Blackwing

You think you know Misery? You've not seen anything yet . . . The republic faces annihilation, despite the vigilance of Galharrow's Blackwings. When a raven tattoo rips itself from his arm to deliver a desperate message, Galharrow and a mysterious noblewoman must investigate a long dead sorcerer's legacy. But there is a conspiracy within the citadel: traitors, flesh-eaters and the ghosts of the wastelands seek to destroy them, but if they cannot solve the ancient wizard's paradox, the Deep Kings will walk the earth again, and all will be lost. The war with the Eastern Empire ended in stalemate some eighty years ago, thanks to Nall's 'Engine', a wizard-crafted weapon so powerful even the Deep Kings feared it. The strike of the Engine created the Misery - a wasteland full of ghosts and corrupted magic that now forms a No Mans Land along the frontier. But when Galharrow investigates a frontier fortress, he discovers complacency bordering on treason: then the walls are stormed, and the Engine fails to launch. Galharrow only escapes because of the preternatural magical power of the noblewoman he was supposed to be protecting. Together, they race to the capital to unmask the traitors and restore the republic's defences. Far across the Misery a vast army is on the move, as the Empire prepares to call the republic's bluff. Blackwing is a gritty epic fantasy for fans of Mark Lawrence, Scott Lynch and Daniel Polansky. Readers can't get enough of Blackwing: 'A splendid debut that is brilliantly written and I found it amazingly difficult to put down. It superbly presents a completely original, complex and epic fantasy world with incredible and believable characters' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 'Blackwing is, simply put, awesome. It's gritty, edgy, suspenseful, and often poignant' Nicholas Eames 'One of the greatest fantasy books I've read in my life. Perfect in every possible way. Ed McDonald is on a par with Joe Abercrombie and Brandon Sanderson' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 'Quickly gained the rare distinction of being one of those books that felt as if it had been written especially for me . . . A remarkably assured fantasy debut that mixes of the inventiveness of China Mieville with the fast pace heroics of David Gemmell' Anthony Ryan 'Blackwing is a new entry into the Grim Dark Fantasy realm, and a well written one . . . Venture in if you dare' Robin Hobb 'From start to finish I was excited to read this book! . . . The story is continuously in motion and there is so much magic! All kinds even! . . . Read this epic debut!' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 'This thing is just magnificent . . . an astonishingly accomplished debut' Peter McLean 'Ed McDonald is a great story-teller and as such its 360 odd pages fly by . . . well paced with incredible characters and a refreshing and original world and magic' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 'Blackwing is a truly unique vision of a world, set with an eclectic mix of weaponry, technology and science and a brilliant magic system' Anna Stephens 'Like if Joe Abercrombie told a story in the voice of The Warden from Low Town . . . Will definitely be following up with the series' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

“A remarkably assured fantasy debut that mixes of the inventiveness of China Miéville with the fast paced heroics of David Gemmell.”—Anthony Ryan, New York Times bestselling author of The Legion of Flame Set on a postapocalyptic frontier, Blackwing is a gritty fantasy debut about a man’s desperate battle to survive his own dark destiny... Hope, reason, humanity: the Misery breaks them all. Under its cracked and wailing sky, the Misery is a vast and blighted expanse, the arcane remnant of a devastating war with the immortals known as the Deep Kings. The war ended nearly a century ago, and the enemy is kept at bay only by the existence of the Engine, a terrible weapon that protects the Misery’s border. Across the corrupted no-man’s-land teeming with twisted magic and malevolent wraiths, the Deep Kings and their armies bide their time. Watching. Waiting. Bounty hunter Ryhalt Galharrow has breathed Misery dust for twenty bitter years. When he’s ordered to locate a masked noblewoman at a frontier outpost, he finds himself caught in the middle of an attack by the Deep Kings, one that signifies they may no longer fear the Engine. Only a formidable show of power from the very woman he is seeking, Lady Ezabeth Tanza, repels the assault. Ezabeth is a shadow from Galharrow’s grim past, and together they stumble onto a web of conspiracy that threatens to end the fragile peace the Engine has provided. Galharrow is not ready for the truth about the blood he’s spilled or the gods he’s supposed to serve…

Quin: Finder, healer, student, teacher, lover, pirate— BlackWing "My life in Gungl began a moon-turn later, when I was finally able to pull myself out of bed without crushing grief slamming into me and causing me to collapse. The following day, my plan for revenge against Vardil Cayetes, the man responsible for Siriaa's destruction, began." * * * Siriaa has been destroyed at the command of an enraged criminal. The poison infecting that planet has been flung into the universe, landing upon hapless worlds in its path. The Orb has dropped Quin onto another world five years in the future, where she is compelled to seek revenge against Vardil Cayetes, the one responsible for Siriaa's destruction. From a crumbling, lawless world to one held in the tight fists of a criminal alliance, a disguised Quin searches for her enemy, whose only concern is keeping his life, no matter the cost to others. Quin and another innocent become targets when the enemy learns of the danger they represent. Will Cayetes succeed in his assassination attempts? Not even the gods can predict the outcome.

