Book picks similar to
The Northmen by J.D. Franx


audible-plus
grimdark
high-fantasy
michael-read

Rawr


Eddie Generous - 2019
     Hunters come in droves but the beast proves itself too big and too cunning, using its fearsome teeth and claws to destroy the intruders. Many die and blood is spilled by the gallon, but has the beast met its match when a park ranger, an average joe, and a trail expert come together to predict where the beast will attack next?

Trinity


Luke Romyn - 2016
    Prepare to have your nerves shredded in this pulse-pounding race for answers. "If you love suspenseful, edge-of-your-seat, can't-put-it-down-action-packed-thrillers ... the type of book where you can't wait to get up in the morning and read more as soon as you wake up, this is the book for you!" -- Tony Kaup A young man wakes up knowing nothing other than the fact that three killers are stalking the country, and they have now set their sights on him. Chance Ripley is not ordinary. He sees things others can’t see and knows things he cannot possibly know. As time goes on, and the tangled threads of his memory begin to unravel, the brutal truth of his past slowly seeps through, and Chance learns that to remain still is to face certain death. For the visions tormenting him are no mere fantasies, no flits of his imagination sent to plague his waking hours. They are real, just as the horrors they show him are real, and if he refuses to act, more people will die, himself among them. The problem is, he can't escape; he's locked in an asylum. "As usual, Romyn doesn't give the reader much chance to breathe once the action starts... If you're still thinking about a book several weeks later, it's done its job. I absolutely recommend this one!" -- Adina

Call of the Cherokee


F. Gardner - 2020
    After receiving an invitation, three friends decide to check out the theater, curious as to what all the hype's been about.Part of a series of interconnected horror novels that can be read in any order. Each book serves as a stand alone story, yet builds a greater picture behind a sinister mystery in Chicago.

Magician: Apprentice Riftwar Saga #1


Raymond E. Feist - 2006
    Feist's Riftwar Saga begins here! Pug and Tomas are two young boys in Crydee with dreams of becoming soldiers. Choosing different paths, Pug becomes a Magician Apprentice, but a menace from a different world will threaten all there is.

Cut and Cover: A Thriller


Kevin Hurley - 2014
    John Rexford is a retired Marine living in the Catskill Mountains of New York on disability. Even John’s girlfriend, Maggie, has no idea he’s really a CIA spook recruited in Afghanistan and assigned to kill enemies on US soil.With exemplary skills in hand-to-hand combat and small arms weaponry, John Rexford completes a string of successful kills, eliminating terrorists and their money supply in the New York Metropolitan area. With the FBI hot on his trail for these illegal assassinations, John must find a way to stop an international team of explosives experts from destroying New York City’s aqueducts, killing thousands with chlorine gas, and burning the five boroughs to the ground. During his mission, John runs afoul of a high level underworld assassin who uses his mastery of yoga to silently strangle his victims. When the assassin discovers John’s one liability—his girlfriend, Maggie—John will have to make a terrible choice between her life and the capture of her abductor.This tightly scripted story begins with a terrorist plot and gradually turns into a clash between two professional killers, with the lives of both John Rexford and Maggie hanging in the balance. As the characters collide with deadly force on the streets of New York in Cut and Cover, the line between right and wrong blurs, long-standing loyalties are questioned, and no one is really sure, even if they succeed, what the final outcome will be.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.

Blackthorn Rising: Legends of Agora


Michael James Ploof - 2015
     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

The Sleeping Gods Boxed Set: Books 1 - 2


Ralph Kern - 2021
    It is an enigma that a long-dead scientist called the Fermi Paradox."Where are they?" A brave crew will take humanity's first starship, Endeavour, on an epic journey that spans light years and centuries to solve this mystery. As Commander Tom Hites and his crew searches amid long-abandoned worlds and ancient relics, the question they seek to answer becomes: "Where are they now?"ErebusThe sparsely populated moon Io is destroyed in a terrorist attack. Hundreds are dead in the cataclysmic explosion. Thousands become refugees as the shattered remnants of the moon threaten the Jupiter Alliance. Billions throughout the solar system are wondering, "Where next?"Those responsible must be found and brought to justice. The explorer ship Erebus is reassigned from its mission and sent to Jupiter to investigate this atrocity with Trent's international team onboard. And what Trent discovers among the relics of the alien Sleeping Gods will change humanity's place in the universe forever.

