Eric Banyon, also known as Bedlam's Bard, managed to rescue his young brother Magnus from what seemed to be a killer demon (in Mad Maudlin), but now he must rescue Magnus again, this time from their tyrannical parents.
Eric does not look forward to the battle, but is confident he can gain custody. His financial sources are virtually unlimited, his friend Ria Llewellyn heads the most high-powered law firm in New York, and in a pinch he and his friends can use to magic powers, even flummoxing a DNA test, it comes to that.
What Eric does not know is that his parents are allied with the evangelist Billy Fairchild, who himself is a tool of the evil Unseleighe elves, who feed off human sorrow and suffering. Fairchild specializes in getting "bad" children to shape up, which is accomplished by letting a soulsucker—malevolent creature from the elf world—drain the victim of all talent, creativity, and will, leaving an obedient zombie husk behind.
If Magnus and his friend Ace, who is also on the run from her twisted parents, fall into Fairchild's hands, they will join the Unseleighe's zombie ranks. And Eric's bardic magic may not be enough to save them.
Rhavas was a good, holy, and pious man—and the cousin of the Avtokrator. He would probably have become ecumenical patriarch of the Empire in the capital, Videssos the city . . . if his world had not suddenly and tragically fallen apart when the Empire of Videssos erupted into civil war and the Khamorth barbarians swarmed over the borders.
As the home he loved was brutally sacked, Rhavas had to flee for his life, and then make his way through lands swarming with fierce nomads and with soldiers loyal both to his cousin and to the rebel. He may never see Videssos the city again, let alone preside in its High Temple.
He has always followed Phos, the god of light and goodness, Videssos' god, and despised evil rival Skotos. Those who fall off the Bridge of the Separator during judgment in the afterlife tumble down to Skotos' ice forevermore. But when evil seems to have swallowed the whole world, what is a cleric who reverences logic as well as goodness supposed to believe
It's a harder question than Rhavas wishes it were.
FANTASY ADVENTURE BY A BEST-SELLING AWARD-WINNING MASTER
One moment Conrad Schwartz was suffering from a severe hangover as he hiked through the mountains of present-day Poland, the next he was hurled back to the same country in the 13th century.
He remembered from his history classes that in another ten years, Mongol hordes were scheduled to attack, pillage, burn and kill—and Conrad was likely to suffer all of the above. So, he set out to turn Poland into a world power by introducing universal education, aircraft, radios, steamboats, and generally discourage Mongols or anybody else from messing with either Poland or Conrad. But things weren't going to be quite that simple. . . .
* The Mongols were not quite as awed by advanced technology as he had hoped.
* He was under observation by mysterious Time Lords who didn't approve of disruptions in the flow of historical time.
* Last, and anything but least, he had married the formidable Lady Francine, and there was absolutely nothing simple about that noble-born and tempestuous woman.
Publisher's Note: This book has appeared in parts as The Flying Warlord, Lord Conrad's Lady and Conrad's Quest for Rubber. This is the first unified appearance of the complete book.
A guided tour though the many worlds of a New York Times best-selling master of authentic science fact and riveting science fiction.
James P. Hogan stands among the foremost writers of science fiction today, and is renowned for his ability to combine accurate science from the cutting edge of present-day research with living, breathing characters in fast-paced, suspenseful stories. Catastrophes, Chaos & Convolutions gives Hogan's thousands of avid readers both a solid-chunk of high-quality science fiction and a look behind the scenes, as Hogan describes how his work came to be written, with biographical details. Add a dash of science fact articles, often on controversial topics (suppose, for example, that Velikovsky was right and the orthodox scientists wrong), and you have a volume that is an essential purchase for Hogan fans everywhere.
The Battle Against
Those Determined
to Rule the World—or
Destroy It—Continues
In the future the world was a paradise—and then, in a moment, it ended. The council that controlled the Net fell out and went to war, while people who had never known a moment of want or pain were left wondering how to survive.
Duke Edmund Talbot has been assigned a simple mission: Go to the Southern Isles and make contact with the scattered mer-folk—those who, before the worldwide collapse of technology, had altered their bodies in the shape of mythical sea-dwelling creatures. He must convince them to side with the Freedom Coalition in the battles against the fascist dictators of New Destiny. Just a simple diplomatic mission. That requires the service of a dragon-carrier and Lieutenant Herzer Herrick, the most blooded of the Blood Lords—because New Destiny has plans of its own.
The fast-paced sequel to There Will be Dragons is a rollicking adventure above and below the high seas with dragons, orcas, beautiful mermaids— and the irrepressible Bast the Wood Elf, a cross between Legolas and Mae West.
If the Demon Gate is Opened,
Nothing Can Ever Close it Again . . .
Valdar, heir to the throne of Dhulon, was in the fabled city-state of Schaerisa to pay his kingdom's respects to the recently deceased co-emperor. But then he ran into his old mentor, the sorcerer Nyrthim—who was supposed to be dead. The sorcerer's death had been faked so that he could be free to investigate tales that demons, once banished, were returning to the world. And unfortunately, the tales understated the danger. Once demons ranging from deadly imps to evil demigods had ruled the world. They had been cast out and confined to the nether world only with powerful sorcery, using spells long lost. Now someone is trying to summon the most powerful—and unspeakably dangerous—of these accursed creatures back to the world of men, hoping to conquer it through them. And unless Valdar and his companions at arms can thwart the plan, creatures evil beyond all human conception will return to rule the world. And this time, nothing will drive them back into the darkness. Instead darkness will rule the world forever . . .
Fantasy Adventure by the Co-Author of the New York Times Bestseller, The Shiva Option
[Steve White's The Disinherited is] "Highly recommended for [all readers] who like exciting extraterrestrial battle scenes served up with a measure of thought and science," —Kliatt
"White perfectly blends background information, technical and historical details, vivid battle scenes and well-written characters. . . a great package." —Starlog
"Mr. White commands our interest . . . and engages our empathy with his nicely developed cast of characters."
—Romantic Times