Epic Literature

Prince Gaborn, the Earth King, has defeated the forces arrayed against him each time before: the magical and human forces marshaled by Raj Ahten, who seeks immortality at any cost and has given up his humanity in trade; and the inhuman, innumerable, insectile hordes of the giant Reavers from under the Earth, whose unknowable motives are inimical to human life.

Of course I want to be like them. They're beautiful as blades forged in some divine fire. They will live forever. And Cardan is even more beautiful than the rest. I hate him more than all the others. I hate him so much that sometimes when I look at him, I can hardly breathe. One terrible morning, Jude and her sisters see their parents murdered in front of them. The terrifying assassin abducts all three girls to the world of Faerie, where Jude is installed in the royal court but mocked and tormented by the Faerie royalty for being mortal.

Ivan Susanin, a typical guy and unemployed techie, is initiated by the System and transported, together with a thousand other players, to an unknown location beyond Earth. Ivan has an interface, a spear, and basic weapon skills. All he has to do to return to Earth is complete a simple quest and reach the second level. But experience points are only awarded for kills in this game, and the clock is ticking.

The world teeters on the brink of destruction. The people who should be saving the Earth ignore Jason Asano's warnings and choose to loot the house as it burns down around them. He lacks the strength to save the world himself, but resolves to do it anyway, impossible be damned. The impossible, in this case, means seizing a power that no mortal should touch. It's a choice from which there is no turning back, and marks Jason's first step into a wider cosmos that he is not yet ready to face. Holding the fate of two worlds in his hands, Jason must decide for himself what home truly means.

My life was far from perfect, revolving around a dead-end school and caring for my sickly mother. It’s not until a chance encounter with a beautiful and mysterious blonde that I learn the truth about myself. You see, I’m not just an ordinary human. I’m a demon lord, potentially one of the strongest that’s ever lived. My mysterious new friend introduces me to the Academy for Demonic Education, where I learn about my emerging powers alongside my gorgeous classmates, including a shy brunette trying to find her voice as well as a famous shifter princess.

With the Builder threat behind them, the time has finally come for Jason and his team to hit the road. Eager to get back to the adventuring he’s been longing for, Jason is excited to not be at the center of world-changing events. But before he goes, one last attempt to pull him into politics has him leaving Rimaros with a strong final impression. With new places to visit and new people to meet, the remnants of recent events have scarred the land and left lingering dangers behind. It's a busy time for adventurers willing and able to fight with monsters.

It is the late 15th century and a village healer in Russia called Laurus is powerless to help his beloved as she dies in childbirth, unwed and without having received communion. Devastated and desperate, he sets out on a journey in search of redemption. But this is no ordinary journey: it is one that spans ages and countries, and which brings him face-to-face with a host of unforgettable, eccentric characters and legendary creatures from the strangest medieval bestiaries.

After a much longed-for reunion, Jason Asano works on moving past old traumas as he looks to a brighter future. Despite warnings of danger that awaits him, he gets back in the saddle as an adventurer, ready to tackle new challenges. But as enemies that have lurked in the background start moving into the light, those challenges are not hard to find.

Few books have captivated the imagination and won the devotion and praise of readers and critics everywhere as has George R. R. Martin’s monumental epic cycle of high fantasy that began with A Game of Thrones. Now, in A Feast for Crows, Martin delivers the long-awaited fourth book of his landmark series, as a kingdom torn asunder finds itself at last on the brink of peace . . . only to be launched on an even more terrifying course of destruction.

On a typical day, on an average train platform, two warring sister goddesses found their avatars. One avatar, the young Yoshi, was swept away to the world of Ephemera to be a great hero of honor, courage, and light. The other, the not-so-young Seiji, was swept away to become a dark lord out to kill or conquer all in his path. But Seiji is in absolutely no mood for that nonsense. It's bad enough that on Earth he was a closed-off, misanthropic grouch with zero patience for other people. Now he's supposed to muster enough of a give-a-damn to lead vile hordes?

