He had more than his share of adventure when he went by the name Will Scarlet and fought corrupt authority alongside Robin Hood. Now widowed and alone, and estranged from his adult daughter, he has taken holy orders and sought refuge in a remote Benedictine abbey.But even there, trouble and violence follow him. The abbot, John de Wystow, is a good man but a weak leader, and easily undermined by a faction of dissident monks. When the rebels, led by Brother Robert de Flexburgh, run riot in the local community—stealing, drinking, fornicating—Scaflock’s old instincts return. Reluctantly taking charge of the abbey’s moral defence, he finds himself embroiled in a series of fierce clashes with de Flexburgh’s rowdy gang.As the abbey’s tranquillity is shattered, its cloisters stained with blood, Scaflock is forced to reconsider the direction of his life. Has he really left Will Scarlet behind him—or has he simply been running from reality?

    He is also a man of suspended beliefs, with a unique outlook on the universe. He works in Arcana City; a city that never sleeps. Unfortunately, it also never cleans its teeth or takes showers.When the daughter of one of his previous clients gets kidnapped by a high-ranking demon-lord, Jack is hired to find her, rescue her and then keep her out of the clutches of the underworld. He is helped along the way by Collymoddle, an eccentric professor; Helen Hiwater, a museum curator; and Zak, a demon he shares an uneasy alliance with.Things get even more complicated when Jack discovers that the demon-lord’s ambitions are greater by far than the fate of a single girl, which leaves the detective the unenviable task of coming up with a fee for saving the whole world.To be successful Jack will need to do battle with demons, hellhounds, a homicidal fast-food proprietor, the most negligent bartender in the known world, annoying dramatic ambience, and many other obstacles besides.And if that wasn’t enough to be getting on with, he’s also been forced into taking on another case, looking for an elderly lady’s lost cat.

    They could spend the rest of their lives here in peace. But apparently there are many more people who, like them, have been sent to alien systems without a return ticket and without being asked - castaways with uncertain fates who need their help.Their alien rescuers generously offer to take them on a search in one of their spaceships. Although the trio doesn’t know whether their hosts are acting out of altruism, they embark on an odyssey with dangers so unpredictable that the saga is indeed written in the stars.The Proxima Logfiles is a multi-part series based on the Proxima Trilogy, but can be read independently. Star Trek meets Lost in Space – reimagined with the scientific and technical realism of hard science fiction.

    Responding to the crash, the primitive earthlings discover the ship's commander Valerie Dunne is a 5,000-year-old woman from the future, forced to escape her nemesis, the Boecki, by hiding in the past. Soon they learn the fate of the future world now rests on this strange woman's ability to harness five Hesaurun rings - rings with the power to destroy, heal, and manipulate time - and somehow, to find a way to alter her own destiny.An epic Sci-Fi tale of good and evil, rescue and survival, betrayal and love, and a threat to mankind unlike anything the human race has ever faced, The Rings of Hesaurun: Book One burns with the scope and imagination of the greatest Fantasy novels of the golden age. Weaving in a huge cast of humans and aliens, Peter Harrett has crafted a galaxy for readers of the 21st century to believe in...immense, ancient, and mind-bending.

    With the help of her mother, Akira flees her tyrannical father. However, her escape does not go as she planned and Akira finds herself among a group of warriors led by a dashing young leader who encourages her to fulfill her destiny on her own terms. This warrior will test Akira's will and spirit and force her to reconsider her opinions towards men. But Akira's father will stop at nothing to bring her back.

    But for thousands of years the prosperous land of Farsala has felt no such need, as it has enjoyed the peace that comes from being both respected and feared.Now a new enemy approaches Farsala's borders, one that neither fears nor respects its name and legend. But the rulers of Farsala still believe they can beat any opponent.Three young people are less sure of Farsala's invincibility. Jiaan, Soraya and Kavi see Time's Wheel turning, with Farsala headed toward the Flames of Destruction. What they cannot see is how inextricably their lives are linked to Farsala's fate—until it's too late.In Fall of a Kingdom, the first volume of The Book of Sorahb, Hilari Bell introduces readers to a world of honor, danger, and magic in the spellbinding tale of self-discovery.

    NIMBUS is steampunk for people who don't know they like steampunk, as well as being steampunk for people who already love steampunk!--Seedy corporations and airship factions, demons and rogues, zealots and thieves…Nimbus is an epic tale of power, greed, and corruption.Jude Finley is a new recruit aboard the Gangly Dirigible, an airship that extracts water from rainclouds. While working aboard the ship, Jude and his friends uncover a secret which may or may not help them against a growing uprising that could spell doom for everyone on the planet. Meanwhile, Demetrius Rucca, the wheelchair-bound son of a prominent religious leader, begins recruiting followers for his own subversive cause. As allegiances are sworn to him and his followers grow, he begins to discover the new powers that lie within him. This power could be the salvation Demetrius is looking for–or it could be the destruction of the known world.

    He was far from home in more ways than one. He could not complain as it was mostly of his own doing. However, when he met Canee, who was half his age but liked being with him, things started to change in an interesting way. Then there was Sklar. He wanted Canee so much that he was prepared to kill for her. Then there was the sheer need to survive. What followed was an epic tale of adventure, action, innovation, and death that was not of this time.

    The story reveals the origins of Scoresby's friendship with Iorek Byrnison as well as Scoresby's aeronautical career.After winning his hot-air balloon in a poker game, Scoresby finds himself floating north. On the Arctic island of Novy Odense, Scoresby and his dæmon Hester become involved in a deadly plot involving an oil magnate, a corrupt mayoral candidate, and a hired killer who is Lee's longtime nemesis from the Dakota Country. Forming an alliance with one of the island's reviled armored bears, Scoresby fights to break up the conspiracy.This clothbound volume features the illustrations of John Lawrence, a removable board game on the inside back cover, and the story that offers a glimpse into the origins of the friendship of two beloved characters in the His Dark Materials trilogy.