Fire Mage


Trudi Jaye - 2016
    When royal assassins murder Thornal while trying to steal his powerful Book of Spells, Jena vows revenge on the man responsible—Prince Lothar, the next king of Ignisia.It’s a dangerous quest that will likely mean her life, but Jena has help in the form of her master’s familiar, an enormous raven, and also her own—completely forbidden—mage skills. If she can keep her secrets hidden, she might just get close enough to Lothar to obtain justice for Thornal’s death.Meanwhile failed mage Nate is a salt collector in the notoriously dangerous volcano mines, using his unique ability to call demons to keep himself alive. He emerges from his latest run to find everyone at the outpost dead, and royal assassins waiting to finish him off. He barely escapes with his life, but his elation is short-lived—Prince Lothar is convinced Nate is a threat to his claim to the Flame Throne of Ignisia, and will stop at nothing to eliminate him.When Nate and Jena meet, they’re literally heading in different directions. But destiny—and the prophecies of the last Fire Mage—throws them onto the same path. They must work together if they are to save the kingdom—and themselves—from the machinations of a ruthless royal prince. Two unlikely heroes, one unscrupulous prince, and a swathe of dark and mysterious beasts—who will survive this encounter?

Fate of Kings


Robert Ryan - 2018
    The Four Horsemen ride. And ancient prophecy rushes to fulfillment… Gil will be king one day – if his enemies don’t kill him first. To protect himself, he learns what he must. History teaches him to understand people. The warrior arts offer protection against assassins. And the secrets of the mystic armor him against dark spells. His enemies are strong, and they have hated him since before he was born. The blood in his veins makes it so. His great ancestor defeated them in ages past, and he seeks to discover his dangerous heritage. They seek to kill him before he fulfills his destiny. Ploys unfold, armies march and traps are set. Prophecies vie with secrets hidden in the past. It is a time of battle, a time of chaos, and a time where gambles could triumph – or destroy worlds. Gil must defeat the Four Horsemen, embodiments of ultimate evil, or the sorceress who commands them will gather a vast horde and begin a bloody trail of world-spanning conquest… This boxed set contains the entire Son of Sorcery trilogy.

Fate of Wizardoms Box Set


Jeffrey L. Kohanek - 2020
    The more power he gains, the more he craves.While nations war against one another, the Dark Lord rises. An army of monsters invades, sending the world toward the brink of doom.A team of misfits find themselves the fulcrum point of destiny, their world teetering upon their actions, certain to crumble should they fail. Led by cryptic passages from a dark prophecy, these heroes set off on two separate quests.One expedition leads to the Enchanter's Isle, rumored to hide a mysterious object known as the Band of Amalgamation. The other involves the Arc of Radiance, a sacred object protected by a lost race of elves.What powers might these two enchanted relics unlock?Can they be recovered before it is too late?

The Dragon God Saga (The Wood Cutter's Son)


