Epic Cycle

Continuing the impressive debut fantasy series from author Peter V. Brett, The Daylight War is book three of the Demon Cycle, pulling the reader into a world of demons, darkness and heroes. On the night of a new moon all shadows deepen. Humanity has thirty days to prepare for the next demon attack, but one month is scarcely enough time to train a village to defend themselves, let alone an entire continent caught in the throes of civil war.

I started reviewing all of the things I had done over the past two years, memories flicking through my head almost too fast to follow. Each choice led to another: my choice to leave my home in Tobadorage and seek refuge in Hain led directly to my actions now, bringing a Queen into exile. And each choice, each action on my part, had started the chain reaction that was bringing magic back into Chahir.

Advancement has come quickly to Ling Qi. With help from strong allies and connections, her foe has been defeated. The enemies of the alliance she has helped to build have surrendered. Her talent no longer goes unnoticed in the Celestial Empire, casting new eyes on her path. Those like her are accounted for; a title of nobility is within her reach...a prize with implications that will stretch over her now long life.

The Swarmers are on the move. As star systems fall one by one, the League of Worlds begins to fragment. The Dread Pirate Zheng Yang advances her Golden Armada toward the League's core, bringing either death or salvation. The Prophet Sharo Khalin consolidates a theocracy, while the League of Worlds concentrates everything toward a last-ditch defense. Unknown to all these major players, the Worlds' only hope lies in Lucian Abrantes, his crew, their starship, and of course, the powerful Orbs of Starsea. But even these powerful artifacts might not be enough to survive the dark days ahead.

In the grand tradition of George R.R. Martin and Robert Jordan, Sunday Times best-selling author Peter V. Brett continues his critically acclaimed Demon Cycle with the next dramatic instalment: The Skull Throne. The Skull Throne of Krasia stands empty. Built from the skulls of fallen generals and demon princes, it is a seat of honour and ancient, powerful magic, keeping the demon corelings at bay. From atop the throne, Ahmann Jardir was meant to conquer the known world, forging its isolated peoples into a unified army to rise up and end the demon war once and for all.

Beyond the lights of Spark City lies a town that bandits and mercenaries call home. Where darkest deeds are currency, and only the ruthless survive. But when the enigmatic and dangerous assassin Aurora arrives at their gates with a legion at her back, even the lawless rules of banditry are tested. Raven Rock's infamous inhabitants are no strangers to bloodshed, yet Aurora brings a storm of carnage and madness unlike any they have ever known, plunging the town into a siege that threatens to wipe it from the map.

Erroh must return to Spark City to warn of the approaching army. Growing ever stronger, the reluctant warrior and his fierce companion must elude bandits and soldiers in a mad dash against time. Across the map his father, Magnus, rallies his troops to march for the first time in two decades as he seeks to avenge his son, presumed dead. But with unrest and injustice exploding within Spark City, and their foes marching towards its gates, they may already be too late.

Ling Qi's mastery of the realm of Dreams grows, and her strides carry her further daily. Meeting the skeletal echo again in his jail of twisted space has only reinforced that. But her time is not infinite; there is only so much she can Master and learn before the great undertaking she has taken up must bear fruit. The Summit between her home and the foreigners of the Polar Nation looms, and with it, the chance to head off further conflict and prevent the embers of war that have already ignited in the south from growing further.

After the fall of Raven Rock, the Outcasts are adrift with bonds broken and warriors lost. Erroh and Lea must forge their own paths back to the front lines while in the looming shadow of Spark City, Uden's reign intensifies. Meanwhile, amidst shifting sands and seas, Magnus and Elise resurrect their legends.

Goran is one of the rare fairies who can live without magical protection in the Blur, the human world where the days pass 20 times faster than in fairy realms. Goran’s secret missions for the Rangers Guild take him across the British colonies of North America - from far-flung mountains and rushing rivers to frontier farms and bustling towns. Along the way, Goran encounters Daniel Boone, George Washington, an improbably tall dwarf, a mysterious water maiden, and a series of terrifying monsters from European and Native American legend.

