Date: 2010-2020

The Very Best of Tad Williams

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Echoes of the Great Song

The Very Best of Tad Williams
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Within these pages you will find such delightful and curious things as a strange storytelling vampire, two woefully-overmatched angels, a dragon in cahoots with a knight and a witch, an ineptly duplicitous fish, the loyal robot butler of Werner Von Secondstage Booster, and the Greatest Wizard of All (disputed).

From his epic fantasy series, including Memory Sorrow and Thorn—which George R. R. Martin cited as an inspiration for Game of Thrones—to the classic novel Tailchaser’s Song, Tad Williams has mastered every genre he has set his pen to. Here are the stories that showcase the exhilarating breadth of Williams’ imagination, hearkening back to such classic fantasists as J. R. R. Tolkien, Ray Bradbury, Peter S. Beagle, and beyond.

Whether you are a devoted reader of his longer works, already a devotee of his short fiction, or even new to his writing entirely, The Very Best of Tad Williams is the perfect place to discover one of the most talented and versatile authors writing at any length today.

The Witchwood Crown (Last King of Osten Ard)

The Witchwood Crown (Last King of Osten Ard)
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New York Times-bestselling Tad Williams’ ground-breaking epic fantasy saga of Osten Ard begins an exciting new cycle! • Volume One of The Last King of Osten Ard

The Dragonbone Chair, the first volume of Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, was published in hardcover in October, 1988, launching the series that was to become one of the seminal works of modern epic fantasy. Many of today’s top-selling fantasy authors, from Patrick Rothfuss to George R. R. Martin to Christopher Paolini credit Tad with being the inspiration for their own series.

Now, twenty-four years after the conclusion of Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, Tad returns to his beloved universe and characters with The Witchwood Crown, the first novel in the long-awaited sequel trilogy, The Last King of Osten Ard.

More than thirty years have passed since the events of the earlier novels, and the world has reached a critical turning point once again. The realm is threatened by divisive forces, even as old allies are lost, and others are lured down darker paths. Perhaps most terrifying of all, the Norns—the long-vanquished elvish foe—are stirring once again, preparing to reclaim the mortal-ruled lands that once were theirs….

The Heart of What Was Lost

The Heart of What Was Lost
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New York Times-bestselling Tad Williams’ ground-breaking epic fantasy saga of Osten Ard begins an exciting new cycle! 

The perfect introduction to the epic fantasy world of Osten Ard, The Heart of What Was Lost is Tad Williams’ follow-up to his internationally bestselling landmark trilogy. Osten Ard inspired a generation of modern fantasy writers, including George R.R. Martin, Patrick Rothfuss, and Christopher Paolini, and defined Tad Williams as one of the most important fantasy writers of our time.

A NOVEL OF OSTEN ARD

At the end of Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, Ineluki the Storm King, an undead spirit of horrifying, demonic power, came within moments of stopping Time itself and obliterating humankind. He was defeated by a coalition of mortal men and women joined by his own deathless descendants, the Sithi.

In the wake of the Storm King’s fall, Ineluki’s loyal minions, the Norns, dark cousins to the Sithi, choose to flee the lands of men and retreat north to Nakkiga, their ancient citadel within the hollow heart of the mountain called Stormspike. But as the defeated Norns make their way to this last haven, the mortal Rimmersman Duke Isgrimnur leads an army in pursuit, determined to end the Norns’ attacks and defeat their ageless Queen Utuk’ku for all time.

Two southern soldiers, Porto and Endri, joined the mortal army to help achieve this ambitious goal—though as they venture farther and farther into the frozen north, braving the fierce resistance and deadly magics of the retreating Norns, they cannot help but wonder what they are doing so very far from home. Meanwhile, the Norns must now confront the prospect of extinction at the hands of Isgrimnur and his mortal army.

Viyeki, a leader of the Norns’ military engineers, the Order of Builders, desperately seeks a way to help his people reach their mountain—and then stave off the destruction of their race. For the two armies will finally clash in a battle to be remembered as the Siege of Nakkiga; a battle so strange and deadly, so wracked with dark enchantment, that it threatens to destroy not just one side but quite possibly all.

Trapped inside the mountain as the mortals batter at Nakkiga’s gates, Viyeki the Builder will discover disturbing secrets about his own people, mysteries both present and past, represented by the priceless gem known as The Heart of What Was Lost.

