenuous peace. Yet Prisms never last, and Guile knows exactly how long he has left to live.When Guile discovers he has a son, born in a far kingdom after the war that put him in power, he must decide how much he's willing to pay to protect a secret that could tear his world apart.
Where the Ships Die
William C. Dietz - 1996
There are only four known wormholes in existence. But the location of one of them is hidden in a veil of mystery, lost in a conspiracy of murder. Its power belong to the first human who finds it--or the alien race who would kill for it.
The Magic of Recluce
L.E. Modesitt Jr. - 1991
But in Recluce a change in circumstances means taking one of two options: permanent exile from Recluce or the dangergeld, a complex, rule-laden wanderjahr in the lands beyond Recluce, with the aim of learning how the world works and what his place in it might be. Many do not survive. Lerris chooses dangergeld. When Lerris is sent into intensive training for his quest, it soon becomes clear that he has a natural talent for magic. And he will need magic in the lands beyond, where the power of the Chaos Wizards reigns unchecked. Though it goes against all of his instincts, Lerris must learn to use his powers in an orderly way before his wanderjahr, or fall prey to Chaos.
The Fall of Neskaya
Marion Zimmer Bradley - 2001
Set in the tumultuous era of The Hundred Kingdoms, a terrible time of strife and war, this unique fantasy world is divided into a mutlitude of small belligerent domains vying for power and land. One ambitious and corrupt tyrant will stop at nothing to control Darkover-even wield the terrifying weapons of the matrix.