Action Adventure Epic Fantasy

Ages ago, sorcerers of unmatched power sundered a world into four realms—sky, stone, fire, and water—then vanished. Over time, magicians learned to work spells only in their own realms and forgot the others. Now only the few who have survived the Labyrinth and crossed the Death Gate know of the presence of all four realms—and even they have yet to unravel the mysteries of their severed world. . . .

For three days battle has raged in the snow around the great city of Tar Valon. In the city, a foretelling of the future is uttered. On the slopes of Dragonmount, the immense mountain that looms over the city, a child is born, an infant prophesied to change the world. That child must be found before he can be killed by the forces of the Shadow.

Author Mark Lawrence has won over audiences everywhere with Prince of Thorns, his exciting debut novel. Nine-year-old Prince Jorg is forced to watch as his mother and brother are slaughtered. Fleeing the palace, Jorg joins a bloodthirsty band of thugs. But he’s determined to take back what’s rightfully his, so he returns to the castle a few years later - unaware of the dark and powerful magic that awaits.

After having kept my hands to myself for years, It's time to enjoy myself a bit as well with an enemy-turned-ally magician who is as smart as she is beautiful, a bar owner who can equally hold herself in a fight as much as with liquor, and the only other survivor other than myself, a golden-haired healer who's even more damaged than I am. Change looms behind Greystone's colossal walls as guilds vanish, arena fighters wind up dead, and whispers of a great war permeate the streets. My name is Cade, a man driven by vengeance, and I am going to bring it all down!

Sequestered in the blackness of the dreaded Tower of High Sorcery in Palanthas, surrounded by nameless creatures of evil, Raistlin Majere weaves a plan to conquer the darkness - to bring it under his control. Crysania, a beautiful and devoted cleric of Paladine, tries to use her faith to lead Raistlin from the darkness. She is blind to his shadowed designs, and he draws her slowly into his neatly woven trap. Made aware of Raistlin’s plan, a distraught Caramon travels back in time to the doomed city of Istar in the days before the Cataclysm.

The Tournament of the Sacred Sword sounded like exactly the type of thing Keras would enjoy: a series of challenges for thousands of contestants seeking a chance to fight for the Sacred Sword of Earth. He knew there would be challenges. It wouldn’t be a high-stakes tournament without a few high-profile assassinations and mysterious murders, after all. But Keras wasn’t ready to run into someone from his homeland, and he certainly wasn’t prepared for the revelations that came from their confrontation.

Alyiakal, overcaptain in the Mirror Lancers of Cyador, has completed his tour of duty as officer-in-charge of a small, remote post. He just wants to finish and see his best friend consorted and assume his next post assignment. If only it were that easy. He discovers corruption in the Merchanter Clans of Cyador, but investigating Mirror Lancer officers end up dead. Before he can go on leave, he has to replace one of these officers, close a post, dodge an attempt on his life, and an investigation from Magi-i.

Upon returning to Valia after his journey to Caelford and the Unclaimed Lands, Corin Cadence is confronted with a familiar foe—his own father. While his strength has vastly increased since his last encounter with Magnus Cadence, Corin knows that he’ll need every trick at his disposal—and maybe a few new ones—if he wants to survive a duel with his father intact. While Corin struggles with his family, his friends must face a second year at Lorian Heights with new classes, familiar but new chancellor, and deadly new enemies both on and off the campus.

The greatest games in Godsgrave’s history have ended with the most audacious murders in the history of the Itreyan Republic. Mia Corvere, gladiatii and escaped slave and infamous assassin, is on the run. Pursued by Blades of the Red Church and soldiers of the Luminatii legion, she may never escape the City of Bridges and Bones alive. Her mentor Mercurio is now in the clutches of her enemies. Her own family wishes her dead. And her nemesis, Consul Julius Scaeva, stands but a breath from total dominance over the Republic.

The gods have broken free, in an inferno of magic and flame. Now they seek total domination, turning Erland’s conflicts and divisions to their own dark purposes. Orsian is trapped in the dungeons of Merivale. He must escape the darkness and duel his hateful brother to take up his father’s legacy, as Erland’s champion in the coming storm. Far to the West, Rymond Prindian fights for his crown. Outnumbered and outclassed by the imperial legions, his ragged band of warriors and mercenaries needs a miracle to survive.

