Defying the new.The making of a legend—and a truly innovative re-imagining of Robin Hood. Rob of Loxley and his older sister Marion have been groomed from birth to take their parents’ places within the Old Religion. Despite this, when Rob finds an injured nobleman’s son in the forest, neither he nor Marion understand what befriending young Gamelyn could mean for the future of their beliefs. Already the ancient spirits are fading beneath the iron of nobleman’s politics and the stones of Church subjugation. More, the druid elders warn that Rob and Gamelyn are cast as sworn adversaries, locked in timeless and symbolic struggle for the greenwood’s Maiden. Instead, in a theological twist only a stroppy dissident could envision, Rob swears he’ll defend the sacred woodland of the Horned God and Lady Huntress to his last breath—if his god will let him be lover, not rival, to the one fated as his enemy.But in the eyes of Gamelyn’s Church, sodomy is unthinkable... and the old pagan magics are an evil that must be vanquished. ------ With a truly original take on the Robin Hood legends, this historical fantasy series sets Robin the outlaw archer as a queer, chaotic-neutral druid; Marion as pagan queen who is sister but not wife, and their consort a Christian--and thusly conflicted--nobleman.

    But despite his skill and strength, Markus is unable to confront his tyrannical father. Shamed by his cowardice, he distracts himself by needlessly shooting the forest creatures.When Markus takes no heed of the village prophet's warning that his actions will attract The Hunter's Curse-for every animal Markus kills, his loved ones will suffer the same fate-the Sky Goddess unleashes her ice dragon. Now, Markus must flee the dragon without killing it ... or his beloved brother will be the next to die.

    Delany appropriated the conceits of sword-and-sorcery fantasy to explore his characteristic themes of language, power, gender, and the nature of civilization. Wesleyan University Press has reissued the long-unavailable Nevèrÿon volumes in trade paperback. The eleven stories, novellas, and novels in Return to Nevèrÿon's four volumes chronicle a long-ago land on civilization's brink, perhaps in Asia or Africa, or even on the Mediterranean. Taken slave in childhood, Gorgik gains his freedom, leads a slave revolt, and becomes a minister of state, finally abolishing slavery. Ironically, however, he is sexually aroused by the iron slave collars of servitude. Does this contaminate his mission - or intensify it? Presumably elaborated from an ancient text of unknown geographical origin, the stories are sunk in translators' and commentators' introductions and appendices, forming a richly comic frame.

    For Nicolas Rathe, the wiry, street-smart pointsman with a strong sense of justice, the fair means more work: keeping the peace, preventing the pickpockets from getting too bold, and tracking down runaway youths and apprentices. But this year the number of missing children is far larger than usual; someone has been stealing them away without a trace and the populace is getting angry. At least the children are alive, Rathe knows, even though it adds to the mystery; the necromancers have not noticed any new ghosts of children.To complicate matters, the citizens have another good reason to be anxious: theirs is a world ruled by the stars, and the heavens are now in a transition that heralds an upheaval in the Kingdom and possibly even the death of the reigning Queen. Contenders for the throne are jockeying for position, each claiming that her stars are the luckiest and most suited for the position.Rathe suspects that the astrological portents and the missing children are linked, but has no idea how. With the unlikely help of Philip Eslingen, a handsome, out-of-work soldier, Rathe must find the children and stop whatever dark plans are being hatched before the city explodes into chaos.

    Snowdenaelikk, half-blood conjuror and smuggler, cares less about history than the silver she can win with sharp metal and sharper wits. But when the local legion blames her for burning a village, an outlander with a sense of honor intervenes, and Snow finds herself tangled in politics and an unwelcome partnership.Snow and her new partner, Veiko, together with the legion scout Dekklis, uncover a conspiracy that will destroy the Republic from within. It seems that the goddess is back from wherever dead gods go. She has not forgotten the Republic, and she wants revenge.Loyal Dekklis will do anything to save the Republic, and Snow reluctantly agrees to help—until she realizes that “anything” means sacrificing Veiko. Now Snow must decide whether her partner’s life is worth betraying her allies and damning the Republic to war.

    Where young Prince Gwydion, stuck with ruling the Dominion, is finding his reign...eventful. Where strange Things keep turning up. Plagues of monsters. The arrival of a ravenous Great Dragon. And where a mysterious young woman who claims to be Gwydion's long-lost -- indeed, quite unsuspected--sister. It's enough, Gwydion thinks, to make a ruler want to find a nice long errand that'll take him away from his homeland for a spell...

    But playing by the rules won’t silence the beating of hell’s blackest hearts… 3 immersive novels. 1,000+ pages of demons and dark reckonings. The Hunter spills blood to quiet the voices in his head. With his cursed dagger by his side, the feared assassin vows his ruthless gift will only strike down the wicked. So when dark enemies trick him into taking an innocent life, he unleashes the full force of his rage. Devastated by his irreversible actions, he won’t stop until he dismantles the evil syndicate that deceived him. With each traitorous criminal he cuts down, the more determined he is to expose the secrets of the killing blade that torments his mind. Will the truth set him free or seal his eternal damnation? Darkblade Avenger: Defenders of Legend Omnibus #1 is a boxed set containing three action-packed epic fantasy novels. If you like graphic battles, sprawling settings, and quests for redemption, then you’ll love Andy Peloquin’s thrilling series. Buy Darkblade Avenger to watch an assassin get his revenge today!

