Swordplay

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Karnov: Phantom-Clad Rider of the Cosmic Ice

“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 Read more

Sword-Dancer (Tiger and Del)

The first book in the Sword-Dancer saga introduces the legendary adventures of Tiger and Del, magic wielders and skilled warriors He was Tiger, born of the desert winds, raised as a slave and winning his freedom by weaving a special Read more

Thirteen Tales of Sword & Sorcery!

Mixing classic with unconventional approaches, SWORDPLAY collects into a single volume a group of tales like you’ve never experienced, while retaining a familiar feel all fans of the genre will recognize.

Lending their considerable talents toward tales of blades, battles, necromancers, sorceresses and lethal creatures, thirteen writers celebrate the genre while enhancing and expanding the range and scope of Sword & Sorcery.

Featuring original tales by:

CLIFF BIGGERS- DAN BRERETON- CULLEN BUNN- MICHAEL BURKE- RICHARD DANSKY- CHRISTOPHER GOLDEN- STEVEN GRANT- TONIA LAIRD- BRACKEN MACLEOD- JAMES A. MOORE- ALLISON PANG- LINDA ROBERTSON REINHARDT- CHARLES R. RUTLEDGE

The Hammer and the Blade: Egil & Nix

The Hammer and the Blade: Egil & Nix
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For readers of Brent Weeks, Joe Abercrombie, Peter V. Brett, and Scott Lynch comes the first book in a fantastic, hilarious new sword-and-sorcery series that puts a clever new twist on the golden age of epic fantasy.

Robbing tombs for fun and profit might not be a stable career, but Egil and Nix aren’t in it for the long-term prospects. Egil is the hammer-wielding warrior-priest of a discredited god. Nix is a roguish thief with just enough knowledge of magic to conjure up trouble. Together, they seek riches and renown, yet often find themselves enlisted in lost causes—generally against their will.

So why should their big score be any different? The trouble starts when Nix and Egil kill the demonic guardian of a long-lost crypt, nullifying an ancient pact made by the ancestors of an obscenely powerful wizard. Now the wizard will stop at nothing to keep that power from slipping away, even if it means freeing a rapacious beast from its centuries-old prison. And who better than Egil and Nix—the ones responsible for his current predicament—to perform this thankless task?

Praise for The Hammer and the Blade and Paul S. Kemp

“A gripping tale [with] the feeling of a classic Dungeons & Dragons campaign.”Publishers Weekly

“Most heroes work up to killing demons. Egil and Nix start there and pick up the pace.”—Elaine Cunningham, author of the Thorn Trilogy

“Kemp delivers sword and sorcery at its rollicking best, after the fashion of Fritz Leiber’s Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser.”Library Journal

Vran the Chaos-Warped

Vran the Chaos-Warped
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Vran the Chaos-Warped is a man who will never break an oath or drop a grudge. When he discovers the despicable wizard Foad Misjak has committed the most foul of crimes against the population of Nilztiria, he swears to slay the evildoer or die trying. Vran confronts Misjak, who learns how the cursed swordsman earned the name “Chaos-Warped” when he casts a spell which has drastically different effects than intended. As a result of the uncontrollable magic, the pair of nemeses are swept away from Nilztiria to another dimension: a far-flung primitive world of ice!

Vran’s hunt for revenge takes him through multiple realms, acquiring allies and encountering dangers each step of the way. But Misjak, with his slick tongue and fearsome sorcery, has lured cronies to his side as well. When the two hated enemies finally face off, who will survive? And will the victor be able to return to Nilztiria?

In addition to the novel Vran the Chaos-Warped, this volume also contains two previously unpublished short stories.

The Waters of Eternity

Dabir and Asim return! From acclaimed historical fantasy writer Howard Andrew Jones comes this collection of the short adventures that launched his career. Venture into the time of the Arabian Nights with stalwart Captain Asim and the brilliant Dabir as they hunt an unseen killer that craves only the eyes of his victims, and pursue a dark entity haunting the halls of an opulent mansion. Ride with them on a desperate journey to preserve a terrible weapon from Byzantine agents, and seek the waters of eternity to save a dying girl’s life. In six tales brimming with mystery and sword-slinging action Dabir and Asim stride forward into adventure. With nothing to shield them but Asim’s sword arm and Dabir’s wit, the two heroes must unravel sinister puzzles, confront dark wizards, rescue fair maidens, and battle the terrifying monsters of legend.

Includes four chapter preview of the first Dabir and Asim novel, The Desert of Souls.

The Desert of Souls

The Desert of Souls
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The glittering tradition of sword-and-sorcery sweeps into the sands of ancient Arabia with the heart-stopping speed of a whirling dervish in this thrilling debut novel from new talent Howard Andrew Jones

In 8th century Baghdad, a stranger pleads with the vizier to safeguard the bejeweled tablet he carries, but he is murdered before he can explain. Charged with solving the puzzle, the scholar Dabir soon realizes that the tablet may unlock secrets hidden within the lost city of Ubar, the Atlantis of the sands. When the tablet is stolen from his care, Dabir and Captain Asim are sent after it, and into a life and death chase through the ancient Middle East.

Stopping the thieves—a cunning Greek spy and a fire wizard of the Magi—requires a desperate journey into the desert, but first Dabir and Asim must find the lost ruins of Ubar and contend with a mythic, sorcerous being that has traded wisdom for the souls of men since the dawn of time. But against all these hazards there is one more that may be too great even for Dabir to overcome…

Short stories collection in the same universe: The Waters of Eternity

Waters of Darkness

Sailing Against the Tides of Hell!

