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One of the hottest writers in the fantasy genre, Mercedes Lackey boasts an audience that is impressively large and rapidly growing. This unusual new fantasy tells the story of a brave young woman caught in a clash between enemy sorcerers in San Francisco in the 1900s–on the eve of the San Francisco earthquake!

The Serpent's Shadow

Elemental Masters Series #1

2001 -- Mercedes Lackey

Maya Witherspoon lived most of the first twenty-five years of her life in her native India. As the daughter of a prominent British physician and a Brahmin woman of the highest caste, she graduated from the University of Delhi as a Doctor of Medicine by the age of twenty-two.

But the science of medicine was not Maya’s only heritage. For Maya’s aristocratic mother Surya was a sorceress—a former priestess of the mystical magics fueled by the powerful and fearsome pantheon of Indian gods.

Though Maya felt the stirring of magic in her blood, her mother had repeatedly refused to train her. “I cannot,” she had said, her eyes dark with distress, whenever Maya asked. “Yours is the magic of your father’s blood, not mine….” Surya never had the chance to explain this enigmatic statement to her daughter before a mysterious illness claimed her life.

Yet it was Maya’s father’s death shortly thereafter that confirmed her darkest suspicions. For her father was killed by the bite of a krait, a tiny venomous snake, and in the last hours of her mother’s life, Surya had warned Maya to beware “the serpent’s shadow.” Maya knew she must flee the land of her birth or face the same fate as her parents.

In self-imposed exile in Edwardian London, Maya knew that she could not hide forever from the vindictive power that had murdered her parents. She knew in her heart that even a vast ocean couldn’t protect her from “the serpent’s shadow” that had so terrified her mother. Her only hope was to find a way to master her own magic: the magic of her father’s blood. But who would teach her? And could she learn enough to save her life by the time her relentless pursuers caught up with their prey?

The Gates of Sleep

Elemental Masters Series #2

2002 -- Mercedes Lackey

Marina is the cherished daughter of the wealthy Roeswood family, practitioners of Elemental Magic. But all is not well in this elegant, aristocratic household. Evil portents have warned her father that Marina will be killed before her eighteenth birthday—by the hand of her own aunt. And no one is sure if the family magic is powerful enough to overturn the prophesy.

Phoenix and Ashes

Elemental Masters Series #3

2004 -- Mercedes Lackey

In this dark and atmospheric rendition of the Cinderella fairy tale, an intelligent young Englishwoman is made into a virtual slave by her evil stepmother. Her only hope of rescue comes in the shape of a scarred World War I pilot of noble blood, whose own powers over the elements are about to be needed more than ever.

The Wizard of London

Elemental Masters Series #4

2005 -- Mercedes Lackey

Set in Victorian London-where magic is real and Elemental Masters control the powers of Fire, Water, Air, and Earth–the fourth novel in this best-selling series tells the story of Lord Alderscroft, Master of the British Elemental Masters Council–the most powerful Fire Master ever to lead the Council. Loosely based on The Snow Queen, The Wizard of London delves into Lord Alderscroft’s youth, when he was bespelled by an evil Elemental Master who hoped to use him for political gain.

The Queen's Gambit

1983 -- Walter Tevis

Eight-year-old orphan Beth Harmon is quiet, sullen, and by all appeasrances unremarkable. That is until she plays her first game of chess. Her senses grow sharper, her thinking clearer, and for the first time in her life she feels herself fully in control. By the age of sixteen, she’s competing for the U.S. Open championship. But as Beth hones her skills on the professional circuit, the stakes get higher, her isolation grows more frightening, and the thought of escape becomes all the more tempting. Engaging and fast-paced, The Queen’s Gambit speeds to a conclusion as elegant and satisfying as a mate in four.

Jolene

Elemental Masters Series #15

2020 -- Mercedes Lackey

Anna May Jones is the daughter of a coal miner, but a sickly constitution has kept her confined to the house for most of her life. Hoping to improve her daughter’s health—and lessen the burden on their family—Anna’s mother sends her to live with her Aunt Jinny, a witchy-woman and an Elemental Master, in a holler outside of Ducktown.

