The Last Guardian (Royal Institute of Magic)

The Last Guardian (Royal Institute of Magic)
Author: Victor Kloss
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2016-09-12
Genre: England
ISBN: 9781537701769

Time is running out for Ben Greenwood - not as an apprentice for the Royal Institute of Magic, but as the Head Guardian, secretly responsible for uniting Queen Elizabeth's Armour. The dark elves are coming and the only chance of stopping them is to find the last Guardian and the final two pieces of the armour. They will be difficult to find and heavily protected, as they are the most important of all. To make matters worse, Ben's only clue to their whereabouts comes from a particularly unreliable and dangerous source. With the dark elves massing an army and looking increasingly likely to begin their invasion, Ben faces a race against time to find the last Guardian and unite the final pieces of Elizabeth's Armour. But that isn't his only challenge - he will soon be forced to make a critical decision involving his closest friends, and even his oldest enemies, that might make or break the entire mission.

Elizabeth's Legacy (Royal Institute of Magic)

Elizabeth's Legacy (Royal Institute of Magic)
Author: Victor Kloss
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2014-08-27
Genre: England
ISBN: 9781519791580

Two years after his parents' sudden disappearance, Ben Greenwood stumbles upon a cryptic letter that could shed some light on their whereabouts. But before he can track them down, he'll need to find the mysterious organization that sent the letter: The Royal Institute of Magic. To succeed, Ben will have to navigate a land filled with fantastic creatures and Spellshooters, where magic can be bought and sold, to unravel an ancient family secret that could hold the key to defeating an evil the Institute has been fighting for the last five hundred years.

The Secret of Platform 13

The Secret of Platform 13
Author: Eva Ibbotson
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Total Pages: 167
Release: 2008-09-04
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 0330477692

Under Platform 13 at King's Cross Station there is a secret door that leads to a magical island . . . It appears only once every nine years. And when it opens, four mysterious figures step into the streets of London. A wizard, an ogre, a fey and a young hag have come to find the prince of their kingdom, stolen as a baby nine years before. But the prince has become a horrible rich boy called Raymond Trottle, who doesn't understand magic and is determined not to be rescued. Shortlisted for the Smarties Prize, The Secret of Platform 13 is an exciting magical adventure from Eva Ibbotson, the award-winning author of Journey to the River Sea. 'This kind of fun will never fail to delight' Philip Pullman

Big Magic

Big Magic
Author: Elizabeth Gilbert
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 290
Release: 2015-09-22
Genre: Self-Help
ISBN: 0698408314

The instant #1 NEW YORK TIMES Bestseller "A must read for anyone hoping to live a creative life... I dare you not to be inspired to be brave, to be free, and to be curious.” —PopSugar From the worldwide bestselling author of Eat Pray Love and City of Girls: the path to the vibrant, fulfilling life you’ve dreamed of. Readers of all ages and walks of life have drawn inspiration and empowerment from Elizabeth Gilbert’s books for years. Now this beloved author digs deep into her own generative process to share her wisdom and unique perspective about creativity. With profound empathy and radiant generosity, she offers potent insights into the mysterious nature of inspiration. She asks us to embrace our curiosity and let go of needless suffering. She shows us how to tackle what we most love, and how to face down what we most fear. She discusses the attitudes, approaches, and habits we need in order to live our most creative lives. Balancing between soulful spirituality and cheerful pragmatism, Gilbert encourages us to uncover the “strange jewels” that are hidden within each of us. Whether we are looking to write a book, make art, find new ways to address challenges in our work, embark on a dream long deferred, or simply infuse our everyday lives with more mindfulness and passion, Big Magic cracks open a world of wonder and joy.

Royal Institute of Magic (The Protectors)

Royal Institute of Magic (The Protectors)
Author: Victor Kloss
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2016-01-08
Genre: England
ISBN: 9781523318087

Ben Greenwood is continuing his apprenticeship at the Royal Institute of Magic, hoping things will be slightly less complicated now that he has advanced to the second grade. Fat chance. Coupled with the sterner challenges that the second grade brings, there is also the small matter of the impending dark elf invasion, making life at the Institute even busier than usual. Ben is the only one who can stop them, by finding Elizabeth's Armour and its Guardians. Ben has retrieved one piece of the Armour - the boots - but the rest remain hidden. He has just one clue, which could lead to Elizabeth's Helm: an old black and white photo given to him by the Master of Apprentices. Ben must split his time between his apprenticeship and searching for the helm, before the dark elves strike and all hell breaks loose. The Protectors is the third book in the Royal Institute of Magic series.

