In a world where winter is near at hand and will last for forty years, the throne is
empty, and all comers, whether royal or rogue, will do whatever is within their
power to take it. Sword and poison, magic and trickery, all will be wielded in the
fight for the kingdom. Alas, unknown to the contenders, far to the north an army of
the undead is preparing its march upon their land.
Book one of the Song of Ice and Fire series.
Mara, a young, untested Ruling Lady of Kelewan, is called upon to lead her people
in a heroic struggle for survival. But first she must rally an army of rebel warriors,
form a pact with the alien cho-ja and marry the son of a hated enemy in this
fantasy world that is heavily influenced by Korean medieval customs.
The trilogy continues with Servant of the Empire and Mistress of the Empire.
When an assassin hired to kill a royal child becomes his protector, not all the
intrigue amongst the human sorcerors and pirates, elves, and dwarves can prevent
the young prince from coming of age and battling for his throne.
Book one of the Death Gate Cycle.
"Edgewood is many houses, all put inside each other, or across each other. It’s
filled with and surrounded by mystery and enchantment: the further in you go, the
bigger it gets. Smoky Barnable, who has fallen in love with Daily Alice Drinkwater,
comes to Edgewood, her family home, where he finds himself drawn into a world of
magical strangeness."
Young Garion leaves his simple life on the farmstead to seek out the ancient Orb
that will protect humankind against the rampages of the evil god Torak. Though
filled with swordfights and sorcery, this fantasy is a much lighter and quicker read
than The Lord of the Rings.
Book one of the Belgariad series.
Sabriel, daughter of the necromancer Abhorsen, must journey into the mysterious and magical Old Kingdom to rescue her father from the Land of the Dead.
Sir Gawain, most respected of Arthur's knights, journeys a year and a day to meet
the unearthly Green Knight who has challenged the king's honor. The modern
English translation appears side by side with the original Middle English verses.
In the year A.D. 922, a refined Arab courtier, representative of the powerful Caliph
of Baghdad, encounters a party of Viking warriors on their journey to the barbaric
North. He is appalled by Viking customs--the wanton sexuality of their pale, angular
women, their disregard for cleanliness, their cold-blooded human sacrifices. But
only in the depths of the Northland does he learn the horrifying truth: he has been
enlisted to combat a terror that comes under cover of night to slaughter the Vikings
and devour their flesh. A swords and doom-filled adventure inspired by the epic
poem Beowulf. Previously published as Eaters of the Dead.
The kingdom of Crotheny is on the edge of war, and in the forest the ancient Briar King awakens, trailed by terror and destruction. The ruling family of Crotheny struggles not only to retain their rule, but to fulfill ancient prophesies. The mixture of Celtic legend and the story of the Lost Colony of Roanoke make for a fascinating compilation of old and new.
