The Burning Stone

From the bestselling author of the Dream of Eagles series and The Guardians trilogy comes a tale of revenge, dark secrets, and a mysterious cataclysm that decimated a Roman legion: the story behind the story that began it all. Fleeing the massacre of his entire family save a single uncle, young Roman aristocrat Quintus Varrus arrives in fourth-century London not knowing who is to blame for the murders nor whom he can trust now. He fears for his life, but when he meets a young Irish woman named Lydia Mcuil, their lives quickly become intertwined and her father offers to set the young Roman up as a smith (under an Irish alias) in the town of Colchester while the young lovers get to know each other from a distance. But the assassins haven't forgotten Quintus and a deadly ambush is barely thwarted, bringing the young Roman into friendship with his rescuer, a hardened former military policeman known as Rufus Cato, who has his own score to settle with the powerful man behind the attack. Quintus is introduced to the secrets of an ancient brotherhood that is trying to halt the rot that is destroying their beloved Empire--secrets that may finally reveal the identity of those who murdered his family, and expose the shocking reason why. Set against the backdrop of a world in turmoil, this prequel to The Skystone, first in the Dream of Eagles series, is richly textured, intricately plotted, and filled with action and adventure: a perfect addition to the works of this master storyteller.

Set in an alternate Europe where bloody conflicts rage, the third book of the Crown of Stars epic fantasy series continues the world-shaking conflict for the survival of humanity It is a crucial time in the war-torn kingdoms of Wendar and Varre, a moment when even one wrong decision can tilt the balance of events into total disaster. For Sanglant—King Henry’s son—and Liath—the woman he loves—the offer of both a haven from their enemies and the chance for Liath to study the ancient lore with those who claim her as their own, seems like the answer they have been seeking. But no place can truly be safe for them. Both their lives and their love will be at risk when they are forced to choose which pathway each will follow—lured by the equally strong demands of politics, forbidden knowledge, and family. Liath, born with a dangerous power beyond her control, is torn between her longing for Sanglant and the child they are about to have and the call of sorcery, which can open the way into the land of the Aoi, the Lost Ones. And even as Liath struggles with magic’s seductive spell, Sanglant’s Aoi mother returns to the mortal world, seeking the son she abandoned as a babe. As the fates of kingdoms shift with the changing fortunes of those caught up in the dangers of both civil war and continuing attacks by the nonhuman Eika and the Quman invaders, time is running out for Liath, Sanglant, King Henry, and the people of Wendar and Varre. For the time of cataclysm is fast approaching—and no one can foretell who will survive—or rule—when it is over….

"Ghelfi's Russia is a soul-numbing nightmare of corruption, crime, deadly pollution, and lost hope. This one merits comparison with the brilliant thrillers of Martin Cruz Smith and Tom Rob Smith."—Booklist Prominent journalist Katarina Mironova, known around the world as Kato, is found murdered, shot to death on the banks of Russia's Techa River near the radioactive village of Metlino. She could simply fade from the public eye, one more journalist killed during Putin's war on the free press. But to Russian agent Alexei Volkovoy, Kato's murder summons too many memories, haunts him in too many ways to allow her death go unavenged. Volk's investigation takes him from Moscow to Mayak, the site of a nuclear reprocessing plant where a massive explosion occurred in 1958, and finally to Las Vegas. All the while the life he has known with his long-time lover, Valya, and his patron, the General, slowly unravels as details about his secret ties to Kato begin to emerge. Meanwhile, American contract agent Grayson Stone and shadowy French assassin Jean-Louis have secrets about the tragic consequences of a nuclear alliance among venal Russian, American, and French politicians...secrets the Americans and the French will pay anything to protect.

Leyhara is a talent of Resicor and she took full advantage of her new freedom to hold off attackers by grounding their craft, by having the ground under them melt. After the attack, she is given the choice to stay or leave and go somewhere she can use her power. It takes her minutes to make up her mind and she is on the next shuttle out. Bohrvin has been waiting centuries for a woman who answers the call of his mind, and when he finds she has the ability to melt rock, he decides he had better tread carefully while courting a woman standing on burning stone.

Set in the world of Larry Niven's popular The Magic Goes Away, The Burning City transports readers to an enchanted ancient city bearing a provocative resemblance to our own modern society. Here Yagen-Atep, the volatile and voracious god of fire, alternately protects and destroys the city's denizens. In Tep's Town, nothing can burn indoors and no fire can start -- except when the Burning comes upon the city. Then the people, possessed by Yagen-Atep, set their own town ablaze in a riotous orgy of destruction that often comes without warning. Whandall Placehold has lived with the Burning all his life. Fighting his way to adulthood in the mean-but-magical streets of the city's most blighted neighborhoods, Whandall dreams of escaping the god's wrath to find a new and better life. But his best hope for freedom may lie with Morth of Atlantis, the enigmatic sorcerer who killed his father!