It was a dark and stormy knight, and nine dark defenders embarked upon a most perilous quest. They're the ultimate defenders of humanity, modern day knights who do dark deeds for all the right reasons. In this all-star collection, nine of today's hottest paranormal authors bring us thrilling, all-new stories of supernatural knights that are brimming with magic mystery and mayhem.

Hundreds of years after the end of the world, the Appalachian community of Iron Hollow finds itself beset by demons. Such horrors are common these days in the outlands, where most folks die young—if they don’t turn into monsters first. When a legendary knight is summoned to hunt down the latest unearthly beast to haunt their woods, the town’s new oral historian, Shrike, has more reason than most to be concerned. Because that demon was her wife. And while Shrike is certain that May still recognizes her—that May is still herself, somewhere beneath it all—she can’t prove it.

Following the guidance of a mysterious blue prompt, Sylas journeys to the town of Ember Hollow to breathe new life into a quaint local pub. Along the way, he meets a clever apothecary named Mira, who helps him acclimate to the ins and outs of the realm, and Patches, a corpulent cat who’s slightly . . . shall we say, unusual. Dubbing the pub “The Old Lamplighter,” Sylas hopes it will be a safe haven for other weary souls. Of course, it doesn’t feel that safe when the prompt reappears with a warning: [You have 89 days until the invasion.]

An Celebrate a decade of Critical Role with this anthology featuring the perspectives of ten characters who fought alongside—and against—Vox Machina, with a foreword by cast member Liam O’Brien. In these ten stories, see the legendary adventuring party anew through the eyes of some of the most memorable characters whose lives were touched by Vox Machina.

Lily Red, known as "Little Red", has trained her entire life to become a system-acknowledged scout under her Grandmother's guidance. Hunting, tracking, and trap-making—she's a master of her craft. But her dreams of joining the elite Scout forces are repeatedly blocked by a leader of the Wyld with a grudge against Grandmother. When Lily uncovers an impending invasion by Wolf Warband, brutal raiders from the frozen north, a deadly challenge offered by their war leader sets her pulse racing.

Casting necromancy without ever learning how to isn't supposed to be possible. A starving orphan girl named Vita is somehow managing it anyway, and she's not sure if this is going to be the solution to her life's problems or a horrifying, spiraling mess of problems she can hardly conceive.

Jack Bennet returns from the war to find the life he left behind has moved on without him. The only option he has to make ends meet lies in a military surplus junkyard starship. What’s a former Combat Search and Rescue soldier to do? Fix up the ship, hire the cheapest pilot—a notorious drunk—and take the first contract that comes up: collect a bounty on one of the most ruthless killers in the Pirate Worlds, a place crawling with thieves, cutthroats and con artists whose primary language is violence. Jack must abandon his nice guy persona, or exploit it, if he is to survive.

The first book in a series featuring characters from the D&D core rules. Featuring the iconic characters that appeared throughout the latest edition of the D&D game, this new series will attract new players and readers to the various worlds featured in the Wizards of the Coast book-publishing line. The already familiar characters and D&D-related content will also make this series very approachable to current players.

In the novel by L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter, the Cimmerian youth Conan witnesses the death of his parents at the hands of Thulsa Doom, a priest of Set. Enslaved, he is trained as a gladiator. Gaining his freedom he allies with Subotai, a Hyrkanian archer, and a skilled swordswoman thief named Valeria. Together they raid the Tower of the Serpent, and then Conan breaks away to seek the cult of Doom—and revenge on the sorcerer who leads it.

Vex and Vax have always been outsiders. A harsh childhood in the elite elven city of Syngorn quickly taught them not to rely on others. Now, freed from the expectations of their exacting father and the scornful eyes of Syngorn’s elves, the cunning hunter and the conning thief have made their own way in the world of Exandria. The twins have traveled far and experienced great hardship. But with the help of Vex’s quick wit and Vax’s quicker dagger, they’ve always kept ahead of trouble. Now, unknown perils await them in the bustling city of Westruun.

Hailing from a rural village, Mikolai was an army mechanic with modest ambitions: keep his head down and stay out of trouble. But then he had the misfortune of finding himself in the wrong place at the wrong time . . .Mistaken for a steam knight, Mikolai is drafted into a task force with an intimidating casualty rate led by the notorious war mage known as the Butcher of Belz. Suddenly the unwitting commander of a small squad, the former civilian is tasked with leading his troops into battle to stamp out the resistance in the name of imperial rule.