The time is 1640 AD. The Age of Pirates.

Angus “Bloody Red” Buchanan, infamous in the West Indies, sets sail across the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean and the island of Madagascar in search of new plunder and loot. With him on his Spanish galleon, the Raven, is his first mate and closest friend, Mose Cooper, an educated runaway slave from the American colony of Louisiana. Sailing alongside them aboard her own ship, the Witch of the Indies, is Buchanan’s partner and the love of his life, fiery Katherine O’Toole—Crimson Kate.

During their voyage they will encounter the spawn of the Deep Ones on the Isle of Shadow, confront an ancient ship of zombie sailors, do battle with French, Dutch, and Arab corsairs, and tangle with a 1000-year-old Persian sorcerer who serves Dagon, the Philistine god of the sea. Man-eating phantoms, a beautiful demoness, assorted devils, dinosaurs, and creatures from the bowels of Hell will all threaten these crews before their tale is done and told.

There’s plenty of action, romance, betrayal, humor, drama, and tragedy to be had on this venture—as well sword-play, dark sorcery, and violent battles at sea. Wade hip-deep in the blood and brine with Buchanan and his mates toward the final confrontation with the Undying Wizard.

Here’s a rousing, high-seas adventure of pirates, swords, sorcery, and the supernatural in the tradition of Robert E. Howard, with a touch of H.P. Lovecraft to spice up the rum. So climb aboard as “Bloody Red” Buchanan, Big Mose Cooper, and Crimson Kate set sail upon the Waters of Darkness.

“The characterization of the protagonists and antagonists are what sets Waters of Darkness apart. A startling story development three-quarters of the way through the book left me certain a supernatural cheat was headed by the end of the story, but the authors chose to avoid a clichéd ending and instead play fair with readers. . . Any book this good that doesn’t follow the formula note for note is really exceptional and worthy of closer scrutiny.” — William Patrick Maynard, Black Gate Online Magazine.

“Smith and Bonadonna have truly captured the feel of the pirate life in terms of their skill at using language and jargon of pirates and their knowledge of the time period in which this tale takes place. What they have brought to the page is truly impressive. The adventure combines pirate lore, with high fantasy, vengeance, horror, demonic adversaries and imaginative beasts, to give you a hell of a ride. The vision created in the readers mind will stay well after this story has ended.” — Jeanne E. Rogers, author of the award-winning, The Sword of Demelza.

Changa’s Safari

Changa's Safari
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In the 15th century on the African Continent a young prince flees his homeland of Kongo, vowing to seek revenge for the murder of his father and the enslavement of his family and his people. He triumphs over the slavery and the fighting pits of Mogadishu to become a legendary fighter and respected merchant.

From the Swahili cities of the East African Coast to the magnificent Middle Kingdom of Asia, Changa and his crew experience adventures beyond the imagination. Changa will not rest until he has fulfilled his promise to his family and his people. The anchors are raised and the sails unfurled. Let the safari begin!

Griots: Sisters of the Spear

Griots: Sisters of the Spear
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Griots: Sisters of the Spear picks up where the ground breaking Griots Anthology leaves off. Charles R. Saunders and Milton J. Davis present seventeen original and exciting Sword and Soul tales focusing on black women.

Just as the Griots Anthology broke ground as the first Sword and Soul Anthology, Griots: Sisters of the Spear pays homage to the spirit, bravery and compassion of women of color. The griots have returned to sing new songs, and what wonderful songs they are!

Throne of the Crescent Moon

Throne of the Crescent Moon
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From Saladin Ahmed, finalist for the Nebula and Campbell Awards, comes one of the year’s most anticipated fantasy debuts: THRONE OF THE CRESCENT MOON, a fantasy adventure with all the magic of The Arabian Nights.

The Crescent Moon Kingdoms, home to djenn and ghuls, holy warriors and heretics, are at the boiling point of a power struggle between the iron- fisted Khalif and the mysterious master thief known as the Falcon Prince. In the midst of this brewing rebellion a series of brutal supernatural murders strikes at the heart of the Kingdoms. It is up to a handful of heroes to learn the truth behind these killings.

Doctor Adoulla Makhslood, “the last real ghul hunter in the great city of Dhamsawaat,” just wants a quiet cup of tea. Three score and more years old, he has grown weary of hunting monsters and saving lives, and is more than ready to retire from his dangerous and demanding vocation. But when an old flame’s family is murdered, Adoulla is drawn back to the hunter’s path.

Raseed bas Raseed, Adoulla’s young assistant, is a hidebound holy warrior whose prowess is matched only by his piety. But even as Raseed’s sword is tested by ghuls and manjackals, his soul is tested when he and Adoulla cross paths with the tribeswoman Zamia.

Zamia Badawi, Protector of the Band, has been gifted with the near- mythical power of the lion-shape, but shunned by her people for daring to take up a man’s title. She lives only to avenge her father’s death. Until she learns that Adoulla and his allies also hunt her father’s killer. Until she meets Raseed.

When they learn that the murders and the Falcon Prince’s brewing revolution are connected, the companions must race against time-and struggle against their own misgivings-to save the life of a vicious despot. In so doing they discover a plot for the Throne of the Crescent Moon that threatens to turn Dhamsawaat, and the world itself, into a blood-soaked ruin.