As she settles into her new life, Anna learns new skills at Aunt Jinny’s side and discovers that she, too, has a gift for Elemental magic that Jinny calls “the Glory”. She also receives lessons from a mysterious and bewitching woman named Jolene, who assures her that, with time, Anna could become even more powerful than her aunt.

But with Anna’s increasing power comes increasing notice. Billie McDaran, the foreman of the Ducktown mine, begins to take an interest in Anna and her abilities—even though Anna has already fallen in love with a young man with a talent for stonecarving.

If she wants to preserve the life she has come to love, Anna must use her newfound powers to oppose the foreman and protect those around her.

To Ride Pegasus

The Talents Saga Series #1

1973 -- Anne McCaffrey

They were called Talents – people with extrasensory abilities including reading minds, predicting the future, and healing. But though their gifts were useful and powerful, they were not happy. Often afraid of their own “inexplicable” powers, they lived on the margins – until Henry Darrow dreamed up the Parapsychic Center and started making a place for the Talents. It wasn’t very long before they had a mission – and enemies.

Pegasus In Flight

The Talents Saga Series #2

1990 -- Anne McCaffrey

Earth has reached its darkest moment. In subterranean warrens, the poor eke out precarious lives where jobs are scarce and children are sold for labor—while on the surface, a privileged few enjoy lives of luxury. As the population surges and unrest spreads, a disaster of epic proportions seems inescapable. The only hope: a platform under construction in space from which starships will be launched to colonize distant planets. But the project is critically behind schedule.

In the midst of the chaos, Rhyssa Owen and her fellow Talents—telepaths who read minds, kinetics who manipulate matter, and precogs to whom the future is an open book—struggle to survive. Then two children are discovered whose extraordinary psychic gifts have the potential to avert the looming catastrophe—or hasten its ominous arrival. . . .

Pegasus In Space

The Talents Saga Series #3

2000 -- Anne McCaffrey

For an overpopulated Earth whose resources are strained to the breaking point, there is only one place to look for relief: straight up. With the successful completion of the Padrugoi Space Station, humanity has at last achieved its first large-scale permanent presence in space. But there are those who, for motives of their own, want Padrugoi to fail. Standing in their way are the Talented, men and women gifted with extraordinary mental powers that have made them as feared as they are respected–and utterly indispensable to the colonization effort. Now, as sabotage and attempted murder strike the Station, it’s up to the Talented to save the day. Only who is going to save the Talented?

Under a Graveyard Sky

Black Tide Rising Series #1

2013 -- John Ringo

“If you think the zombie apocalypse will never happen, if you’ve never been afraid of zombies, you may change your mind after reading Under a Graveyard Sky… Events build slowly in the book at the outset, but you can’t stop reading because it’s like watching a train wreck in slow motion: inexorable and horrible. And the zombie apocalypse in these pages is so fascinating that you can’t stop flipping pages to see what happens next.”—Bookhound

To Sail a Darkling Sea

Black Tide Rising Series #2

2014 -- John Ringo

“Not only has Ringo found a mostly unexplored corner of the zombie landscape, hes using the zombie frame to tackle a broader theme: the collapse and rebirth of civilization. The zombie scenes are exciting, sure, but its the human story that keeps us involved. A fine series.”—Booklist

The Sword of Shannara

The Original Shannara Trilogy Series #1

1977 -- Terry Brooks

Living in peaceful Shady Vale, Shea Ohmsford knew little of the troubles that plagued the rest of the world. Then the giant, forbidding Allanon revealed that the supposedly dead Warlock Lord was plotting to destroy the world. The sole weapon against this Power of Darkness was the Sword of Shannara, which could only be used by a true heir of Shannara–Shea being the last of the bloodline, upon whom all hope rested. Soon a Skull Bearer, dread minion of Evil, flew into the Vale, seeking to destroy Shea. To save the Vale, Shea fled, drawing the Skull Bearer after him….

Islands of Rage & Hope

Black Tide Rising Series #3

2014 -- John Ringo

BOOK 3 IN THE BLACK TIDE RISING SERIES FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES BEST-SELLING AUTHOR.

Sequel to To Sail a Darkling Sea and Under a Graveyard Sky. A hardened group of survivors fights back against a zombie plague that has brought down civilization.

