The Usurper

The Usurper
Author: Angus Wells
Publisher: Spectra Books
Total Pages: 356
Release: 1990-07-01
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 9780553285666

Kedryn, the young prince prophesied the sacred Book of Kyrie, has led the Three Kingdoms to victory over the barbaric northern Hordes commanded by the demonic Taws, the fire-born Messenger of the war-god Ashar. But victory had a terrible price. Kedryn was blinded by an ensorcelled sword in his hour of triumph. Now he must journey into the abode of the dead, accompanied by his beloved Wynett, on a perilous quest to confront the shade of the warrior who wielded the blade. In Kendryn's absence, Taws the Messenger rises again, using his terrible magic to foment bloodshed and rebellion among the Kingdoms. A vivid and exciting tale of courage, adventure, and dark magic by an exciting new fantasy talent, The Usurper is the second spellbinding novel in The Books of the Kingdoms.

The Magic Kingdom of Landover Volume 2

The Magic Kingdom of Landover Volume 2
Author: Terry Brooks
Publisher: Del Rey
Total Pages: 464
Release: 2009-08-18
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 9780345516725

Now in one thrilling volume–experience the magic, the intrigue, and the exciting escapades of the final two novels in Terry Brooks’s spellbinding Magic Kingdom of Landover series All appears well with Ben Holiday. He’s finally secured for himself the throne of Landover, and he and his wife, the exquisite sylph Willow, are expecting their first child. But their peaceful days are numbered. The conjurer Horris Kews returns to Landover and inadvertently releases an evil sorcerer from the Tangle Box, a magic chest used by the fairy folk to imprison wayward spirits. Now free, the sorcerer traps Ben inside the box’s labyrinthine passages and plots to wreak havoc in Landover using Horris as his pawn. But Ben’s greatest challenge comes when Rydall, a foreign king, issues Ben an ultimatum: defeat seven deadly champions, or Rydall’s armies invade Landover. Complicating matters is the devastating fact that Ben and Willow’ s young daughter has been kidnapped–and her fate lies in Rydall’s dangerous hands. Relying on his loyal friends, his steadfast wife, and no small amount of endurance and enchantment, Ben risks his life to save everything he loves. But this time, black magic may prove too powerful for even the most devoted heart.

The Usurper's Crown

The Usurper's Crown
Author: Sarah Zettel
Publisher: Macmillan
Total Pages: 540
Release: 2003-04
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 9780312874421

When the ruler of an alternate magical world summons exiled sorcerer Avanasy to help save her realm, Ingrid Loftfield, who has fallen in love with Avanasy, journeys with him to confront a host of dangerous enemies.

Exile's Challenge

Exile's Challenge
Author: Angus Wells
Publisher: Spectra
Total Pages: 496
Release: 2010-03-10
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0307574636

The masterful conclusion to the Exiles saga: Angus Wells is one of today's masters of epic fantasy. Now, continuing the thrilling new adventure begun in Exile's Children, he weaves his beguiling powers of magic into an unforgettable tale... Escaping a life of servitude under the evil Autarchy, a warrior, his beautiful wife, and a gifted Dreamer are refugees from the war-ravaged prison colony of Salvation. It was the young Davyd's dreams, magically bound to those of a far-off Seer, that guided their perilous flight to the land of the Matawaye. But even now they might not be safe. For a man whose gifts are eclipsed by Davyd's is looking for the perfect vengeance. Meanwhile, a renegade band of the Matawaye, forced out by their peaceable leaders, is wreaking havoc on Salvation. And there's worse to come. For the real threat has yet to descend on Salvation--and when it does, its bloodlust and magic could well mean the end of them all.

