A Fantasy Reader

Freelance Sword Jockey Eddie LaCrosse is in the wrong place at the wrong time while conducting an undercover investigation on the island kingdom of Grand Bruan. When a poisoned apple kills a member of the queen’s personal guard, Eddie becomes the prime suspect in the murder. He must do some fast talking to keep his head attached to his shoulders. Trying to clear his name and find the real killer, Eddie becomes embroiled in a nasty political scandal. Someone is trying to ruin Queen Jennifer, and they don’t care who they kill along the way.

The more Eddie digs, the more twisted the lies become, until Eddie finds himself caught between two opposing armies. The fate of the entire kingdom lies in his hands.

Murder, betrayal, and magic—just another day on the job for Sword Jockey Eddie LaCrosse

ABOVE AND BELOW: FLOATING WORLDS & SUNKEN CITIES, edited by Ann & Jeff VanderMeer - Whether it’s myths of kingdoms in the sky or of strange subterranean realms, exotic and fantastical places have captured readers imaginations for centuries. From Jules Verne and Edgar Allen Poe to modern times, that which waits above or below has enticed readers with its promise of mystery, adventure, dark beauty, horror, and fantasy. Join some of today’s top writers as they take you to the heights, and down into the depths.

Egwene’s coming into her own—as Amyrlin and as a force for the Light to be reckoned with, but also simply as an adult, fully-developed character—has been a long and sometimes tortuous progression that has spanned the entirety of the series, and, in my opinion, ultimately ranks second only to Rand’s himself in its centrality to the series. Her triumph, at the moment depicted, is awesome not only because of how much ass she is kicking right then, but because it represents a fundamental turning point for her character—and, therefore, for Tarmon Gai’don itself.

The White Tower, the supposed ultimate bastion of the Light against the Shadow, has teetered on the brink of succumbing to corruption and collapse for so long now that we hardly remember it doing anything besides sucking. And then here comes Egwene, proving herself a true leader and fearsome warrior, and being everything that the Tower is supposed to be, and isn’t, and the Aes Sedai know it. Her courage is what turns it all around. She’s saving the Tower right here, in every way possible, and by extension, saving the forces of Light themselves.

Captain Lasmark thrashed through the barley at something between a brisk walk and a jog, the ninth company of the Rostod Regiment following him as best they could, dispatched towards Osrung with the ill-defined order to “get at the enemy!” still ringing in their ears.

The enemy were before them now, alright. Lasmark could see scaling ladders against the mossy logs of the town’s fence. He could see missiles flitting up and down. He could see standards flapping in the wind, a ragged black one over all the rest, the standard of Black Dow himself, the Northern scouts had said. That was when General Jalenhorm had given the order to advance, and made it abundantly clear nothing would change his mind.

Lasmark turned, hoping he wouldn’t trip and catch a mouthful of barley, and urged his men forward with what he hoped was a soldierly jerk of his hand.

“On! On! To the town!”

Everyone knew General Jalenhorm was prone to poorly considered orders, but saying so would have been most unbecoming. Usually officers quietly ignored him where possible and creatively interpreted him where not. But there was no room for interpretation in a direct order to attack.

“Steady men, keep even!”

Nothing is as it seems to be.

The ancient past is not dead. The hand of the Wizard Kings still reaches out to challenge the Androfrancine Order, to control the magick and technology that they sought to understand and claim for their own.

Nebios, the boy who watched the destruction of the city of Windwir, now runs the vast deserts of the world, far from his beloved Marsh Queen. He is being hunted by strange women warriors, while his dreams are invaded by warnings from his dead father.

Jin Li Tam, queen of the Ninefold Forest, guards her son as best she can against both murderous threats, and the usurper queen and her evangelists. They bring a message: Jakob is the child of promise of their Gospel, and the Crimson Empress is on her way.

And in hidden places, the remnants of the Androfrancine order formulate their response to the song pouring out of a silver crescent that was found in the wastes.

The city of Isca is set like a dark jewel in the crown of the Duchy of Stonehold. In this sprawling landscape, the monsters one sees are nothing compared to what's living in the city's sewers. Twenty-three-year-old Caliph Howl is Stonehold's reluctant High King. Thrust onto the throne, Caliph has inherited Stonehold's dirtiest court secrets. He also faces a brewing civil war that he is unprepared to fight. After months alone amid a swirl of gossip and political machinations, the sudden reappearance of his old lover, Sena, is a welcome bit of relief. But Sena has her own legacy to claim: she has been trained from birth by the Shradnae witchocracy - adept in espionage and the art of magical equations writ in blood - and she has been sent to spy on the High King. Yet there are magics that demand a higher price than blood. Sena secretly plots to unlock the Cisrym Ta, an arcane text whose pages contain the power to destroy worlds. The key to opening the book lies in Caliph's veins, forcing Sena to decide if her obsession for power is greater than her love for Caliph. Meanwhile, a fleet of airships creeps ever closer to Isca. As the final battle in a devastating civil war looms and the last page of the Cisrym Ta waits to be read, Caliph and Sena must face the deadly consequences of their decisions. And the blood of these conflicts will stain this and other worlds forever.