Mankind has ceded the night to the corelings, demons that rise up out of the ground each day at dusk, killing and destroying at will until dawn, when the sun banishes them back to the Core. As darkness falls, the world’s few surviving humans hide behind magical wards, praying the magic can see them through another night. As years pass, the distances between each tiny village seem longer and longer. It seems nothing can harm the corelings, or bring humanity back together.

Mankind has lorded over the land of Illian for a thousand years, building on the ruins left by the elves, as if it were their birthright. A thousand years is a long time for an immortal race to see the truth of things, a truth that has remained unsaid for a millennium - elves are superior. They are faster, stronger, and connected to the magical realm in a way that man could never grasp. Illian should belong to them.

In the wake of a crushing defeat, Tisaanah and Maxatarius have been ripped apart. Tisaanah is desperate to rescue Max from his imprisonment, even as her people's fight for freedom grows more treacherous. But within the walls of Ilyzath, Max's mind is a shadow of what it once was . . . leaving his past a mystery and his future at the mercy of Ara's new, ruthless queen. Meanwhile, in the Fey lands, Aefe has been dragged back into this world by a king who vows to destroy civilizations in her name. But even as her past returns to claim her, her former self is a stranger.

If the past is prologue, then George R. R. Martin's masterwork - the most inventive and entertaining fantasy saga of our time - warrants one hell of an introduction. At long last, it has arrived with The World of Ice & Fire. This volume is a comprehensive history of the Seven Kingdoms, providing vividly constructed accounts of the epic battles, bitter rivalries, and daring rebellions that lead to the events of A Song of Ice and Fire and HBO's Game of Thrones.

Not so very long ago, Eragon - Shadeslayer, Dragon Rider - was nothing more than a poor farm boy, and his dragon, Saphira, only a blue stone in the forest. Now the fate of an entire civilization rests on their shoulders. months of training and battle have brought victories and hope, but they have also brought heartbreaking loss. And still, the real battle lies ahead: they must confront Galbatorix. When they do, they will have to be strong enough to defeat him. And if they cannot, no one can.

Oaths sworn...loyalties tested...forces collide. Eragon is the greatest hope to rid the land of tyranny. Can this once simple farm boy unite the rebel forces and defeat the king? Following the colossal battle against the Empire's warriors, Eragon and his dragon, Saphira, have narrowly escaped with their lives. Still, there is more adventure at hand for the Rider and his dragon, as Eragon finds himself bound by a tangle of promises he may not be able to keep.

Endless Flight continues the epic saga of Benjamin Ashwood. As Ben flees from powerful forces, the course of political alliances and a war hinge on information he and a friend possess. To save that friend's family, and countless other lives, they must stay one step ahead of danger and warn others. Along the way, Ben finds new allies, but also learns of a deadly threat to all humanity. Only Ben and his companions have the skill, knowledge, and courage to defeat the threat.

The threat of war has arrived at Diem's doorstep, along with a new discovery that could save her people. To use it, she must survive the next thirty days by forming a devil's bargain with the people she hates most: the royal family of House Corbois. As she dives into the world of the Descended elite, Diem quickly realizes good and evil aren't as simple as they seem. Old prejudices are challenged, and new loyalties blur the line between friend and foe.

For all that Jason knows, life is amazing. But he's about to learn that all his new power, wealth, and influence comes at a price. Riding high on success, he and his team are looking to the future, preparing themselves for the challenges to come. Nothing, however, could have prepared him for the lessons his enemies have to teach. When magic is involved, the stakes can be even greater than life and death. While Jason’s personal enemies make plans, the greater foes plaguing his new home have been pushed to the brink.

Spy, rogue, thief, and noble, Seregil of Rhiminee is many things, none of them predictable. And when he offers to take on Alec as his apprentice, things may never be the same for either of them. Soon Alec is traveling roads he never knew existed, toward a war he never suspected was brewing. Before long he and Seregil are embroiled in a sinister plot that runs deeper than either can imagine and that may cost them far more than their lives if they fail. But fortune is as unpredictable as Alec's new mentor.