The Hardy boys set out to investigate strange happenings at the Blackwing Mansion, which appears to be haunted, and in the process help their father uncover a ring of thieves.

In the second gritty installment of the Raven's Mark series, a bounty hunter faces down the darkest evil. Ryhalt Galharrow is a blackwing--a bounty hunter who seeks out and turns over any man, woman, or child who has been compromised by the immortals known as the Deep Kings. Four years have passed since he helped drive the Deep Kings back across the Misery. But new and darker forces are rising against the republic...

We are Or'myr; a secretive, dwindling race of wyrm dragons. For many years, we were without a queen and directionless, until my sister was born. She was loved. Protected. Until the one known as the Prophet stole her away. Our only hope to save our queen—and our race—lies in the hands of a blind man named Randl Gage. A man who is also one of the most wanted criminals in both Alliances...

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the veteran political journalist and 60 Minutes correspondent, a deep dive into the history, evolution, and current state of the American presidency, and how we can make the job less impossible and more productive—featuring a new post-2020–election epilogue “This is a great gift to our sense of the actual presidency, a primer on leadership.”—Ken Burns Imagine you have just been elected president. You are now commander-in-chief, chief executive, chief diplomat, chief legislator, chief of party, chief voice of the people, first responder, chief priest, and world leader. You’re expected to fulfill your campaign promises, but you’re also expected to solve the urgent crises of the day. What’s on your to-do list? Where would you even start? What shocks aren’t you thinking about? The American presidency is in trouble. It has become overburdened, misunderstood, almost impossible to do. “The problems in the job unfolded before Donald Trump was elected, and the challenges of governing today will confront his successors,” writes John Dickerson. After all, the founders never intended for our system of checks and balances to have one superior Chief Magistrate, with Congress demoted to “the little brother who can’t keep up.” In this eye-opening book, John Dickerson writes about presidents in history such a Washington, Lincoln, FDR, and Eisenhower, and and in contemporary times, from LBJ and Reagan and Bush, Obama, and Trump, to show how a complex job has been done, and why we need to reevaluate how we view the presidency, how we choose our presidents, and what we expect from them once they are in office. Think of the presidential campaign as a job interview. Are we asking the right questions? Are we looking for good campaigners, or good presidents? Once a candidate gets the job, what can they do to thrive? Drawing on research and interviews with current and former White House staffers, Dickerson defines what the job of president actually entails, identifies the things that only the president can do, and analyzes how presidents in history have managed the burden. What qualities make for a good president? Who did it well? Why did Bill Clinton call the White House “the crown jewel in the American penal system”? The presidency is a job of surprises with high stakes, requiring vision, management skill, and an even temperament. Ultimately, in order to evaluate candidates properly for the job, we need to adjust our expectations, and be more realistic about the goals, the requirements, and the limitations of the office. As Dickerson writes, “Americans need their president to succeed, but the presidency is set up for failure. It doesn’t have to be.”

From the New York Times bestselling creator of the Iron Druid Chronicles comes the sequel to A Plague of Giants: A world-breaking war—an invasion of giant warriors—inspires a movement to fight back. SOLDIER AND AVENGER Daryck is from a city that was devastated by the war with the Bone Giants, and now he and a band of warriors seek revenge against the giants for the loved ones they’ve lost. But will vengeance be enough to salve their grief? DREAMER AND LEADER Hanima is part of a new generation with extraordinary magical talents: She can speak to fantastical animals. But when this gift becomes a threat to the powers-that-be, Hanima becomes the leader of a movement to use this magic to bring power to the people. SISTER AND SEEKER Koesha is the captain of an all-female crew on a perilous voyage to explore unknown waters. Though her crew is seeking a path around the globe, Koesha is also looking for her sister, lost at sea two years ago. But what lies beyond the edges of the map is far more dangerous than storms and sea monsters. . . . In this sequel to A Plague of Giants, these characters and more will become the voices of a new generation bringing hope and revolution to a war-torn world. Don’t miss any of Kevin Hearne’s action-packed Seven Kennings series A PLAGUE OF GIANTS • A BLIGHT OF BLACKWINGS • A CURSE OF KRAKENS (Coming Later!)