Book picks similar to
The Unforgiven by Michael Anderle


fantasy
adventure
sword-and-sorcery
monster

Elseerian


Ben Hale - 2012
    On the brink of total victory, the black horde mysteriously vanished, leaving terrified survivors...and rumors. As the centuries passed, the holocaust faded into legend, and finally myth. But death is stalking heroes once more, and only a miracle will allow life to survive again..a miracle named Elseerian.

An Illusion of Thieves


Cate Glass - 2019
    When her brother, Neri, is caught thieving with the aid of magic, Romy's aristocratic influence is the only thing that can spare his life—and the price is her banishment.Now back in Beggar’s Ring, she has just her wits and her own long-hidden sorcery to help her and Neri survive. But when a plot to overthrow the Shadow Lord and incite civil war is uncovered, only Romy knows how to stop it. To do so, she’ll have to rely on newfound allies—a swordmaster, a silversmith, and her own thieving brother. And they'll need the very thing that could condemn them all: magic.

Reclaiming Honor


Marc Alan Edelheit - 2019
    Allen to deliver a fresh epic fantasy adventure, told from the perspective of dwarves. This action-packed series introduces a new hero, and fighter, Tovak Stonehammer. The dwarven nations are facing extermination. Their ancient enemy has returned. The Horde is coming and, along with it, a dark tide is spreading across the world of Tanis. One by one, the free peoples of the world have fallen under a shadow, crushed by the merciless boot of the Horde. The Syrulian Empire, the last buffer state between three dwarven nations and the advancing armies of the Horde, has fallen. Vastly outnumbered, the dwarves must undertake the Great March, uprooting their entire civilization in search of a new homeland. They hope to find a safe harbor beyond the reach of the enemy, for the nations are not strong enough to withstand the might of the Horde. Every sword is needed. A Pariah amongst his people, an outcast and undesirable, Tovak intends to serve and do his part. He must hide his true identity in hopes of making a name for himself and proving his worth. Punished for the actions of his father, something in which he had no part, he has suffered one setback, one injustice after another. Yet his faith in Thulla—the rejected god of his people—is strong and has kept him going. Tovak has pursued his dream of serving his people and working towards the day when he will be able to cast off the mantle of Pariah and build Legend of his own. Bearing the burden of his people’s disdain and his family’s disgrace, Tovak has joined a warband. Armed with his faith, determination, and courage, he must face heartless comrades, deadly monsters, and the enemy who would like nothing better than to place any dwarf’s head on a stake. Will Tovak rise to the occasion? Or will he falter and fall before the blades of the Horde or, worse, his own comrades when they discover the truth? Tovak must find a way to reclaim his honor and prove his worth. All the while, he might also be the key to his people’s salvation, or perhaps even their downfall … for a true god has taken an interest in him and his future. The path of destiny lies before him and so too does the Way of Legend. Set upon the world of Tannis, some years before the arrival of Karus and the Lost Legio IX, this book is a Last War Novel.

Crown of Bones


A.K. Wilder - 2021
    Your. Phantom.For fans of epic fantasies and sweeping adventures, this ensemble cast will immerse you in a world of unique magic, breathtaking action and unforgettable characters.In a world on the brink of the next Great Dying, no amount of training can prepare us for what is to come …A young heir will raise the most powerful phantom in all of Baiseen.A dangerous High Savant will do anything to control the nine realms.A mysterious and deadly Mar race will steal children into the sea.And a handsome guide with far too many secrets will make me fall in love.My name is Ash. A lowly scribe meant to observe and record. And yet I think I’m destined to surprise us all.

Stranger of Tempest


Tom Lloyd - 2016
    Failed by the nation he served and weary of the skirmishes that plague the continent's principalities, he walks the land in search of purpose. He wants for little so bodyguard work keeps his belly full and his mage-gun loaded. It might never bring a man fame or wealth, but he's not forced to rely on others or kill without cause. Little could compel Lynx to join a mercenary company, but he won't turn his back on a kidnapped girl. At least the job seems simple enough; the mercenaries less stupid and vicious than most he's met over the years. So long as there are no surprises or hidden agendas along the way, it should work out fine.

Assassin's Heart


Sarah Ahiers - 2016
    As a highly skilled member of one of these powerful clans, seventeen-year-old Lea Saldana has always trusted in the strength of her Family. Until she awakens to find them murdered and her home in flames. The Da Vias, the Saldanas’ biggest enemy, must be responsible—and Lea should have seen it coming. But her secret relationship with the Da Vias’ son, Val, has clouded her otherwise killer instinct—and given the Da Vias more reason than ever to take her Family down.Racked with guilt and shattered over Val’s probable betrayal, Lea sets out to even the score, with her heart set on retaliation and only one thought clear in her mind: make the Da Vias pay.

Jaunten


Honor Raconteur - 2011
    Now, all forms of magic are strictly forbidden. Anyone caught using magic, or possessing magical abilities, are immediately imprisoned and executed. For Garth, that policy is a problem. As Garth approaches his sixteenth birthday, he realizes that he definitely has magical abilities. What's worse, he has no control over them. In order to stay alive, he only has one choice—he must leave his homeland, Chahir, and flee into the neighboring country, Hain. The journey isn't an easy one; he still has to make it out of Chahir without alerting anyone as to his abilities. What Garth doesn't know is that getting to Hain, and the Academy for All Magic, is going to be the easy part. Garth goes into Hain for one reason only; he wants training for his out-of-control magical powers. So how does he become a member of an exclusive magical clan known as the Jaunten; adopted by a magically enhanced colt; best friends with a gifted Witch; and foster brother of a four year old Mage? Let's just say he has a gift for finding trouble.

