Showing results by author "Vance Huxley" in All Categories

The Tavern has survived both Robert de Beaumont and the Sheffield Eight, but has it been fatally damaged? Rachels' Shunning still causes unrest, while many are shocked by the deaths of Taverners and allies, and the number of badly injured. Meanwhile Jenny steps into her role as the new Mistress of de Beaumont, an old, traditional demesne with scores of apprentices.　 Underneath the grief and confusion, Isabella's poison is spreading. The Taverneers are wrapped up in their own reactions to the deaths, their new bodyguards, and projects. Abel and Kelis are both trying to keep the secret, ...

Billi has always been different, and how could he not be? A man with one leg was uncommon enough. Then a three-legged Hound, Rabbit, came from the Forest and sat by his wheelchair, and he had to learn to be a Hunter. Paired for life, Hunters and Hounds are vital to their Village for hunting and protection in the Forest. They share a wordless song that allows them to know each other’s moods and warn of danger. Rules about the Farm and Forest keep the villagers safe - no living tree can be cut, and any man without a Hound is prey once in the Forest.

The Exciting Path of Mists Conclusion! Jermyn, now P'Jermyn, is a hero, though many of the Cloud Runners still don't understand precisely what he does. Despite his name, P'Jer still has trouble finding Paths, and the Cloud Runners need them for survival. Food is still short, and the Elders use the refugees as scapegoats. Others try to welcome them into the village. Unlike Jer the orphan, P'Jermyn attracts female attention, a novel experience. As his talent blossoms, Jer hopes he might attract one in particular, but the Elders have a different idea. Not content with trying to cheat him and ...

The Tavern is healing after Isabel, but Abel still can't solve the puzzle of the magical woodland walk, and until he does, he won't get any nearer the mysterious Gryphon at the centre of Castle House. At least a mystery something draining protection glyphs, and Rachel's campaign for a Life-spark companion, take his mind off his birthday and magical inheritance. Though he can't avoid it, and then the inheritance is like most things magical; huge, frightening, not quite what he expected and not totally under his control. Abel needs time and peace but a magical creature traps Kelis, one that ...

Cuando Abel, de quince años, descubrió a Ferryl Shayde, la hechicera incorpórea, y la liberó de sus doscientos años atrapada en un pozo, nunca pensó que descubriría la magia. Aunque cuando se mudó a su tatuaje y comenzó las lecciones, todo pareció muy divertido para él y sus amigos. Incluso añadieron un poco de magia al juego de mesa que Abel y sus dos mejores amigos estaban desarrollando. Pero la magia está en todas partes y basta una insinuación para que algunos lancen su primer glifo. Un número creciente de jugadores beta, compañeros de estudios que prueban el juego, ...

As Caddi's killers rampage through Orchard Close the usual defenders are helpless, but unlikely heroes make their own stand. As dawn shows the extent of the death and destruction, Harold reaches out to the Barbies. A huge bribe buys medicine and treatment at Beth's, but that won't save those too badly hurt to move. The pyres hold a third of Orchard Close's residents, many are badly injured, and the General is still out there. Despite the damage refugees still arrive, some of them providing a ray of hope. In death, Caddi gifts the injured a chance at life, but only if the bad girls on the ...

The world is falling apart. Terrorists spark a worldwide oil and gas crisis while imports grind to a halt. Europe and Britain are erupting into chaos as food runs out and desperate people take matters into their own hands. As the government begins to seal off rioting parts of the city, corporal Harry Miller takes an offered discharge to get his sister and her kids to safety. But he’s not fast enough. Trapped in the city with a rag-tag collection of ordinary citizens, Harry struggles to create a small pocket of stability.

The secret society that orchestrated the Crash has finally played its hand. As nuclear fire rains down on military bases across the globe, the carefully laid plans of the Cabal begin to unravel. From the halls of power to the desperate streets of Birmingham, no one is safe from the fallout. Soldier Boy and his ragtag army of survivors find themselves caught between warring factions as the UK government's true nature is exposed. Meanwhile, deep beneath the waves, the crew of HMS Anson emerges from years in hiding, determined to strike back at the shadowy forces that nearly destroyed them. As...

Nine rockets are bringing a second wave, almost four hundred fighters promised huge bonuses for killing any survivors and taking control of the ship for their bloc. Even if the mutineers weather this storm, Earth's corporate blocs will send an unending stream of rockets and Troopers to stamp out the rebellion before it can spread. As if that isn't bad enough, the spaceship AI informs the Basteds and Putes they are the last chance of survival for the human race.

How many people have a tattoo that teaches them magic? While trying to outrun the local bully, Abel trips over a stone slab and something wakes up. After it helps him escape, Abel returns the favor and breaks the binding seals and finds himself apprenticed to Ferryl Shayde. Once Ferryl takes up residence as a tattoo on his arm, Abel can see the magical creatures that live alongside us every day. Not the ones of folk tales, but their scruffy, slimy, fanged cousins. Worse, he finds that the pact that should keep them under some sort of control has failed.