The Season of the Hyaena (Akhenaten Trilogy, Book 2)

The Season of the Hyaena (Akhenaten Trilogy, Book 2)
Author: Paul Doherty
Publisher: Headline
Total Pages: 299
Release: 2012-09-25
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0755350448

A mysterious stranger appears in the Nile Delta - has the Emperor Akhaten returned to Egypt? Capturing Ancient Egypt in all its beauty and brutality, Paul Doherty's powerful novel, The Season of the Hyaena, brilliantly evokes the atmosphere of the hyaena world, in which the ally standing beside you at one moment may turn the next. Perfect for fans of Christian Jacqs and Wilbur Smith. 'An opulent banquet to satisfy the most murderous appetite' - Northern Echo Mahu, former Chief of Police and Keeper of the Secrets of the Heart is sitting down to record his memories. He sees uneasy quiet reigning in the Royal Circle at Thebes, after the disappearance of the Pharaoh Akenhaten and the abandonment of his new, sun-worshipping religion. Members of different factions are barely held together by loyalty to the six-year-old Emperor, Tutankhamun. Then extraordinary news reaches the Council: Akenhaten has returned to Egypt. The words are greeted with dismay by all who hear them, for surely Akenhaten is dead? Mahu can certainly vouch that the woman claiming to be the Emperor's wife, Nefertiti, is a fraud. Whoever the man is who has appeared in the Delta, he must be investigated. What readers are saying about Paul Doherty: 'Without a shadow of a doubt: 5 stars for the The Season of the Hyaena' 'The sounds and smells of the period seem to waft from the pages of [Paul Doherty's] books' 'Doherty again manages to tell the story in a fascinating manner... [you] fly over the pages'

Usurper of the Sun

Usurper of the Sun
Author: Housuke Nojiri
Publisher: VIZ Media LLC
Total Pages: 203
Release: 2009-09-15
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1421539888

Aki Shiraishi is a high school student working in the astronomy club and one of the few witnesses to an amazing event--someone is building a tower on the planet Mercury. Soon, the enigmatic Builders have constructed a ring around the sun, and the ecology of Earth is threatened by its immense shadow. Aki is inspired to pursue a career in science, and the truth. She must determine the purpose of the ring and the plans of its creators, as the survival of both species--humanity and the alien Builders--hangs in the balance. -- VIZ Media

The Kingless Crown (Kingdom of the White Sea Trilogy)

The Kingless Crown (Kingdom of the White Sea Trilogy)
Author: Sarah M. Cradit
Publisher: Storyville Press
Total Pages: 608
Release: 2020-10-13
Genre: Fiction
ISBN:

From the USA Today & International Bestselling author of the Saga of Crimson & Clover comes a gripping new epic fantasy world that will leave you breathless to the very last page. A crown woven together by lies. A kingdom with the power to unravel them. Four Reaches. Four brides. Only a fortnight separates the young women from becoming reluctant queens of the usurper king, Eoghan Rhiagain. Twenty years earlier, King Eoghan’s father cunningly devised marriages between the highborn sons and daughters of the oft-warring Reaches, sealing the unions before they could protest, shattering existing betrothals in place of forced alliances. Now, Eoghan, the cruel boy king who stole his crown through murder, demands the eldest daughters of these unions. To accept is unfathomable. To refuse is treason. The lords and ladies of the kingdom have no choice but to prepare their beloved daughters for the horrors ahead. But they’ll soon discover there are no longer any daughters left to present. All four have disappeared, painting the world with their rebellion. Theirs is not the only rebellion. Across the kingdom, little fires light within. From the enigmatic sorcerers in the northern mountains, to the magi who both wield and regulate the kingdom’s magic, and beyond... to a place where two prisoners are not what they seem. As the Reaches ready themselves to face the king, the kingdom hovers on the edge of chaos. And there are many who recall, in candlelit secrecy, tales of a time before... 👑 Evil King ⚔️ Formidable Women 👑 Raven Priestesses ⚔️ Arranged Marriages 👑 Found Family ⚔️ Enemies to Lovers 👑 Friends to Lovers ⚔️ Multiple Romantic Subplots 👑 Unique Magic System ⚔️ Revenge 👑 Medieval Fantasy ⚔️ Forbidden Romance 👑 Epic Worldbuilding ⚔️ Politics and Intrigue For content warnings, please visit sarahmcradit.com.