    ENTRY #10 IN MERCEDES LACKEY'S CELEBRATED SERRATED EDGE URBAN FANTASY SERIES! Deeply depressed Olivia, whose parents are divorcing, is ripe for manipulation. And swimming star Blake is looking for someone just like her. Although her friend tries to warn her, Olivia falls for his ploys and accepts an invitation to go to the Adirondack resort camp of Lake Endor with him and his family. But all is not as it seems at the hundred year old resort. Not only does Olivia discover that Blake is not the guy she thought he was, there is something sinister afoot at the lake. There is something lying beneath the waters of Lake Endor. Something not of this world. Will Olivia be drawn under or will she allow true friends to draw her from the lure of oblivion? At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management). About The Waters and the Wild: "Impressive worldbuilding . . . series fans will no doubt find plenty to enjoy."—Publishers Weekly About Mercedes Lackey: "She'll keep you up past your bedtime."—Stephen King "A writer whose work I've loved all along"—Marion Zimmer Bradley "With [Mercedes Lackey], suspense never lags..." —Kliatt "[C]omes together seamlessly. . .an awesome and lightning-paced story: read it on a day when you will not have to put it down."–San Francisco Book Review on World Divided About Rosemary Edghill: “Edghill has a chatty, witty style that keeps the action fast-paced.” —USA Today Mercedes Lackey is the New York Times best-selling author of the Bardic Voices series and the Serrated Edge series (both Baen), the Heralds of Valdemar series, and many more. She's the coauthor of the contemporary meta-hero SF series The Secret World Chronicle. Among her popular Baen titles are The Fire Rose, The Lark and the Wren, and also The Shadow of the Lion and Burdens of the Dead with Eric Flint and Dave Freer. She lives in Oklahoma. Rosemary Edghill is the keeper of the Eddystone Light, corny as Kansas in August, normal as blueberry pie, and only a paper moon. She was found floating down the Amazon in a hatbox, and, because criminals are a cowardly and superstitious lot, she became a creature of the night (black, terrible). She began her professional career working as a time-traveling vampire killer and has never looked back. A woman of many, many talents, she’s written more than a dozen novels with Mercedes Lackey.

    He only knew that he had not found it.Shadow Moon has been away from America for nearly two years. His nights are broken with dangerous dreams. Sometimes he almost believes he doesn't care if he ever returns home.In the Highlands of Scotland, where the sky is pale white and it feels as remote as any place can possibly be, the beautiful and the wealthy gather at a grand old house in the glen. And when the strange local doctor offers him work at the party, Shadow is intrigued. He knows there is no good reason for him to be there. So what do they want with him?

    It was also prophesied that this night would witness the return of Emperor Kellanved, and there are those prepared to do anything to prevent this from happening…Ian C. Esslemont co-created the world of Malaz with his friend Steven Erikson, and Esslemont’s Novels of the Malazan Empire are set in the same world as Erikson’s Malazan Book of the Fallen.Other Tor books by Ian C. EsslemontPath to Ascendancy Dancer’s Lament Deadhouse Landing Other books in the world of Malaz by Steven Erikson Malazan Book of the Fallen Gardens of the Moon Deadhouse Gates Memories of Ice House of Chains Midnight Tides The Bonehunters Reaper’s Gale Toll the Hounds Dust of Dreams The Crippled God The Kharkanas Trilogy Forge of Darkness Fall of Light Walk in Shadow* At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

     Finding out early was a gift, surviving impact night was a miracle, living to tell the tale, well, that was the price I will pay, forever. There’s no going back now.” Award winning author*, Matt Pike, takes you on a journey to the end of the world and beyond, as told through the eyes of an Australian teenager, who records his experiences day by day in a survival diary. From the social chaos in suburban Adelaide in the lead-up, a night of total global catastrophe and the aftershocks as community and humanity crumble around him – the world changes forever. What’s left is a place where the conditions can kill you just as easily as the other survivors. Everything our teenager relied upon for survival in the pre-disaster world falls apart – utilities, community, environment – the only things that can keep him alive are his resources and resourcefulness. *2013 Global Ebook Awards: Gold Medal – Teen Literature Fiction for Kings of the World

    Please keep in mind that the story was intended to help a GM bring his players up to speed on the world if they haven’t read the books. There are a few goodies for those who want to know more about Kelsier, but this story is not meant to stand wholly on its own."~ Brandon Sanderson.

    Each night, the world is overrun by demons—bloodthirsty creatures of nightmare that have been hunting the surface for over 300 years. A scant few hamlets and half-starved city-states are all that remain of a once proud civilization, and it is only by hiding behind wards, ancient symbols with the power to repel the demons, that they survive. A handful of Messengers brave the night to keep the lines of communication open between the increasingly isolated populace. Briar Damaj is a boy of six in the small village of Bogton. Half Krasian, the village children call him Mudboy for his dark skin. When tragedy strikes, Briar decides the town is better off without him, fleeing into the bog with nothing but his wits and a bit of herb lore to protect him. After twenty years, Ragen Messenger has agreed to retire and pass on his route to his protégé, Arlen Bales. But for all that he’s earned the rest, he has no idea what to do with the rest of his life. When he learns Briar, the son of an old friend, is missing, Ragen is willing to risk any danger to bring him safely home.