Epic Adventure

Jared craved an ordinary life. Clock in, do paperwork, clock out. He gave up magic, joined the Meta Marshal Service, and just wanted to be left alone. Until a routine prisoner transport went awry and blew up his entire existence. That was when he found Cassie down on her knees in the wreckage, asking him for help. And he knew in that instant: Magic just wouldn't leave him alone. Now he's on a hunt for an escaped convict and a powerful ancient artifact with the potential to ruin their world for good.

Leading astrophysicist Liam Jackson is participating in a scientist exchange program in Germany when a curveball of universal proportions is thrown at him. Planes fall from the sky, cars explode, and strange particles rain down from the heavens as monsters appear out of thin air. The laws of physics have changed in the world. The fundamental forces of the universe are behaving differently, and Liam needs to understand them if he wants to survive.

Long ago, the wars of the ancient Evil ruined the world. In peaceful Shady Vale, half-elfin Shea Ohmsford knows little of such troubles. But the supposedly dead Warlock Lord is plotting to destroy everything in his wake. The sole weapon against this Power of Darkness is the Sword of Shannara, which can be used only by a true heir of Shannara. On Shea, last of the bloodline, rests the hope of all the races.

Across the Galactic Empire, from planet to planet, the lone Immortal fights. He has a plan, and he has all the time he needs. Gerswin, the Forever Hero, is determined to be the salvation of distant Earth and of humanity. Now, in the climax of L. E. Modesitt, Jr.'s epic trilogy, the Forever Hero's plans come to fruition, as he destroys the decayed, bureaucratic Empire that feeds off humanity, living on as the most legendary of human heroes.

Grog is a brute (half Human, half Ukar) slave raised from birth to fight in the pits for the entertainment of the crowds. He is content with his role in the city, proud of his barracks, and in awe of his owner, the sour Master Horne. Life, by Grog's reckoning, is good. Then an enigmatic churchwoman enters his life, and Grog finds himself swept from the city which has been his entire world, to travel and learn amid as strange a group as he has ever seen. He knows nothing of the group's mission, just that his skills are necessary and the quest is "a good thing."

Born into the troubled kingdom of Albermaine, Alwyn Scribe is raised as an outlaw. Quick of wit and deft with a blade, Alwyn is content with the freedom of the woods and the comradeship of his fellow thieves. But an act of betrayal sets him on a new path - one of blood and vengeance, which eventually leads him to a soldier's life in the king's army. Fighting under the command of Lady Evadine Courlain, a noblewoman beset by visions of a demonic apocalypse, Alwyn must survive war and the deadly intrigues of the nobility if he hopes to claim his vengeance.

In The Book of Swords, acclaimed editor and best-selling author Gardner Dozois presents an all-new anthology of original epic tales by a stellar cast of award-winning modern masters - many of them set in their authors' best-loved worlds. Join today's finest tellers of fantastic tales, including George R. R. Martin, K. J. Parker, Robin Hobb, Scott Lynch, Ken Liu, C. J. Cherryh, Daniel Abraham, Lavie Tidhar, Ellen Kushner, and more on action-packed journeys into the outer realms of dark enchantment and intrepid derring-do.

Having survived their journey into the Dark Heart, Arthur and his dragon, Brixaby, have a new goal: complete their Legendary card sets. Unfortunately, the next Legendary card is locked away in Blood Moon, a hive with a reputation for chaos, lawlessness, scourgling eruptions, and—rumor has it—dedicated dragon hunters. Still, Arthur and his retinue feel they have little to fear. Then again, they also don't have much knowledge of what actually lies ahead.

Accompanying an expedition of wizards, Alex has proved himself against the dangers of Greymoor, calling upon summoned servants to defeat the Ravener’s hunters. But with the death of his pursuers, no answers are apparent, only more questions. And now Alex, the Heroes, his cabal, and the mighty Baelin seek answers in the ancient Crymlyn swamp, which the Sage of Thameland calls home.

