Juliet E McKenna

The Archipelago is still plagued by dragons and its peoples live in terror of their coming. Kheda, Risala and Velindre chase rumours of a water dragon, as they alone have gathered secrets of how to repel these fearsome beasts. Yet this has won them no friends as they are forced to travel incognito, their lives at risk. The delicate political balance of the islands teeters as rival factions spar and warfare threatens. Kheda is reluctantly drawn into the fray as his dragon fighting powers become a powerful political tool - but he and his companions are tainted by the suspicion of forbidden magic. This places them in great danger but also has wider implications for the power structure of the islands. Kheda's contact with northern magic has caused him to doubt the very foundations of his people's ancient beliefs, placing his future as a warlord in doubt and the making the succession of his realm a dark and bloody question...

The Archipelago is still plagued by dragons and its peoples live in terror of their coming. Kheda, Risala and Velindre chase rumours of a water dragon, as they alone have gathered secrets of how to repel these fearsome beasts. Yet this has won them no friends as they are forced to travel incognito, their lives at risk. The delicate political balance of the islands teeters as rival factions spar and warfare threatens. Kheda is reluctantly drawn into the fray as his dragon fighting powers become a powerful political tool - but he and his companions are tainted by the suspicion of forbidden magic. This places them in great danger but also has wider implications for the power structure of the islands. Kheda's contact with northern magic has caused him to doubt the very foundations of his people's ancient beliefs, placing his future as a warlord in doubt and the making the succession of his realm a dark and bloody question...

The old gods are still with us. The world is constantly changing, evolving, growing. In order to stay relevant, deities must change with the times as well. In this anthology, fifteen science fiction and fantasy authors tackle how gods and goddesses have adapted to the surge in technology and the mercurial beliefs of humanity. So sit back and watch Hera try her hand at marriage counseling, while Macuilxochitl conquers the world of online gaming. Buy a ticket to Anubis' magic act or roam the back tents at the local carnival and catch Doc Saturday's medicine show. Take a sip of wine at Dionysus' winery or grab some potato pancakes at Baba Yaga's caf . Whatever your taste, here you will find interesting twists on how deities have found their way in our modern world from Crystal Sarakas, Juliet E. McKenna, Tanya Huff, Edward Willett, Daniel Roman, Jennifer Dunne, Jean Marie Ward, Mike Marcus, A. L. Tompkins, Daryl Marcus, Alma Alexander, Kari Sperring, A. J. Cunder, Irene Radford, and N. R. Lambert. And remember to beware. You never know who...or what...you will meet next. And don't miss THE MODERN FAE'S GUIDE TO SURVIVING HUMANITY

Four new tales of Doctors Catt and Fisher… Scholars, shopkeepers, collectors… aficionados. Obtainers of rare antiquities; relic hunters who can’t resist a lead, even when it takes them into terrible danger. There’s always an opportunity to be found amid the confusion, in the wake of the terrible Kinslayer War. There’s always a deal to be done, a tomb to open, a precious thing to… obtain. From encounters with the monstrous Vathesk to exploring new worlds; from wielding great power to do great good, to unearthing dark things best left lost. If you need the experts, if you can find your way to their Cherivell shop, maybe you can hire Doctors Catt and Fisher. “Robson writes a tense, fast-paced quest adventure... I hope to see more like it.” Liz Bourke “If you’re looking for something that celebrates the genre, while working to interrogate and question how that genre works, look no further than Redemption’s Blade.” Martin Cahill, Tor.com

As a Tormalin sworn man, Ryshad is honour-bound to obey his prince's orders. Now he is sent to help two wizards searching for lost knowledge to use against the mysterious, murderous Elietimm. Conveniently, Ryshad can do his duty and seek personal revenge for a friend dead at the Ice Islanders' hands. Better yet, the wizard Shiv still has business with Livak; gambler, thief and, briefly, Ryshad's lover. However, Ryshad soon learns just how perilous involvement with elemental or aetheric magic can be. Enchantments he cannot counter leave him far from home, and from any hope of allies, powerless amid the lethal hazards of the Aldabreshin Archipelago. Only strength of character and the fighting skills forged in his master's service can save him from sorcery and treachery. An unforeseen bond with another young man ensnared in unsuspected enchantments leads towards the answers the Archmage so urgently needs. As the Elietimm threat grows, neither Tormalin swordsman will escape unscathed. Some dangers defy even the finest master-crafted blade.

