Review

PRAISE FOR GEORGE R. R. MARTIN’S
A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE

“What’s A Song of Ice and Fire? It’s the only fantasy series I’d put on a level with J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. . . . It’s a fantasy series for hip, smart people, even those who don’t read fantasy.”—_Chicago Tribune_
  
A Game of Thrones

“Reminiscent of T. H. White’s The Once and Future King, this novel is an absorbing combination of the mythic, the sweepingly historical, and the intensely personal.”_—Chicago Sun-Times_

A Clash of Kings

“Martin amply fulfills the first volume’s promise and continues what seems destined to be one of the best fantasy series ever written.”—_The Denver Post_

A Storm of Swords

“Riveting . . . a series whose brilliance continues to dazzle.”—_Patriot News_

A Feast for Crows

“Of those who work in the grand epic-fantasy tradition, Martin is by far the best. In fact . . . this is as good a time as any to proclaim him the American Tolkien.”—_Time _

Product Description

Dubbed “the American Tolkien” by Time magazine, George R. R. Martin has earned international acclaim for his monumental cycle of epic fantasy. Now the #1 New York Times bestselling author delivers the fifth book in his spellbinding landmark series--as both familiar faces and surprising new forces vie for a foothold in a fragmented empire.

In the aftermath of a colossal battle, the future of the Seven Kingdoms hangs in the balance once again--beset by newly emerging threats from every direction. In the east, Daenerys Targaryen, the last scion of House Targaryen, rules with her three dragons as queen of a city built on dust and death. But Daenerys has three times three thousand enemies, and many have set out to find her. Yet, as they gather, one young man embarks upon his own quest for the queen, with an entirely different goal in mind.

To the north lies the mammoth Wall of ice and stone--a structure only as strong as those guarding it. There, Jon Snow, 998th Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch, will face his greatest challenge yet. For he has powerful foes not only within the Watch but also beyond, in the land of the creatures of ice.

And from all corners, bitter conflicts soon reignite, intimate betrayals are perpetrated, and a grand cast of outlaws and priests, soldiers and skinchangers, nobles and slaves, will face seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Some will fail, others will grow in the strength of darkness. But in a time of rising restlessness, the tides of destiny and politics will lead inevitably to the greatest dance of all. . . .

Anthology containing:

Hyperion by Dan Simmons
The Fall of Hyperion by Dan Simmons
Endymion by Dan Simmons
The Rise of Endymion by Dan Simmons
Remembering Siri by Dan Simmons
Death Of The Centaur by Dan Simmons
Orphans of the Helix by Dan Simmons

From Publishers Weekly

Sanderson's eerie second fantasy (after 2005's Elantris), set in a mist-haunted, ash-ridden world, pits Kelsier, "the Survivor of Hathsin," against the immortal Lord Ruler's 1,000-year domination of both the Great Houses and their serflike "skaa." Through Allomancy acquired in the Ruler's most hellish prison, Kelsier can "burn" 10 metals internally, fueling superhuman powers he uses to assemble rebels in a loose plan to destroy the nobility, the empire and the Lord Ruler himself. Kelsier uses Vin, a street urchin with the same Mistborn powers Kelsier possesses, to infiltrate the Great Houses' society, where she falls in love with philosopher prince Elend Venture. This mystico-metallurgical fantasy combines Vin's coming-of-age-in-magic and its well-worn theme of revolt against oppression with copious mutilations, a large-scale cast of thieves, cutthroats, conniving nobles and exotic mutants. The fast-paced action scenes temper Vin's interminable ballroom intrigues, while the characters, though not profoundly drawn, have a raw stereotypic appeal. (July)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From

