Epic Literature

This brilliant new treatment of the world's oldest epic is a literary event on par with Seamus Heaney's wildly popular Beowulf translation. Esteemed translator and best-selling author Stephen Mitchell energizes a heroic tale so old it predates Homer's Iliad by more than a millennium.

When it comes to action and adventure, every hero needs a good sidekick. Holmes has Watson, Batman has Robin, and Daniel has . . . Orrin. More like brothers than friends, they always have each other's backs. And as Daniel is the big, strong, handsome type, Orrin is more than happy to remain in his shadow at school, at parties, pretty much everywhere. Then things take a turn for the truly weird when a terrible accident catapults the pair into a world totally unlike their own, in which the rules of a role-playing game hold sway.

The evil minions of the undead Sithi Storm King are beginning their final preparations for the kingdom-shattering culmination of their dark sorceries, drawing King Elias ever deeper into their nightmarish, spell-spun world. As the Storm King's power grows and the boundaries of time begin to blur, the loyal allies of Prince Josua struggle to rally their forces at the Stone of Farewell.

This is the way the world ends, for the last time. The season of endings grows darker, as civilization fades into the long cold night. Essun - once Damaya, once Syenite, now avenger - has found shelter, but not her daughter. Instead there is Alabaster Tenring, destroyer of the world, with a request. But if Essun does what he asks, it would seal the fate of the Stillness forever. Far away, her daughter Nassun is growing in power - and her choices will break the world.

Mirror World is stirring, about to embrace the new global changes of its map. Everyone is getting ready to colonize No-Man's Lands. The strongest clans send their best fighters on recon missions, impatient to make stakes for the juiciest locations. Market prices have taken to the sky like flocks of scared pigeons. New alliances are struck while mercenaries upgrade their armor and grind edges on their swords. Their time is looming. A war is coming to Mirror World.

Jared craved an ordinary life. Clock in, do paperwork, clock out. He gave up magic, joined the Meta Marshal Service, and just wanted to be left alone. Until a routine prisoner transport went awry and blew up his entire existence. That was when he found Cassie down on her knees in the wreckage, asking him for help. And he knew in that instant: Magic just wouldn't leave him alone. Now he's on a hunt for an escaped convict and a powerful ancient artifact with the potential to ruin their world for good.

The Triwizard Tournament is to be held at Hogwarts. Only wizards who are over seventeen are allowed to enter - but that doesn't stop Harry dreaming that he will win the competition. Then at Hallowe'en, when the Goblet of Fire makes its selection, Harry is amazed to find his name is one of those that the magical cup picks out. He will face death-defying tasks, dragons and Dark wizards, but with the help of his best friends, Ron and Hermione, he might just make it through - alive!

The conclusion of the Mistborn trilogy fulfills all the promise of the first two books. Revelations abound, connections rooted in early chapters of the series click into place, and surprises, as satisfying as they are stunning, blossom like fireworks to dazzle and delight. It all leads up to a finale unmatched for originality and audacity that will leave listeners shaking their heads in wonder, as if awaking from an amazing dream.

Negotiating for peace is not an option when the System is in control. It can only be purchased through blood and steel. No one is spared from the winds of war.

In The Unholy Consult, the Men of the Great Ordeal have been abandoned by Anasurimbor Kellhus, and the grand crusade has dissolved into cannibalism and chaos. When Exalt-General Proyas, the Prince-Imperial Kayutas at his side, attempts to gain control of the lost Men and continue their march to Golgotterath, it rapidly becomes clear that the lost Lord and Prophet is not so easily shaken from the mission.

As the newly appointed Lord Protector for Windfall and Mage Apprentice to the Wizard King of Great Vale, Alex Rogers had taken the role of a lifetime. Combined with his pending marriage to the half-nymph Lady Cassandra, he had more on his plate than he could ever hope to accomplish anytime soon. However, a message intended for the dead Prince Renfeld, one exposing a dastardly plot, had been dropped in his hands.

What would happen if a professional rock musician joined a virtual MMO in search of inspiration among its game world? What would happen if she decided to play as a biota bard, a brand-new race of humanoid flora as well as a new class? Whatever would happen, it would surely be fun....

After going to hell and back, Alex Roth has gained knowledge about the Traveller, Thameland’s cycle, and the hidden priests that serve Uldar’s will. Anticipating his identity being discovered sooner or later, he plans to make himself so famous and indispensable to Generasi that the priests would not even have a prayer of dragging him into the war’s frontlines. With newfound power, he and his companions seek to prove themselves once more in the Games of Roal, all the while Alex expands his business empire, grows stronger and researches his foes.

Dick Davis—“our pre-eminent translator from the Persian” (The Washington Post)—has revised and expanded his acclaimed translation of Ferdowsi’s masterpiece, adding more than 100 pages of newly translated text. Davis’s elegant combination of prose and verse allows the poetry of the Shahnameh to sing its own tales directly, interspersed sparingly with clearly marked explanations to ease along modern audiences.

Tricked into a world of banished gods, demons, goblins, sprites and magic, Richter must learn to meet the perils of The Land and begin to forge his own kingdom. Actions have consequences across The Land, with powerful creatures and factions now hell-bent on Richter's destruction. Can Richter forge allegiances to survive this harsh and unforgiving world or will he fall to the dark denizens of this ancient and unforgiving realm? A tale to shake "The Land" itself, measuring 10/10 on the Richter scale, how will Richter's choices shape the future of The Land and all who reside in it?

In the aftermath of the demonic invasion, everyone is left to recover. Claire is worried about Doc's unending sleep. Fiora and her adventurers have split up, and the royal family mourns the loss of the prince and princess. Meanwhile, people are baying for blood as news spreads, and the church comes in to eliminate any demonic forces remaining. Tensions rise as the clergy begins its own agenda with the dungeon. Through it all, a town comes together with a unique bond to Doc.

I just wanted to ease the suffering of Arimus, a gryphon blinded in combat. He’d lost his first rider, and his will to live. But when he forges a new psychic link with me to be his replacement rider, it brands me as “an affront to the gods” for daring to ride an avatar of the god of man.

When Henry H. Neff published the second book of his Tapestry series, Kirkus Reviews proclaimed that “young readers will clamor for more.” With The Fiend and the Forge, Neff unveils his most riveting adventure yet. Astaroth has claimed the Book of Origins, and the world is thick with goblins and trolls.

The seven houses of the matriarchal Seaborn have plied the seas of the Fair Isles for centuries, trading among the islands and fending off the attacks by the fearsome Bone Pirate. But suddenly, out of the night sky, a common enemy appears - the Windborn, who come without warning to raid, burn, and kill.

Personal tragedy drove Callum McRae to join the Order of Saint Casimir 15 years ago; now he’s in charge of a hold he hasn’t lived in for years. Supplies are scarce, he has no knack for dealing with people, and the Gols are at the gates. To make matters worse, he’s also battling an attraction so powerful and forbidden that it imperils his very soul....