    BENDE    Erik held me until my shoulders stopped shaking--whether it was a minute or an hour, I couldn't tell. The only things I knew for sure were:         (1) I was trapped a thousand years in the past, with little hope of ever going home. And,         (2) I was wrapped in the arms of the most absurdly gorgeous Viking to have ever walked the face of the Earth.     Maybe my old life was overrated. When seventeen-year-old Saga Skånstad discovers an antique dagger, she's instantly sucked into a world where Vikings rule the seas and dragons roam the skies, and the only thing more dangerous than the chief who takes her captive is the rival who steals her away. The heir of Norway's most feared tribe is fierce, cold, and absolutely unyielding. With intruders encroaching upon his borders, Erik Halvarsson has little patience for the girl whose ignorance threatens his very existence. He enlists Saga in the magical Valkyris Academy, where she learns the skills she'll need to protect herself from foreign raiders and domestic terrors. But nothing can protect her from falling for the one guy in all the world she's absolutely forbidden to choose . . . or from risking everything to unlock the secrets that haunt him. When darkness threatens Saga's new home, she must decide whether to return to the life she's always known, or fight for a love she never could have imagined. Her decision will determine a legacy--not only for Saga, but for the world she never knew she was fated to lead.

    For Tom the big city is a daydream of opening nights and bright theater lights.But when Tom meets Cloud Coldmoon — infamous and handsome heir to a criminal syndicate — everything changes. Suddenly suspected of murder, Tom must flee to the only city where his kind are common.Filled with shapeshifters, con men, mobsters and ruled by the vengeful Coldmoon Family, Riverside is as perilous as it is alluring. Tom seeks refuge in the Turnskin Theatre, where his shape-changing skills can be put to good use on and off the stage.Here he has a chance to fulfill his dreams of stardom and romance, but only if he can stay one step ahead of police and criminals alike, otherwise the next shape he takes could be his last.

    Six deadly rivals. A world she never knew existed.Sixteen-year-old Ana is a waitress, foster kid, and liar. She might also be the sole heir to a crown on another planet. A crown she never asked for or even wanted.One year after her mom's death, Ana discovers her mom's biggest secret-- she was a political refugee from a planet called Bellaton. Ana's family was one of seven that ruled before they were picked off one by one.Now, with assassins after her, Ana could be next. With the help of a dazzling array of friends and enemies, Ana must discover her magical "gift"… or risk being named an imposter.In this world of breathtaking beauty, charm, and magic, will Ana be able to tell friend from foe, reveal her would-be assassin, and take the crown?Travel to a glittering, dangerous world with political alliances and ballgowns, perfect for fans of Red Queen and The Selection.

    But when Tornor is overrun by raiders, a young prince is the tower's last hope-in an enchanting story of a time far removed from ours, and a land alive with warriors, lovers, war and honor. The Watchtower is the first in the memorable Chronicles of Tornor Trilogy by one of speculative fiction's most honored and exciting voices.

    Word spreads quickly from the Fortress of the Empress, through the dark streets of Lucien, and to the far corners of the Empire of Ages. The Children are summoned to the Fortress, and the people talk in muffled whispers, if they dare to talk at all, of secret plots and ancient prophecies. Some say the Prince was murdered, others that he was kidnapped; but underneath it all runs a darker word, one full of terrifying possibility:Exile.Rumor begets rumor, and soon the whisper of truth is lost in the swirling winds of growing fear. For the Prince of Ravens is the prophesied Lord of Death, and on his shoulders rests the fate of the Empire.

    But when his first guardianship turns out to be more treacherous than he'd bargained for, Scorch finds himself in league with an unlikely companion—the mysterious Vivid, a man as attractive as he is ill-tempered. Assassins, monsters, and fearsome elementals await them on their quest to save the High Priestess, but the greatest danger of all may lie in the discovery of Scorch's darkest secret.

    But that was before. For the sky is now tainted, and the people deprived of their creators overnight have been orphans for nearly two centuries. Since that fateful day, the Corruption has reigned over the world. It defiled the clouds, covered the lands with a veil of darkness. The first conflicts arose in the east of the Coroman continent, some under the impulse of beliefs calling for blood and flames. As hatred continues to spread, the vanished Gods no longer answering any prayers, some fight for a peaceful life.In the midst of this madness, two children meet each other. One of them is human.The other is nichan.The boys are two opposite minds and fates, yet connected irrevocably. The days, then the passing years bring them together. But life reminds them of their differences and works to crush the remnants of their innocence. Between joys and sorrows, friendship and savagery, a smile is sometimes enough to change everything…Trigger Warning: this novel contains graphic violence, violence against children and animals, explicit sexual content (including sexual violence and underage sex), and explicit language. Reader discretion is advised.

    . . or destroy it?Among the Academy's warrior-thieves, Annev de Breth is an outlier. Unlike his classmates who were stolen as infants from the capital city, Annev was born in the small village of Chaenbalu, was believed to be executed, and then unknowingly raised by his parents' killers.Seventeen years later, Annev struggles with the burdens of a forbidden magic, a forgotten heritage, and a secret deformity. When he is subsequently caught between the warring ideologies of his priestly mentor and the Academy's masters, he must choose between forfeiting his promising future at the Academy or betraying his closest friends. Each decision leads to a deeper dilemma, until Annev finds himself pressed into a quest he does not wish to fulfil.Will he finally embrace the doctrine of his tutors, murder a stranger, and abandon his mentor? Or will he accept the more difficult truth of who he is . . . and the darker truth of what he may become . . .