The Sliver of Infinity, the Lord Ruler, is the locus of religious and temporal order in a world in which the skaa are slaves or worse. Half-skaa erstwhile thief Kelsior is the only person to survive and escape the Lord Ruler's most brutal prison, in which, however, he discovered he has the powers of the Mistborn, which are based on the internal "burning" of certain metals, all of which the Mistborn can use, while most others can burn only one. Now Kelsior plans his most daring raid ever, into the center of the palace to discover the secret of the Lord Ruler's power. Beforehand, his band finds the half-skaa orphan Vin in another thieving crew, where she's useful because she brings good luck. She is also Mistborn and, if she can master and learn to trust her powers, will enable Kelsior's crew to infiltrate the nobility and possibly overthrow the status quo. Intrigue, politics, and conspiracies mesh complexly in a world Sanderson realizes in satisfying depth and peoples with impressive characters. Regina Schroeder
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

The #1 New York Times bestselling author returns to the world of Mistborn with the follow-up to *Shadows of Self*

With The Alloy of Law and Shadows of Self, Brandon Sanderson surprised readers with a New York Times bestselling spinoff of his Mistborn books, set after the action of the trilogy, in a period corresponding to late 19th-century America.

Now, with The Bands of Mourning, Sanderson continues the story. The Bands of Mourning are the mythical metalminds owned by the Lord Ruler, said to grant anyone who wears them the powers that the Lord Ruler had at his command. Hardly anyone thinks they really exist. A kandra researcher has returned to Elendel with images that seem to depict the Bands, as well as writings in a language that no one can read. Waxillium Ladrian is recruited to travel south to the city of New Seran to investigate. Along the way he discovers hints that point to the true goals of his uncle Edwarn and the shadowy organization known as The Set.

**

Review

“Sanderson is an evil genius. There is simply no other way to describe what he's managed to pull off in this transcendent final volume of his Mistborn trilogy.” ―RT Book Reviews (Gold Medal, Top Pick!) on The Hero of Ages

“It's rare for a fiction writer to have much understanding of how leadership works and how love really takes root in the human heart. Sanderson is astonishingly wise.” ―Orson Scott Card

“Sanderson is crafting an extremely well-thought out saga with Mistborn, one that looks to stand above the pack of his literary peers. The magic system is perfectly detailed, the world, though not completely revealed, has a great sense of natural logic to it, and the characters are a reflection of both.” ―SFFWorld

“Intrigue, politics, and conspiracies mesh complexly in a world Sanderson realizes in satisfying depth and peoples with impressive characters.” ―Booklist on Mistborn

“Highly recommended to anyone hungry for a good read.” ―Robin Hobb on Mistborn

“Enjoyable, adventurous read.” ―Locus on Mistborn

About the Author

Brandon Sanderson is the bestselling author of books including Warbreaker, Elantris, The Stormlight Archive series, starting with The Way of Kings, and The Mistborn series-Mistborn, The Well of Ascension, The Hero of Ages and The Alloy of Law. He has also written Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians, a book for middle-grade readers, and the young adult novel, The Rithmatist. He also completed the final books in Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time® series-The Gathering Storm, Towers of Midnight and A Memory of Light-based on Jordan's notes and material. Sanderson teaches writing at Brigham Young University. He lives in Utah.

Michael Kramer has narrated over 100 audiobooks for many bestselling authors. He read all of Robert Jordan’s epic Wheel of Time fantasy-adventure series as well as Brandon Sanderson’s The Stormlight Archive series. He received AudioFile magazine's Earphones Award for the Kent Family series by John Jakes and for Alan Fulsom's The Day After Tomorrow. Known for his “spot-on character portraits and accents, and his resonant, well-tempered voice” (AudioFile), his work includes recording books for the Library of Congress’s Talking Books program for the blind and physically handicapped.

Kramer also works as an actor in the Washington, D.C. area, where he lives with his wife, Jennifer Mendenhall (a.k.a. Kate Reading), and their two children. He has appeared as Lord Rivers in Richard III at The Shakespeare Theatre, Howie/Merlin in The Kennedy Center’s production of The Light of Excalibur, Sam Riggs and Frederick Savage in Woody Allen’s Central Park West/Riverside Drive, and Dr. Qari Shah in Tony Kushner’s Homebody/Kabul at Theatre J.

