The Best of Heroic Fantasy Quarterly: Volume 1, 2009-2011

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The Best of Heroic Fantasy Quarterly: Volume 1, 2009-2011
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Tales gathered from frozen pre-history, sweltering jungles, and smoky mead halls, legends of this world and whispers of other worlds briefly glimpsed — here then are gathered works of adventure and danger, love and fury, seventeen of the best from the early days of Heroic Fantasy Quarterly.

Fiction by Richard Marsden, James Lecky, William Gerke, R. Michael Burns, Christopher Wood, Robert Rhodes, Dariel R. A. Quiogue, Jesse Bangs, P. Djeli Clark, and David Pilling.

3 Books a fourth should come soon

Anno Dracula

Anno Dracula
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“Kim Newman’s Anno Dracula is back in print, and we must celebrate. It was the first mash-up of literature, history and vampires, and now, in a world in which vampires are everywhere, it’s still the best, and its bite is just as sharp. Compulsory reading, commentary, and mindgame: glorious.” – Neil Gaiman

It is 1888 and Queen Victoria has remarried, taking as her new consort the Wallachian Prince infamously known as Count Dracula. His polluted bloodline spreads through London as its citizens increasingly choose to become vampires.

In the grim backstreets of Whitechapel, a killer known as ‘Silver Knife’ is cutting down vampire girls. The eternally young vampire Geneviere Dieudonné and Charles Beauregard of the Diogenes Club are drawn together as they both hunt the sadistic killer, bringing them ever closer to England’s most bloodthirsty ruler yet.

Anno Dracula is a rich and panoramic tale, combining horror, politics, mystery, and romance to create a unique and compelling alternate history.

Walk Among Us: Compiled Edition (Vampire the masquerade)

The Beast Within: A Vampire the Masquerade Anthology

Unseen. The Kindred Move Among Us

Not merely mad beasts of lonely hunters, the vampires of the World of Darkness who call themselves The Kindred because of the blood that elementally binds them together, are dangerously organized and cunning. They hide behind a plan they call the Masquerade so that they do not draw the attention or ire of mortals, and the society this masquerade obscures is as rich with wonders and as rife with conflict as any ever known among men.

This collection of stories concerning the Kindred of the World of Darkness serves as both an introduction to their nature and an expose of the danger they pose. Collected within this second edition are favorites of the first edition, including stories by S.P. Somtow and Mathew J. Costello, as well as two all-new stories from Gherbod Flemming and Eric Griffin, two authors of the bestselling Vampire Clan Novel series.

Of Saints and Shadows (Peter Octavian Book 1)

Of Saints and Shadows
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A secret sect of the Catholic Church, armed with an ancient book of the undead called The Gospel of Shadows, has been slowly destroying vampires for centuries. Now the book has been stolen, and the sect races to retrieve it before their purpose is discovered: a final purge of all vampires.

As the line between saints and shadows grows ominously faint, private eye Peter Octavian is drawn into the search. And he’ll do anything to find the book … for Peter Octavian is also a vampire. Ostracized by his kindred for refusing to take part in the ‘blood song’, he cannot stand by and watch while they are destroyed.

In a deadly game with a driven, sadistic assassin, the trail leads to Venice at the time of carnival, where the Defiant Ones, as the vampires are known, are engaged in a savage battle for their lives. Filled with plot twists, mystery, sex and violent death, Of Saints and Shadows is a spine-tingling thriller which opens the door to the world of Peter Octavian.

Darkwalker on Moonshae: The Moonshae Trilogy (Forgotten Realms)

Darkwalker on Moonshae: The Moonshae Trilogy (Forgotten Realms)
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The very first Forgotten Realms novel ever published—and an exciting introduction to the kingdom of Corwell in the Moonshae Isles
 
The evil beast Kazgaroth wages war against the peaceful balance of the Earthmother, goddess of the Isles of Moonshae. The beast’s relentless army of giant Firbolgs, dread Bloodriders, and other vicious creatures are a force to be reckoned with—and only young Tristan Kendrick, heir to the legacy of the High Kings, can stand in their way.

However, Tristan is more interested in hunting, drinking, and revelry than heroism, and the realms are in grave danger. Can Tristan rise to the mantel of his legacy to unite forces of good and to save his home from evil?

The Seal of Karga Kul: A Dungeons & Dragons Standalone novel

A tale of heroism and exploit in the tradition of Robert E. Howard…

Enter Remy, a quick-witted courier whose dangerous freight leads him into the vanguard of an ancient war between forces of light and the rising tide of shadows that threatens to overwhelm the burgeoning civilizations of the Two Rivers Gulf.