For years, Thom Darkfell has used his cartography skills to advise Lomair's king of the country's shifting borders. A valued academic, Thom is excluded from the military drafts until whispers of dark abominations and mass casualties reach the king's ears. The resulting conscription thrusts Thom into Lomair's losing army. A realist, Thom ignores the wild myths circling through the ranks-until a monster's jaws snap through the folds of reality and crush a man before Thom's eyes. With his dying breath, the Realm Walker passes an impossible task to Thom.

Nathan's ordinary life is upended when he's abruptly transported from his modern world into Elarion, a realm where magic thrives and darkness looms. Guided by a mysterious voice, he discovers newfound magical abilities and sets out for the capital city of Arkanis, seeking answers and a way to cleanse the creeping darkness threatening to consume him.

A brutal, unflinching account of global collapse, Rotting Earth takes you deep into the chaos, where soldiers fought hopeless battles, world leaders made impossible choices, and ordinary people faced horrors beyond imagination.

On a morning much like any other, 30-something queer Brooklynite Wilder makes a miraculous discovery: suddenly, as if by magic, they can understand every language in the world. Dazed and disconnected, Wilder is found and taken in by a small coven of trans witches who have all become Awakened with mystical powers of their own.

Orcs and elves come streaming out of portals. People lose their grip and are transformed into afflicted. If this is a zombie apocalypse, it's a pretty weird one. The rules are simple: kill an orc or anything else—gain life energy, reducing your chances of becoming a walking corpse. But fail—and become a zombie, AKA an afflicted.

Rachel and her best friend Nora never imagined their first job at a publishing company would catapult them into the heart of their favorite fantasy web novel. Five years after the story's abrupt hiatus left fans in limbo, they seize the chance to help the enigmatic author complete the tale that had captivated their hearts during their high school days. But what begins as an exciting creative endeavor quickly spirals into a quirky, unimaginable adventure when they're whisked away without consent into the very story they longed to save.

In The Sundowner's Dance, an elderly widower relocates to a retirement community and discovers his new neighbors are worshipping a meteorite.

Po Abbato turns to crime in a desperate attempt to free his younger siblings from debt slavery. He's caught, and offered a choice: Spend 25 years in a digital prison while his body rots...or join the Marines.

October, 1982. Forced to move to the quiet seaside town of Tasker Bay by her mother, the only thing on high schooler Andi’s mind is saving up enough money to return to her old stomping grounds in Silicon Valley. Her self-taught skills with all things electronic make her a perfect fit for a job at the dingy local arcade. When Polybius—a new game of unknown origin arrives—the shop is suddenly overwhelmed with players fighting for time on the machine. Seemingly overnight, a virus-like epidemic grips Tasker Bay while a violent coastal storm rolls in, isolating it from the outside world.

After losing her mother, thirteen-year-old Opal moves in with her uncle Roscoe on the family farm. There, Opal bonds with Uncle Roscoe over music and befriends a group of orphaned, music-loving bats. But just as the farm is starting to feel like home, the bats’ cave is destroyed by a big mining company with its sights set on the farmland next.

For 5,000 years, the Wild Era of humanity has reigned supreme, where strength and magic are the source of everything. Kelin Wildfire, once called the Lord of Wildfire and the Archmage of Souls, was mysteriously killed on a battlefield of the Chaos War. Nevertheless, his soul lived on in the cycle of reincarnation, his memories frozen in time. Until today. Now he is twenty years old, an orphan living on a lawless planet in the human domain where he is barely able to scrape by.

The immortal Lifetree, once the source of all creation in the world, has become corrupted. Nightmarish, tainted creatures now fill the realms, and the world calls out for a hero. Nikolas, a warrior resurrected from beyond the grave, has been given the insurmountable task of destroying the evil and bringing balance to the world. He must win the support of four beautiful champions, learn to harness the powers they control, and fight against the chaotic hordes whose very presence chokes the life from the land itself.

Betrayed by his former gang and thrown into the Rendhold Underprison, Dantes has spent the last five years scraping by. A bastard of human, orcish, and elvish blood, he's lived on the periphery of the periphery, lying, cheating, and stealing to survive.

Cora Zeng is a crime scene cleaner, washing away the remains of brutal murders and suicides in Chinatown. But none of that seems so terrible when she’s already witnessed the most horrific thing possible: her sister, Delilah, being pushed in front of a train. Before fleeing the scene, the murderer shouted two words: bat eater. So the bloody messes don’t really bother Cora—she’s more bothered by the germs on the subway railing, the bare hands of a stranger, the hidden viruses in every corner, and the bite marks on her coffee table.