From Publishers Weekly

Best known for his pun-filled, long-running Xanth light fantasy series, Anthony pairs here with a fan and first-time author for a stand-alone novel of improbable plot and lackluster characters. Vegan Herb Moss, a member of a race of genetically engineered plant-humans on a distant planet, is bored by his nice but dull girlfriend, Lily. When he answers a personal ad in Play Plant magazine, however, Herb gets more than he bargained for: beautiful Spring, daughter of a dead sorcerer who magically sealed the secret to extended life inside his child, to be revealed when she mates with her one true love. Spring is hunted by her father's enemy, the evil mage Zygote, and Herb and his friends are her only hope for evading the villain who seeks her maidenhead. The authors' mix of science and fantasy is awkward at best, and the characters never rise above stereotype, from the reluctant hero Herb with his antiquated philosophy about moody, troublemaking women to spunky-yet-understanding Spring, to Lily with her belief that "the love of a good woman" can bring out the good in any man, even the evil Zygote. While Anthony's author's note proclaims he found "cute cleverness" in Taeusche's original manuscript, it's doubtful that even die-hard Xanth fans will discover much here to hold their attention. (Mar.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

Anthony's latest collaboration (after Dream a Little Dream, 1999, with Julie Brady, etc.) with one of his more persistent admirers features the standard combination of cute witches, evil wizards, lovable quasi-humans, and jocularly lascivious romancing (puns and lovers) in a reasonably inventive, Anthony-fantasy setting where hero Herb, heroine Spring, and villain Zygote have lots of neat stuff to do. -- Copyright ©2000, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

From Publishers Weekly

Poetry's magic--real magic--draws Matthew, Lord Wizard of Merovence, deeper into trouble in this sequel to Her Majesty's Wizard . In his alternative world, where words become truth and magic spells are created by verse, Matt's thoughtless declaration that (in order to be a worthy suitor to Alisande, the queen of Merovence) he would unthrone Gordogrosso, evil sorcerer-king of neighboring Ibile, lands him in the middle of that unhappy kingdom. He's joined by Narlh, a discontented dracogriff with an inferiority complex; Fadecourt, a cyclops with an unsavory reputation in Ibile; and the beautiful and noble Yverne, fleeing the attentions of the king's hoodlums. As the ill-assorted band moves in on Gordogrosso, Queen Alisande marshals her knights to save the beloved commoner whom she cannot wed (even though he is a wizard), and Matt's magic produces unusual results, including the addition of Robin Hood and his band to his forces. Stasheff's fantasy romp has a strong theological underpinning: God is serious about his creatures and about their taking responsibility for themselves, their actions and their words.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Prevented by his lack of royal blood from marrying the woman he loves, former college student Matt Mantrell--now Court Wizard to Queen Alisande--swears an oath to overthrow a neighboring tyrant and finds himself bound to carry out his promise. Aided by a group of companions, including a neurotic griffin, a cultured cyclops, and minions from heaven and faerie, Matt enters a land of darkness and evil to fight the good--and seemingly impossible--fight. Fans of pure fantasy will enjoy this sequel to Her Majesty's Wizard ( LJ 10/15/86).
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Publishers Weekly

This is the latest enjoyable installment in the escapades of Matt Mantrell and Saul ("Wizard of Sarcasm") Bremener, former graduate students now living happily in an alternate world where verse has magical powers. When the evil King Maledicto of Latruria ("Italy by any other name") is killed, his grandson Prince Boncorro, having determined to be loyal to neither Good nor Evil, introduces supply-side economics to his goods-based kingdom. Matt, now Lord Wizard of neighboring Merovence, investigates the changes Boncorro has wrought. His "incognito" expedition is a curious one, impeded by occasional contretemps and the specious reasoning and obtuseness of several characters (Queen Alisande, Matt's wife, is particularly ill-served by multiple scenes apparently intended to show that pregnancy can make a woman moody). Readers older than Stasheff's usual audience may be bemused by the presences of Chancellor Rebezo and a friendly ghost called Spiro. Fans of the series' previous volumes should find this one, though a progression for neither author nor reader, as pleasant a distraction as those. Science Fiction Book Club alternate.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

