Epic Fantasy Short

This thrilling anthology features high fantasy, contemporary and urban fantasy, and fantasy action and adventure all set in a military vein by top authors in the genre, including Jonathan Maberry, Tobias Buckell, Elizabeth Moon, Tanya Huff, Glen Cook, Simon R. Green, Seanan McGuire, and Linda Nagata.

Such a long life of killing has left plenty of dangerous enemies in its wake. An ancient witch coven, a jealous assassin, and even a demon lord all have old scores to settle. With one last contract to fulfill, Yrlissa hopes to be free from her past and her guild forever so she can disappear with her husband and young daughter. But the past doesn't forget so easily, and neither will a betrayed guild of magical assassins. Yrlissa's only concern is to keep her new family safe, but with enemies closing in on all sides, will they become a distraction she cannot afford?

Once, peace between the Court of Dark and Light seemed possible. A treaty was signed, a new balance was agreed upon. But now it all may go up in flames. Queen Aurora and King Jarvok are refusing to end their battle. And with neither willing to surrender, their kingdoms are on the edge of destruction. Until a ghost from the past intervenes.

Brennan, Hart and Corin were the three Cheysuli sons of Niall, ruler of Homana, and the next link in the generations-old prophecy of the Firstborn. Now the time had come for all three to take the paths for which they were fated: Brennan, heir to the throne of Homana, would face the menance of unknown assassins and trecherous Ihlini magic.

The Sky Riders—the last force for good—are dying. Two gifted runaways must rise and become heroes. The dragon ruler of the frozen north is amassing an invincible dragon army to overtake the world.

For more than 30 years, Pern has conjured visions of brave men and women mounted upon the backs of dragons. As anyone knows who has been touched by the storytelling magic of Anne McCaffrey, to hear of the exotic world of Pern is to inhabit it - and to experience its extraordinary dragons is to soar aloft with them and share their dazzling adventures. A Gift of Dragons brings together three beloved stories and a thrilling new tale of Pern, published here for the first time, in a single volume.

Rhona and her paladin brother, Alastar, belong to a holy people who have waged war on witches and warlocks and their clans from the highlands. But when she uses magic to save his life, their world is thrown upside down. On the run, having left all they knew behind, they have to rely on those who hate paladins. All magic is evil, the high paladin taught.... But Alastar starts to understand that he might have been misled.

This is the complete eight-book series of the Mad Dogs, a Delta unit of werewolves.

The epic conclusion of The Dhamon Saga, which began with Downfall and Betrayal, Dhamon Grimwulf and his companions continue their battle against the dragon overlords of the Fifth Age and the minions of evil that not only shadow their motley group but also threaten to engulf all of Krynn.

For all his twenty-one years, Zephyr has been a cultivator of the Carefree Path and a martial artist. He always assumed he would take the vows and become a monk, but his plans are thrown to the wind when he receives a letter from the Grand Sage to attend the Schools of Elemental Magic. Gifted with the system known as the Codex of Ascension, Zephyr intends to master the various elements in record-breaking time. Alongside two other students who bear mysteriously similar origins, his school year promises to be more than he could have ever imagined.

For over 40 years, Glen Cook has been among the most well-known, influential, and widely respected authors in science fiction and fantasy. Through classic series such as The Black Company, Garrett P.I., the Dread Empire, Starfishers, Darkwar, and more, his gritty, down-to-earth style left an indelible impression on his listeners around the world, forever shifting the genre landscape and carving out his place as a pioneering icon.

Follow a core group of characters known as the Trailblazers as they use alien technology and knowledge discovered in Antarctic ruins to obtain limited immortality and lead Humanity out into the galaxy, encountering, befriending, and fighting hundreds of alien races, all the while desperately trying to prepare Earth for the unbeatable threat at the core of the Milky Way that is destined to return and reclaim their lost colony...and their former Human slaves.

Justan knew what he wanted. He was to join the Dremaldrian Battle Academy and become one of the greatest fighters in the known lands, but nothing is going his way. He is forced to train with a strange warrior woman, and after an ancient elemental marks his chest with a frost-covered scar, magic seems to be determining his fate. His future will be determined at the mage school, where his strange talents can be explored.

Whether he's breaking into an impregnable fortress, fighting pirates, or striking the final blow in political war, Ahren is the man for the job. After being framed for murder, his reward posters have named him The Black Raven. In order to survive, Ahren finds himself drafted into the Tyenee, a secret criminal organization whose influence stretches across the world. Their missions are the most daring and most dangerous, and the penalty for failure...is death.

For Ahren, it's no longer a question of someone trying to kill him; it's who will try next. Still on the run for a murder he didn't commit, Ahren adapts to life as an outlaw as his reputation of the Black Raven grows. Yet nothing comes easily. Dogged by bounty hunters, he finds himself crossing steel with pirates on the high seas and battling monsters in subterranean cities. If that wasn't enough, he's paid to assassinate an immortal and must break out of a heavily fortified prison.

Far from the kingdom of Torvald, on the Western Isles near the coast, sea dragons rule the skies. Lila is the daughter of the Raider leader, destined to take his place one day aboard their plundering ships. Her people value only what trinkets they can get their hands on, but she aspires to much more than that: Lila wants the Raiders to become Dragon Mercenaries, dragon riders who help protect merchant fleets and navies from attack. Her father Kasian is skeptical, but a young monk named Danu comes bearing a prophecy claiming that Lila is the lost heir of Roskilde, a born Dragon Rider.

When Shade Enclave returns from thousands of years of exile in the Plane of Shadow, all of Faerûn is open to its dark designs. When a tribe of kenku confront the archwizard who gave them magic but kept them as slaves, the skies rain death.When a knight of Cormyr journeys to the ruins of Tilverton, he begins to understand the terrifying power of the archwizards.When phaerimm roam the world, enslaving orc and human alike, the great powers of the world must depend on an ally as deadly as their enemy.

This is a collection of the second six short stories in the Caverns and Creatures series.

Eist was born to be a dragon rider; she just knows it. When fate conspires to take her parents and leave her orphaned and injured, her future appears bleak. Unwilling to back down, she must overcome a system stacked against her. Even if she passes all the tests, there’s no guarantee she will ever fly on a dragon. Can she beat the odds and find her destiny, or will she be stranded on the ground?

Combined for the first time in one collection are all seventeen SHIELD KNIGHT short stories, adventures set in the world of FROSTBORN, SEVENFOLD SWORD, and DRAGONTIARNA! Follow the adventures of Ridmark Arban and his allies as they fight to defend the kingdoms of Andomhaim and Owyllain from the powers of dark magic.