Book picks similar to
Magician and Fool by Susan Wands


historical-fiction
tarot
fiction
historical-novel

Galdir: A Slave's Tale


Fredrik Nath - 2012
    A battle for power among Frankish warlords leads to a mass exodus across the Rhine... All the while, Marcus Aurelius' Roman army pushes further north, changing everything. These three events meet in a cataclysm that changes the course of history. In the background, the aging witch Chlotsuintha predicts it all. Or is she the one pulling the strings to shape her people's future?When Sextus escapes Rome with a pocketful of gold and a knife, how could he even have dreamt of what the fates might have in store for him?Pursued by Roman soldiers for the murder of his master, Sextus enlists the help of a retired gladiator, and falls in love with the gladiator's niece. An invading German army drives them further north, where Sextus discovers his true birthright, and his real name - Galdir. He becomes caught up in a bitter feud as one of the heirs of a dead Frankish warlord; but the blood feud must be put aside when the Romans invade and besiege the Frankish capital.'Galdir' is enthralling Roman fiction - a tale of love, brutal battles and conflict, in which a mystical prophecy winds its way through an epic saga of struggle against Rome, and the consequences of resistance by the Frankish people, its Warlord and its witches.

The Master Executioner


Loren D. Estleman - 2001
    Everything he does, he does impeccably. He is a profound student of his art, completely versed in its traditions over the centuries. He is a student of ropes and their properties, a master of the latest scientific knowledge about the human neck, a careful calculator of weights and drops, and an exacting observer of results.For more than a quarter of a century he has worked to create a reputation as a man peerless in his craft: the master executioner.Yet he is utterly alone: His devotion to his work costs him his marriage. Suddenly, one day, a piece of his past catches him unawares, and Oscar comes to a moment of devastating truth and for the first time knows himself.

Past Forward-A Serial Novel: Volume IV


Chautona Havig - 2012
    Jerked from a life of isolation with her mother, Willow learns what alone really means when she finds her mother still in her bed, never to awaken again in this life. From the moment Willow arrives in the police station with her startling announcement, Chad Tesdall fights the friendship he knows he can't avoid. This collection includes episodes fifteen through eighteen of Past Forward. In this volume, Chad and Willow start their life together. A surprise attack, Willow's first vacation, and a slow, gradual expansion of the farm brings more changes to Walden Farm. Follow as Willow's story unfolds past forward.

The Great Pagan Army


Vaughn Heppner - 2010
    They are the Great Pagan Army—the largest array of Vikings ever assembled into one host. No army or city can resist them; no one dares… until a crippled young count finds an old Roman book on tactics. With a handful of desperate knights, Count Odo fortifies the river fortress of Paris and awaits the savage host. Neither he nor the Vikings realize that this will be young Paris’s most brutal siege and of incredibly fateful importance. THE GREAT PAGAN ARMY is the recreation of a historical campaign of brutal savagery. It is a full novel, 113,000 words in length by bestselling author Vaughn Heppner.

Time of the Wolf


Elizabeth Harris - 1994
     Henry and Thea felt an almost supernatural attachment to the Fens of East Anglia and to the woman who guided them there - Florence, Henry’s grandmother. The two were fascinated by her stories of Dark-Ages passions, murder and betrayal. They knew that through her stories, Florence was trying to tell them something else, and that her interest in their growing love for each other seemed to have another dimension… Unknown to them, their passion had an extraordinary power — one that could awaken the ghosts of an evil that has survived the passing of the centuries. Tormented by visions of the past, knowing the future was not theirs, Henry and Thea are thrown back to the Dark-Age world of The House of the Wolf and a destiny from which only one person can save them … Praise for Elizabeth Harris '[Harris] writes these gorgeous books in modern day style, producing intense and beautiful tales of ancient charm' - Bangor Chronicle 'A worthy heir to Ellis Peters, though grittier, materialises' – Poison in the Pen 'Proof that a writer of medieval crime fiction can deliver something fresh' – The Times Elizabeth Harris was born in Cambridge and brought up in Kent, where she now lives. After graduation she did a variety of jobs including driving a van, being a lifeguard and working in the Civil Service. She has travelled extensively in Europe and America, and lived for some years in the Far East. Elizabeth Harris was one of the finalists of the 1989 Ian St James Awards. She is an acclaimed writer with many novels to her name. In The Quiet Earth, she deftly weaves the challenges and questions of modern life into those of the distant past, to deliver a story brimming with intrigue, history and romance. She is also the author of The Herb Gatherers.

Orphan Hero: A Novel of the Civil War


John Babb - 2015
    Thus begins a trip of constant struggle with disease, severe weather, hardship, Indian attack, and death on his lone journey across much of what is now the United States.B.F. spends the next eleven years in gold rush towns in California—first as a barber, then as a physician’s assistant—before departing for the Caribbean at age nineteen, where he becomes a blockade-runner during the American Civil War. At war’s end, he discovers that the men he had been dealing with were nothing more than common murderers and thieves—Bushwhackers.He travels to the Missouri Ozarks where he meets the girl of his dreams. But their romance is threatened when he finds himself battling a man from his past in order to safeguard his family and his future.Orphan Hero, based on the life of the author’s great-grandfather in the mid-nineteenth century, is a tale of courage and perseverance in the face of incredible hardship.Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade, Yucca, and Good Books imprints, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in fiction—novels, novellas, political and medical thrillers, comedy, satire, historical fiction, romance, erotic and love stories, mystery, classic literature, folklore and mythology, literary classics including Shakespeare, Dumas, Wilde, Cather, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

The Sisters' Grimoire


Suza Kates - 2014
    The Victorian house near the cliffs holds much more than painful memories, and when lightning strikes midnight, family secrets unfold. She and her sisters have no choice but to work together, as they find strength they never knew they had . . . and face danger from a place they never knew existed.

