In an alternate 15th century where magic still is part of life, the Holy Roman Empire rules Europe. Constantinople is under siege by the Venetians and their allies. Hekate, Goddess of Crossroads, presides over the conflict and carnage as alternate visions of civilization collide. And since Constantinople is the crossroad city of east and west, and it is here that Italian captain Benito Valdosta must deal with the powerful magical manifestation of the Weeping Woman, a disguised Hekate, in order to save his daughter and to destroy the fleets of the Chernobog assembling in the Black Sea before they can cut into the soft underbelly of Europe.
With land battle, naval action, cunning assassinations, and heartbreak aplenty—not to mention the ongoing conflict between Lord of the Dead Aidonus and Benito for the love of a woman, civilization is at the crossroads and choices must be made that will bring victory and freedom for centuries to come—or a new Dark Age.
A contemporary fantasy of mystery and death as American expats battle Japanese gods and monsters to retrieve an ancient artifact that can destroy the world.
On Saturday afternoon, Nikki Delany thought, "George Wilson, in the kitchen, with a blender." By dinner, she had killed George and posted his gory murder to her blog. The next day, she put on her mourning clothes and went out to meet her best friend for lunch to discuss finding a replacement for her love interest.
Nikki is a horror novelist. Her choice of career is dictated by an Obsessive Compulsive Disorder that forces her to write stories of death and destruction. She can't control it, doesn't understand it, but can use it to make money anywhere in the world. Currently "anywhere" is in Japan, hiding from her mother who sees Nikki's OCD as proof she's mentally unstable. Nikki's fragile peace starts to fall apart when the police arrest her for the murder of an American expatriate. Someone killed him with a blender.
Reality starts to unravel around Nikki. She's attacked by a raccoon in a business suit. After a series of blackouts, she’s accompanied by a boy that no one else can see, a boy who claims to be a god. Is she really being pursued by Japanese myths—or is she simply going insane?
What Nikki does know for sure is that the bodies are piling up, her mother has arrived in Japan to lock her up for the rest of her life—and her novels always end with everyone dead.
Book One of the Cobra Rebellion Saga, and a new entry in New York Times #1 best seller Timothy Zahn's legendary Cobra series.
Cobras: technologically‑enhanced warriors bred to fight an alien menace no ordinary human can withstand. At the center of action on Cobra world Aventine: the legendary Moreau clan. In times of war, the Cobras are necessary, yet in times of peace they are often reviled by those they have saved. Now the Cobras have resisted a second invasion of the alien Troft forces, and forced the Troft to a stalemate ‑‑ and even converted some thoughtful Troft into uneasy allies against their kin.
Yet all is not well in the human sector of the galaxy. A supposed sister empire, the Dominion of Man, threatens the Cobra worlds with what is, in effect, enslavement, as it moves to consolidate power over all the Cobra worlds. The plan on Aventine: to extort from the Moreau family the location of the home planet of a mysterious human ally that may be more powerful than the Dominion: the Qasaman empire.
Meanwhile, Cobra Merrick Moreau is on a secret mission of his own to a world of humans enslaved by Troft masters. It is a world of barbaric cruelty where human are slave chattel to Troft gamblers. There the Troft force whole villages, even children, into life and death struggles served up for Troft entertainment.
But the totalitarian Dominion of Man and the Troft game‑masters are in for a rude surprise: Cobras are not merely technological marvels. They are far more. For within each Cobra, bred by close family ties and hard testing in battle, there beats the heart of a warrior and the burning conviction that a Cobra will be slave to no one. Rebellion is at hand, and once again, Cobras lead the fight for freedom.
Listen to the author discuss the book here on the Baen Free Radio Hour.
A special commemoration of this long‑running themed science fiction anthology edited by multiple #1 best seller, Larry Niven. Here is the 25th anniversary edition of the original volume that started it all. Includes an all‑new introduction by Larry Niven for this re‑issue of the first volume in a series that now numbers fourteen volumes and is still going strong.
Larry Niven’s bestselling Man‑Kzin series begins! The kzin, formerly invincible conquerors of all they encountered, had a hard time dealing with their ignominious defeat by the leaf‑eating humans. Some secretly hatched schemes for a rematch, others concentrated on gathering power within the kzin hierarchy, and some shamefully cooperated with the contemptible humans, though often for hidden motives. In war and in uneasy peace, here is the first masterful volume in the Man‑Kzin Wars shared universe anthology created by multiple New York Times best‑seller, incomparable tale‑spinner, and Nebula‑ and five‑time Hugo‑Award‑winner, Larry Niven.
Barbarian Bahzell, originally an outsider to so-called civilization, has become the first hradani wind rider in history—a position that confers elite status within the territories of the powerful Sothoii. But certain very powerful and very nasty sorts are not at all happy about Bahzells' new status, and resentment stirs. Deadly resentment.
To complicate matters even further, Baron Tellian's daughter, the heir to the realm, is convinced that Bahzell is the only man—or hradani—for her. Yet Bahzell is no stranger to entanglements and threats, and his enemies are the ones who had best watch themselves. For they aren't just going up against any hradani barbarian, but a tried and proven champion of the War God Himself.
Pittsburgh, PA has been magically transported to a world of elves and magic
in order to stave off a monstrous invasion of Earth. Now Tinker, once a downtrodden
waif from that city, but now a full-blooded elf ruler, must root out and
destroy an evil plot that involves the kidnapping and breeding of elf children.
Tinker uncovers ancient secrets and a web of betrayal as she searches for the
lost elflings. Meanwhile, the orc-like oni gangster kidnappers will stop at nothing
to win, so neither can she. At five foot nothing, Tinker’s greatest weapon
has always been her intelligence. Politics, she discovers, is a battle of wits, and
Tinker comes heavily armed.
Number four in the collected adventures of the legendary John Grimes of the Galactic Rim series, including four novels:
The Anarch Lords: John Grimes' short career as a somewhat benevolent space pirate is over, but he has sunk even lower, becoming a politician. He's now the governor of a planet of anarchists, where term limits are unnecessary, what with all the assassinations taking place.
The Last Amazon: Back on Sparta, the formerly all-male planet, Grimes is waiting for his own ship to arrive when he's caught up in yet another revolution—and you can't tell the good guys (or gals) apart except by who wants to kill you at any given moment.
The Wild Ones: Back on Earth was the last place that Grimes expected to be. Another thing he hadn't expected was accusations of witchcraft being taken seriously.
Catch the Star Winds: An experimental sailing ship of space was intended to exceed the speed of light. Then strange things happened involving time itself, and the crew wasn't sure they would ever see home, or even their own home time, again.
Plus six interrelated short stories starring the indefatigable John Grimes, rounding out a large volume of space adventure with a dash of humor, and a likable hero who always manages to gamely muddle through.
W201306 June 2013 Monthly Baen Bundle (Last date to buy May 15 2013)
