For ten long years young Dirk Blackthorn has followed his drunken father from one city to another, always having to cheat and steal for his next meal, and never knowing what the future might hold. A magician turned con artist, Dirk’s father Thad has taught him everything he knows. After being driven out of just about every southern city in Agora, they have come to Kell-Torey in search of a new beginning. With winter on its way, and all but a rusty coin spent on his father’s drinking, Dirk must make full use of his skills if they are to survive the harsh northern cold. As Thad descends deeper into his drunken delirium, Dirk becomes determined to make a name for himself in the city’s criminal underworld. Featuring two of Legends of Agora’s most beloved characters, Blackthorn Rising is a fast-paced coming of age tale wrought with sword and sorcery, it is a story of failure and triumph, and a testament to the unrelenting spirit of defiance and adventure within us all. FROM THE EDITOR Blackthorn Rising is a book that sticks with you. Michael Ploof’s stimulating prose and evocative cast of characters are incapable of boring you on any single page. The plot is sharp, charged with dark wit, adventure, intrigue, and emotion. Enjoy Dirk Blackthorn’s bumbling journey to manhood as he rises to become a great thief, and an even greater man. I loved every minute of editing this tale, and I know you’ll love every minute of reading it. --Holly M. Kothe, espressoeditor.com

    So, as you will see, you being here will be quite a treat for all of the monsters. While some of the monsters will love your company in their quaint little world, there are others that may not take too kindly to seeing you. The royal guard will see you don’t live long if they catch you. You’ll be faced with countless trials and tasks in the Underground, and just like in the human world, you’ll have choices to make when you face these trials. Do you run, or do you fight? Do you hide in a closet, or do you eat the cheese that you found in your coat pocket from last year?

     A beautiful slave girl. A missing royal daughter. A carefully wrought revenge.Iceland in the 10th century. There is nothing unusual in a wealthy farmer returning home with a slave girl, even if she is a mute. But she conceals a secret that will echo across the oceans.Based on an episode from the great Icelandic Sagas, The Tale of Melkorka will grip you with an unfolding mystery of loss, triumph, and the rough justice of revenge. Melkorka's world awaits you...

    Raised by a master assassin then barely escaping with his life after a betrayal by his own guild, he finds himself with a new mission and a chance to start a new life in a far away land. Will he survive this new school of magic? Can he, with the help of some new friends, find a way to heal from the past? Will this place prove to be too much of a challenge for this boy, this weapon?

    

    That was two months ago. His walkabout is far more complicated than he'd imagined, but he was determined to rise to the challenge.There were a few problems coming for him, not the least of which is his secrets unraveling which would stress his relationship with the crown. Daca was getting unruly, and it looked like his enemy was about to change tactics on him, since he’d managed to foil their every attempt to dishonor or kill him from afar.If that wasn’t enough, another monster comes on the scene, a match for his true form, and perhaps the most dangerous one yet. Never mind needing to face more lesser dragons and even greater threats. Join Muranth as he tries to tame these problems and secure his walkabout from further meddling for once and for all. Content Warning: Not suitable for children. This is a monster harem story with explicitly mature scenes between a man and a woman, and other mature content. You have been warned.

     George Elder is a man torn between two worlds. In one, he’s a hard-working auto mechanic and wounded war veteran with a mysterious past. In the other he’s a young Weapons Master, just starting out in life. The problem is that he doesn’t know which is real. If either of them actually is. Regardless, if his home in either world is going to survive, George is going to have to become something that he’s never tried to be in either life. A hero.

    If anyone did manage to escape his imagined attack long enough to attempt to swim ashore, Fox would push him under. His attitude was understandable, for he was still angered and aching from a whipping. He was only eleven years old and a powder monkey, one of the lowest forms of life afloat. Such was the beginning of Fox's career in the Royal Navy.In a short time, however, he would rise through the ranks. He would survive the brutality of bigger men and demanding officers. He would acquit himself bravely amidst the crashing chaos of cannonfire and hand-to-hand combat. He would battle the French, the Spanish, the Americans ... any enemy who dared to risk his wake.He would become the toughest bastard who ever walked the rolling deck of a fighting ship!Adam Hardy was a pen name used by Kenneth Bulmer (1921-2005). A prolific writer, Bulmer wrote over 160 novels and innumerable short stories, both under his real name and various pen names. He is best known for science fiction, including his long-running Dray Prescot series of planetary romances, but he wrote in many genres.

    But with magical knowledge at an all-time low in this new era, no one recognizes Matthias's crest for what it is, and it will be an uphill battle for the twelve-year-old sage to prove his greatness to everyone! Fortunately, he's well on his way, having enrolled at the Second Royal Academy as a scholarship student and begun his new school life with the lovely Lurie and Alma in tow!

    But he came from London's East End and settled in the north, a mean, dark, secretive man who was interested only in lining his pockets at the expense of those around him - most especially his wife and daughters. Ellen, his wife, bore with him for years, until she found her children threatened. Then she was prepared to fight like a tigress to protect the four girls, give them a chance of a new and better life, a chance to escape from the evil and oppressive legacy of Billy London. There was Abigail, clever, ambitious, and with an outer shell of steel that life had taught her was necessary if she was to survive. Tishy, overwhelmingly lovely, who lived in a world all her own. Marie, brisk, capable, and nearly strong enough to defy her father on her own. And Theresa, more wounded, more vulnerable, more damaged by Billy than any of them. As the sirens of 1939 heralded the advent of war, so Billy London's girls began their own battle for new, triumphant, and fulfilling lives.

    This study guide includes the following sections: Plot Summary, Chapter Summaries & Analysis, Characters, Objects/Places, Themes, Style, Quotes, and Topics for Discussion.

    The kingdom of Kalinga though a maritime superpower remained secluded and reclusive to the other nations of Bharat. This was not by chance, but by choice, as this holy land was fulfilling a prophecy that could become the basis of existence for the entire humankind after the Kali Yuga ends. The first book of the Konark Secret Duology is the tale of Bishnu Maharana, the chief architect of the Konark Temple. This is his journey about how he became a master architect and the secrets he unravels while constructing this shrine. Was this temple just a grand monument or were there secrets behind its construction? Why was an unusual technique being used for its creation, when there were tried and tested methods? Did this monument hold some secret within itself? Was Bishnu Maharana an architect or a man of secrets?

     Moody Dragons. Snarky Elves. Fierce Mermaids. And two unlikely heroes who are fated to save them all. This complete boxset includes the following full-length novels: Book 1: The Prince Returns Book 2: The Elven Alliance Book 3: The Mere Treaty Book 4: The Crowns' Accord

    Novel-Ties study guides contain reproducible pages in a chapter by chapter format to accompany a work of literature of the same title.

    She brought me back from the brink of death, only to become my life...The woman is my only connection to what lies beyond this cell.I need her to learn what happened to:My House.My brethren.My brother.Then I find myself wanting her for other things.Things that have nothing to do with freedom.And everything to do with the female.Her tender smile warming me.Her gentle touch soothing me.Her passionate kiss igniting me.All of these threaten to ruin my plans.But does the future matter if she's not by my side?Will I be forced to leave her behind?Not if the goddess of fate is real.So I pray.