Category: Fantasy

Karnov: Phantom-Clad Rider of the Cosmic Ice

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Karnov: Phantom-Clad Rider of the Cosmic Ice
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“By the powers of blood and divine sorcery, you have been transformed into a voyager of the Cosmic Ice. When you slay an undead being, the tainted soul of the creature will be absorbed into your magic armor and you will be granted the ability to open gateways to various places on this earthly plane and beyond.”

Journeying homeward, the warrior Karnov is anxious to reunite with his wife and son. Upon his return, he is shocked to discover his homeland ravaged by vampires. His worst fears are confirmed—his family has been brutally murdered and vampirized!

Traumatized and tormented, Karnov vows to destroy the undead lord responsible for unleashing such vile hordes upon his lands. Aided by a sultry witch, he gains the ability to master the dimensional gateway known as the Cosmic Ice. But will Karnov’s new powers and burning lust for retribution be enough to avenge his loved ones, or will undead wraiths corrupt the earth forever?

The Dragon Lords: Fool’s Gold

The Dragon Lords: Fool's Gold
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Guardians of the Galaxy meets TheHobbit in this rollicking fantasy adventure.

It’s not easy to live in a world ruled by dragons. The taxes are high and their control is complete. But for one group of bold misfits, it’s time to band together and steal back some of that wealth.

No one said they were smart.

Shadow’s Son

Shadow’s Son
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The thrilling Shadow Saga begins in Shadow’s Son—“a first-rate sword-and-sorcery tale, with intriguing characters, that moves at a quick pace” (Booklist).

In the city of Othir, there are two kinds of people—the dead and those ones who made them that way.

Caim is certainly not dead. Orphaned and adrift, Caim grows up to become a cold-blooded assassin with the aid of his ethereal companion Kit—a useful-but-maddening spirit only he can see or hear. And as far as Caim is concerned, he doesn’t need anyone else getting that close to him.

But that changes when he’s betrayed on what should have been a simple job—and his only chance for survival lies with Josephine, the young daughter of the very nobleman he was hired to eliminate.

Soon Caim is caught in a wide-ranging conspiracy that stretches from Othir’s gilded halls of power to its bloodied alleyways. He must stay sharp if he is to uncover a cabal of traitors, keep Josey alive, and confront the forgotten truth of his own dark past…

Far Away & Never

Far Away & Never
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Ramsey Campbell, best known for his many works of horror and dark suspense, now invites the reader to yet another milieu, Far Away & Never. Through these eight tales of swords and sorcery—four of which feature the inexhaustible swordsman Ryre—the reader is taken on a ride through different times and unlike worlds, all filled with the fantastic creatures and thrilling action one would expect to come from Campbell’s imagination while writing in this realm. Anyone who has read Campbell’s completions of Robert E. Howard’s Solomon Kane stories recognize that he is very capable in this genre, and this collection only lends further evidence to his case.

Twenty-five years after its original publication, Far Away & Never is now back in print, with one additional story, “A Madness from the Vaults,” included. All told, there’s many a treat for the reader here—be they a fan of Ramsey Campbell or heroic fantasy in general.

Stories included:
“The Sustenance of Hoak”
“The Changer of Names”
“The Pit of Wings”
“The Mouths of Light”
“The Stages of the God”
“The Song at the Hub of the Garden”
“The Ways of Chaos”
“A Madness from the Vaults”

The Classic Fantasy Collection

The Classic Fantasy Collection
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Epic romances, fearsome dragons and alien worlds lie between the pages of this volume. Containing more than 35 stories from the early masters of fantasy literature, the narratives here transport the reader to alternate worlds where magic abounds, cosmic terrors lie around the corner and intrepid heroes fight for justice.

Drawing inspiration from Norse, Japanese and Chinese mythology as well as from traditional fairytales and modern fears, the authors collected here span the breadth of the genre. Including tales from William Morris, H. G. Wells, Robert E. Howard and H. P. Lovecraft amongst others, they demonstrate the plethora of imaginative literature that was written in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Many of these tales were foundational works, bringing ideas of the supernatural into the mainstream, and through their efforts creating entirely new genres.

Before Tolkien, there were many writers embracing the realm of fantastic fiction. The man responsible for its origin was George MacDonald (1824-1905), a Calvinist minister and Celtic scholar, who wrote the first true fantasy novel. He was followed by a number of imaginative successors at the end of the 19th century, including H. G. Wells, Arthur Machen, and Ernest Bramah. After the end of World War I, the pulp magazines opened up the genre to a new generation of writers – particularly H. P. Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard – who provided exciting, magical and horrifying tales that fascinated a multitude of readers. By the outbreak of World War II, the outlines of the fantasy genre had been sketched out by these pioneers, and an entirely new type of fiction had been created.