The High Council

The High Council
Author: Victor Kloss
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Total Pages: 436
Release: 2018-01-16
Genre: England
ISBN: 9781983896156

Tension is high at the Royal Institute of Magic, as the Directors of each of the Departments - Spellswords, Wardens, Traders, Scholars and Diplomats - work together with their allies to push back the dark elf invasion, led by King Suktar. But Ben Greenwood knows the truth: the only real way they are going to win is if he and the Guardians do the unthinkable and infiltrate the heart of the dark elf homeland - ending the evil king's rule once and for all. As if that wasn't enough, a new power has come into play. Queen Elizabeth was aware of it all those years ago, and she predicted it would continue to influence their mission to the bitter end: the High Council. As if that wasn't enough, a new power has come into play. Queen Elizabeth was aware of it all those years ago, and she predicted it would continue to influence their mission to the bitter end: the High Council.

The Silver Dwarf (Royal Institute of Magic)

The Silver Dwarf (Royal Institute of Magic)
Author: Victor Kloss
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2016-07-12
Genre: England
ISBN: 9781535246897

Ben's double life continues at the Royal Institute of Magic. To most, he's a talented apprentice and an exceptional spellshooter, but Ben is also a Guardian, responsible for uniting Elizabeth's Armour, the only artefact powerful enough to overthrow the evil dark elves. With two pieces of the armour secure, finding the third may be Ben's toughest challenge yet. His only clue is a magical key, a tenuous link to a legend called the Silver Dwarf. With the dark elves slowly conquering the Unseen Kingdoms, Ben races against time to gather the pieces of armour and unite the Guardians entrusted with them. If that wasn't hard enough, new challenges and old enemies await him at the Institute, and his friendship will be tested like never before.

Hag-Seed

Hag-Seed
Author: Margaret Atwood
Publisher: Hogarth
Total Pages: 286
Release: 2016-10-11
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0804141304

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The beloved author of The Handmaid’s Tale reimagines Shakespeare’s final, great play, The Tempest, in a gripping and emotionally rich novel of passion and revenge. “A marvel of gorgeous yet economical prose, in the service of a story that’s utterly heartbreaking yet pierced by humor, with a plot that retains considerable subtlety even as the original’s back story falls neatly into place.”—The New York Times Book Review Felix is at the top of his game as artistic director of the Makeshiweg Theatre Festival. Now he’s staging aTempest like no other: not only will it boost his reputation, but it will also heal emotional wounds. Or that was the plan. Instead, after an act of unforeseen treachery, Felix is living in exile in a backwoods hovel, haunted by memories of his beloved lost daughter, Miranda. And also brewing revenge, which, after twelve years, arrives in the shape of a theatre course at a nearby prison. Margaret Atwood’s novel take on Shakespeare’s play of enchantment, retribution, and second chances leads us on an interactive, illusion-ridden journey filled with new surprises and wonders of its own. Praise for Hag-Seed “What makes the book thrilling, and hugely pleasurable, is how closely Atwood hews to Shakespeare even as she casts her own potent charms, rap-composition included. . . . Part Shakespeare, part Atwood, Hag-Seed is a most delicate monster—and that’s ‘delicate’ in the 17th-century sense. It’s delightful.”—Boston Globe “Atwood has designed an ingenious doubling of the plot of The Tempest: Felix, the usurped director, finds himself cast by circumstances as a real-life version of Prospero, the usurped Duke. If you know the play well, these echoes grow stronger when Felix decides to exact his revenge by conjuring up a new version of The Tempest designed to overwhelm his enemies.”—Washington Post “A funny and heartwarming tale of revenge and redemption . . . Hag-Seed is a remarkable contribution to the canon.”—Bustle

Lanark

Lanark
Author: Alasdair Gray
Publisher: Canongate Books
Total Pages: 15
Release: 2007
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1841959073

This novel is a work of extraordinary imagination and wide range. Its playful narrative techniques convey a profound message, both personal and political, about humankind's inability to love and yet our compulsion to go on trying.

The Shadowseeker (Royal Institute of Magic)

The Shadowseeker (Royal Institute of Magic)
Author: Victor Kloss
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2015-06-03
Genre: England
ISBN: 9781522743606

Spellswords, Wardens, Traders, Scholars, Diplomats - the five departments of the Royal Institute of Magic an apprentice must master to become a full member. Ben Greenwood has no idea what to expect when he begins his apprenticeship, but he quickly realises his family history is going to make life difficult. On his very first day, a Shadowseeker - a mysterious and dangerous dark elf - surfaces, and Ben suspects the dark elves might be trying to capture him again in an effort to flush out his parents. When Ben renews his own search for his parents, he soon discovers they are closing in on a piece of Queen Elizabeth's legendary armour - the only weapon strong enough to defeat the dark elf king once and for all - but it is guarded by something even more deadly than a Shadowseeker. A race against time ensues, with Ben desperate to warn his parents they're walking into a death-trap, while somehow completing the first level of his apprenticeship and securing his place at the Royal Institute of Magic. The Shadowseeker is the second book in the Royal Institute of Magic series.