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Winds of Chaos by Laura Brewer, Roland Brewer Welcome to the training grounds of the Armies of Heaven. Born on a world full of dangerous creatures and agents of darkness, Alvinar and Rowan are rigorously trained to hunt and fight all manner of things to survive. Asked to lead a new settlement, far from aid, they throw themselves into the business of exploring and securing the area. Freya and Thor warn them trouble is on the horizon. When scouts find the remains of an ancient city, they go to explore; concerned at the presence of strange magic that feels – different. Several of the gods from Asgard come to investigate. An attempted invasion by portal stirs the strange magic in defense, but also destabilizes that magic and ripples are felt even in Asgard. Alvinar is changed by it and Freya takes him to Asgard. When a magical explosion in the ruins spreads chaos, even in Asgard, the very core of Rowan and Alvinar’s perception of who they are will be tried in its fire. Can they keep to the path of Light when Darkness seeks to sear their very souls? |
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Children of the Black (Silver Sights Saga, #1) by W.J. Long III Humanity has survived. On the far end of the universe, with Earth little more than a faded memory, they thrive on worlds where once they were enslaved. In the millennia since, these persistent beings built new societies, but when the two greatest nations among them met for the first time, there was war. The all-consuming conflict bent the wills and morals of both powers beyond recognition, leading to levels of experimentation and cruelty once thought impossible. Yet, in a universe drowned in blood, an opportunity for peace is seized. In the uncertain aftermath of the truce, a broken soldier haunted by the horrors of the war and the lost psionic girl he once risked his life to save scratch out a life in the dusty streets of Minerva City. Meanwhile, from worlds beyond, shadows from their past descend to offer a different path. In exchange, the two must find a powerful secret once thought capable of bringing solace to a desperate wartorn universe, but in this time of uneasy peace, it holds a more destructive power. Uniquely qualified and entirely in over their heads, they put their lives on the line to embark on a harrowing adventure and discover not only answers to their broken pasts but a taste of perils lurking in the Black. |
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Dreams of the Dying by Nicolas Lietzau If your mind is the enemy, where do you run? #1 Bestseller in German Literature (07/2020, 10/2020, 12/2020) Years after a harrowing war experience, ex-mercenary Jespar Dal'Varek has taken to drifting. It's a lonely existence, but barring the occasional bout of melancholia, he has found the closest thing to peace a man like him deserves. Life is "all right." Or so he believes. Hoping to turn the page, Jespar accepts a mysterious invitation into the beautiful but dangerous archipelago of Kilay-and everything changes. Plagued by boiling social tensions and terrorism, the tropical empire is edging ever closer to civil war. Kilay's merchant king is the only person able to prevent this catastrophe, but he has fallen into a preternatural coma-and it's Jespar's task to figure out what or who caused it. As the investigation takes him across the archipelago and into the king's nightmares, unexpected events not only tie Jespar's own life to the mystery but also unearth inner demons he believed to be exorcised long ago. Battling old trauma while fighting for his life, his sanity, and the fate of Kilay, the line between dream and reality blurs until only one question remains: If your mind is the enemy, where do you run? Described as "Inception in a Polynesian fantasy setting," Dreams of the Dying is a slow-burning, haunting blend of fantasy, mystery, and psychological horror, that explores mental illness, morality, and the dark corners of our minds. CW: Profanity, Violence, Sex, Death, Suicide, Rape, Substance Abuse |
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A Touch of Light by Thiago Abdalla SFFOasis SPFBO8 SPFBO Finalist How far would you go to resurrect someone you love? Would you change who you are to show you belong? The world of Avarin is tearing itself apart. The Domain worships life, its rulers lead eternal lives and death is a shame that must not be mourned. For the clans to the south, however, death is all that keeps the Earth alive. But old enemies are rising. A madness spreads throughout the Domain, and Lynn, a rogue griffin rider in hiding, might be the only one who knows how to fight it, while Adrian, a Domain prince seeking to bring his dead loved ones to worthiness, leads the Domain armies against the madmen. The clans suffer a madness of their own. As the land itself begins to wither away, Nasha, a cursed hunter and lifelong outcast, desperately fights for belonging in the Ronar, while her clan seeks to heal the land. Old beliefs will be challenged as the people of Avarin fight to save it… before death comes for them all. A sweeping epic fantasy saga where religion and politics are one, magic brings terror into the hearts of men, and a looming blight threatens to tear everything down |