This collection includes stories by:
Robert E. Howard
H. P. Lovecraft
G. G. Pendarves
H. G. Wells
William Morris
Lafcadio Hearn
Abraham Merritt
Arthur Machen
Ernest Bramah
Robert W. Chambers
George MacDonald

The Drop of a Hat: A Humorous High Fantasy (Hat Trick Book 1)

The Drop of a Hat: A Humorous High Fantasy (Hat Trick Book 1)
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A powerful wizard and a lowly kobold experience a magical meeting of the minds in the first book of a comedic fantasy-adventure for fans of Terry Pratchett.

Absalom Scryne, the greatest wizard of his generation, has been murdered. There’s no other explanation for why his consciousness now resides in his well-worn but perfectly pointed hat.

Well, he isn’t going to take that lying down . . . or hanging from a branch, as the case may be. Instead, he’ll hop on the head of the first foul-smelling kobold that comes along and convince it that it’s in everyone’s best interests for them to undertake the epic journey through the Badlands—past horny necromancers, rustic werewolves, and rampaging ogres—back to the shining city of magic at the heart of civilization, where he will promptly kick the backside of whoever it was that finally managed to stab him in the back.

Assuming, that is, he can teach a kobold how to use magic, survive all the roaming adventurers who consider a kobold to be a very minor payday, and prevent anyone else from claiming the wealth of arcane knowledge that is now bound within the rather handsome piece of haberdashery that he has become.

The Dungeoneers

The Dungeoneers
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After five years as a city guard, Durham’s horizontal career trajectory adds a corkscrew when a misdelivered order assigns him to caravan duty for an eclectic group of Dwarves who hire themselves out as professional dungeoneers.
No ruler wants to leave a powerful magical weapon lying about in a dungeon where just any prophesied upstart can stumble across it and use it to overthrow the kingdom.

That’s where The Dungeoneers come in. Dungeons sacked, artifacts recovered, no job too big or too small. They’re not adventurers; they’re professionals.
With the discovery that Durham may have arrived with a destiny attached to him the Dungeoneers find themselves in the midst of some history about to happen. Will experience and Dwarven know-how be enough to carry the day?

NPCs (Spells, Swords, Stealth Book 1)

NPCs (Spells, Swords, Stealth Book 1)
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What happens when the haggling is done and the shops are closed? When the quest has been given, the steeds saddled, and the adventurers are off to their next encounter? They keep the world running, the food cooked, and the horses shoed, yet what adventurer has ever spared a thought or concern for the Non-Player Characters?

In the town of Maplebark, four such NPCs settle in for a night of actively ignoring the adventurers drinking in the tavern when things go quickly and fatally awry. Once the dust settles, these four find themselves faced with an impossible choice: pretend to be adventurers undertaking a task of near-certain death or see their town and loved ones destroyed.

Armed only with salvaged equipment, second-hand knowledge, and a secret that could get them killed, it will take all manner of miracles if they hope to pull off their charade.

And even if they succeed, the deadliest part of their journey may well be what awaits them at its end.

Second Hand Curses

Second Hand Curses
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When your fairy godmother threatens to enslave you with a curse – when a malevolent piper solves your rat problem but steals your children – when you seek revenge on the prince who turned you into a frog – who can you turn to in your hour of need?

The band of scoundrels known far and wide as the Bastard Champions – the swashbuckling trio who travel a world of legend, seeking adventure and righting wrongs – as long as there’s enough gold to be earned.

They are Jack, the seemingly unkillable leader whose ever-present grin belies a dark past; Marie, who fights with fury but battles more fiercely to control the beast within; and Frank, the master of logistics, whose cloak hides horrific scars that are far more than skin-deep. As they slash and scheme through kingdom and village alike, the Bastard Champions uncover tantalizing clues to their ultimate quarry: the powerful Blue Fairy, who has made each of their lives a living hell.

Second Hand Curses adds a dash of sly wit and a heaping portion of action to the fairy tales you thought you knew.

Orconomics: A Satire (The Dark Profit Saga)

Orconomics: A Satire (The Dark Profit Saga)
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A disgraced Dwarven hero. A band of deadbeat adventurers. His last shot at redemption could get him killed.

If Gorm Ingerson really wanted to drink himself to death, he never should have helped the Goblin. When his good deed lands him in a bad contract, Gorm finds himself entangled in a quest that will pit him against business magnates, the king of the Freedlands, and a mad goddess trying to fulfill a suicidal prophecy.

But Gorm’s tarnished circumstances may be hiding a golden opportunity. If he and his half-baked party can overcome deep conspiracies and dark magics, he just might redeem himself and his career enough to be a professional hero once more.

Orconomics: A Satire is the first book in The Dark Profit Saga, a trilogy so funny it’s epic. If you like down-and-out heroes, sidesplitting misadventures, and ingenious world-building, then you’ll love J. Zachary Pike’s dark and delightful ribbing of high fantasy.

Buy Orconomics to join the campaign for a high-energy, hilarious fantasy adventure today!