Dark Ages Fiction

King Arthur is probably the most famous and certainly the most legendary medieval king. From the early ninth century through the middle ages, to the Arthurian romances of Victorian times, the tales of this legendary figure have blossomed and multiplied. And in more recent times, there has been a continuous stream of books claiming to have discovered the "facts" about, or to unlock the secret or truth behind, the "once and future king". Broadly speaking, there are two Arthurs.

The battle between vicious spirits and strong-willed queens that started in The Queen of Blood and continued in the powerful The Reluctant Queen comes to a conclusion in The Queen of Sorrow, the final volume of the Queens of Renthia trilogy. Queen Daleina has yearned to bring peace and prosperity to her beloved forest home - a hope that seemed doomed when neighboring forces invaded Aratay. Now, Daleina believes that her dream of ushering in a new era can be realized, even in a land plagued by malevolent nature spirits who thirst for the end of human life.

The Red Chronicles Trilogy #2 Gritty, relentless, and razor-sharp, Crimson Ties is a masterclass in deception, ambition, and the price of playing for keeps. Fresh out of the penitentiary, Red knows the rules have changed. He went in as a reckless thief—now, thanks to a ruthless prison mentor named Gauge, he’s walking out as something sharper, deadlier, and with a mission: take down Miami crime boss Luis Alvarez. But first, Red needs money—serious money. His hidden stash is gone, burned through by his deadbeat uncle, leaving Red with one option: con his way back to power. The score? A ...

It’s bad enough that its venom-dripping chelicerae can slice through flesh like warm butter. Worse? It’s right there under the bunk. It’s a fact now. To make it through the night, the children must obey the rules: don’t get out of bed, stay out of the shadows, and don’t wake the beast. But as the threats multiply, so do the rules of survival. And with the safety of dawn still hours away, the fun is just beginning.

La verve abrupte de Virginie Despentes pour des croquis dévastateurs d'un monde qu'on côtoie sans vraiment le voir.

Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthazar My father, brother, and I are the Three Kings of legend. We bear the gifts that everyone buys. From electronics and toys to trees and candy, we control every single aspect of the trillion-dollar Christmas industry. Because for us – the holiday season is all about the cash. We’re rich, powerful, and love punishing anyone who tries to ruin our merry moneymaking. The only thing missing is a Mrs. Wiseman to give me children and ensure my family’s domination of the yuletide tradition continues long after I’m gone. My cunning best friend finds the perfect ...

From the east came the Bone Giants. From the south, the fire-wielding Hathrim. It was an invasion that sparked war across the six nations of Teldwen. Now the kingdom's only hope is the discovery of a new form of magic - one that will call the wondrous beasts of the world to fight by the side of humankind. In the start of a thrilling new series, the New York Times best-selling author of The Iron Druid Chronicles creates an unforgettable fantasy world of warring giants and elemental magic.

All Georgie Turner wants is to keep her family together. But with her daughter growing up fast, her sister married to a man Georgie hates, and their aging aunt getting more and more outrageous, nothing’s simple. So when her brother-in-law makes his biggest mistake yet, Georgie sees the chance to reunite the ladies in her life. And after a little persuasion, three generations of Turner women head off on a very unusual road trip. Georgie’s confident that some sun, sea and a bottle or two of prosecco will make this an adventure they’ll never forget. What could possibly go wrong?

Mallory is a freshman in college when she meets the woman. She sees her for the first time at the university’s gym, immediately entranced by this elegant, older person, whom she later learns is married and works at the school. Before long, they begin a clandestine affair. Self-possessed, successful, brilliant, and aloof, the woman absolutely consumes Mallory, who is still reeling from her mother’s death a few months earlier.

When I claimed to be Roman Romanov's fiancé, I just wanted a Russian to leave me alone at a club. I didn't know another bratva boss was upstairs at that very moment trying to get Roman to marry his daughter, and I definitely didn't expect to end up going home with Roman that night. Or to be calling him daddy with my cheeks blushing and my bottom sore from a spanking.