Making her living as a gambler, Livak travels the towns of Einarinn, answerable to no one and loyal only to her friends. Alas, her luck has turned bad. She's alone and in need of coin. Fortunately, she hears of a merchant paying top prices for antiques from the days of the Tormalin Empire. Since her skills extend to house-breaking, finding something to sell him shouldn't be a problem. That's how her troubles start. This so-called merchant is looking for magical artefacts to unlock the mysteries of the Empire's collapse. He's not the only one, and his enemies are willing to kill. Livak is drawn into political and wizardly intrigue. Soon not only her own life is at stake. Now she must balance fearsome risks and seize the slimmest chances, hoping to come out ahead.

Ryshad has to decide whether or not to swear renewed service to the House of D'Olbriot, or to hand back his oath. Will his sense of duty allow him to abandon Temar D'Alsennin, as the younger man tries to salvage something from the ruins of the Kellarin colony? For Ryshad, who's lived by a code of honour all his adult life, the answers are obvious, even if the decision to let Livak go off on her search for aetheric lore is a difficult one. At first it looks as if his two obligations will complement each other, when Messire D'Olbriot commands Ryshad to guide Temar through the five intense days of the Solstice Festival. But the swordsman soon faces conflicting demands on his loyalties as different priorities emerge. At the same time, manoeuvring and rivalries among the Tormalin nobility are complicating Temar 's quest for the artefacts he need to revive his sleeping people. Each man has to summon all his own resources as well as calling upon the other if they are to emerge with a whole skin, let alone any degree of success.

After a long winter spent in the Kellarin colony, the crafty and beautiful Livak is anxious to move on. Now an opportunity is on the horizon. The reclamation of a lost southern settlement is in the offing, but those involved, Livak included, must await the spring arrival of the first ship from the mainland -- an event that will never take place. Unbeknownst to all, the vital trading route to Tormalin is no longer secure. A dire new threat to the colony's survival has arisen. A final battle of strength, cunning and courage challenges Livak and her devoted swordsman-lover Ryshad, one that will force them to take up arms to confront a merciless, many-faceted evil.

As a Tormalin sworn man, Ryshad is honour-bound to obey his prince's orders. Now he is sent to help two wizards searching for lost knowledge to use against the mysterious, murderous Elietimm. Conveniently, Ryshad can do his duty and seek personal revenge for a friend dead at the Ice Islanders' hands. Better yet, the wizard Shiv still has business with Livak; gambler, thief and, briefly, Ryshad's lover. However, Ryshad soon learns just how perilous involvement with elemental or aetheric magic can be. Enchantments he cannot counter leave him far from home, and from any hope of allies, powerless amid the lethal hazards of the Aldabreshin Archipelago. Only strength of character and the fighting skills forged in his master's service can save him from sorcery and treachery. An unforeseen bond with another young man ensnared in unsuspected enchantments leads towards the answers the Archmage so urgently needs. As the Elietimm threat grows, neither Tormalin swordsman will escape unscathed. Some dangers defy even the finest master-crafted blade.

Livak has decided it's time she turned her new-found connections with powerful mages and mighty princes into solid advantage for herself. If she is to have any sort of future with the swordsman Ryshad, they need the means to live independently of her gambling and travel and the ties of his oath. Livak discovers that knowledge of the ancient aetheric magic - Artifice as the Tormalin call it - is being sought by both Messire D'Olbriot and Planir the Archmage. By locating those who hold the secrets of Artifice first, Livak will hold the key to untold riches ...