Strands of Sorrow

Black Tide Rising Series #4

2015 -- John Ringo

BOOK 4 AND CONCLUSION OF THE BLACK TIDE RISING SERIES FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES BEST-SELLING AUTHOR.

Sequel to Islands of Rage and Hope, To Sail a Darkling Sea, and Under a Graveyard Sky. A hardened group of survivors fights back against a zombie plague that has brought down civilization.

Armageddon's Children

Genesis of Shannara Series #1

2006 -- Terry Brooks

In our world’s near future, civilization has fallen into terrifying chaos. Navigating the scarred landscape that once was America and guided by a powerful talisman, Logan Tom has sworn an oath to seek out a remarkable being born of magic and destined to lead the final fight against darkness. In time, Logan’s path will cross with others: Angel Perez, herself a survivor of death-dealing forces, and a makeshift family of refugees forced to survive among street gangs, mutants, and marauders. Common purpose will draw Logan and his allies together. Their courage and convictions will be tested and their fates will be decided, as their singular crusade begins: to take back, or lose forever, the only world they have.

The Elves of Cintra

Genesis of Shannara Series #2

2007 -- Terry Brooks

Across the ruined landscape that is America - hopelessly poisoned, plague-ridden, burned, and besieged by demon armies bent on exterminating all mortal life - two pilgrims have been summoned to serve the embattled cause of good. Logan Tom has journeyed to desolate Seattle to protect a ragged band of street urchins and the being known as the gypsy morph, who is both mortal and magical, and destined to save mankind unless he is destroyed. Likewise, Angel Perez has her own quest, one that will take her from the wreckage of Los Angeles to a distant, secret place untouched by the horrors of the nationwide blight - a place where the race of Elves has dwelled since before man existed. But close behind these lone Knights of the Word swarm the ravening forces of the Void. As the menacing thunder of war drums heralds the arrival of the demons and their brutal minions in Seattle, the young survivors who call themselves the Ghosts are forced to brave the dangerous world of gangs, mutants, and worse to escape the invasion. And Logan Tom must infiltrate a refugee compound to rescue Hawk, the leader of the street urchins, who has yet to learn the truth about who and what he is. Meanwhile, Angel Perez has joined an equally urgent mission: to find the Ellcrys, a fabled talisman crucial to protecting the Elven realm against an influx of unspeakable evil from the dread dimension known as the Forbidding. But Angel and her Elven allies must beware - for a demon spy, with a monstrous creature at its command, walks among them. As the legions of darkness draw the noose tighter, and the time of confrontation draws near, those chosen to defend the soul of the world must draw their battle lines and prepare to fight with, and for, their lives. If they fail, humanity falls.

The Gypsy Morph

Genesis of Shannara Series #3

2008 -- Terry Brooks

Eighty years into the future, the United States is a no-man’s-land: its landscape blighted by chemical warfare, pollution, and plague; its government collapsed, its citizens adrift, desperate, and fighting to stay alive. Survivors in fortified compounds hold the line against wandering predators, rogue militias, and hideous mutations spawned by the toxic atmosphere. And against them all stands an enemy neither mortal nor merciful: demons and their minions, bent on slaughtering and subjugating the last of humankind.

But from around the country, allies of good have been summoned to challenge the rampaging evil. Logan Tom, wielding the magic staff of a Knight of the Word, has a promise to keep - protecting the world’s only hope of salvation - and a score to settle, with the demon that massacred his family. Angel Perez, Logan’s fellow Knight, has risked her life to aid the elvish race, whose peaceful, hidden realm is marked for extermination by the forces of the Void. Kirisin Belloruus, a young elf entrusted with an ancient magic, must deliver his entire civilization from a monstrous army. And Hawk, the rootless boy who is nothing less than destiny’s instrument, must lead the last of humanity to a latter-day promised land before the final darkness falls.

