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The Very Best of Tad Williams

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A Kingdom Besieged: Book One of the Chaoswar Saga

Midkemia’s fifth and final Riftwar—the devastating Chaoswar—explodes in the opening volume of Raymond E. Feist’s spectacular new epic fantasy trilogy of magic, conflict, and world-shattering peril. A Kingdom Besieged is a breathtaking adventure that brings back Pug—first introduced in Feist’s classic Read more

The Ten Thousand (The Macht Book 1)

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.

Discoveries: Book 1 of The Magicium Series

Discoveries: Book 1 of The Magicium Series
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WHAT HAPPENS WHEN CREATION DEFEATS CREATOR?

In a post-apocalyptic future, humanity has been forced underground by Abominations, fantasy creatures created through the power of magicium. And when the Abominations rebelled, the secrets of manipulating magicium were lost.
Carla is smothered in secrets. Logan obeys without thinking. Junior regrets every choice he makes. They all want one thing.
All three are in a race to the broken city of Shanghai to recover a prized canister of the magical substance. Determined to brave the Open, each will discover about the lost science of magic on their quest – and will risk being torn apart by their mistakes, past and present.

If you don’t know you’re in a race, how do you know when you’ve won?

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.

Ascension, The Ymir Trinity

Ascension, The Ymir Trinity
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For millennia, clandestine wars between humans and Demigods ravaged our world. Frustrated by humankind’s talent for killing her emissaries, the Goddess Ymir chose a young Icelandic woman, Alma, to represent her in our Anthropic universe. Alma refused to be the leader Ymir needed and instead, hid on her family farm.

A looming threat from outside forced Alma to abandon her self-imposed isolation and accept her role as Ymir’s hands and eyes. It wasn’t long before she realized her abilities had crippling limitations, not the least of which was her inexperience with the tactics and brutality of war.

Ymir coerced Alma into a partnership with a duty-bound American Air Force General and a psychotic demigoddess. This unconventional team raced against time to prepare their people for a confrontation that will test their technological and scientific limits.

Will humanity’s breathtaking evolution and insatiable thirst for conquest ignite a much larger war, placing Ymir and her sapient armies in conflict with the other Gods?

Rhataloo : A Takamo Universe Novel (Muto Chronicles)

Rhataloo : A Takamo Universe Novel (Muto Chronicles)
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My name is Sedrick. I’m a man-size, space-faring rhat. I’m also executive officer for an interstellar cargo ship—the Granum. My captain and I are in a wee bit of trouble. We’ve been summoned by the Emperor’s auditors. Now, That doesn’t sound ominous. But, believe me, it is. These aren’t your typical bean-counters. These guys will extract a nose or a tail if you mess up. And we messed up.

It was a simple job. Deliver a hold packed with cheese and spirits to a backwater planet in the Orion spur. Things didn’t go as planned. They never do on a ship full of buffoons and malcontents. Chief among my problems were those two scientists Dontel and Uzel. Their spectacular bungle landed us on Earth, an even more backwater world than the one we were headed for. No starships, no flight—not even a lightbulb!

I did my executive level best—threatening, bargaining, and stunning to get the job done. To get the hold filled. The Granum was safe and secure. Nestled within a forest in northeastern France. I made connections with the locals. I had a plan!

Then the soldiers arrived. All sorts of soldiers. It was an absolute mess. A scheduling nightmare! How was I to gauge the long-term effects? The galactic repercussions?

And now our lives and livelihoods are at stake again. The best I can hope for? This memory machine the auditors have me connected to will cook my brain.

Lost Bits

Lost Bits
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The last thing K-404 remembers is a happy home with the human child Ele, whose care is his primary purpose. So, when he wakes up in a landfill of tossed-away technology, his only thought is to reunite with his family.

This world is not his own, though. It’s a wasteland of desolate buildings, flying metal disks, and monstrosities that keep themselves active by stealing another bot’s power.

How did the world get this way?

And why was he discarded?

Hampered by imperfect memory, an obsolete body, and limited battery life, 404 sets out to find his home. Joined by other castaways, he faces off against scavengers and monsters, only to encounter greater threats.

Voyage of the Devilfish (The Michael Pacino Series Book 1)

Voyage of the Devilfish (The Michael Pacino Series Book 1)
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The Kaliningrad stands as the last great triumph of Soviet submarine technology. Now it has put out to sea, lurking beneath the polar ice cap. In command is the most brilliant officer the Soviet fleet has ever produced—Admiral Alexi Novskoyy. And in his fanatical hands is the power to turn back the clock to the Cold War…and begin the countdown to doomsday.

Opposing him is the killer chase sub USS Devilfish, captained by Commander Michael Pacino—a dogged veteran of the American fleet. His orders are to hunt down and destroy the Russian vessel. But his personal mission is to settle an old score with Novskoyy—the man who killed his father.

The ultimate undersea duel is about to begin…

Blackthorne

Blackthorne
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Framed for a crime he didn’t commit. Haunted by the ghosts of his past. Incarcerated in the most notorious prison in the Freeholds. Fate has mauled Mattias Temple, a failed cadre necromancer, leaving him with little hope.

Until a rogue military squad kidnaps the governor and threatens the city with a magical plague, giving him a shot to redeem a lifetime of mistakes and be the one thing he never thought possible: A hero.

As the body count rises Mattias finds himself neck-deep in trouble and drowning in ghosts. Outnumbered and outgunned, he has one choice left: Cut a bloody swathe through his enemies or die trying.

“A manic blend of insectile cyberpunk, necromancy, and vicious humor, Blackthorne crushes.” -Michael R Fletcher, author of The Obsidian Path

“A grim and gutsy mash-up of military SF and gore spattered noir fantasy. Highly recommended and fingers crossed for a sequel.”
-Anthony Ryan, author of The Martyr

“Truly a mesmerizing read that I recommend to anyone who loves sf and fantasy with guts, heart, and feeling.”
-Nick Borrelli, Out of this World SFF

The Obsidian Psalm

The Obsidian Psalm
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Betrayed by those he trusted. Resurrected by a man he should loathe. A head full of memories he didn’t make. Rook is forced into a bargain that might kill him if he refuses, and if he accepts, could mean the end of existence.

Trapped in a shadow war between necromancers, his choices are dwindling to one: Cut a bloody swathe of revenge across humanity’s last remaining city.

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