new novella starring Thongor the conan-like hero of Lin carter
for the original thongor serie go here
A gripping standalone fantasy novel from the Arthur C. Clarke Award-winner Adrian Tchaikovsky. Now reissued with a fresh cover look.When Lascanne falls under the shadow of its warring neighbour, Denland, Emily Marshwic is conscripted to fight for the cause. But do her doubts prove another way to victory?
First, Denland’s revolutionaries assassinated their king, launching a wave of bloodshed after generations of peace. Next they clashed with Lascanne, their royalist neighbour, pitching war-machines against warlocks in a fiercely fought conflict.Genteel Emily Marshwic watched as the hostilities stole her family’s young men. But then came the call for yet more Lascanne soldiers in a ravaged kingdom with none left to give. Emily must join the ranks of conscripted women and march toward the front lines.With barely enough training to hold a musket, Emily braves the savage reality of warfare. But she begins to doubt her country’s cause, and those doubts become critical.
For her choices will determine her own future and that of two nations locked in battle.”An engrossing story, beautifully told.” SFX “One of the best books I’ve ever read.”Peter Newman, author of The Vagrant “Moving, gripping and wonderfully paced.” The Bookbag
Arthur C. Clarke winner Adrian Tchaikovsky’s triumphant return to fantasy with a darkly inventive portrait of a city under occupation and on the verge of revolution. There has always been a darkness to Ilmar, but never more so than now.
The city chafes under the heavy hand of the Palleseen occupation, the choke-hold of its criminal underworld, the boot of its factory owners, the weight of its wretched poor and the burden of its ancient curse. What will be the spark that lights the conflagration?
Despite the city’s refugees, wanderers, murderers, madmen, fanatics and thieves, the catalyst, as always, will be the Anchorwood – that dark grove of trees, that primeval remnant, that portal, when the moon is full, to strange and distant shores. Ilmar, some say, is the worst place in the world and the gateway to a thousand worse places. Ilmar, City of Long Shadows. City of Bad Decisions. City of Last Chances.
Praise for Adrian Tchaikovsky: ‘Brilliant science fiction and far out worldbuilding’ James McAvoy ‘Entertaining, smart, surprising and unexpectedly human’ Patrick Ness ‘A refreshingly new take on post-dystopia civilizations, with the smartest evolutionary worldbuilding you’ll ever read’ Peter F. Hamilton
In a world of magical power, merciless evil, and eternal darkness, the only light worth fighting for is the light you can never let die . . .
In Underland, hope has nearly been extinguished. There is no sky, only endless stone above. All things living and undead exist under the dominion of the Dark Lords, whose power is all but unlimited and whose evil is all but eternal.
Sorcerer Valdemar Verney is not one of them. The last of his line, Valdemar has devoted himself to locating his grandfather’s realm, a legendary place called Earth, where there is air and vibrant life, and where a sun shines in a blue sky. His latest attempt to uncover the way to Earth is thwarted, however, when the cunning Dark Lord Och captures him—not to imprison him, but to nurture Valdemar’s untrained yet formidable talents for his own ends.
As Valdemar learns more than he ever dreamed possible, Och’s loyal and lethal swordmistress, Lady Reynard, is on her own quest for knowledge about Valdemar’s true heritage and brutal past, which he has thus far kept hidden—even from himself. But the more the sorcerer and swordswoman discover, the closer they come to unearthing an awesome truth that will either usher the world into a new era of light or plunge it into the darkest terror . . .
The first volume of the hit dark-fantasy series—with more than 800,000 views on Royal Road—now available on Kindle, Kindle Unlimited, and Audible!
All new novel of conan published in 2022
Who, and where, is Amheris? The question that will dominate the fortunes of Hale – a former soldier turned blade for hire – and could yet decide the entire fate of Ambria.