Thomas A. Wright - 2018
     From the author of the best-selling series “The Chronicles of Benjamin Jamison”. Magic is waning. The ancient dragons of Torinth that once darkened the sky with their numbers are all but extinct. Older than even the dragons, the elementals, spirits of earth, sky, water and fire, have slumbered for millennia, leaving the races of Torinth to fend for themselves. The Kingdom of Northern Wastes feels not only the loss of magic but a foreboding change in seasons—winter grows longer with each passing season. The queen has set her eye on the south and the bounty of a fertile land. In the Southlands, Morgan, the third son of a lumber merchant, expects nothing from his future but hard work felling trees and chopping firewood. His property borders land belonging to the elven Kingdom of the Black Mountains, where Alexis, the third princess to the elven throne, is ranger. Alexis joined the rangers with hopes of forgetting the royal court, her family and a betrothal in which she had no say. Fascinated by the woodcutter’s son, she traverses the border between their properties, knowing they could never meet. Now an elemental has awoken, and set her sights on these two figures. In a time of uneasy kingdoms and threats of a pending war, she reaches out to Alexis and Morgan and arranges a conversation that will change the future of all of Torinth.

Haunted Collection Series: Books 1-3


Ron Ripley - 2018
    Seeking answers, he teams up with paranormal expert Jeremy Rhinehart. They race against time to stop a man who’s spreading chaos and violence by way of deadly, haunted objects… 1 - Collecting Death Victor Daniels and Jeremy Rhinehart discover a myriad of haunted collectibles unleashed upon the world. Together they begin to hunt them down. But it’s not long before they realize the haunted spirits within are more bloodthirsty now than when they were alive… 2 - Walter’s Rifle Stefan Korzh’s plan to spread fear and paranoia is unraveling perfectly, but Victor Daniels and Jeremy Rhinehart won’t let that happen. They race against time to stop the mayhem, but as they get closer, they discover how dangerous Stefan truly is. 3 - Blood in the Mirror As Victor and Jeremy continue their quest against evil, they discover a terrifying force lurking in their midst. Nothing is ever as it seems…

Stonebriar Academy: School for Dragon Riders - Book Two


Thomas Boyhan - 2017
    First he had to win admission when only one hundred applicants would be selected from over four hundred. Then Jamie had to learn how to use the power of a Dragon belt and learn to fly with a Dragon. Added to all of this, against all tradition, Jamie has been bonded to a Dragon in his first year. But Jamie overcomes all of those difficulties and even helps his bonded Dragon, Tomith, whom he has nicknamed Tommy, to learn how to fly. Now Jamie and Tommy face the second semester, and in this semester they will continue to struggle— but not only with their classes. They have now been caught up in the Stonebriar House Championship. Each year, the five Houses—Blackburn, Warwick, Aubondale, Waverly, and Pembroke—all compete for the coveted House Championship. Jamie’s and Tommy’s House, Aubondale, has finished in last place for the previous seven years. The overriding passion of every student in Aubondale is to finally get their house out of last place. To help accomplish this, Jamie and Tommy will have to compete in the school’s Dragon races, something they know nothing about. Even as Jamie and Tommy settle into the day-to-day struggles of school life at Stonebriar, they have been marked for capture or assassination by a shadowy organization known at the Sisterhood. For decades, the Sisterhood has been seeking to fulfill a prophecy that will grant the sisters total control over all the nations of Aurellius—along with immortality. But, in order to achieve their goal, they must eliminate Jamie and Tommy. Jamie’s and Tommy’s greatest challenge will not be helping get their House out of last place—their greatest challenge will be to simply survive.

Heat: A Fire Novella and Elemental Spin-off


A.L. Knorr - 2018
    If the fire inside hadn't scared off everyone he knew and loved, maybe he'd find it easier to get out of the rut he's found himself in. When he meets beautiful Angelica, an earnest and sweet Canadian antique-hunter, he jumps at the opportunity to learn a new trade and just maybe, change his life for the better.What Chad didn't count on was meeting another fire mage, a stronger, smarter, faster, more experienced supernatural with all the debonair clothes and manner of a true aristocrat. At a snobby antiques auction...in a huge old mansion...full of wood and other burnables.Meeting Basil Chaplin, founder of Arcturus, a secret school for fire magi, means Chad had better bring his A-game.

The Name of the Wind / The Wise Man's Fear / The Slow Regard of Silent Things


Patrick Rothfuss - 2020