Now a major Sky TV series starring Benedict Cumberbatch. Moving from Provence to New York to Gloucestershire, from the savageries of a childhood with a cruel father and an alcoholic mother to an adulthood fraught with addiction, Patrick Melrose is on a mission to escape himself. But the drugs don’t make him forget his past, and the glittering parties offer him no redemption....

Everyone has a Tully Dawson: the friend who defines your life. In the summer of 1986, in a small Scottish town, James and Tully ignite a brilliant friendship based on music, films and the rebel spirit. With school over and the locked world of their fathers before them, they rush towards the climax of their youth: a magical weekend in Manchester, the epicentre of everything that inspires them in working-class Britain. There, against the greatest soundtrack ever recorded, a vow is made: to go at life differently. Thirty years on, half a life away, the phone rings. Tully has news.

Aldric's position as a professor of magic at Nevis academy has finally given the man a home. But between his eager young students wanting to know everything about him and this upcoming tournament, Aldric can't help but be filled with unease. They've already been attacked, after all. Are they really safe? Foolish question. Even after all these years, Aldric somehow forgot the world's oldest truths; that nothing is at it seems, and everyone is looking for their own angle. Aldric has no idea who to trust, or even who his real enemies are.

From award-winning author Sarah Beth Durst, a stand-alone epic fantasy set in a brand-new world of towering mountains and sparkling cities, in which a band of aging warriors have a second chance to defeat dark magic and avenge a haunting loss.

Whistling in the Dark captivated readers with the story of 10-year-old Sally O'Malley and her sister, Troo, during Milwaukee's summer of 1959. In Good Graces, it's one year later, and a heat wave has everyone in the close-knit Milwaukee neighborhood on edge - none more so than Sally O'Malley, who remains deeply traumatized by the sudden death of her daddy and her near escape from a murderer and molester the previous summer.

I anticipated a tranquil mountain retreat with just my daughter, but fate had other plans when I rescued Harper Jones from a crash - the relentless attorney who represented my ex in our divorce. Now stranded together, tension crackles between us. She certainly looks down on my blue-collar lifestyle. But the longer we're stuck together, I see there's more to Harper than meets the eye. She is passionate, quick-witted, and undeniably charming. Despite my efforts to resist, I find myself drawn to her. I'm fighting this attraction every step, but how long until I give in to our explosive ...

15-year-old Ruta finds herself trapped in the Sleepverse’s Citadel where her many Selves gather at night; a place that no Dreamer has visited before. For her Selves, the Citadel is paradise. For Ruta, it’s a nightmare she can’t escape from. Someone is holding her hostage in a perpetual sleep state, and she needs to find out why before their nefarious plan comes to fruition.

This book of interconnected stories depicts the chaotic life of a young boy on the run with his teenage mother. When Sarah reclaims Jeremiah from his foster parents, he finds himself catapulted into her world of motels and truck stops, exposed to the abusive, exploitative men she encounters. As he learns to survive in this harrowing environment, Jeremiah also learns to love his mother, even as she descends into drug-fueled madness.

Demons, cloaked as earthly beings, have seemingly infiltrated every village, clan, and Order; pressing their advantage for influence and vengeance. Their depravity and thirst for blood appears unstoppable. The Overlord, and other fiends, control the Demon World, which rules from the shadows, spreading fear while reaping the rewards of unfettered power. Their objective is clear – total destruction. However, their forces are hidden and must be brought into the light. Heroes are not born but are merely brave individuals who have found the courage to uphold freedom. They stand as sentinels ...

It is AD 367, and Roman Britain has fallen to the vast barbarian horde which has invaded from the north. Towns burn, the land is ravaged and the few survivors flee. The army of Rome - once the most effective fighting force in the world - has been broken, its spirit lost and its remaining troops shattered. Yet for all the darkness, there is hope. And it rests with one man. His name is Lucanus, whom they call the Wolf. He is a warrior, and he wears the ancient crown of the great war leader Pendragon, and he wields a sword bestowed upon him by the druids.