Shadowkings

For one thousand bright and fortunate years the Khatrimantine Empire had guaranteed peace and benevolence. Then came the vast hordes of the Mogaun, driven by an evil deity, the Lord of Twilight, corrupter and devourer. The unprepared Khatrimantine armies could not stand against the brutal might of the invaders, not even with the help of the Empire’s spirit/magical guardians. Yet at the very pinnacle of his triumph, the Lord of Twilight made a fatal mistake, shattering his essence into five parts: five lost souls destined to become the Shadowkings. Now, sixteen years after the invasion, Mogaun warlords and petty despots squabble amid the ruins. Yet ancient powers are stirring and the Empire’s last valiant defenders are gathering their strength, hoping that one decisive strike can reverse their long, bleak decline. But the forces of Night know well the dance of might, and match them step for step. REVIEWS “... a pacey action and adventure story, packed with battles, rescues and political double-dealing...” -- Infinity Plus on SHADOWKINGS “SHADOWKINGS, was brutal, cruel and realistic in a way genre usually avoids. SHADOWGOD, his second, is not only lighter, it is better... and makes good use of the world Cobley has created... writing to rival David Gemmell.” -- Jon Courtenay-Grimwood (Guardian)

When the evil Zhentarim attempt to take over the richest of the Caravan Cities, an ex-Harper agent tries to foil the wicked plot Under a dark cloud, Caledan Caldorien left the Harpers seven years ago. Now a mysterious and beautiful messenger from the secret society convinces him to undertake one final, reckless mission. Iriaebor, the City of a Thousand Spires, has fallen under the sway of the evil network of Zhentarim. With a fellowship of old friends, Caledan must seek an ancient magic to counter the dark conspiracy of the Harpers’ nemeses. For awaiting them all is a terrible secret that lies beneath the city . . . Crypt of the Shadowking is the sixth book in a series of loosely-connected novels about the Harpers.

In the late Eighteenth Century, a goldsmith and early European banker by the name of Meyer Anselm Rothschild convened a secret meeting in Frankfurt Germany, of 13 prominent Jewish banking families, for the purpose of formulating a plan to oppose the power of the Catholic Church and gain control of the western world through financial and political manipulation. Throughout the centuries, this close affiliation of international bankers and heads of state has been referred to by many different names; the Family, the Circle, the Olympians, the Money Power, the Elites, and most prominently, the Illuminati. Their identities have remained shrouded in secrecy, but their objectives and their tactics have remained consistently true to the original plans of the thirteen bloodline families. Through the ownership and the manipulation of the central banks of Europe, and that of the United States; democracy itself. The current trends toward corporate globalization are a direct result of their plans for a one world government; the New World Order. At the start of the millennium, one thing is clear; their plans are working. John Doe is Everyman; born into an aristocratic family of the international banking elite, but raised in anonymity of a normal American family. With his unknown birth father's guidance, he discovers and explores the little known world of his ancestors and the world-dominating force they have become. He conducts a thorough study of American history to uncover the influence of the illuminati in the past, and relates that influence to the political and economic conditions affecting the present course of world events and threatening the future of the human race. Ultimately, he uses what her learns about the Illuminati to reveal their plan to the unsuspecting public, to confront the Illuminati in their own arena, and to provide the American public and the world with an antidote to the new World Order. In an anonymous run for the presidency of the United States, John Doe exposes the plans of the Illuminati, and lays down his guidelines for a moral, responsible, and sustainable world; the philosophy of Futurism. Through his own journey of enlightenment, John Doe himself discovers what it means to be a Shadow King.

Nothing ever happens in a genie lamp. I get my kicks watching the parallel worlds that I am thrown in and out of as I serve my masters. All their wishes are the same. Wealth. Power. Fame. I give it to them and move on because my freedom is never their wish. These newest three masters are different, and it isn’t because they are half Vampire. They did not mean to rub my bottle and have no desire to collect their wishes. Instead, they want to give them to someone else. Who does that? They drag me through their world, and for the first time, I am in one place long enough to feel human. A desire for a true life awakens in me, and I can taste my freedom in their touch. What would it be like to be claimed by three? I will use every trick I know to find out.