Bearers of the Black Staff

Legends of Shannara Series #1

2010 -- Terry Brooks

Five hundred years have passed since the devastating demon-led war that almost exterminated humankind. Those who escaped the carnage were led to sanctuary by the boy saviour known as Hawk: the gypsy morph. But now, the unimaginable has come to pass: the cocoon of protective magic surrounding the valley has vanished. When Sider Ament, last surviving Knight of the Word, detects unknown predators stalking the valley, and Trackers from the human village of Glensk Wood find two of their own gruesomely killed, there can be no doubt: the once safe haven of generations has been laid bare. Together, the young Trackers, the aging Knight and a daring Elf princess race to spread word of the encroaching danger. But suspicion and hostility among their countrymen threaten to doom their efforts from within, while beyond the breached borders, a ruthless Troll army masses for invasion. Standing firm between the two, the last wielder of the black staff and its awesome magic must find a successor to carry on the fight against the cresting new wave of evil.

The Elfstones of Shannara

The Original Shannara Trilogy Series #2

1982 -- Terry Brooks

Thousands of years after the destruction of the age of man and science, new races and magic now rule the world, but an imminent danger threatens. A horde of evil Demons is beginning to escape and bring death upon the land. Only Wil Ohmsford, the last of the Shannara bloodline, has the power to guard the Elven Princess Amberle on a perilous quest to save the world, while the leader of the Demon force aims to stop their mission at any cost.

The Measure of the Magic

Legends of Shannara Series #2

2011 -- Terry Brooks

For five hundred years, the survivors of the Great Wars lived peacefully in a valley sanctuary shielded by powerful magic from the dangerous outside world. But the enchanted barriers have crumbled, and the threat of annihilation looms large once more. As he lay dying, Sider Ament, bearer of the last black staff and protector of the valley, gave stewardship of the powerful talisman to the young Tracker Panterra Qu. Now the newly anointed Knight of the Word must take up the battle against evil wherever it threatens: from without, where an army of bloodthirsty Trolls is massing for invasion; and from within, where the Elf king of Arborlon has been murdered, his daughter stands accused, and a heinous conspiracy is poised to subjugate the kingdom. But even these affairs will pale beside the most harrowing menace Panterra is destined to confront—a nameless, merciless agent of darkness on a relentless mission: to claim the last black staff . . . and the life of whoever wields it.

The Wishsong of Shannara

The Original Shannara Trilogy Series #3

1985 -- Terry Brooks

Horror stalks the Four Lands. The Ildatch, immemorial book of evil spells, has stirred to eldritch life, sending its foul Mord Wraiths to accomplish at last Mankind's destruction. Once again Allanon, ancient Druid Protector of the Races, must seek the help of a descendant of Jerle Shannara. Brin, daughter of Wil Ohmsford, born with the magic of the Wishsong which alone can open a way to the Ildatch, reluctantly joins him on his perilous journey east; meanwhile her younger brother Jair learns that Brin will fail and die, unless he can reach her in time. And as Brin walks into the trap the Ildatch has set, Jair must travel through the very heart of evil to reach her...

Princess of Wands

Special Circumstances Series #1

2006 -- John Ringo

Buffy meets Desperate Housewives meets killer demons. Fast-moving fantasy action from a New York Times best-selling master of edge-of-the-seat adventure.

Queen of Wands

Special Circumstances Series #2

2012 -- John Ringo

Armed forces veteran and eight-time New York Times bestselling author John Ringo delivers the sequel to contemporary urban fantasy thriller Princess of Wands. Demonic, possessed Stepford wives versus a soccer mom demon slayer – plus, a zombie fight at an SF convention.

Seraphina

Seraphina Series #1

2012 -- Rachel Hartman

In the kingdom of Goredd, dragons and humans live and work side by side – while below the surface, tensions and hostility simmer.

The newest member of the royal court, a uniquely gifted musician named Seraphina, holds a deep secret of her own. One that she guards with all of her being.

When a member of the royal family is brutally murdered, Seraphina is drawn into the investigation alongside the dangerously perceptive—and dashing—Prince Lucien. But as the two uncover a sinister plot to destroy the wavering peace of the kingdom, Seraphina’s struggle to protect her secret becomes increasingly difficult… while its discovery could mean her very life.

Writing for the Web

2012 -- Lynda Felder

With Writing for the Web, you’ll learn everything you need to know to create effective Web content using words, pictures, and sound.

Into the Looking Glass

Looking Glass Series #1

2005 -- John Ringo

Formerly of the 82nd Airborne Division, New York Times best-selling author John Ringo brings unmatched authenticity to his military science fiction.

