The Darker Ages 2

After getting captured by her father's usurpers, Princess Arienne is imprisoned in her own castle. As the day of her execution draws near, she needs help. She needs her sister. In the real world, pop superstar Zena Carradine has little interest in virtual reality. When her sister begs her to enter "The Darker Ages," she has her doubts. However, Zena is swept away by Arienne's world... until she realizes she's the wife of a twisted king. Meanwhile, the real world identities of several characters are revealed, including the pompous Prince Jonah.The Darker Ages 2: Rebirth is a historical fantasy set in a virtual world. To fully enjoy the story, reading the previous novel is recommended.

New York Times best-selling novelist, graphic novelist, and all-around character, Dan Abnett (Horus Rising, Guardians of the Galaxy, The New Deadwardians) turns his skewed vision to the year 1333. The known world is locked in a holy war. As a godless mercenary company slogs across Europe in search of sustenance and coin, they encounter a demonic force born not of hell, but from beyond the stars! As evil comes forth from the skies above, the heathen warband seeks refuge and redemption in a fortified monastery. But inside lies a dark secret that could ensure their salvation--or seal their fate!

Months have passed since the interplanetary communications net was destroyed, isolating planets across the Republic of the Sphere. Achernar is one of the few worlds still in possession of a working Hyperpulse Generator Station, capable of communications across the galaxy—and a much sought-after prize for the splintering factions of the Republic to acquire. Raul Ortega failed to qualify as an active MechWarrior, finding some solace in the Republic’s military reserves on Achernar and dreaming of the day he might know the adventure and glory of real combat. The Republic-loyal forces of Achernar whom Raul serves are supported by a loose alliance with the Swordsworn, a faction pledged to House Davion, whose leaders have an agenda of their own. When the planet falls under siege by yet another splinter group, the Steel Wolves, who are intent on capturing the HPG station, Raul is called to active duty. But when the Swordsworn desert Achernar in its time of need, Raul discovers that there’s little honor in the brutal realities of war and the subtle nuances of treachery...

The action-packed second book in the Defender of the Realm trilogy! After the great battle at King Alfie's coronation, the nation thinks it's seen the last of the Black Dragon. But when a band of undead Vikings appears, Alfie, Hayley and the rest of the Yeoman Warders must prepare for the epic battle that's brewing.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The bestselling author of Morning Star returns to the Red Rising universe with the thrilling sequel to Iron Gold. “Brown’s plots are like a depth charge of nitromethane dropped in a bucket of gasoline. His pacing is 100% him standing over it all with a lit match and a smile, waiting for us to dare him to drop it.”—NPR (Best Books of the Year) He broke the chains. Then he broke the world…. A decade ago Darrow led a revolution, and laid the foundations for a new world. Now he’s an outlaw. Cast out of the very Republic he founded, with half his fleet destroyed, he wages a rogue war on Mercury. Outnumbered and outgunned, is he still the hero who broke the chains? Or will he become the very evil he fought to destroy? In his darkening shadow, a new hero rises. Lysander au Lune, the displaced heir to the old empire, has returned to bridge the divide between the Golds of the Rim and Core. If united, their combined might may prove fatal to the fledgling Republic. On Luna, the embattled Sovereign of the Republic, Virginia au Augustus, fights to preserve her precious demokracy and her exiled husband. But one may cost her the other, and her son is not yet returned. Abducted by enemy agents, Pax au Augustus must trust in a Gray thief, Ephraim, for his salvation. Far across the void, Lyria, a Red refugee accused of treason, makes a desperate bid for freedom with the help of two unlikely new allies. Fear dims the hopes of the Rising, and as power is seized, lost, and reclaimed, the worlds spin on and on toward a new Dark Age. Don’t miss any of Pierce Brown’s Red Rising Saga: RED RISING • GOLDEN SON • MORNING STAR • IRON GOLD • DARK AGE • LIGHT BRINGER

Updated with the latest archaeological research new chapters on the most influential yet widely unrecognised people of the British isles, In Search of the Dark Ages illuminates the fascinating and mysterious centuries between the Romans and the Norman Conquest of 1066. In this new edition, Michael Wood vividly conjures some of the most important people in British history such as Hadrian, a Libyan refugee from the Arab conquests and arguably the most important person of African origin in British history, to Queen Boadicea, the leader of a terrible war of resistance against the Romans. Here too, warts and all, are the Saxon, Viking and Norman kings who laid the political foundations of England: Offa of Mercia, Alfred the Great, Athelstan, and William the Conqueror, whose victory at Hastings in 1066 marked the end of Anglo-Saxon England. Reflecting the latest historical, textual and archaeological research, this revised and updated edition of Michael Wood's classic book overturns preconceptions of the Dark Ages as a shadowy and brutal era, showing them to be a richly exciting and formative period in the history of Britain.

No one craves an escape more than Alice Carradine. Six years ago, her future was stolen by an unexpected accident. Now a quadriplegic, Alice is confined to bed and mired in depression.Her saving grace is the "The Darker Ages," a complex virtual world that offers its players a chance at a new life. In this virtual reality, Alice escapes into the body of Princess Arienne, whose life is infinitely more thrilling. As Princess Arienne, Alice gets to experience the fantastical medieval adventure of her dreams. But her virtual life is far from perfect.Her fiance is a pain in the ass. Her secret crush is murdered in front of her. Then she's abducted by pirates, led by the wickedly charming Alfred Du Bois. Arienne's roguish abductors dedicate their time to plundering, brawling and flirting. Not necessarily in that order. The Darker Ages is an epic fantasy with a virtual reality twist.

Before she marries Prince Jonah, Arienne longs to fulfill a final wish. She wants to take back the kingdom that was stolen from her. To avenge her father's murder, she'll need the help of Alfred Du Bois... but can the backstabbing rogue be trusted? Hilda launches a mission of her own... and Jonah follows, much to her dismay. The henpecked heroine can't stand to be near him, nor can she stand to be away from him. The real world identity of every major character is finally revealed, including Alfred Du Bois.