Scorio thought victory was within his grasp. He had bested the Final Gauntlet and overcome the treachery of Chancellor Praximar. But the Rascor Plains are full of peril, and his quest for truth has only just begun. With his friends scattered and his reputation in tatters, Scorio must navigate a web of intrigue that stretches from the powerful House Hydra and the Fiery Shoals to the mysterious forces that govern the Plains. He will face foes, both human and inhuman, and confront the darkest secrets of his world.

Trouble is coming for Earth and for the people of Crownhill. The wolfmen were only the start. Trolls and ogres now roam these unfamiliar lands. And worst of all, other humans wait and plot against us. With no one else to lead them, the burden of protecting these people falls to me. But I am not alone. Bridget and Sakura loyally stand by my side. And now, at last, I am finally reunited with Myrina, my oldest friend. She hails from the world of the Amazonians, and her people have lived with the System for countless years. They know the answers to questions we haven't even thought to ask.

Hal and his Beast have been sundered in two. Done with sacrifices, Hal seeks greater monster powers and delves into the ancient magic of his world. With his wounds healing, his strength grows tremendously, opening up a new evolution of bonecrafting. To reforge his eldritch body, Besal, Hal's Beast, ventures into the depths of the Fathomway dungeons, chasing after the source of the land's corruption.

A strange darkness grows in Allward. Even Corayne an-Amarat can feel it, tucked away in her small town at the edge of the sea. She soon discovers the truth: She is the last of an ancient lineage—and the last hope to save the world from destruction. But she won't be alone. Even as darkness falls, she is joined by a band of unlikely companions. Together they stand against a vicious opponent, invincible and determined to burn all kingdoms to ash, and an army unlike anything the realm has ever witnessed.

Zane's become a regional powerhouse. Now he’ll see how he stacks up against the best in the world. He’s off to an elite summit where he’ll face off against the strongest fighters the world has to offer. A wealth of resources is up for grabs—if you’ve got the strength to seize them. It’ll push Zane to his very limits. Meanwhile Mike Masters, the mafia ruler of Southern California, has learned Zane’s been killing off his minions—and he’s coming for vengeance. And Zane's estranged brother Jason, king of the East Coast, has a bone to pick with him too.

Death has been fired by the Auditors of Reality for the heinous crime of developing…a personality. Sent to live like everyone else, Death takes a new name and begins working as a farmhand. He's got the scythe already, after all. And for humanity, Death is just…gone. Which leads to the kind of chaos you always get when an important public service is withdrawn. If Death doesn't come for you, then what are you supposed to do in the meantime? You can't have the undead wandering about like lost souls—there's no telling what might happen.

While the land is tainted with a curse against magic itself, slivers of its might seep through. Alex's Isekai comes with the special gift of Rune Magic. Rune magic is mostly gone, a vestige of its ancient power and if he unlocks some of his secrets, he may just restore balance. Of course, the odds are against him and the mysteries abound. Cerenis is not some cozy fantasy world. It's plagued by the Sudrel who are eager to kill someone like him.

Exile to the miserable world of Sedh, the disgraced Necron Lord Oltyx is consumed with bitterness. Once heir to the throne of a dynasty, he now commands nothing but a dwindling garrison of warriors, in a never-ending struggle against Ork invaders. Oltyx can think of nothing but the prospect of vengeance against his betrayers, and the reclamation of his birthright. But the Orks are merely the harbingers of a truly unstoppable force. Unless Oltyx acts to save his dynasty, revenge will win him only ashes.

In The Book of Swords, acclaimed editor and best-selling 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, Scott Lynch, 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.

Ten years ago, Amelia woke up alone and lost in a broken world where she had to fight for her survival. Now, after reaching the pinnacle of power, defeating the Void itself, and escaping the abyss, she has finally found her way back into the real world. But instead of returning to Earth, she arrives in the land of Vacuos. A fantasy world with magic, monsters, Classes, and Levels. A world that is governed by a System like it were a video game.