The tournament is past, the Inner Sect achieved, and Ling Qi has chosen the path of her life going forward. Retainer to the heir of the province, an absurd step up from a girl who lived on the street a year before. Now she faces a strange prospect, peace. There are no great tournaments in her immediate future, no desperate battles to maintain her station. Formal duels and skill challenges just aren't the same. But she has much to learn, and now that she has proven herself, the Argent Peak Sect has much to teach an inner disciple.

The wandering Cleric Chih returns home to the Singing Hills Abbey for the first time in almost three years, to be met with both joy and sorrow. Their mentor, Cleric Thien, has died, and rests among the archivists and storytellers of the storied abbey. But not everyone is prepared to leave them to their rest. Because Cleric Thien was once the patriarch of Coh clan of Northern Bell Pass—and now their granddaughters have arrived on the backs of royal mammoths, demanding their grandfather's body for burial.

The world is in motion, and Ling Qi can hardly count the number of loose ends and new business she has to tie up. Her great task lies before her, a great summit with the people of the south to determine what the future will be. Still, the Argent Peak Sect stirs to war with both the tribes of the sky and the creatures of the deep earth. But first comes the great end-of-year tournament. She is not a participant this time but an observer, and all the more enmeshed in politics that swirl around it.

The Red Knight has stood against soldiers, armies, and the might of an empire without flinching. He's fought on real and magical battlefields alike, and now he's facing one of the greatest challenges yet. A tournament. A joyous spring event, the flower of the nobility will ride against each other for royal favor and acclaim. It's a political contest - one that the Red Knight has the skill to win. But the stakes may be higher than he thinks.

Secca, foster daughter of the Soprano Sorceress and now her successor as sorceress-protector of Defalk, must deal carefully with her willful master and wield her power to save his kingdom from the armies, fleets, and master sorcerers of the maitre of Sturinn.

Lucian must do what no mage has ever done before: Escape the Mad Moon. But between frayed mages, violent monsters, and the hostile environment, that may prove impossible. Wandering the brutal surface, every breath is a fight for survival. And things only get worse when Lucian receives visions from the so-called Sorceress-Queen of Psyche, whose Psionic Magic is second to none. Teaming up with a dedicated captain, a frayed mage, and a former Mage-Knight of Dara, Lucian sets off on a quest across Psyche. He needs a way off the moon for good.

She lived where the railway tracks met the saltpan, on the Ahri side of the shadowline. In the old days, when people still talked about her, she was known as the end-of-the-line woman. Vasethe, a man with a troubled past, comes to seek a favor from a woman who is not what she seems, and must enter the 999 realms of Mkalis, the world of spirits, where gods and demons wage endless war.

Secca, a young sorceress, is thrust into a position of power and responsibility when the legendary Sorceress-Protector of Defalk dies unexpectedly before Secca's training as a master magic wielder is anywhere near complete.

Ashan has saved his homeland, but the threat from the king—along with Ashan's mentor—remains. The price for saving Berestal was high. His once recovered brother is now debilitated again, while his sister struggles to connect to Affelah, leaving Ashan to wonder what path he should take. When the king threatens the Wilds, Ashan must discover the truth of a land long ignored, as it might be the key to stopping the king and the spread of the dangerous power of the murtar.

After the ultimate betrayal, Emil must rise up as a leader to stop his brother before he becomes too powerful. Even if that means pushing away Ness and Wyatt as they compete for his heart so he can focus on the war. Brighton has a legion of followers at his command, but when he learns about an ancient scythe that can kill the unkillable, that’s all he will need to become unstoppable against Emil and other rising threats. Meanwhile, Maribelle aligns with her greatest enemy to resurrect her lost love, and Ness infiltrates political circles to stop Iron from ruling the country.