Praise for Osten Ard:

“Inspired me to write my own seven-book trilogy…. It’s one of my favorite fantasy series.”
—George R. R. Martin, New York Times-bestselling author of The Game of Thrones

“Groundbreaking…changed how people thought of the genre, and paved the way for so much modern fantasy. Including mine.”
—Patrick Rothfuss, New York Times-bestselling author of The Name of the Wind

“Tad Williams is a master storyteller, and the Osten Ard books are his masterpiece.” —Brandon Sanderson, New York Times-bestselling author of Mistborn

“Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn is one of the great fantasy epics of all time.”
—Christopher Paolini, New York Times-bestselling author of Eragon

The Jim Baen Memorial Award: The First Decade

The Jim Baen Memorial Award: The First Decade
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A DECADE OF SCIENCE FICTION EXCELLENCE

Since 2007, Baen Books and The National Space Society have sponsored The Jim Baen Memorial Short Story Award, to honor the legacy of Jim Baen and to promote the ideals of forward-thinking, positive science fiction.

Here gathered together for the first time are the best of the best of the first decade of the Jim Baen Memorial Award. Winners and runners-up whose stories dared imagine a bright future in which humankind has shaken off the shackles of gravity and moved into that limitless realm known as “outer space.”

Each tale is set in a plausible, near-future setting, and yet the variations are as limitless as the imaginations of the array of authors represented. Stories that ask, “What if?” Stories that dare to say, “Why not?” Stories that continue the grand science fiction tradition, looking to the future with a positive outlook on humanity’s place in the universe.

A Star Curiously Singing (DarkTrench Saga)

A Star Curiously Singing (DarkTrench Saga)
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** Reader’s Favorite Gold Medal Award Winner **

Sandfly is a debugger. He is property, bought and paid for in an Earth under sharia law. All faiths but one have been banned. And the rule of the great Imam is supreme.

As a debugger, Sandfly has an implant in his head that connects him to the world’s technology—and doles out mental shocks to keep him obedient. All he wants is to fix bots and avoid shocks

Now he’s been called into Earth orbit. The masters have a new spacecraft—one capable of interstellar flight. On its maiden voyage, the only robot on board went mad and tore itself apart.

Why? Better question: does it pose any risk to humans?

When Sandfly reviews the bot’s final moments, he perceives something unexpected. Something impossible.

As Sandfly pieces together the clues, a trap spreads beneath his feet. If he solves the mystery, he may doom himself. And if he fixes the robot, he may shatter his world.

Suspenseful, unique, and awash in cyberpunk jive, A Star Curiously Singing presents a bleak future that might be closer than we think.

RHATS!: A Takamo Universe Novella (Muto Chronicles Book 1)

RHATS!: A Takamo Universe Novella (Muto Chronicles Book 1)
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Kerry Nietz, the award-winning science fiction author of Amish Vampires in Space and A Star Curiously Singing brings you RHATS!

As battles rage and allegiances shift, the Muto Frohic returns home an unlikely hero. Now rich beyond measure, fat from the spoils of conquest, he takes his place among the emperor’s honored champions. His symbol is raised over the Black Wall and his name inscribed into the Book of Remembrance. Yet Frohic’s heart is troubled. His destiny unfulfilled. For somewhere in the dark reaches of—

Who is writing this stuff? That isn’t how it is at all.

Frohic again. Listen, I got home to find squatters living in my family’s hovel and no clue as to where father, mother, and the rest of the family went. The only help I have is from someone I just met, and I half suspect she’s looking for a sire to start her own family. I don’t trust her, and I certainly don’t like her. Least, not like that.

Meanwhile, an old friend shows up with a fantastic offer. Lose years of my life on another scavenging mission! And this time we’re going to a part of the galaxy that no muto has ever seen. Much less returned from.

Did I mention there might be ants? Giant, ugly ants. Plus, a crew of lunatics. Always fighting or fussing.

If I survive, I might get to see my family again. Do I want that? Do I want any of this?

Peril in Plain Space Trilogy: Amish Vampires in Space/Amish Zombies from Space

Peril in Plain Space Trilogy: Amish Vampires in Space/Amish Zombies from Space
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The genre-busting Peril in Plain Space trilogy is complete!

In 2013, author Kerry Nietz stunned the world with his science fiction take on a seemingly nonsensical title–Amish Vampires in Space. The story of Jebediah Miller and the other Raven survivors has since expanded into two more seemingly improbably concoctions–Amish Zombies from Space and Amish Werewolves of Space–both of which have won awards and delighted fans of the original story. Now, to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of Amish Vampires, all three books are available together in a single e-book. Unique, thoughtful, entertaining, and far, far out in left (hay?) field.