Bobby B is given a choice: death or the Army. His choice leads him to become a Timer - a group of soldiers so disposable that only about 10 percent survive a 10 year tour. Because the corporations that run society value property more than life, they don’t even give them real bullets. Timers are only issued plastic fléchettes, so they don’t damage precious buildings and equipment. Bobby and a few other Timers join together to make their own squad, Beebi’s Basteds, which does things their own unorthodox way but still manages to keep them alive.

As Harry and the other residents of Orchard Close struggle to survive, a new crop of problems presents itself. Unstable electricity damages equipment, days are spent scavenging for ammo, weapons, food, glass bottles, and of all things, yarn. Elsewhere, gangs carve out their territory throughout the city. Residents pay for protection through coupons, bartering, or worse. Citizens fleeing the city gangs, violence, and lack of food flock to Orchard Close, but how many can they take in?

When an unconventional scientific discovery happens in a little garden shed in the U.K., the results are spectacular. What if you could turn off gravity? Well, maybe divert it a bit, or absorb some? That’s exactly what geek Stephen Corser figures out. And now there’s just a few details that stand between his ragtag group of friends and space, the final frontier. They have a big dream, the freedom of space for anyone who could make something airtight and strap on a Widget. No government control, no corporations selling space an inch at a time. There’s only a few problems standing in ...

Three years and hundreds of bullets later, Orchard Close is holding together. The cabal dreams up more ways to get their latest group of requirements: gardeners and women of loose morals. Food production is a major concern for the marts and for the enclaves. Caddi pushes Harold with his new games, taunting, testing and trying to figure out what makes him tick - so he can exploit it.

Orchard Close survived Caddi's invasion and smashed the General's army, but was the price too high? The Riot Squad are dead or wounded, the Army is watching from the bypass, and the attacking gangs were beaten but not annihilated. This time they don't even have a leader, because Soldier Boy will be out of action for months. With their enemies occupied, the Orchard Close survivors try to come to terms with the deaths, the destruction, and a growing conviction they can never win, that the government and scroats will keep coming.

Despite the global genocide and destruction, the Cabal are still trying to salvage their master plan for mankind. In the UK, that involves wiping out the last of the population trapped in the cities, those who don't fit into the new future. Inside the ruined cities, both peaceful and gang-dominated enclaves are beginning to realize time is running out. For some cities, it is already too late, but even a few dedicated survivors can be a serious setback for the Cabal. Elsewhere, the more violent use the reprieve to grow stronger.

Bobby B tiene que elegir: la muerte o el ejército. Su elección le lleva a convertirse en un Timer, un grupo de soldados tan desechables que sólo el 10% sobrevive a un período de diez años. Como las corporaciones que dirigen la sociedad valoran más la propiedad que la vida, ni siquiera les dan balas de verdad. A los Timers sólo les dan flechitas de plástico para que no dañen los valiosos edificios y equipos. Bobby y algunos otros Timers se unen para formar su propio escuadrón, los Beebi's Basteds, que hacen las cosas a su manera poco ortodoxa, pero aun así consiguen mantenerlos ...

A pesar del genocidio y la destrucción globales, la Cábala sigue intentando salvar su plan maestro para la humanidad. En el Reino Unido, eso implica acabar con lo que queda de la población atrapada en las ciudades, aquellos que no encajan en el nuevo futuro. Dentro de las ciudades en ruinas, tanto los enclaves pacíficos como los dominados por las bandas empiezan a darse cuenta de que el tiempo se acaba. Para algunas ciudades ya es demasiado tarde, pero incluso unos pocos supervivientes entregados pueden suponer un serio revés para la Cábala. En otros lugares, los más violentos ...

Mientras Harry y los demás residentes de Orchard Close luchan por sobrevivir, se presenta una nueva cosecha de problemas. La inestable electricidad daña los equipos, los días se pasan rebuscando munición, armas, comida, botellas de cristal y, sobre todo, hilo. Por otra parte, las bandas se reparten el territorio por toda la ciudad. Los residentes pagan por la protección con cupones, trueques o cosas peores. Los ciudadanos que huyen de las bandas, la violencia y la falta de alimentos acuden en masa a Orchard Close, pero ¿cuántos pueden acoger? Peor aún, a medida que pasa el tiempo, ...

Los Corredores de las Nubes viven en una pradera entre las montañas y el desierto. Hace muchos años, la Diosa creó un camino a través de las nubes para traerlos aquí, huyendo de la muerte y la destrucción. Con la caza en las praderas y bosques y a salvo de cualquier enemigo, los Corredores de las Nubes prosperaron. Ahora, la caza excesiva ha acabado con todos los animales y los forrajeadores han arrasado los bosques. Parece que la Diosa les ha dado la espalda, y como los últimos tesoros de la tribu se intercambian por comida, el hambre amenaza. Jermyn, un joven de sólo diez y cinco ...