Sword Fantasy

Legend. Myth. Nightfall has long been rumored to be nothing more than whispers on the breeze. If only it were so. In those halls of darkness, where children are taken from the world and given to shadow and dust, Asher is destined for that same fate. He will become the myth. He will become the legend. He will become the whisper of Death itself.

By the Sword is an epic history of sword fighting - a science, an art, and, for many, a religion that began at the dawn of civilization in ancient Egypt and has been an obsession for mankind ever since. With wit and insight, Richard Cohen gives us an engrossing history of the world via the sword.

Delphine possesses great power—too much power for the daughter of farmers. The Mage’s Guild would eagerly take her, but she wants nothing to do with its arrogant and self-centered members. That is, until her friend is abducted in front of her.

With most loose ends tidied up, Provine Sael leads her little band into direct service to the Empire. The Third North War is in its second campaign season, and both sides are determined to find victory; Grog and Burk are equally determined to take part in a major battle. Service to the Imperial forces is not as good as a large battle, but it promises more than a little violence and hard living for the small, disparate group. On a side note, the question of Rose possibly being the Seed of Destiny has not been forgotten.. Grog and Burk must face continuing change in their lives as they enter ...

As the months in the time loop seem to add up without end, Zorian forms alliances with acquaintances old and new in an effort to solve the mystery of the loop and save his city—maybe even the world—from destruction. But while his mage skills develop and he pursues more advanced and unusual forms of magic, Zorian must battle necromancers, fanatical cultists, and vicious creatures—all while avoiding the attention of the lich who could kill him...permanently.

Dragons once soared in the skies, but that was before the Transformation, before they took human form. Now, demonic forces stand to obliterate them. When left mortally wounded, Darnuir, the Prince of Dragons, can only be saved through a dangerous rebirthing spell. He is left as a babe in human hands. Twenty years later, Darnuir is of age to wield the Dragon's Blade. As the last member of his bloodline, he is the only one who can. He is plunged into a role he is not prepared for, to lead a people he does not know.

With the third temple restored, Ruwen must now prevent an imminent invasion of the southern border. But Ruwen’s new city is in shambles. If he doesn’t quickly fortify the walls and revive an army capable of stopping his enemies, he has no chance of surviving the coming onslaught. Running out of time and facing a lack of resources, Ruwen is forced to bargain for allies and take an unwanted new class. He fears the dire situation makes these preparations pointless, and his failure will doom the entire country.

"My name is Larkspur, and I am an Elemental." My people use the power of the earth to sustain life and defy our enemies. I should be at my father's side as a royal princess. But as a half-breed, bastard child, that isn't going to happen. I've been accused of attacking the queen, my wicked stepmother, and my life is suddenly on the line. I have only two options left to me: banishment, or training to become one of the King's Elite Guards, an Ender. Option one will kill me. Option two is meant to break me, but is the only way to survive.

The once-thriving kingdom of Torvald lies broken, its Riders scattered and their dragons driven to the wilds by a dark, forbidden magic. Even uttering the word "dragon" is punishable by death. Born into this bleak reality, eighteen-year-old Saffron has lived her life in exile, her untamed magical gift both her greatest weapon and deepest curse. Haunted by dreams of the family torn from her, she longs for more than mere survival.

Wallie Smith can feel the pain. He goes to the hospital, remembers the doctors and the commotion, but when he wakes up it all seems like a dream. However, if that was a dream how do you explain waking up in another body and in another world? Little Wallie finds himself in the physique of a barbarian swordsman, accompanied by both an eccentric priest babbling about the Goddess and a voluptuous slave girl. Is this a rude awakening or a dream come true?

Tavi of Calderon, now recognized as Princeps Gaius Octavian and heir to the crown, has achieved a fragile alliance with Alera's oldest foes, the savage Canim. But when Tavi and his legions guide the Canim safely to their lands, his worst fears are realized. The dreaded Vord - the enemy of Aleran and Cane alike - have spent the last three years laying waste to the Canim homeland. And when the Alerans are cut off from their ships, they find themselves with no choice but to fight shoulder to shoulder if they are to survive.

