Magic Epic Adventure

This is the way the world ends...for the last time. It starts with the great red rift across the heart of the world's sole continent, spewing ash that blots out the sun. It starts with death, with a murdered son and a missing daughter. It starts with betrayal, and long dormant wounds rising up to fester. This is the Stillness, a land long familiar with catastrophe, where the power of the Earth is wielded as a weapon. And where there is no mercy.

FitzChivalry - royal bastard and former king’s assassin - has left his life of intrigue behind. As far as the rest of the world knows, FitzChivalry Farseer is dead and buried. Masquerading as Tom Badgerlock, Fitz is now married to his childhood sweetheart, Molly, and leading the quiet life of a country squire. Though Fitz is haunted by the disappearance of the Fool, who did so much to shape Fitz into the man he has become, such private hurts are put aside in the business of daily life, at least until the appearance of menacing, pale-skinned strangers casts a sinister shadow over Fitz’s past...and his future.

The replacement of humans has begun. It starts with the voices ... It is war-ravaged China in the 1930’s. John Powers and his fellow group of pilgrims are trying to evade Nationalist forces, communist rebels and the invading Japanese army, all while carrying a strange golden statue and searching for a mysterious woman known as Her. At the same time, John begins hearing voices insisting that he conceive a son with another of the travelers. Who is Her? Why do the voices want John to have a son? Are the voices evidence that John has schizophrenia, as he fears? Or are they something else ...

Ren is a liar and a thief, a pattern-reader and a daughter of no clan. Raised in the slums of Nadežra, she fled that world to save her sister. Now, she has returned with one goal: to trick her way into a noble house, securing her fortune and her sister’s future. But in the city of dreams, her masquerade is just one of many. Enigmatic crime lord Derossi Vargo, stony captain of the guard Grey Serrado, dashing heir Leato Traementis, and the legendary vigilante known as the Rook all have secrets that could unravel her own.

When Alice Verianna went to sleep, she was just another teen from the Denver suburbs. She definitely didn't expect to be transported to a magical alternate dimension, inhabited by monsters and presided over by a mysterious System. Here, people resemble RPG characters and everyone has access to their own status screens. Grappling with the mechanics of the elusive System isn't the only challenge Alice faces. It seems an underground organization known as the Society of Starry Eyes has taken a particular interest in other dimensions.

After the war that cost him so much, Kylar Stern is broken and alone. He's determined not to kill again, but an impending amnesty will pardon the one murderer he can't let walk free. He promises himself this is the last time. One last hit to tie up the loose ends of his old, lost life. But Kylar's best—and maybe only—friend, the High King Logan Gyre, needs him. To protect a fragile peace, Logan’s new kingdom, and the king’s twin sons, he needs Kylar to secure a powerful magical artifact that was unearthed during the war.

An eighth son of an eighth son is born, a wizard squared, a source of magic. A sourcerer. Unseen University, the Discworld's most magical establishment, has finally got its wish: the emergence of a wizard more powerful than ever before. You'd think they would have been a little more careful what they wished for.... As the sourcerer takes over the University and sets his sights on the rest of the world, only one wizard manages to escape his influence. Unfortunately for everyone, it's Rincewind.

Cradle isn’t over yet. Lindon’s journey may have ended, but there are still more tales to tell. The stories in this collection will show you the world after Cradle, those left behind, and even some legends from long ago. Witness the first Uncrowned King tournament. Visit the Monarchs and their voyages in the lands beyond. Get to know the Abidan in their homes, and meet the people of new worlds as they cross paths with familiar faces. And, of course, check in on some old friends.

He will need more than bravery to survive what’s coming. Doomed to fight the Dark King, Stone must find the path to save every living soul from the ferocious dark dragons. Together with his friends: Ceres, rambunctious and shrewd, Adler; snide and courageous, and Corvaire; of the legendary knights of Darakan, they must find the new powerful sorceresses— the Majestic Wilds. But they’ll have to be quick— for the warring kings will surely be after them soon. Not to mention King Arken Shadowborn and his own monstrous dragon. Will they be able to find these new Majestic Wilds in time? ...

Syl, an archmage who tirelessly fought the monsters spilling from the magical Gates and Towers, yearns for a life free from the chaos of battle. When he is assigned to an Aurian magic academy to guard an undercover princess, he is happy to be no more than an unremarkable class three student with dismal practical scores. Right up until people start trying to kill them both.