After a bloody fight to protect the Lady de la Faye, Hale is offered a new task by his patron and frequent employer, the Lord Barthelme: to travel to Andrid and escort two priests on their journey to find their missing contact, known only as ‘Amheris’. But despite the priest’s assertions that this a routine job for a routine payment, the task quickly turns into a lethal game of cat and mouse, as Hale and his charges find themselves pursued at every turn by a relentless and deadly foe.
Magic, muskets, mystery and mayhem are all unleashed in this swashbuckling fantasy thriller.
“Shader is a triumph of fantasy!” (Journal of Always)
“Derek Prior always produces masterpieces of storytelling, with great characters full of life, relentless plots, and gripping and intense fight scenes.” (Mitchell Hogan)
When a powerful artifact is stolen from the Abbey of Pardes, the holy knight Deacon Shader is sent to retrieve it.
But events have already spiraled out of control: plague spreads across the land, the dead rise from their graves, and an ancient evil has awakened.
As Creation itself hangs by a thread, Shader must confront the contradiction that defines him:
Either he is a man of prayer with a wavering faith,
Or the deadliest warrior of his generation.
The fate of all the worlds will be decided by his answer.
“Like Bernard Cornwell on ‘shrooms!” (Dinorah Wilson)
In the savage realm of Auropia, lurks a ghost in the form of a man. Valengetrix, exiled from his mysterious homeland, seeks redemption in the eyes of his people as he sets out to retrieve lost relics of the once renowned empire of Aratania. Accompanied by a sentient blade, forged from the soul of an ancient warrior of his race, Valengetrix begins to understand that the price for returning home must be paid in blood and treasure.
Along his travels, the young Aratanian soon learns that though he shares no affinity to the gods of this realm, he is instead guided by his desire to live up to those who came before him. With the aid of his ancestral blade, and the various peoples of this world he encounters along the way, the name of Valengetrix becomes a name widely revered by his allies, and feared by his many adversaries.
Exotic lands, dreadful foes and untold secrets abound in the world of Auropia. Explore them all in this short story series set nearly two millennia before the events in the Legends of Atlameria: Harbinger of World’s End novel.
Excerpt from “Blood in the Snow”
The burly, pillar of a man by the name of Kaleva, towered head and shoulders above the Aratanian, though he himself stood taller than most men. A broad, two-handed hammer he wore upon his back, and snow coated his fiery beard in white as he turned to observe his guest’s arrival. The look on his face indicated he had his doubts on whether the Aratanian would show, considering his apparent lack of accustomedness to the cold and the knowledge that he’d spent the night in the warm embrace of the lovely barmaid from the local tavern. Turns out the stranger was serious after all.
“Morning to you,” said the Fyrstian with a powerful voice befitting his hulking frame. “Sure you’re up for this, Aratanian? Gets a lot colder than this where we’re going.”
Val nodded in return before taking a deep breath of the frigid northern air and looking about. “I’ve been everywhere from the impassible mountains of Aratania to the snake-riddled jungles of Oskhari and the burning deserts of Mar-Es-Hai in between. I think I’ll manage.”
“Ha, I like your attitude stranger. However, I suggest you prepare yourself before we leave. There are creatures here in the north, known to take more than just a man’s life.”
There exists a fine line between truth and legend, in the heart of Atlameria.
Following an encounter in a deadly forest, two unlikely souls must join as one—or perish alone. Outcast shape-changer, called Ursakar by his people; Thorn struggles to understand the mysteries of his shadowed past while bearing the burden of an even more uncertain future. Meanwhile, the huntress tasked with the execution of his kind, Keira is forced to question the nature of her mission and whether those of her ruling order are as noble as they appear. Past and present soon collide with the discovery of a relic both ancient and prophetic in design.
Drums of war resound from the north, yet the two find themselves beset by a far greater threat near at hand—the same darkness that prompted the downfall of those who dwelt amongst these lands long ago. Against an enemy all but forgotten to the sands of time, even the unlikeliest of allies will prove better than none. A harbinger of the end approaches, but only those with the eyes to see can forestall its inevitability.