Only the foolish or the powerful risk the Forgotten Wole. Talen survived the fighting pits and bought the freedom of the remaining slaves, but that only began his pursuit of vengeance. Reunited with his brother, Talen and Davin pursue rumors of the Golden Fool to the dangerous Forgotten Wole, where monsters and deadly magic await. His birthright—and his brother’s near immortality—may not be enough to survive the dangers. Finding the Golden Fool and getting revenge for the slaughter of his family is all that matters, but something much worse awaits Talen in his search. The Golden Fool ...

But once a year, the skies burn red. Upon this day, the Fire Kingdom’s priests perform their ritual: each newborn’s palm is lacerated, opened with a sacred sword, for Firia’s next ruler will be seen to shed no blood. Long ago, Noakhail had been driven from the Fire Kingdom as an infant—forced to escape with his noble father. They’d wanted to kill him simply because he was next in line for the crown . . . Now, Noakhail has grown, and the swordsman won’t give up until he claims the throne and his birthright. But pure resolve may not be enough.

Kirito plunges into a suspicious new VRMMORPG called ALfheim Online to rescue Asuna, who never returned from Sword Art Online. ALO offers many features to entertain players in the wake of SAO: ultra-high-end graphics, action-heavy gameplay, a choice of fairy races, and a next-generation flight engine. Playing as a spriggan, Kirito heads for the location of Asuna's prison—the top of the World Tree, the final destination of every player in the game! Along the way, Kirito nearly falls to a plot hatched by the enemy salamanders.

The stories in The Dying Earth introduce dozens of seekers of wisom and beauty, lovely lost women, wizards of every shade of eccentricity with their runic amulets and spells. We meet the melancholy deodands, who feed on human flesh and the twk-men, who ride dragonflies and trade information for salt. There are monsters and demons. Each being is morally ambiguous: The evil are charming, the good are dangerous. All are at home.

In a land ruled by armor, the iron man is king. Jakson the thief holds no love for the throne. His half-brother, the crown prince, hates him. His father, the king, refuses to acknowledge him. He is at home on the streets as a trickster and rogue. Yet he dreams of knighthood. For armor is power, and the king's knights wield the strongest steel. A desperate gamble leads Jakson to an otherworldly artifact: armor from another age. His discovery propels him into a deadly game of knights, a game of treachery, violence, and corruption. Threats arise from beyond the kingdom and from within. Allies ...

Accused of murdering a man the Southern tribes believe to be their messiah, but who is actually the slayer of Del's family, Tiger and Del flee across the deadly Punja desert, hunted by religious zealots and sword-dancer assassins. But evading death by assassins' blades is only one of the challenges they face. For Tiger's sword, Samiel, has been possessed by the spirit of the deadly sorcerer, Chosa Dei—a wizard out of legend with the power to unmake the entire world, a master of evil who seeks to mold Tiger into his ultimate weapon of destruction.

Long ago, the wars of the ancient Evil ruined the world. In peaceful Shady Vale, half-elfin Shea Ohmsford knows little of such troubles. But the supposedly dead Warlock Lord is plotting to destroy everything in his wake. The sole weapon against this Power of Darkness is the Sword of Shannara, which can be used only by a true heir of Shannara. On Shea, last of the bloodline, rests the hope of all the races.

Princess Natasia is the eldest child of the Emperor Andreth, ruler of the Four Realms. If she was a boy, she’d be the unquestioned heir to the throne. But as a girl, her main duty in life is to marry someone her father can shape into his successor. Everything changes when an unknown, would-be assassin nearly takes Tasia’s life. Someone wants to destabilize the Empire - but who? Unsure of whom he can trust, the Emperor realizes that his daughter might be his best option for an heir.

It turns out that surviving the depths of the labyrinth and helping stop a coup both tend to attract notice. If Hugh had his way, he'd happily go back to being just another anonymous student. He has more than enough to deal with already as he starts his second year, between his crushing load of schoolwork, training as a prospective candidate to the Librarians Errant, and navigating a long distance relationship.