When a subatomic physics experiment causes a massive explosion, interdimensional gateways open in Florida - and aliens pour out. Some intend to bring Earth to its knees. Others seem willing to help, but will annihilate the planet if Navy SEAL Command Master Chief Robert Miller can’t stop the menace from spreading.

Vorpal Blade

Looking Glass Series #2

2007 -- John Ringo

LTC William Weaver, PhD. (‘‘Call me Bill…’’) and SEAL Chief Miller, the heroes who saved Earth from alien menace in Into the Looking Glass, are back and this time Bill’s got hisself a ship! The former SSBN Nebraska has been converted, using mostly shade-tree mechanics and baling wire, into a warp ship, Naval Construction Contract 4144, ready to go where no Adar, SEAL or academic has gone before!

Ghost

Paladin of Shadows Series #1

2006 -- John Ringo

Former SEAL Michael Harmon, Team Name “Ghost”, retired for service injuries, is not enjoying college life. But things are about to change, if not for the better.

When he sees a kidnapping, a series of – at the time logical – decisions leave him shot to ribbons and battling a battalion of Syrian commandos with only the help of three naked co-eds who answer to the names Bambi, Thumper and Cotton Tail. A fast-paced, highly-sexual, military-action thriller that ranges from a poison factory in the Mideast to the Florida Keys to Siberia, the novel will keep you guessing what twisted fate will bring next for the man once known as . . . Ghost. Keep an eye on him or . . . poof, he’ll be gone.

Manxome Foe

Looking Glass Series #3

2008 -- John Ringo

Gateway HD 36951 lies in ruins. All survivors slaughtered. A single, truncated message sent back to Earth. Something very bad indeed is afoot, and the A.S.S. Vorpal Blade (read: nuclear submarine converted to warp-drive space ship) is sent to investigate. But the ferocious, voracious enemy Dreen wait for no man (or other carbon-based lifeform), and the Blade and her crew are soon the only hope for an alien species pushed to the brink of extinction. Turn back and abandon a new ally or face a heavily-armed Dreen destroyer head on.

Kildar

Paladin of Shadows Series #2

2006 -- John Ringo

Ex-SEAL Mike Harmon has bought the farm – literally, in Eastern Europe. But trouble follows him even there, and the man who has made himself anathema to terrorists from Syria to Paris suddenly has Chechen terrorists banging on his own door.

Claws That Catch

Looking Glass Series #4

2008 -- John Ringo

The Galaxy at Risk!

Humans have come a long ways since the looking glass gates first appeared and an alien menace turned a motley crew of scientists, sailors and force recon Marines into battle-hardened space adventurers. Now with other species running scared, it’s up to humans to take the lead and mold a weapon capable of checking the Dreen—a galactic cancer that has so far proved unstoppable. Their arsenal A hodge-podge of powerful technologies begged, borrowed and/or looted from across the galaxy and cobbled together on what has to be the strangest ship ever to ply the starways: the good ship Vorpal Blade II!

Great Ideas! Cool Space Ships! Evil Alien Butt Blasted to Smithereens!

Choosers of the Slain

Paladin of Shadows Series #3

2006 -- John Ringo

Mike Harmon’s commando-quality retainers agree: their leader, code-named Ghost, is a peculiar one. An ex-Navy-SEAL, there is no stronghold he cannot penetrate, no target he can’t take out. But Ghost is also a man struggling to keep the animal inside at bay and his twisted sexual desires satisfied with a rock-hard integrity and incredible force of will.

Now Harmon and his militia have been hired to rescue the daughter of a powerful political mover in America, kidnapped into the Eastern Europe sex trade.

Welcome to the Balkan Route: a notorious pathway for human trafficking carved with blood and brutality and passing through Serbia and Montenegro, Croatia, Albania, Macedonia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Kosovo to the heart of darkness itself: sexual snuff houses where powerful politicians pay to rape and murder young women for kicks. Turns out some of those politicians hail from Washington, D.C.

But now the Route is about to be re-Routed, and the balance of power is about to shift dramatically - to the smoking muzzle of one very angry ex-SEAL’s M-4.