Court of Fives


Kate Elliott - 2015
    But away from her family, she can be whomever she wants when she sneaks out to train for the Fives, an intricate, multilevel athletic competition that offers a chance for glory to the kingdom’s best competitors.Then Jes meets Kalliarkos, and an improbable friendship between the two Fives competitors—one of mixed race and the other a Patron boy—causes heads to turn. When Kal’s powerful, scheming uncle tears Jes’s family apart, she’ll have to test her new friend’s loyalty and risk the vengeance of a royal clan to save her mother and sisters from certain death.In this imaginative escape into an enthralling new world, World Fantasy Award finalist Kate Elliott’s first young adult novel weaves an epic story of a girl struggling to do what she loves in a society suffocated by rules of class and privilege.

The Witch Hunter


Virginia Boecker - 2015
    But when she's accused of being a witch herself, Elizabeth is arrested and sentenced to burn at the stake.Salvation comes from a man she thought was her enemy. Nicholas Perevil, the most powerful and dangerous wizard in the kingdom, offers her a deal: he will save her from execution if she can break the deadly curse that's been laid upon him.But Nicholas and his followers know nothing of Elizabeth's witch hunting past--if they find out, the stake will be the least of her worries. And as she's thrust into the magical world of witches, ghosts, pirates, and one all-too-handsome healer, Elizabeth is forced to redefine her ideas of right and wrong, of friends and enemies, and of love and hate.Virginia Boecker weaves a riveting tale of magic, betrayal, and sacrifice in this unforgettable fantasy debut.

The Two Week Curse


Michael Chatfield - 2018
    Erik and Rugrat are not immune to those feelings, but they have stepped into chaos so many times, it is simply a different challenge. Two weeks ago, Erik lost his legs and his arm. Today he got a message. "You have been randomly selected to join the Ten Realms. One may choose to ascend the Ten Realms, thereupon making a request to the Gods of the Realms. Only those who are Level 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, and 90 may ascend to the next realm. Fortune favors the strong!” For a retired combat medic and Marine Recon sniper, the Ten Realms offer a clear challenge and sense of purpose that they had only found on the battlefield. How much trouble can you get into in a new realm?

The Desert of Souls


Howard Andrew Jones - 2011
    Charged with solving the puzzle, the scholar Dabir soon realizes that the tablet may unlock secrets hidden within the lost city of Ubar, the Atlantis of the sands. When the tablet is stolen from his care, Dabir and Captain Asim are sent after it, and into a life and death chase through the ancient Middle East.Stopping the thieves—a cunning Greek spy and a fire wizard of the Magi—requires a desperate journey into the desert, but first Dabir and Asim must find the lost ruins of Ubar and contend with a mythic, sorcerous being that has traded wisdom for the souls of men since the dawn of time. But against all these hazards there is one more that may be too great even for Dabir to overcome...

The White Tree


Edward W. Robertson - 2011
    In the kingdom of Mallon, all knowledge of the death god Arawn has been brutally quashed--but a teen named Dante has just found the dark god's holiest book.Within days, Dante's attacked in the streets. Not by the city guard. By Arawn's own servants, long-hidden. Two things save his life: a big-mouthed bodyguard named Blays, and his own growing skill with the nether, the shadowy power that fuels the world.But the attacks on Dante are just the first stirs of a larger threat. In the far north, Arawn's followers are rallied by a priestess named Samarand. Mallon is burning. To save their homeland, Dante and Blays will have to travel to a half-ruined city and assassinate the woman driving her people to war.

The Glass Spare


Lauren DeStefano - 2017
    Kept hidden from the world in order to serve as a spy for her father—whose obsession with building his empire is causing a war—Wil wants nothing more than to explore the world beyond her kingdom, if only her father would give her the chance.Until one night Wil is attacked, and she discovers a dangerous secret. Her touch turns people into gemstone. At first Wil is horrified—but as she tests its limits, she’s drawn more and more to the strange and volatile ability. When it leads to tragedy, Wil is forced to face the destructive power within her and finally leave her home to seek the truth and a cure.But finding the key to her redemption puts her in the path of a cursed prince who has his own ideas for what to do with her power.With a world on the brink of war and a power of ultimate destruction, can Wil find a way to help the kingdom that’s turned its back on her, or will she betray her past and her family forever?

Monster Hunter International


Larry Correia - 2009
    It turns out that monsters are real. All the things from myth, legend, and B-movies are out there, waiting in the shadows. Officially secret, some of them are evil, and some are just hungry. On the other side are the people who kill monsters for a living. Monster Hunter International is the premier eradication company in the business. And now Owen is their newest recruit. It’s actually a pretty sweet gig, except for one little problem. An ancient entity known as the Cursed One has returned to settle a centuries old vendetta. Should the Cursed One succeed, it means the end of the world, and MHI is the only thing standing in his way. With the clock ticking towards Armageddon, Owen finds himself trapped between legions of undead minions, belligerent federal agents, a cryptic ghost who has taken up residence inside his head, and the cursed family of the woman he loves. Business is good... Welcome to Monster Hunter International.

Ascend Online


Luke Chmilenko - 2016
    But from the moment that he logs in, Marcus finds himself separated from his friends and thrown into remote village under attack by a horde of goblins. Forced into battle, Marcus rallies the beleaguered villagers and with their help, manages to drive off the invading creatures. With the village in ruins and their supplies spoiled, the survivors desperately turn to Marcus for help in rebuilding the village. Realizing that this game is nothing like he's ever played before, Marcus is swept up into a whirlwind of adventure as he struggles to defend his new home, quickly finding that marauding goblins are the least of his problems.