The fourth book in Stasheff's Wizard in Rhyme series stands quite well on its own. Young King Boncorro is turning the land of Latruria into an earthly paradise, and the malcontents of neighboring Merovence are muttering that Boncorro's rule would be good for their own realm. But there are suspicions about what Boncorro is really up to, and Lord Wizard Matt Mantrell has to assume his minstrel disguise and go investigating. He finds a good many surprises, including the ease with which he is unmasked by Boncorro's chancellor, and barely escapes with both life and knowledge. Stasheff's series continues to be distinguished by intelligence, literacy, and wit, so put this volume confidently alongside its predecessors on your fantasy shelves. Roland Green

Amazon.com Review

In the glittering Advanced Dungeons & Dragons firmament, the star power of Ed Greenwood twinkles somewhere between the bright glow of E. Gary Gygax and the somewhat dimmer shine of Zeb Cook. As creator and Dungeon Master-in-chief of the enormously popular Forgotten Realms setting, Greenwood has secured his status as a legend of gaming--doubly so by inventing the Realms' most illustrious citizen (well, except for Drizzt Do'Urden, of course), Elminster of Shadowdale.

With Kingless Land, Greenwood breaks free of the Realms with a mainstream fantasy novel, the first title in his Band of Four series. But faster than you can say "melee round," you'll suss out that Greenwood's Band looks a heck of a lot like your classic dungeon-faring party: a thief (Craer, the "procurer"), a fighter (Hawkril, a "thick-headed sword-swinger" by Craer's estimation), a wizard (a hot babe whose baron-dad wants to turn her into a castle--neat!), and a cleric (the healer Sarasper, who also gets to be a shapeshifter, presumably to make up for the fact that clerics suck). So, predictably, Kingless Land doesn't cover much more ground than Greenwood's AD&D novels, which were always hit (Cormyr, with Jeff Grubb) or miss (Spellfire--ouch!) at best. But if you can get past the indulgently italicized fantasy bluster ("Sargh and bebolt it!"), Kingless Land certainly proves equal to the best of Greenwood's previous genre work, not unlike a night spent listening to the effortless spin of an expert DM. --Paul Hughes

From Library Journal

A ruthless baron rules the kingless land of Aglirta, protected by his sorcerers' spells and his cruel armies. The baron's daughter, herself a wizard doomed by her father to become bound into his castle's defenses, flees for her life in the company of a trio of adventurers marked by destiny to search for the Sleeping King. The creator of TSR's Forgotten Realms novels and role-playing scenarios now turns his talents to a new world of magic and bold deeds, crafting a graceful tale of high fantasy. For most fantasy collections.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Publishers Weekly

Best known as the creator of Forgotten Realms, the Dungeons & Dragons-based heroic fantasy series, Greenwood continues to give his audience exactly what they want stereotypical heroes and villains caught up in predictably dirty schemes full of violence, magic and PG-13 humor in this sequel to 2000's The Kingless Land. The Four gruff warrior Hawkril, sly thief Craer, grumpy healer Sarasper and beautiful sorceress Lady Embra Silvertree assisted Kelgrael Snowsar to assume the throne as the rightful "Risen King" of Aglirta, yet there are still plenty of lords who'd rather see someone else in his place. To quiet their complaints, Snowsar decrees that he will hold a "recoronation" at the start of the new year, after everyone has decided which side to take, for or against him. Meanwhile the king sends his faithful Four off to recover the missing fourth Dwaer-stone, a magical gem that, when added to the three they already possess, will give the king and his allies the power to defeat any enemy. Of course the Four immediately become the target of every bad guy in the realm, even as Snowsar busies himself with avoiding assassins at every turn. A choppy, haphazardly constructed story speeds along from one unnecessary side trip to another. While new readers looking for an undemanding, fast, furious read may find this book a reasonable way to kill an hour or two, they're unlikely to come back for more.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