The story opens with Remy alone and near death after an encounter with several stormclaw scorpions. His horse dead and poison sapping his strength, Remy collapses with his package at his side, undelivered. When he awakes, he is in the company of a band of adventurers who found him by the side of the road and nursed him back to health.  Among them is a grim dragonborn paladin named Biri-Daar, whose wariness of the magical seals on Remy’s freight is outweighed by an overwhelming sense of duty to those in need.

As they journey on, the nature of Remy’s package becomes a greater and greater curiosity.  Soon the party, which has come to comprise some six-strong adventurers, finds itself to be the lynchpin that holds an army of netherworld forces at bay

The Last Garrison (Dungeons & Dragons) Standalone novel

In the shadows between the living world and the land of the dead, the night’s terrors lurk…

For as long as anyone can remember, the mountain village of Haven has been under the protection of an ancient warlock known as the Old Stargazer. But after countless years spent deciphering the language of the cosmos, the old man is losing himself to the many voices of the night sky.

Now, a dark figure controls the forest with minions of kenku marauders—crowlike humanoids that menace Haven with violence and mayhem. If the Old Stargazer cannot or will not protect the villagers, they will have to find someone who can.

Nergei, an orphan raised by the warlock, knows they must venture beyond the safety of Haven to find the help they need. With little to offer mercenaries, and a ragged band at his side, he sets forth in search of heroes, never believing in what he might find.

The Mark of Nerath: A Dungeons & Dragons Novel followed by abyssal plague trilogy

The Mark of Nerath: A Dungeons & Dragons Novel
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It is a time of magic and monsters, a time when only a few scattered points of light glow with stubborn determination amid a rising tide of shadows. It is a time when only the bravest heroes dare tread the wild of the unknown…

About a century ago, the collapse of Nerath, the last empire of the world, ushered in a dark age that continues to this day, the peace and prosperity of the past seemingly lost forever. However, even those fabled days weren’t without a few blemishes. One of these was Emperor Magroth the First, a tyrant and a conqueror; cruel, ambitious, filled with delusions of grandeur and dreams of destiny, and more than a bit insane.

During Magroth’s reign, rumors of necromancy and demon worship were rampant, but  the truth was far worse. Thanks to deals he made, pacts he agreed to, and rituals he performed, death was not the end Emperor Magroth. Instead, a piece of him was drawn into the Shadowfell where he became the ruler of a domain of dead. From this vantage, the old king prepared for his return—and the new empire he would forge from the ruins of old.

 

Followed by a trilogy : The abyssal plague

The Dragonlance Chronicles (all series)

The Dragonlance Chronicles (all series)
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This Dungeons & Dragons-inspired fantasy adventure is the first installment in the beloved Dragonlance Chronicles, set in the magical world of Krynn.

Once merely creatures of legend, the dragons have returned to Krynn. But with their arrival comes the departure of the old gods—and all healing magic. As war threatens to engulf the land, lifelong friends reunite for an adventure that will change their lives and shape their world forever . . .When Tanis, Sturm, Caramon, Raistlin, Flint, and Tasslehoff see a woman use a blue crystal staff to heal a villager, they wonder if it’s a sign the gods have not abandoned them after all. Fueled by this glimmer of hope, the Companions band together to uncover the truth behind the gods’ absence—though they aren’t the only ones with an interest in the staff. The Seekers want the artifact for their own ends, believing it will help them replace the gods and overtake the continent of Ansalon. Now, the Companions must assume the unlikely roles of heroes if they hope to prevent the staff from falling into the hands of darkness..

Also :
 
the lost chronicles trilogy is a companion to the original Chronicles. Each book of the trilogy fills in sections of the story previously left untold
The Legends trilogy covers the Blue Lady’s War, as well as the past adventures of Raistlin and Caramon Majere, culminating in Raistlin’s attempt to achieve godhood.

The prelude series : 6 novels set 5 year before the start the war of the lance
The meeting sextet : a six-part series on how the companions first met
And The Second Generation (Dragonlance: The New Generation Book 1) follow original heros childrens that would later be seen in the War of Souls trilogy and cover events that happened between the War of the Lance and the Chaos War (fourth and last novel of the chronicles)
The Dark Disciple trilogy after the war of souls

For more independant novels set in the same universe you can check this page listing all the dragonlance series by other authors in order of publication