Sometimes it takes a bad man to destroy an even more terrible evil. And the baddest of them all is Ghost. They’ll be sorry they made his girls cry.

Unto the Breach

Paladin of Shadows Series #4

2006 -- John Ringo

Former SEAL Michael Harmon–the hero from “Ghost”, “Kildar,” and “Choosers of the Slain”–and his company of elite mountain fighters are sent on a mission to stop an advanced smallpox virus from being turned over to terrorists. But that’s just the beginning as Kildar and his Keldara rush to stop a host of WMD attacks.

A Deeper Blue

Paladin of Shadows Series #5

2007 -- John Ringo

Set in the Bahamas and Florida, A Deeper Blue is a fast-moving thriller that starts off at a rocket pace and never slows down. The novel proves once again the adage that sometimes it takes bad people to do good things. Fortunately, Mike Harmon is a very bad man.

Tiger by the Tail

Paladin of Shadows Series #6

2013 -- John Ringo

NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLING MILITARY ADVENTURE SERIES.

A new addition to the Paladin of Shadows military adventure series by multiple New York Times best seller John Ringo and Ryan Sear. Sequel to Ghost, Kildar, Choosers of the Slain, Unto the Breach and A Deeper Blue.

Killing Floor

Jack Reacher Series #1

1997 -- Lee Child

Jack Reacher visits a town without pity in the first novel in Lee Child’s New York Times best-selling series.

Ex-military policeman Jack Reacher is a drifter. He’s just passing through Margrave, Georgia, and in less than an hour, he’s arrested for murder. Not much of a welcome. All Reacher knows is that he didn’t kill anybody. At least not here. Not lately.

But he doesn’t stand a chance of convincing anyone. Not in Margrave, Georgia. Not a chance in hell.

Die Trying

Jack Reacher Series #2

1998 -- Lee Child

Jack Reacher finds himself in bad company in the second novel in Lee Child’s New York Times bestselling series.

Jack Reacher is an innocent bystander when he witnesses a woman kidnapped off a Chicago street in broad daylight. In the wrong place at the wrong time, he’s kidnapped with her. Chained together, locked in the back of a stifling van, and racing across America to an unknown destination for an unknown purpose, they’re at the mercy of a group of men demanding an impossible ransom. Because this mysterious woman is worth more than Reacher ever suspected.

Now he has to save them both—from the inside out—or die trying…

Tripwire

Jack Reacher Series #3

1999 -- Lee Child

The Sentinel

Jack Reacher Series #25

2020 -- Lee Child

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Jack Reacher is back! The “utterly addictive” (The New York Times) series continues as acclaimed author Lee Child teams up with his brother, Andrew Child, fellow thriller writer extraordinaire.

“One of the many great things about Jack Reacher is that he’s larger than life while remaining relatable and believable. The Sentinel shows that two Childs are even better than one.”—James Patterson

Jack Reacher gets off a bus in Nashville, Tennessee, in a quest for food, lodging and some good country music. But when he encounters a band of musicians who have been cheated by an unscrupulous bar owner, he steps in to help…

Sackett's Land

The Sacketts Series #1

1980 -- Louis L'Amour

Son of a feared fighting man, Barnabas Sackett inherited his father’s fiery temper, sense of justice and warrior skills. Declared an outlaw in his native England, Barnabas set his daring sights on the opportunities of the New World. The ruthless piracy of the open seas and the unknown dangers of the savage American wilderness lay before him. And so did the thrill of discovery and the chance to establish a bold new future if he survived.

To the Far Blue Mountains

The Sacketts Series #2

1977 -- Louis L'Amour

Filled with exciting tales of the frontier, the chronicle of the Sackett family is perhaps the crowning achievement of one of our greatest storytellers. In To the Far Blue Mountains, Louis L’Amour weaves an unforgettable tale of a man who journeys to his homeland – but discovers that finding his way back to America may be impossible….

The Warrior's Path

The Sacketts Series #3

1983 -- Louis L'Amour

Filled with exciting tales of the frontier, the chronicle of the Sackett family is perhaps the crowning achievement of one of our greatest storytellers. In The Warrior’s Path, Louis L’Amour tells the story of Yance and Kin Sackett, two brothers who are the last hope of a young woman who faces a fate worse than death.