Sword Fantasy

A taboo aspiration. A soul needing redemption. An unbreakable will. Huan Ten, a genius young master of the prominent Huan Clan, abandons the path of cultivation to pursue his dream: becoming the world’s greatest blacksmith. Although not a path shunned by many, blacksmithing is still an occupation unsuited for a future clan head. To rid his family of shame and grant himself freedom, Ten crosses the world's border, leaving for the Twilight Continent. Sadly, an unfortunate turn of events leads to his soul dissipating. Leaving only a lingering will, Ten is able to live on, but now with the ...

Centuries ago, the followers of the new gods defeated the old gods and the folk of legend, banishing them from the world of man. With their departure, magic faded from the land. The Milesian Accords had provisions for a new challenge, though, and the Exiled Gods have sent their minions back to our world to seek out a champion to fight for them and a druid able to wield the magic needed to fulfill the challenge. A descendant of the druid who participated in the original challenge, Liam Knox doesn’t know anything about the Accords or his ancestors....

A Sister of the Dark captures Richard and takes him deep into the Old World, to the very heart of the Order, while his beloved Kahlan remains behind. Free because of Richard's sacrifice for her, but unwilling to abandon the cause of the Midlands, Kahlan violates not only prophecy but her last pledge to Richard and raises an army against the advancing horde of the Imperial Order.

President Gwen Iceni and General Artur Drakon have successfully liberated the Midway Star System—but the dictatorial former rulers of the Syndicate Worlds won’t surrender the region without a fight. Outnumbered and led by junior officers hastily promoted in the wake of the uprising, Midway’s warships are no match for the fleet massing and preparing to strike. But the Syndicate isn’t the only threat facing Iceni and Drakon. Another former CEO has taken control of the Ulindi Star System, the first calculated move toward establishing his own little empire.

A gifted young knight named Collum arrives at Camelot to compete for a place at the Round Table, only to find that he’s too late. King Arthur died two weeks ago at the Battle of Camlann, and only a handful of the knights of the Round Table are left. The survivors aren’t the heroes of legend like Lancelot or Gawain. They’re the oddballs of the Round Table, like Sir Palomides, the Saracen Knight, and Sir Dagonet, Arthur’s fool, who was knighted as a joke. They’re joined by Nimue, who was Merlin’s apprentice until she turned on him and buried him under a hill.

This title is the third and final book in the latest trilogy from R. A. Salvatore, which once again features his popular dark elf character Drizzt Do’Urden™. The original release of this title had the highest debut ever on The New York Times best seller list for a Salvatore title with Wizards of the Coast at number four. The title stayed in the top 20 for five weeks. Both of the previous titles in the series were also New York Times best sellers upon hardcover release, and the first title, The Thousand Orcs, hit the list upon mass-market release as well.

With Mea arriving to provide backup, Fran continues to fend off the hordes advancing on the Black Cat village. But then the mastermind behind the assault reveals herself--Murelia, the woman known as the Lightning Empress, and the source of the Black Cats' curse! Can they defeat her before she infiltrates the Beastman Nation?

From the far reaches of the D'Haran Empire, Bishop Hannis Arc and the ancient Emperor Sulachan lead a vast horde of Shun-Tuk and other depraved "half-people" into the Empire's heart, raising an army of the dead in order to threaten the world of the living. Meanwhile, far from home, Richard Rahl and Kahlan Amnell must defend themselves and their followers from a series of terrifying threats, despite a magical sickness that depletes their strength and which, if not cured, will take their lives...sooner rather than later.

In a world as rich and real as our own, Richard Rahl and Kahlan Amnell stand against the ancient forces which besiege the New World - forces so terrible that when last they threatened, they could only be withstood by sealing off the Old World from whence they came. Now the barrier has been breached, and the New World is again beset by their evil power.

Putting the Grand Quest behind them, the party rides onward in search of answers. Between one member's unexpected new condition and the mysteries of the Bridge, their only hope appears to be gaining entrance to Lumal, said to hold the greatest collection of knowledge in all the kingdoms. But when a curious path appears in a seemingly uninhabited forest, the party finds themselves in a place set apart from the kingdoms, and the world at large: a hidden hamlet, filled by unusual people, all of whom have long histories of their own.

When the Bulbolan Chefs' Guild disparages Teacher's curry, an incensed Fran announces that they are both entering the upcoming city-wide cooking contest. But there's mischief afoot behind the scenes of that contest--shady characters with shady plans that put the whole city at risk!

Rumors of unrest lead Fran and Teacher to the port of Seedrun, where the intrepid duo uncovers yet another large-scale slaving operation. In their quest to liberate the kidnapped children, they find themselves unexpectedly playing guardian to a pair of twins from a very special lineage--one that might just have yanked Fran and Teacher into the middle of a civil war!

A kingdom in danger, a great betrayal, a boy seeking to redeem his father's honor. Will he succeed in exonerating him and saving the realm from an enemy in the shadows before it’s too late?

When Tea accidentally resurrects her brother from the dead, she learns she is different from the other witches in her family. Her gift for necromancy means that she's a bone witch, a title that makes her feared and ostracized by her community. But Tea finds solace and guidance with an older, wiser bone witch, who takes Tea and her brother to another land for training.

Robbed of everything she loves, Viola mourns the sudden loss of her mother. Now burdened with an impossible debt to the Night Guild, she’s forced to train as a cunning thief. Subjected to cruelty at every turn, the scrawny criminal apprentice vows to survive long enough to become the kingdom’s best. Thrown together with unlikely allies, her burgeoning skills draw the attention of sadistic bullies and jealous rivals with dark intentions. But fueled by grief-filled rage, Viola won’t let anything distract her from preparing for the Guild’s most treacherous test.

"'You knew they were there, didn't you?' Kahlan asked in a hushed tone as she leaned closer. Against the darkening sky, she could just make out the shapes of three black-tipped races taking to wing, beginning their nightly hunt. That was why he'd stopped. That was what he'd been watching as the rest of them waited in uneasy silence."

On Tempris, time magic is outlawed, and suspected time mages are hunted. Humans are second-class citizens, shunned by the immortal fey that live on the island. They even have a name for their kind: Shardless. Taly is one of the lucky humans. Taken in by a fey noble and his family, she's lived a good life, surrounded by people she loves. But when an accidental brush with magic causes her to see things - ghostly apparitions that give her small glimpses into the future - it has deadly consequences. The Sanctorum has returned to the island, and if they find her, they'll kill her.

After fulfilling his promise to an old friend to return to earth, Wiess and the girls return to their home on Orta. Shortly after getting home, he is paid a visit by the queen of the elf and her daughter. What starts as a life and death duel ends with Wiess and his family being whisked away to the elven nation of Straye and given a quest of utmost importance. Can Wiess overcome this new enemy that is out for his blood?

Fifty-thousand troops led by Gabriel Miller, aka Emperor Vecta, the God of Darkness prepare to invade the human lands defended by Bercouli and his army of five thousand. Kirito, still out of commission, is left in the care of Ronie and Tiese.

The When Swords Fall Silent anthology showcases the imaginations and talents of more than a dozen of the best modern science-fiction and fantasy authors, with each tale centered around one or more characters burdened with a bloody task they will see to completion no matter the cost. Every story takes you for a vicious ride through a world of shadow and death, each as unique in perspective and execution as the contracts carried out within.