Ancient powers stir all across the domains of the defeated Khatrimantine Empire. Its last defiant defenders have won a great victory and a new, young emperor has been crowned. A harsh, unseasonal winter has shrouded the land. In the icy north, the Shadowking Byrnak musters his forces, determined to crush the Imperial remnants and their allies. But his freedom to act is hampered by the intrigues of the other four Shadowkings, while a ghostly fragment of the Lord of Twilight haunts them all. If fulfilled, his dread destiny will devour the foundations of the world... The barbarian Mogaun are born to ice and snow and are no strangers to winter campaigns, as Tauric’s advisors know full well. Despite reservations, Tauric’s general, Ikarno Mazaret, knows they must stand and fight, against the ravaging winter, against the pitiless Mogaun, and against the dark destiny of the Lord of Twilight. So the onslaught begins, and the faces of Day join in the dance of might, and every turn tempts fate while every step skirts the edge of doom. REVIEWS “...one of the most gritty, grimy and evocative fantasy worlds... There’s none of the sanitised fairytale fantasy world here.” -- Eternal Night on SHADOWGOD “SHADOWKINGS, was brutal, cruel and realistic in a way genre usually avoids. SHADOWGOD, his second, is not only lighter, it is better... and makes good use of the world Cobley has created... writing to rival David Gemmell.” -- Jon Courtenay-Grimwood (Guardian)

A harsh winter is settling in across the land and the Shadowkings' deepest, darkest plans are hatching...the worst is yet to come. Ikarno Mazaret, now Lord Regent, still grieves over the death of his beloved, the mage Suviel. Ranging forth from the city of Besh-Darok, he takes ever more perilous risks. Tauric has been crowned Emperor yet feels increasingly powerless to influence events. Despair begins to taint his every decision. Keren Asherol remains haunted by her shattering encounter with one of the Daemonkind, while her twin, the mirrorchild Nerek, is dogged by sinister omens. And far to the north the Shadowking Byrnak broods on his towertop. Mistrustful of his fellow-Shadowkings and harried by a ghostly fragment of the Lord of Twilight, he knows he must utterly crush the Imperial remnants and their allies, despite the powers of the goddess Earthmother.

An unlikely pair of heroes matches wits against the revived legacy of the Shadowking in this classic Harpers novel Long ago, the shadow magic transformed an ancient wizard into a being of utter evil: the Shadowking. Now legendary Harper agent Caledan Caldorien—heir to the shadow magic—has mysteriously vanished. As the Realms whisper of his disappearance, the Harpers spring into action. Fearing that Caledan is transforming into the new Shadowking, they mount a mission to not only find him but to destroy him entirely. Renegade Harper Mari Al-maren and the mage Morhion must embark on a desperate quest to rescue Caledan—and to stop him before a Shadowking stalks the Realms once more. Curse of the Shadowmage is the eleventh book in a series of loosely-connected novels about the Harpers.

300 years after the Great Shadowking War, the tendrils of an ancient evil are worming in through the cracks of the world. Emperor Magramon is dead, the Khatrimantine Empire mourns and soon his only son, Ilgarion, will ascend the throne. But undercurrents of dread foster unease and mistrust in the imperial capital and disturbing portents hint at unrevealed horrors. Meanwhile, the agents of an old and vicious power plot, and wait... Can Corlek Ondene, former captain of the Iron Guard, work with the likes of Dardan and the Countess Ayoni to stem the tide of evil? Can the Order of Watchers, a band of renegade mages, unlock the terrible onrushing mystery in time? And can their leader, the elderly Calabos, keep his true identity a secret through the terrors yet to come? For when the faces of Night dance with the faces of Day, the Weaver of Fate dances alone, and faces become masks and masks become faces. REVIEWS “SHADOWKINGS, was brutal, cruel and realistic in a way genre usually avoids. SHADOWGOD, his second, is not only lighter, it is better... and makes good use of the world Cobley has created... writing to rival David Gemmell.” -- Jon Courtenay-Grimwood (Guardian)