Matthew C. Alston

Throughout the widely praised Camulod Chronicles, When Arthur miraculously withdraws the Sword of Kingship from the stone in which it is set, he proves himself the true and deserving king - sworn to defend the Christian faith against invaders, and to preserve Britain as a powerful, united force.

Vidarr Allefar emerges from his cocoon a dremma, a species that hasn’t roamed the Realm since the Great Departure. His mental powers have grown; and so have his challenges. He must retrieve the five parts of the ancient relic, the Rod of the Dreki, said to be distributed amongst the five d’oglemann clans. His first stop is his clan’s nemesis, the Soolv Spyda. If he survives the encounter, he will have to venture across the Ice Plains…in the dead of winter…to reach the northern clans.

In this third volume, several months have passed, and Roland's two new tet-mates have become trained gunslingers. Eddie Dean has given up heroin, and Odetta's two selves have joined, becoming the stronger and more balanced personality of Susannah Dean. But while battling The Pusher in 1977 New York, Roland altered ka by saving the life of Jake Chambers, a boy who - in Roland's world - has already died. Now Roland and Jake exist in different worlds, but they are joined by the same madness.

In the first book of this brilliant series, Stephen King introduces listeners to one of his most powerful creations: Roland of Gilead, The Last Gunslinger. He is a haunting figure, a loner on a spellbinding journey into good and evil. In his desolate world, which frighteningly mirrors our own, Roland tracks The Man in Black, encounters an enticing woman named Alice, and begins a friendship with the boy from New York named Jake.

When Chen’s parents are incinerated before his eyes by a blast of ball lightning, he devotes his life to cracking the secret of the mysterious natural phenomenon. His search takes him to stormy mountaintops, an experimental military weapons lab, and an old Soviet science station. The more he learns, the more he comes to realize that ball lightning is just the tip of a new frontier in particle physics. Although Chen’s quest provides a purpose for his life, his reasons for chasing his elusive quarry come into conflict with soldiers and scientists who have motives of their own.

Thelonious "Monk" Ellison's writing career has bottomed out: his latest manuscript has been rejected by seventeen publishers, which stings all the more because his previous novels have been "critically acclaimed." He seethes on the sidelines of the literary establishment as he watches the meteoric success of We's Lives in Da Ghetto, a first novel by a woman who once visited "some relatives in Harlem for a couple of days."

Vidarr Allefar is an outcast, a misfit. Freed from prison and driven by horrific visions of his kins' deaths, he violates his Order’s protocols and heads out to Asken de Gulles. Vidarr’s magical talents develop further as he and his friends cross the deadliest terrain he’s ever seen. Yet he can’t be certain he will be met with open arms when he returns home, for his egg was sold to humans. Were his parents dead, or was he unwanted?

Neil Gaiman has long been inspired by ancient mythology in creating the fantastical realms of his fiction. Now he turns his attention back to the source, presenting a bravura rendition of the great northern tales. In Norse Mythology, Gaiman fashions primeval stories into a novelistic arc that begins with the genesis of the legendary nine worlds; delves into the exploits of the deities, dwarves, and giants; and culminates in Ragnarok, the twilight of the gods and the rebirth of a new time and people.

In this twisted Norse Mythos tale, young Vidarr Allefar begins his quest in service to the God of Justice. The d'oglemann turned martial arts Warrior for Tyrrell must venture through the perilous wilds and overcome the bigotry of humans to capture a murderer who is said to be aided by magic. Along his journey, he discovers new talents, witnesses awe-inspiring wonders, and makes new friends. But the city is full of vipers and his mouth engages before his brain.

Harry has faced terrible odds before. He has a long history of fighting enemies above his weight class. But this time it’s different. A being more powerful and dangerous on an order of magnitude beyond what the world has seen in a millennium is coming. And she’s bringing an army. The Last Titan has declared war on the city of Chicago and has come to subjugate humanity, obliterating any who stand in her way. Harry’s mission is simple but impossible: Save the city by killing a Titan.