With an army marching on the liberated city of Halsmet, Nathan and his allies are prepared to fight to the death. Giantsrest may have overwhelming magical might, helmed by the nearly immortal archmage Badud—but Nathan has a few tricks of his own. To win the war that will follow, Nathan must risk it all. With his skills as an antimage and assassin, he will disguise himself behind enemy lines, attacking where Giantsrest least expects it, in the capital—the political heart of their power, where mages jockey for status. But one wrong move would spell failure and place Gemore in the crosshairs.

After the frightening experience involved in closing the northwestern Calamity and rescuing his friend, Larek and his companions discover that not everyone is happy about what they accomplished. Forces behind the scenes have made life difficult for the “conquering heroes”, so much so that they are forced to quickly flee the area while they continue their search for Norde. Unfortunately, once they arrive near the southeastern Calamity where Nedira’s younger brother is supposed to be, they encounter a situation that could lead to the downfall of the region, the Kingdom, and even the world.

Lukan Gardova is a cardsharp, academy dropout, and—thanks to a duel that ended badly—the disgraced heir to an ancient noble house. His days consist of cheap wine, rigged card games, and wondering how he might win back the life he threw away. When Lukan discovers that his estranged father has been murdered in strange circumstances, he finds fresh purpose. Deprived of his chance to make amends for his mistakes, he vows to unravel the mystery behind his father's death. His search for answers leads him to Saphrona, fabled city of merchant princes, where anything can be bought if one has the coin.

Winter has stopped the war—almost—yet men are dying, calling out for the Dragon. But where is he? Rand al’Thor has been proclaimed the Dragon Reborn. Traveling to the great fortress known as the Stone of Tear, he plans to find the sword Callandor, which can only be wielded by the Champion of Light, and discover if he truly is destined to battle The Dark One. Following Rand, Moiraine and their friends battle Darkhounds on the hunt, hoping they reach the Heart of the Stone in time for the next great test awaiting the Dragon Reborn.

Rico hungered for something more, eager for excitement. Fate led him to a goddess of opportunity. The divine teleports him to a planet filled with war, magic, and denizens of the deep. Life... it has a way of smacking you in the face, eliciting that fight of flight emotion buried deep within. For Rico, he embraces the challenge, being blessed as a mage of the nine magics; a protector of the nine species. By crushing his enemies to gain riches and levels, he'll protect the downtrodden as a destined champion.

Sviska is a man of the shadows, an assassin without any one place to call his own. But in the Far North, he discovers a secret. Magic, long thought lost to the world, is alive. The genocide to destroy every elf, wizard, and sacred being of old is not yet complete. Sviska's masters work the strings of the world and he has been sent for a task he does not even fully understand yet. When at last he feels he has what he has always wanted, darkness falls upon the world.

The evil minions of the undead Sithi Storm King are beginning their final preparations for the kingdom-shattering culmination of their dark sorceries, drawing King Elias ever deeper into their nightmarish, spell-spun world. As the Storm King's power grows and the boundaries of time begin to blur, the loyal allies of Prince Josua struggle to rally their forces at the Stone of Farewell.

Hot on the heels of Gardner Dozois's acclaimed anthology The Book of Swords comes this companion volume devoted to magic. How could it be otherwise? For every Frodo, there is a Gandalf... and a Saruman. For every Dorothy, a Glinda... and a Wicked Witch of the West. What would Harry Potter be without Albus Dumbledore... and Severus Snape? Figures of wisdom and power, possessing arcane, often forbidden knowledge, wizards and sorcerers are shaped - or misshaped - by the potent magic they seek to wield.

After being murdered, his consciousness dormant and unaware of the passing of time while confined in an elaborate water trap, Kai wakes to find a lesser mage attempting to harness Kai’s magic to his own advantage. That was never going to go well. But why was Kai imprisoned in the first place? What has changed in the world since his assassination? And why does the Rising World Coalition appear to be growing in influence? Kai will need to pull his allies close and draw on all his pain magic if he is to answer even the least of these questions.

My biggest worry used to be whether my rogue character would finally loot that stupid dagger after six weeks of grinding. Now? It’s surviving daycare pickup runs, cooking toddler-friendly meals without setting the house on fire, and not getting murdered by magical psychos. It all started when my sister dumped her five-year-old son Adam on me because of some "emergency." I figured I’d Netflix, babysit, and maybe teach the kid how to fake sick days like a pro. What I didn’t plan on? Finding out Adam’s got magic. The dangerous, world-shaking kind. The kind that paints a target on his ...