Grab it now!

Amish Vampires in Space: Jebediah has a secret that will change his world forever and send his people into space. The Amish world of Alabaster calls upon an ancient promise to escape destruction. Then end up on a cargo ship bound for the stars. But they are not the only cargo on board. Some of it is alive…or used to be. Now, with vampires taking over and closing in on the Amish refugees, these simple believers must decide whether their faith depends upon their honored traditions or something even older.

Amish Zombies from Space: First, vampires in space. And now…zombies. Really? Jebediah and the others are trying to get over the horrors they faced in deep space, and now this. It’s been five years, and the Amish colony on Miller’s Resolve has finally gotten settled. Jeb and Sarah have a son. Elder Samuel is happy not being in charge. Darly has a private practice. And Greels is out of jail at last. But when a mysterious ship from space arrives on Resolve, it unleashes a horde of undead that might spell the end of the survivors and their dreams of peace. Will the specters of the past save them, or seal their fate?

Amish Werewolves of Space: Some say death comes in threes. For the Amish community of Alabaster, it seems to. They’ve maintained an uneasy alliance with the vamperkinder, the altered humans that rescued them from the zombies seven years ago. But after several vicious attacks—nighttime slaughters that could only have been perpetrated by the kinder—the union of the two peoples is shattered. Meanwhile, a resurgent zombie horde and mysterious nightly howls signal doom, not only for the Amish, but for the entire galaxy. As more and more planets fall, the Raven survivors hunt for a solution. Can they restore the peace? Escape the horde? Save the galaxy? Or is it already too late?

Mask: Author’s Preferred Text

Mask: Author's Preferred Text
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I am the mask. The mask is me.

America has fallen. Remnants of states cling together. The Pacific Northwest is now PacNorth.

Democracy has gone off the rails. Citizens still vote, but only to vote away anything–or anyone–they don’t like. Long-term wisdom loses to short-term pleasure.

And the Collectors come in the night.

Radial is a Collector. The instrument of the will of the people. You get voted away…Radial makes you disappear. The system works, and he is its servant. The rule of the people is the highest form of human government. He is a believer.

Until he is asked to collect someone who should never, ever be voted away.

Assault on Saint Agnes

Assault on Saint Agnes
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When terrorists assault Saint Agnes Church in Saint Paul, Minnesota, they expect to find a congregation of lambs: they get Bobby Kurtz instead.

An unrepentant Cold Warrior, Kurtz destroys the terror cell with violent finality. Against his will, Kurtz is pulled back into the life he left behind decades before. He reluctantly picks up the burden of hunting the terrorists in our midst.

He risks his life, and his marriage, in a single-minded pursuit of victory over evil. Working with a shadowy government agency, Kurtz uses all of his skills and experience to foil a plan that would plunge the Twin Cities back into the Stone Age. The final battle rages across the plains during a Christmas Eve blizzard in a story that will leave the reader pleading for more of Kurtz and his team of experts.

River of Thieves (Thieves’ Lyric Book 1)

River of Thieves (Thieves' Lyric Book 1)
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We were the worst kind of people. For the best reasons. After a robbery gone horribly wrong, cursed thief Cord broadens his horizons and plans to execute the heist of a lifetime. With fellow thief and knife connoisseur Nenn in tow, the two build their ragtag crew to target the heart of the kingdom – Midian, the seat of tyrant King Anaxos Mane.

As treachery, horrifying creatures of nightmare, and opposition bar their path at every turn, the gang must depend on skill – intellectual, martial, and magical – to deliver them an endless summer and keep them free from the clutches of evil despotism. If they don’t sh*t the bed first.

“This book is insanely good, insanely funny, and insane.” – Dyrk Ashton, Author of Paternus “I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so hard reading a story in my life… ever.” -Justine Bergman, Whispers & Wonder “If you’ve ever wondered what a Terry Pratchett novel would look like if he got drunk and dabbled in grimdark, well… here you go.” -Luke Tarzian, Author of Vultures “An entertaining and viciously funny heist story.” -Lukas P, Fantasy Book Critic “Hurry up with the sequel, Mr Snyder. I’m deducting a star for the ending, so it’s only 5/5.” -Bjørn Larssen, Author of Storytellers