Acts of Faith


Davis Bunn - 2011
    Authors Davis Bunn and Janette Oke have woven an intriguing story featuring compelling fictional characters who interact with the men and women who were central to the rise of Christianity. Amid religious, political, and cultural persecution, these courageous few must shape and preserve a faith that will stand the test of time.

Ganesha’s Temple


Rohit Gaur - 2021
    You’re supposed to have faith.Not a lot is going right for Taran Sharma. First, he stole his annoying brother’s necklace and ran off into the night. Then, his family got taken hostage by spindly creatures of the dead. And to top it all, he’s just been charged with a mission by Lord Ganesha himself! Now, in order to rescue his family from the hands of the preta, he has to undertake a journey more fantastical than he can begin to comprehend.As Taran embarks on an epic voyage that may lead to disastrous consequence, he realizes that having faith, especially in himself, might be harder than he was led to believe.Dive into this riveting adventure to the Veiled Lands, replete with evil Naga armies, mythical creatures and a supervillain who will stop at nothing to reach the elusive Gateway of Moksha.

Dracula Chronicles, Son of the Dragon


Victor T. Foia - 2012
    While other stories have been told about the real Dracula, Foia's account benefits from the unique perspective of a Transylvanian native and neighbor of the dark prince. Under Foia’s pen, the “Dracula Chronicles” finally pierces the veil of mystery that has shrouded Dracula for over 500 years. The multivolume historical novel unfolds in vivid detail Dracula’s metamorphosis from a naïve and trusting prince to the ruthless law-and-order king whose deeds have spawned the enduring vampire legend. The series takes place on the backdrop of the dying Middle Ages and the blossoming of the Renaissance. It is replete with towering passions, unbridled ambitions, vile betrayals, and righteous revenge. And, as one would expect, blood. "Son of the Dragon", Book One of the series, provides a first ever origin story of the mysterious character whose fame has survived for half a millenium. It begins Dracula's epic journey that will ultimately see the young prince become the famed strongman, warrior, and object of women's desire who has conquered the imagination of millions. Skilled at arms and often reckless, young Dracula seeks out danger to prove his readiness to be a man. An avid reader of history and lover of languages, he uses wit to overcome impossible odds facing him. Then, with a single impulsive step he launches himself into a hostile world capable of devouring even the strongest men. The book resembles a chess game in the intricacy of its historical context lurking beneath the surface. Yet, written with an economy of words that belies its hidden complexity, it reads with the ease of a game of checkers, making it hard for the reader to put down.

The Willow Pool


Elizabeth Elgin - 2000
    But before Meg can take her first steps into the unknown alone, she must look to her past. Why, she wonders, did her mother wear a wedding ring but never marry? Why, for instance, does the tallyman never call at No. 3 Tippet's Yard to collect any rent? He does everywhere else. With Ma gone, Meg must go back to her roots to uncover her 'family tree'. However, the process of simplfying her life leads to unforseen complications. But there's always Kip, reliable and loving, to pick up the pieces of her unsolved life and love.

Flying Crows


Jim Lehrer - 2004
    “Birdie Carlucci” claims he has lived there since 1933, hiding out in the storeroom of a Harvey House restaurant. Kansas City cop Lieutenant Randy Benton decides to discover the truth behind Birdie’s tale—and finds himself on a ride that leads ever backward into our country’s bloodstained past.Benton’s investigation reveals the story of young Birdie, incarcerated in a brutal insane asylum where the preferred method of treatment is beating with a baseball bat. In that hopeless environment, though, he’s befriended by another patient, Josh Lancaster, once dismissed as a lost cause but snatched back from the brink by a compassionate doctor. But what is the secret of Lancaster’s involvement in an infamous Civil War encounter between Confederate bushwhackers and Union soldiers? And what truly happened after Birdie escaped from the asylum on the famous Flying Crow train?As Benton returns to the present day, he wonders: How much, if any of it, really took place? What were the true public and private traumas of these two troubled men who can’t forget what they’ve seen or merely imagined?Inspired by real events, Flying Crows is a novel that moves as inexorably as a train in the night to a shattering conclusion—one that reveals the many meanings of imprisonment and escape, and all the eccentricities and tragedies of the American soul.

Echo of Another Time


Audrey Howard - 1995
    Harper. By the age of 18 she has become a talented cook, but when she falls in love with a Latimer, all their lives change with frightening swiftness.

Jedi Academy 5: The Force Oversleeps


Jarrett Krosoczka - 2018
    

A Haven in Ash


Robert J. Crane - 2017
    A horde of beasts known only as the scourge has ravaged the land, leaving only the village of Terreas to survive. Hemmed in on all sides by the scourge, the denizens of Terreas eke out a lonely existence, trying to survive in a land that is all but dead. Jasen Rabinn is a teenage boy trapped in Terreas but with a mind rooted outside the boundaries of his village. He longs for adventure, and when the mysterious Baraghosa – a sorcerer of a sort not native to Luukessia – comes to Terreas, a chain of events is set in motion that will carry Jasen beyond his simple town. To adventure. To danger. To his destiny.