The Blood Knight

The Blood Knight
Author: Greg Keyes
Publisher: Del Rey
Total Pages: 573
Release: 2007-05-01
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0345440722

“[A] sophisticated and intelligent high fantasy epic.”—Publishers Weekly The legendary Briar King has awakened, spreading madness and destruction across a land devastated by a royal family’s fall from power through treachery and dark magic. Half-remembered prophecies may point to the young princess Anne Dare, rightful heir to the throne of Crotheny, as the world’s only hope. But a mysterious assassin stalks her, so skilled that even Anne’s friend and protector Cazio cannot stand against him, nor can her sworn defender, the young knight Neil MeqVren. Though Anne herself is the conduit of fearsome powers beyond her understanding and control, it is time for girl to become woman, princess to become queen. Anne must stop running and instead march at the head of an army to take back her kingdom . . . or die trying. Praise for The Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone “A graceful, artful tale . . . a snare ofterse imagery and compelling characters that grips tightly and never lets up.”—Elizabeth Haydon, author of The Assassin King, on The Briar King “There is adventure and intrigue, swordplay anddark sorcery aplenty.”—Realms of Fantasy, on The Charnel Prince

The Usurper: Kingdoms, Book 2

The Usurper: Kingdoms, Book 2
Author: Angus Wells
Publisher: National Geographic Books
Total Pages: 0
Release: 1995-08-01
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0553762923

A vivid and exciting tale of courage, adventure, and dark magic by an exciting new fantasy talent, The Usurper is the second spellbinding novel in The Books of the Kingdoms. Kedryn, the young prince prophesied the sacred Book of Kyrie, has led the Three Kingdoms to victory over the barbaric northern Hordes commanded by the demonic Taws, the fire-born Messenger of the war-god Ashar. But victory had a terrible price. Kedryn was blinded by an ensorcelled sword in his hour of triumph. Now he must journey into the abode of the dead, accompanied by his beloved Wynett, on a perilous quest to confront the shade of the warrior who wielded the blade. In Kendryn's absence, Taws the Messenger rises again, using his terrible magic to foment bloodshed and rebellion among the Kingdoms.

The Sinitic Civilization Book II

The Sinitic Civilization Book II
Author: Hong Yuan
Publisher: iUniverse
Total Pages: 852
Release: 2018-11-14
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1532058306

The Sinitic Civilization A Factual History through the Lens of Archaeology, Bronzeware, Astronomy, Divination, Calendar and the Annals The book covered the time span of history of the Sinitic civilization from antiquity, to the 3rd millennium B.C. to A.D. 85. A comprehensive review of history related to the Sinitic cosmological, astronomical, astrological, historical, divinatory, and geographical developments was given. All ancient Chinese calendars had been examined, with the ancient thearchs' dates examined from the perspective how they were forged or made up. The book provides the indisputable evidence regarding the fingerprint of the forger for the 3rd century A.D. book Shang-shu (remotely ancient history), and close to 50 fingerprints of the forger of the contemporary version of The Bamboo Annals. Using the watershed line of Qin Emperor Shihuangdi's book burning of 213 B.C., the book rectified what was the original history before the book burning, filtered out what was forged after the book burning, sorted out the sophistry and fables that were rampant just prior to the book burning, and validated the history against the records in the oracle bones, bronzeware, and bamboo slips. The book covers 95-98% and more of the contents in the two ancient history annals of The Spring Autumn Annals and The Bamboo Annals. There are dedicated chapters devoted to interpreting Qu Yuan's poem Asking Heaven (Tian Wen), the mythical book The Legends of Mountains & Seas (Shan Hai Jing), geography book Lord Yu's Tributes (Yu Gong), and Zhou King Muwang's Travelogue (Mu-tian-zi Zhuan). The book has appendices of two calendars: the first anterior quarter remainder calendar (247 B.C.-104 B.C./247 B.C.-85 A.D.) of the Qin Empire, as well as a conversion table of the sexagenary years of the virtual Yin-li (Shang dynasty) quarter remainder calendar versus the Gregorian calendar, that covers the years 2698 B.C. to 2018 A.D. Book I stops about the midpoint of the 242 years covered in Confucius' abridged book The Spring & Autumn Annals (722-481 B.C.). Book II stops at Han Emperor Zhangdi (Liu Da, reign A.D. 76-88; actual reign Aug of A.D. 75-Feb of A.D. 88), with the A.D. 85 adoption of the Sifen-li posterior quarter remainder calendar premised on reverting to the sexagenary years of the virtual Yin-li (Shang dynasty) quarter remainder calendar, a calendar disconnected from the Jupiter's chronogram, that was purportedly invented by the Confucians on basis of Confucius' identifying the 'qi-lin' divine giraffe animal and wrapping up the masterpiece The Spring & Autumn Annals two years prior to death.