The sequel to The Kingless Land (2000) establishes that the troubles of that land, Aglirta, are by no means over. The Dwaerindim Stones have lifted the curse of the Sleeping King, but the feudal magnates, long accustomed to having their own way in the matter of private wars and armies, also have abundant resources and few scruples about using them to preserve their position. Some of those resources are magical and threaten to provoke a situation beside which the curse is petty. Hawkril the warrior, Craer the thief, Sarasper the healer, and Embra Silvertree the Lady of Jewels have to match wits and weapons against the ruthless feudality and to seek out a powerful magical secret whose possession confers the rule of Aglirta--or worse. Greenwood's background in game-related fiction shows again, but so does his singular sense of humor, and his world-building skills compensate for occasional slow pacing. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

From Publishers Weekly

Forgotten Realms creator Greenwood's fourth Band of Four book (after 2002's A Dragon's Ascension), with its gory and repetitive battle scenes, will please the faithful, many of them role-playing gamers, but fans of gentler fantasy had best stay away. Now in the position of Overdukes, sorceress Embra Silvertree, warrior Hawkril Anharu, thief Craer Delnbone, sorceress Tshamarra Talasorn and ex-regent Ezendor Blackgult must battle the priests and sundry servants of the Serpent, the wizard Ambelter and various barons in an effort to bring peace to the realm of Aglirta and keep the king on the throne. The scheming of the priests centers on a wine-induced blood plague, which compels people to spontaneously kill others before dying or to change into mythical beasts that remain under the priests' control. The action is fast and furious as the Band of Four, wielding the Dwaer (stones that amplify magical power and intensify spell-casting), contend with their double-crossing enemies as well as spontaneous attacks of the blood plague. Given the many new characters and others from previous volumes, the Dramatis Personae section at the back is particularly useful, but only if discovered beforehand.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Inevitably, a tale called the Band of Four has four volumes. Every bit as good as its predecessors--The Kingless Land (2000), The Vacant Throne (2001), and A Dragon's Ascension (2001)--this book brings things to a satisfactory conclusion. The Four--Embra, Craer, Blackgult, and Hawkril--have been joined as overdukes of Aglirta by Tshamarra the sorcereress. They are all high-ranking troubleshooters, and trouble frequently shoots back, for the dissident nobles led by the Bowdragon clan and the Servants of the Serpent are as unruly and treacherous as ever. Another part of the opposition, however, consists of ordinary folk who don't see that putting Raulin Castlecloaks, the boy king, on the throne has really solved all that many problems. As the opposing sides seek the Dragon and the Serpent, respectively, and magical and material weapons are unleashed, the pacing turns brisk and the story acquires a slight Perils-of-Pauline quality. The book's many conflicts and their resolutions are never simple-minded, and altogether this is a most respectable wrap-up to a highly readable saga. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Part Three Of Three Parts

Maia, eldest daughter in a poor fisherman's family, grows up in a remote corner of the Belkan Empire. She leads a quiet, sheltered life until...impossible for her to have imagined, and entirely through the duplicitous act of another...she is sold into bondage as a concubine.

Thrust into a wicked and depraved world, Maia survives. She inspires confidence and gathers power. At a time of great crisis within the Empire, Maia stands alone as the one who can prevent its destruction. She gains national fame...yet remains caught up in danger and despair.

"MAIA is Richard Adams' most remarkable creation. . .a heroine to love, in a book that enthralls." (Publisher's Source)