Spiderlight

The Church of Armes of the Light has battled the forces of Darkness for as long as anyone can remember. The great prophecy has foretold that a band of misfits, led by a high priestess will defeat the Dark Lord Darvezian, armed with their wits, the blessing of the Light and an artifact stolen from the merciless Spider Queen. Their journey will be long, hard and fraught with danger. Allies will become enemies; enemies will become allies. And the Dark Lord will be waiting, always waiting... Spiderlight is an exhilarating fantasy quest from Adrian Tchaikovsky, the author of Guns at Dawn and the Shadows of the Apt series. Reviews and quotes "Spiderlight is a creepy-crawly treat from the master of non-human heroes, a joy from beginning to end." — Paul Cornell, author of Witches of Lychford and The Severed Streets "[Spiderlight] is a master class in subverting our expectations to surprise, engage, and deliver a fantastic story that works even when it isn’t pulling the rug out from under us." — Barnes & Noble Sci-Fi and Fantasy Blog "Tchaikovsky clearly has a great deal of talent, and a real handle on the fantasy genre, with the ability to splice in different influences almost seamlessly." —SciFi Now Magazine "Occasionally a fantasy author comes up with a way to break the mould of traditional genre tropes: M. John Harrison’sViriconium and China Mieville’s Perdido Street Station are two examples that immediately spring to mind. Tchaikovsky looks like a new addition to that select hall of fame." —Death Ray Magazine “Working in a small space, Tchaikovsky gives us sympathetic characters, real moral dilemmas, and emotional depth, all shot through with a sly humor that kept me grinning throughout. If, like me, you’re a D&D fan who always wondered about the ethics of Detect Evil or what the orcs eat in Mordor, you will love this one.” — Django Wexler, author of the Shadow Campaigns series “Subversive and classic, Spiderlight is a timeless adventure cranked up for the modern era of readers. A warship-rocker of an adventure, Adrian Tchaikovsky has struck another literary goldmine that’s perfect for readers to dive into. Gripping and highly recommended." — Jeremy Szal, Starship Sofa "Spiderlight is a rip-roaring, old-fashioned heroic fantasy romp that also messes playfully with some of the genre’s more outdated conventions... a breathless rush that never outstays its welcome." — Dirge Mag "Spiderlight will take you on a ride directly through straight fantasy and into the realms of the really fantastic... a brilliantly original novel." — Geek Syndicate "A must-read for all fans of fantasy. Very highly recommended." — Civilian Reader "In a world of large epic fantasy series with mushy pacing and a lack of focus, Spiderlight is as sharp as a spider’s fang, as tight as its webbing, and as multifaceted as its gaze." — Skiffy & Fanty "A very fun, creepy quest tale with some quirky and engaging adventurers." — Bull Spec At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

"The dangerous thing about spider light is that it hides things - things you never knew existed. But once you have seen those things, you can never afterwards forget them ..." Antonia Weston has come to the sleepy market town of Amberwood in search of peace and anonymity after a shattering and all-too-public tragedy in her life. But shortly after her arrival, a series of disturbing incidents occur - incidents that eerily echo a past she is trying to forget. As Antonia struggles to re-build her life, she becomes increasingly fascinated by the macabre history surrounding her: the disused watermill, Twygrist, with its brooding darkness, and the now-vanished Latchkill Asylum. Memories of Latchkill still linger: memories of how, when the autumn dusk - the 'spider-light' - fell, no one would dare walk past its gates. But Antonia's fascination with the linked histories of Latchkill and Twygrist has alerted someone from her own past. Someone who knows all about Twygrist's darkness. Someone prepared to use that knowledge in the most horrific way ... 'Rayne handles a complicated story with many skeins very cleverly. A top psychological thriller' Good Reading magazine

The first in the Echoes of the Fall series, The Tiger and the Wolf is an epic fantasy novel by Adrian Tchaikovsky, winner of the Arthur C. Clarke Award and British Fantasy Award for Best Novel. ‘One of the most interesting and accomplished writers in speculative fiction’ – Christopher Paolini In the bleak northern crown of the world, war is coming . . . Maniye’s father is the Wolf clan’s chieftain, but she’s an outcast. Her mother was queen of the Tiger and these tribes have been enemies for generations. Maniye also hides a deadly secret. All can shift into their clan’s animal form, but Maniye can take on tiger and wolf shapes. She refuses to disown half her soul so escapes, rescuing a prisoner of the Wolf clan in the process. The killer Broken Axe is set on their trail to drag them back for retribution. The Wolf chieftain plots to rule the north, and controlling his daughter is crucial to his schemes. However, other tribes also prepare for strife. Strangers from the far south appear too, seeking allies in their own conflict. It’s a season for omens as priests foresee danger and a darkness falling across the land. Some say a great war is coming, overshadowing even Wolf ambitions. A time of testing and broken laws is near – but what spark will set the world ablaze? Continue this sweeping coming-of-age fantasy with The Bear and the Serpent.

There were things at Teind House that must be kept concealed from the prying world at all costs . . . Selina March has lived in the remote Scottish hamlet of Inchcape, with its mysterious Round Tower, for nearly fifty years. Brought up by elderly relatives, long since dead, she now lives alone, shunning the outside world as much as she can. But when she reluctantly accepts a paying guest, Selina's secluded life will change for ever. Crime writer Joanna Savile has come to Inchcape to research her latest novel by interviewing inmates at Moy, the asylum for the criminally insane situated nearby. Her secret aim is to question former child murderer, Mary Maskelyne, Moy's most infamous patient. Joanna's prying will yield unexpected results. For, although they have never met, Selina March and Mary Maskelyne are connected by a shared family tragedy: a terrible act of unspeakable cruelty that took place in India fifty years before. And there are secrets in Selina's more recent past, too. Secrets that are about to be uncovered with the most devastating and shocking consequences . . . 'Rayne handles a complicated story with many skeins very cleverly. A top psychological thriller' Good Reading magazine

Waterford harbour has centuries of tradition based on its extensive fishery and maritime trade. Steeped in history, customs and an enviable spirit, it was there that Andrew Doherty was born and raised amongst a treasure chest of stories spun by the fishermen, sailors and their families. As an adult he began to research these accounts and, to his surprise, found many were based on fact. In this book, Doherty will take you on a fascinating journey along the harbour, introduce you to some of its most important sites and people, the area's history, and some of its most fantastic tales. Dreaded press gangs who raided whole communities for crew, the search for buried gold and a ship seized by pirates, the horror of a German bombing of the rural idyll during the Second World War – on every page of this incredible account you will learn something of the maritime community of Waterford Harbour.

I used to be a normal high school girl but in the blink of an eye, I woke up in a place I've never seen before and-and I was reborn as a spider?! How could something that's nothing more than a tiny spider (that's me) possibly survive in literally the worst dungeon ever? Are there no rules? There should be some rules! Who the hell is responsible for this? SHOW YOUR FACE!

Future technical systems will be companion systems, competent assistants that provide their functionality in a completely individualized way, adapting to a user’s capabilities, preferences, requirements, and current needs, and taking into account both the emotional state and the situation of the individual user. This book presents the enabling technology for such systems. It introduces a variety of methods and techniques to implement an individualized, adaptive, flexible, and robust behavior for technical systems by means of cognitive processes, including perception, cognition, interaction, planning, and reasoning. The technological developments are complemented by empirical studies from psychological and neurobiological perspectives.