Douglas Van Dyke

(Sequel to Book Readers Appreciation Group honoree "Apprentice Storm Mage,") Thomena's father cared enough to send her to the best guild of arcane sciences. At age sixteen, with her accomplishment at reaching a journeyman status, she decides to return across the sea to the country that she dimly recalls as her birthplace. She seeks to fill the emptiness in her heart where her father should have been in all those years of growing into a woman and becoming accomplished in the field of magic. The young mage must venture far from civilized lands in her search. Men whisper her father's nickname with equal parts respect and fear. When she finds him, she discovers the rough nature that had kept him alive for years on the edge of untamed wilderness. At the same time, there is a growing danger seeping out of the nearby jungle. Thomena witnesses how deadly a land could be where the human population is outnumbered by restless monsters. How will her magic fare against creatures who tower over twice her height?

Savannah had nothing but malice in her expression as she hovered above Petrow. "The Covenant didn't stop the Godswars; it just changed the rules." Now Revwar and Savannah have the relics in their possession, and a secret army assembled from a multitude of misled believers. Together, it seems unlikely that they will be stopped. Trestan and Cat have discovered the nature of these terrible weapons, but they have to find their way out of the endless forests of Eyldiian. Rallying against the impossible numbers and the weapons from the old war, the original Companions of the Relics reunite to defend their realm. All will suffer and some will die as they race to defend a fortress on the frontiers of civilization. Unbeknownst to its defenders, an army larger than anything that has been gathered in over a millennium marches toward it with fanatic zeal. Failure could have higher stakes than the razing of that portion of Dhea Loral. The gods may elect to discard the peace-binding Covenant...forcing the realm into a second catastrophic Godswars.

-Second book in the Pilgrims with Blades series.- Allisee entices the group to follow her where the sorceress' last solo adventure failed. They journey to a damaged keep once ruled by elves. Unfortunately, the unliving patrol these lands, the solid stone walls are gouged and scarred by monstrous-sized claws, and something malevolent and eternal stirs in the ruins. Troubles multiply as party members are split up to face their deep fears alone. Despite all this, the sorceress will risk anything. Allisee doesn't even seek treasure. She seeks mysterious documents that have been hidden away for centuries, for a purpose she won't reveal. -The Pilgrims with Blades series- The half-orc savage, who takes pride in a company he no longer serves. The dusk-skinned archer, carrying a bow from her forgotten homeland. The dwarf who studies the past so he can create a future. The knight who pays fealty to no lord. The elf sorceress seeking knowledge, but what specific question is she trying to answer? They will band together, seeking separate goals. How far will pilgrims travel to discover who they are?

The gods of Dhea Loral once signed a peaceful Covenant to end the wars they raged on mortal soil. Now that the realm has recovered, several endeavor to inflame old grudges. This time, they are limited to using mortal followers to carry out their plots. Four years of study have honed Trestan's mind, heart and sword arm. With Cat at his side, he embarks on a holy quest to finish his training as a paladin. What he doesn't realize is that the quest will begin amidst the devastation of his home village. The wizard Revwar and the dark cleric Savannah have returned with new allies. The relics that were once recovered will again be the subject of a renewed struggle. A pursuit will encompass two continents; including a chase in city streets, a deadly struggle above the clouds, and encounters deep within an unmapped wilderness which humans dare not tread. The key to unlocking the mysterious history of the Earthrin Stones is found...buried in a dark page of Cat's past. Trials of Faith is the sequel to The Earthrin Stones 1 of 3: Inheritance of a Sword and a PathReader's Comment: "The first book was great. This book is stunningly beautiful. ...his characters have grown even more 'real', even more precious. Emotions and actions literally leap from the pages, and I found myself laughing or with wet eyes on more than one occasion. I would recommend this series to any serious fan of fantasy. " --Erica Sandman

"Everyone calls me 'Boxer, ' as if I was the only one." Brian "Boxer" DuWold is feeling outdated in a booming industrial age of electricity, magnetism, and stiff competition between steam and fossil fuel engines. The tough conman makes a living off gamblers, using prize-fighting rings or shooting matches. Few realize his livelihood supports his blind sister; unfortunately, the suits of the United Republic Agency use this leverage to their advantage. The United Republic has seen a lot of technological advances since defeating the southern rebels in its Civil War years ago. Now, the territory of Texico has won its independence from Meztica, and is considering joining the UR. One hitch: the mad scientist who helped win the revolution for Texico is pursuing his own agenda, which includes a train full of chemical explosives steaming straight for the capital The doctor is rumored to have zombie soldiers, steam war machines, and high-tech weapons at his disposal. Boxer barely has time to grab his brass knuckles and six-shooter before URA men send him on a mission that one team has already failed. He's loaded into the most advanced biplane of his time and tasked to stop the train. It's time to buckle in for a wild ride of an adventure. (The Boxer series features non-chronological adventures in an alternate Earth history. It's a Steampunk Wild-West flavor mixed with the old 1930s adventure serials that inspired Indiana Jones.)

-Pressed into Service-Facing a crisis, and looking for any excuse to strike in force against the orcs occupying the hills to their south, the city-state Kashmer conscripts privateers and adventurers into war. A band of strangers must learn to support and adapt to each other as a daring plan separates them from the main force in hostile territory. Each possess their own mystery, but without cooperation and trust, they will be doomed to failure. Pressed into Service is the introduction to the bold Pilgrims with Blades series.-Pilgrims with Blades-The half-orc savage, who takes pride in a company he no longer serves. The dusk-skinned archer, carrying a bow from her forgotten homeland. The dwarf who studies the past so he can create a future. The knight who pays fealty to no lord. The elf sorceress seeking knowledge, but what specific question is she trying to answer? They will band together, seeking separate goals. How far will pilgrims travel to discover who they are? Author Douglas Van Dyke Jr, inspired by the Conan series of adventures by Robert E. Howard, begins an epic tale drawn around five characters. Each has their own concealed mystery they attempt to pursue: life-quests driving them to the ends of the Realm of Dhea Loral. Their individual pilgrimages cause them to band together as they face their failings and fears.

"If your death ever comes before mine, I hope the gods take my life soon after." Duli and her husband had stated those words to each other several times. Then the day came when his dwarf kin brought his body back from the field of an ambush. As a non-clan dwarf, rendered beardless by old customs, her widowed status places her in the lowest caste of Tok-Maurron. Fearful of her future under a chauvinistic crafters' guild, and unwilling to complete her suicide attempt, Duli's emotions turn to rage directed at the humans. Dwarf traditions forbid women to wage war, yet the ongoing battles leave more widows enticed by her call to action. Ridiculed, chastised, and even jailed in her own chambers for her actions, Duli's struggles for her beliefs are even slowed by her need to earn a living off her non-sanctioned craft. Duli only wishes her own death, but in the process sparks a liberation movement that shakes the subterranean city to its core values. Even if the women win over their clan, they must still prove they have the mettle to face their husbands' killers, and the magic that humans command. Author's Note: The world in which The Widow Brigade is set was designed after much of my own experience, and critical critique, of classic fantasy books and role-playing games. The story tips my hat to the many and yet too-few women who have shared this gaming passion of mine. The following quote by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich influenced how this story had to be written: "Well-behaved women seldom make history."