Aoth and his band of mercenaries, the Brotherhood of the Griffin, are hired to put a stop to a disturbing series of ritualistic killings. While they manage to defeat the perpetrators, Aoth can't seem to shake the feeling that there's more to these mysterious murders than meets the eye. Still, he resists the urge to investigate. After all, it's just business. Until an assassin's knife almost finds a home between his shoulder blades, and Aoth finds himself tangled in a lethal web of intrigue. "The Captive Flame" features the return of popular character Aoth and his mercenary band, the Brotherhood of the Griffin, introduced in Richard Lee Byers's trilogy The Haunted Lands. Deluxe, trade paperback packaging and Byers's signature twisted plots make this a must-have for all true Forgotten Realms(R) fans.

    However, while war among men boils forth, the Dark One once again grows powerful, and his minions begin to cast a wicked shadow over the land. New Spring is a graphical adaptation of the best-selling prequel to Robert Jordan's acclaimed fantasy series, The Wheel of Time!

    The Godking's successful coup has left Kylar's master, Durzo, and his best friend, Logan, dead. He is starting over: new city, new friends, and new profession. But when he learns that Logan might actually be alive and in hiding, Kylar is faced with an agonizing choice: will he give up the way of shadows forever and live in peace with his new family, or will he risk everything by taking on the ultimate hit? (Part 2 of 2)

    Howard’s Conan the Barbarian, Michael Moorcock’s Elric of Melniboné, Fritz Leiber’s Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser. Classic characters like these made sword and sorcery a storytelling sensation, a cornerstone of fantasy fiction — and an inspiration for a new generation of writers, spinning their own outsize tales of magic and swashbuckling adventure. Now, in the Book of Swords, acclaimed editor and bestselling author Gardner Dozois presents an all-new anthology of original epic tales by a stellar cast of award-winning modern masters — many of them set in their authors’ best-loved worlds. Join today’s finest tellers of fantastic tales, including George R.R. Martin, K.J. Parker, Robin Hobb, Ken Liu, C.J. Cherryh, Daniel Abraham, Lavie Tidhar, Ellen Kushner, and more on action-packed journeys into the outer realms of dark enchantment and intrepid derring-do, featuring a stunning assortment of fearless swordsmen and warrior women who face down danger and death at every turn with courage, cunning, and cold steel.Contents:- The Best Man Wins by K.J. Parker- Her Father’s Sword by Robin Hobb- The Hidden Girl by Ken Liu- The Sword of Destiny by Matthew Hughes- "I Am a Handsome Man", Said Apollo Crow by Kate Elliott- The Triumph of Virtue by Walter Jon Williams- The Mocking Tower by Daniel Abraham- Hrunting by C.J. Cherryh- A Long, Cold Trail by Garth Nix- When I Was a Highwayman by Ellen Kushner- The Smoke of Gold Is Glory by Scott Lynch- The Colgrid Conundrum by Rich Larson- The King’s Evil by Elizabeth Bear- Waterfalling by Lavie Tidhar - The Sword Tyraste by Cecelia Holland- The Sons of the Dragon by George R.R. Martin

    When she goes up against Duke Orlanko's Concordat secret police, though, she may have taken on more than she bargained for...This is a prequel short story to The Thousand Names. It was released for free on io9 -- http://io9.com/the-coolest-fantasy-st... -- and is also available on the Kindle Store.

    novels. In the latest Vampire Files omnibus, Jack Fleming now runs his own nightclub while remaining a reluctant player in the politics of gangland Chicago in the 1930s. And wherever vampires and mobsters mix, there will be blood...

    But the power of an Adept was always bound to a Secret, and whoever discovered this sorcerer's Secret could steal away the Blue Star power, leaving the Adept defenseless, fit only for death.And Lythande's secret was perhaps the most dangerous of all, setting the mage apart from all humanity, forcing Lythande to war against spell beast, sorcerer, thief, swordsman, and the magic of the gods themselves.…As an added bonus, Lythande includes a special guest appearance by Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author Vonda N. McIntyre.Contents:The Secret of the Blue Star • (1979) • novelette by Marion Zimmer BradleyThe Incompetent Magician • (1983) • novelette by Marion Zimmer BradleySomebody Else's Magic • (1984) • novelette by Marion Zimmer BradleySea Wrack • (1985) • novelette by Marion Zimmer BradleyThe Wandering Lute • (1986) • novelette by Marion Zimmer BradleyLooking for Satan • (1981) • novella by Vonda N. McIntyre

    It starts slowly, but the progression is devastating. One dwarf has eyes that have become hard and glassy like marbles; a second dwarf has skin that flakes off in sharp, hardened scales; the skeleton of a third is petrified and fused in place; a fourth wastes away with blood that has turned dark and muddy.Clerical magic doesn't help. Neither do herbal remedies, nor spells meant to break curses. And in all cases, death is always the same--the heart blackens, hardens, and eventually stops beating, killing each victim with a heart attack and turning the bodies to stone.It's called the Stoneplague. It's terrifying. And it's spreading.

     The Kraken King, Part VIII The Kraken King and the Greatest AdventureArriving in Krakentown with their enemies in hot pursuit, Zenobia doesn’t know how they can even hope to win. Being terrified brings forth an undeniable truth: she loves Ariq and will do whatever it takes to stand by him.But as their adversaries appear on the horizon, they realize that not all is lost. Drawing on the power of the terrible war machine, Ariq, Zenobia, and the entire town must put their lives on the line to protect what they love…Includes a bonus excerpt of Meljean Brook’s “Here There Be Monsters.”

    Especially when you're Maggie MacKay and tasked with chaperoning the local high school Valentine's dance. Join Maggie and Killian on a holiday, short story adventure. Sometimes you wrestle with demons. And sometimes they just want to cuddle...A part of the Maggie MacKay: Holiday Special short story series. This stands independently from the main Magical Tracker series and can be read at any time and in any order.

    The favour is returned when the scout is saved by the Cheyenne and given mercy, but when he falls in love with the girl he saved he knows that the tribe will never allow them to be together. They escape, but are forced to abandon their flight when they encounter an omen telling them that she is pledged to another. This frontier tale soon becomes a violent present day manhunt through the Wild West. Part of the Storycuts series, this short story was previously published in the collection The Veteran.

    Battling blistering heat, starvation, wild animals, and despair, he is not comforted by the company of a rough and ready sort named Morrison. Soon Durham begins to suspect he may never return home—and to top it all off the tea has almost run out. Tales from the Archives are short stories set in the world of the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences. They explore events mentioned in the novels, characters seen and unseen and may include novel teasers of things to come.

    

    A long life of death and fighting will wear on anyone. When Cassel brings light to a lonely life of darkness, she can no longer resist the temptation. But Yrlissa is not a typical assassin, and her past life, long forgotten, will threaten her present.

    From the whispering corridors of abandoned hospitals to the shrieking dungeons of ghostly castles, this collection of sinister stories further explores the unspeakable evil at large in the Warhammer worlds. Contains the following stories; Lora Gray - He Feasts Forever Ray Cluley - Flesh and Blood Richard Strachan - The Growing Seasons David Annandale - The Hunt Steven Sheil - The Healer Nick Kyme - Stitches Peter McLean - Blood Sacrifice Jake Ozga - Supplication David Annandale - The Summons of Shadows C. L. Werner - A Sending from the Grave David Annandale - From the Halls, the Silence Justin D. Hill - The Confession of Convict Kline