The opening of Pandora's Box changed the world, giving rise to an age of superhumans and monsters. Yet mankind was not safe from its own hubris, and in the end, it destroyed itself. Sonya Chernovna returns to the past with a mysterious new ability that lets her absorb powers, combine them, and even bestow them onto others. It's a power with near limitless potential.

The world remains under siege by demonkind stalking the land when the sun goes down. But a new hero has risen from the desert. Claiming to be the mythical Deliverer, Ahmann Jardir now rides alongside the allied desert tribes of Krasia. Jardir and his fellows are on an epic quest to vanquish the demons plaguing the world and bring humanity back from the brink of extinction.

The Lowlands’ city states have lived in peace for decades, hailed as bastions of civilization. Yet that peace is about to end. A distant empire has been conquering neighbours with highly trained soldiers and sophisticated combat techniques. And the city states are its desirable new prize. Only the ageing Stenwold Maker – spymaster, artificer and statesman – foresees the threat, as the empires’ armies march ever closer. So it falls upon his shoulders to open the eyes of the cities’ leaders.

My life took a turn I never expected on the day the world ended. Suddenly forced to fight in a bloody arena by a faceless System, I find the only way to survive is to win. I’m told that ten victories in the arena will give me my freedom, but if I’m going to get there, I’ll need a crack team of hardened allies to fight with me. What I got instead was a bratty college girl with a jealousy streak, a momma’s boy roommate who now inhabits the body of a piglet, and a devastatingly gorgeous teacher whose sword is as sharp as her tongue.

As a young man, Kelvin Knight Hackleberry proved to be the Roundear of the Prophecy: He liberated his own Kingdom of Rud from the cruel usurper Zoanna, and then went on to defeat the evil king Rowforth in the alternate world of Hud. But now Zoanna and Rowforth have joined forces to take revenge on Kelvin -- and they intend to have it through his unborn child.

When Citaria falls under the shadow of a demonic incursion, only a legendary hero can stop them. For Karian Vanador, though, being resurrected comes with a price. Not only is she in a different time and place, but the world has changed in her absence, and she must face the dark demons of her past once again.

Still reeling from betrayal, my heart battles its own scars as I return to the ruthless Conservatory. No closer to discovering the truth of my origins and with the rivalry against Arcanum Citadel intensifying, each deadly trial pushes me closer to mastering my mysterious powers, but at a steep cost. To survive, I must do the unthinkable: team up with the enemy. Reluctantly, I form an alliance with a rival student, and together we uncover a sinister plot that threatens our academy and the entire realm. A powerful, unforeseen adversary looms, intent on plunging us into chaos.

Reincarnated as the War God—he has a lot to learn to live up to that title. His power is only as good as the skill he possesses to wield it. But there is a reason the former War God fell. He can only dare to imagine what foes lie in wait. He will have to build a team out of a former shield maiden, an elven sorceress intent on hiding her power, a beautiful lycan who doesn't trust anyone and a mortal-hating fire celestial. What could be hard about that?

What happens when you suddenly find yourself in a reality of untold possibilities, in a place where technology and magic are indistinguishable? Every game location is a transformed physical world connected to others through an interstellar network of portals. Every player "avatar" is a living physical body with incredible survival traits. Once in this dreamscape, it would be unwise to not seize the moment! There are, however, a couple of catches.

In the centuries since rising up against a cruel, twisted dynasty, the Seven Cities have done much to move past their horrid histories, the memories of ancient monarchs who once fed on the life and blood of their own people. Those with a talent for magic are no longer hounded and slain. The lands beyond the Cities are safe, spared the atrocities the Alescuans once wrought upon them. For 300 years, there has been peace. Then Eska de Caraval, head of the prestigious Firenzia Company, finds herself framed for murder.

After a dramatic fall into the abyss, Kai, the carefree adventurer striving to reach the pinnacle of cultivation, continues his journey into the unknown. How will he escape this seemingly hopeless situation? What lies ahead for him? In this installment, he uncovers answers to some of the questions hidden in the forgotten ancient history of his world.