Showing results by narrator "Tim Reynolds" in All Categories

Dante and Blays have a single hope of victory: the Spear of Stars, the long-lost weapon that may be capable of killing the lich. There's just one problem. Though they've learned the spear is real, they've also learned the nine parts of the weapon are guarded by the gods themselves. And they have no intention of handing over their prize. Alone in a strange realm, with no friends or allies, and a growing list of enemies, Dante and Blays' task looks doomed. Yet, they're the last line standing between the lich and the destruction of their whole world.

If there's one thing dragons fear, it's a kraken. Even lowly hull-scrubber Zee Tarrow knows that. Like everyone on the island kingdom of Tosh, he grew up frightened by fables and horrible tales of the great beasts of the deep. It seems an odd thing to impress upon the children of the realm, because–luckily for the dragons and their riders–no one has seen a kraken in a thousand years.

After more than 500 years of exile, the heir to the empyre is wary about his sudden reassignment to active duty on the Goblin War’s front lines. His mission to rescue an outpost leads to a dead-end canyon deep inside enemy territory, and his suspicion turns to dread when he discovers the stronghold doesn't exist.

Welcome to the Five Isles, where war has come in the name of the invading army of Sor Sevier, a merciless host driven by the prophetic fervor of the Angel Prince, Aeros, toward the last unconquered kingdom of Gul Kana. Yet Gault, one of the elite Knights Archaic of Sor Sevier, is growing disillusioned by the crusade he is at the vanguard of just as it embarks on his Lord Aeros' greatest triumph. While the eldest son of the fallen king of Gul Kana now reigns in ever increasing paranoid isolationism, his two sisters seek their own paths.

"The Secret" is set in the world where the Broken Empire and Red Queen's War trilogies take place. I've been writing short stories based on the various members of Jorg Ancrath's brotherhood of the road, exploring their origins. When I saw that the Blackguards anthology was seeking tales of assassins, I thought it was time to write about Brother Sim.

Threadbare has not had a very good time of it recently. His little girl has been taken from him, and he must travel the kingdom, finding allies old and new, living and dead, to help him rescue Celia. Fortunately, he's got a voice now and access to all those fun skills he couldn't before use. He may only be a very small teddy bear, but he's got the persistence to plow through dungeons of rascally raccoon monsters, the wiles to turn a town full of undead on its ear, and the sanity to survive an encounter with a mediocre old one.

Marcus Conway has come a long way to stand in the kitchen of his home and remember the rhythms and routines of his life. Considering with his engineer's mind how things are constructed - bridges, banking systems, marriages - and how they may come apart. Mike McCormack captures with tenderness and feeling, in continuous, flowing prose, a whole life suspended in a single hour.

The young sorcerer Cally has routed the Mallish invaders from Collen, the home of his love Myla. For the first time in a long time, the land is at peace. But few believe it will last. Brought before Collen's highest authority, the Pastkeepers, Cally is told a deep secret: the Rod of the Devil's Tongue, the artifact he used to defeat the Mallish, has even greater powers than he knows. If he can unlock them, he can drive the Mallish out of Collen forever.

The White Lich has conquered Tanar Atain. Soon, he means to take the entire world. Dante suspects his next target will be Bressel, where the Tanarians have established their court in exile. The only chance to stop the lich will be to forge a fragile alliance between the bitter enemies of three different lands: Tanar Atain, Mallon, and Narashtovik. The city stands on the brink of rebellion. Yet even if Dante, Blays, and Gladdic can unite it, they still might not have the strength to stand against the army of the lich.

During the winter solstice, on the shortest day and longest night of the year, the ancient burial chamber at Newgrange is empowered. Its mystifying source is a haunting tale told by locals. Professor O’Kelly believes an archaeologist’s job is to make known only what can be proved. He is undeterred by ghost stories, idle speculation, and caution. Much to the chagrin of the living souls in County Meath. As well as those entombed in the sacred darkness of Newgrange itself. They’re determined to protect the secret of the light, guarded for more than 5,000 years.

“The Golden Brat” Reinhard von Lohengramm, a military prodigy and admiral of the Galactic Empire, has ambitions beyond protecting the borders or even defeating the Empire’s enemies. He seeks to overthrow the old order and become a truly absolute—yet benevolent—dictator. His rival, the...

The When Swords Fall Silent anthology showcases the imaginations and talents of more than a dozen of the best modern science-fiction and fantasy authors, with each tale centered around one or more characters burdened with a bloody task they will see to completion no matter the cost. Every story takes you for a vicious ride through a world of shadow and death, each as unique in perspective and execution as the contracts carried out within.

Seventeen-year old Gray is descended from a legendary hero known as a Ronin and haunted by his forgotten past. He returns home to a wizards' keep, unaware he is now labeled a murderous traitor for killing his best friend. Now he must cross a dangerous desert full of thieves, mythical beasts, and other magical unknowns, all to return to a home that may be his demise. At the same time, a poisonous evil seeks to convert the world to their dark mantra, "strength is life, weakness death". Gray may have hero's blood in his veins, but how can one kill a belief?

Royce Melborn, a cynical ex-assassin, and Hadrian Blackwater, an idealistic ex-mercenary, are a pair of rogues-for-hire known as Riyria (its elvish for two). This duo makes a living taking nefarious jobs for conspiring nobles. Doing so usually involves stealing something, but when a young heiress asks them to steal her . . . well, that is a first for the pair.

Entangled in Tallosian feuds and fragile negotiations, Adarra's path takes a deadly turn when an ancient power stirs from its slumber. Unnatural monsters sweep across the Isle of Tallos, leaving carnage in their wake. To protect both friend and foe, she must risk everything—finding an unexpected ally in the enigmatic Talarin, and becoming the shield for those she never meant to save.

After a victorious battle against the Spellbreaker, Cal sets his mind to becoming the most powerful reincarnation of the Spellweaver yet. His studies are soon cut short when the princess visits the Library and gives Cal and Raya a quest: the capital is afflicted with a dark magic, and they must find a way to stop it. Together with Azamar, the Fire Mage, and Oswerg, the Earth Mage, Cal and Raya set off to the capital, where danger and strange magic await them. Secrets will be revealed, and new magic will be learned. But will it be enough to save the empire?

Tarkosi Terelta is a nobody. A nobody who will save his world from demons and the hellfire they bring. The third-born of a shamed family, Tarkosi's lot in life is to spend his days as a worker, feeding temperamental lancewings under a harsh master. His days in the bloodwood city of Shal Gara are full of drudgery, tedium, and pain, his own ambitions cast aside in the name of order.

Civil War tore across the Union Empire, leaving countless dead in its wake. It was a war started by one man once beloved by the Empire. His betrayal still lingers in the memory of those who lived through it. Decades later, his son, Felix Drake, is a Warden tasked with both protecting the ruling members of the Union Empire and its Council and bringing those powerful and influential people to justice should they break the law.

Stop me if you’ve heard this one. A thief, a candlemaker, an ex-mercenary, and a pig farmer walk into a trap…and what happens is no joke. When Riyria is hired to retrieve a jester’s treasure, Royce and Hadrian must match wits with a dwarf who proves to be anything but a fool. Difficult choices will need to be made, and in the end those who laugh last do so because they are the only ones to survive.

Threadbare has reunited with his little girl, even if it didn't go exactly like he'd hoped it would. But war still rages through the kingdom, and the fluffy heroes must stop the tyrant king and restore peace to their home. Celia, Threadbare, and the rest of their allies must join the final resistance, to fight for the fate of everyone within Cylvania. It's a daunting task. Fortunately, they're not alone. Doom comes for the tyrant king, on soft, fuzzy little feet.