The Land Of Forgotten Beasts

Introduces such mythical animals as unicorns, griffins, and manticores in story form.

What do you know about the our planet's strangest extinct creatures? Matt Sewell's follow-up to the mega-hit Dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures is a beautifully-illustrated large format look at the amazing beasts that time forgot - from the well-known, such as the sabre-toothed tiger and woolly mammoth, to more obscure monsters that walked the earth millions of years ago. Organized chronologically, the creatures illustrated and described include: Sabre tooth tigers and woolly mammoths Glyptodon - the armadillo as big as a VW Beetle car Megalodon - the monster 60 foot (18m) shark Water King penguin - the red and grey penguin the size of a man Ornimegalonyx - the largest owl that ever existed Deinotherium - the huge, elephant-like creature with tusks positioned on its lower jaw and curved, facing downwards Short-nosed bear - the massive fearsome bear that kept North America human-free Aurochs - the striped wild bull with huge horns Megatherium - the giant sloth that was as large as a modern elephant Less celebrated than the dinosaurs, these beasts are equally impressive. Enjoy Matt Sewell's characteristic watercolour illustrations and witty, fascinating descriptions of these amazing creatures that once did stalk the planet.

World Fantasy Award-Winner First time available in an e-book edition "Rich and regal." —The New York Times Young Sybel, the heiress of powerful wizards, needs the company of no-one outside her gates. In her exquisite stone mansion, she is attended by exotic, magical beasts: Riddle-master Cyrin the boar; the treasure-starved dragon Gyld; Gules the Lyon, tawny master of the Southern Deserts; Ter, the fiercely vengeful falcon; Moriah, feline Lady of the Night. Sybel only lacks the exquisite and mysterious Liralen, which continues to elude her most powerful enchantments. But Sybel's solitude is to be shattered when a desperate soldier arrives bearing a mysterious child. Soon Sybel will discover that the world of men is full of love, deceit, and the temptations of vast power.

World Fantasy Award winner Patricia A. McKillip tells "an enchanting fantasy that is tinged with realism and romance." (School Library Journal) Since the day her father's fishing boat returned without him, Peri and her mother have mourned his loss. Her mother sinks into a deep depression and spends her days gazing out at the sea. Unable to control her anger and sadness any longer, Peri uses the small magic she knows to hex the sea. And suddenly into her drab life come the King's sons—changelings with strange ties to the underwater kingdom—a young magician, and, finally, love. "McKillip is a master storyteller; her tale rings true as if it were being told from memory."—Kirkus Reviews, pointer review

Psykoria is on the brink of civil war. King Breetor sails out to eliminate the source of the unrest, but his ship is caught in a great storm. He is swept to an unknown land filled with legendary beasts. If he can’t find a way off this island, what will become of his homeland and his beloved Queen Aurandria? There is unrest among the nobility in Psykoria. Determined to end it, King Breetor sails out to eliminate the noble causing the most trouble. However, a ferocious storm drags him into uncharted seas. Stranded on an island filled with beasts of legend, Breetor must find a way home not just to escape this dangerous place, but return to his beloved. He fears for her safety, knowing that without its king, Psykoria would be in chaos. His ship has been destroyed. After the rest of his crew fall to the island’s predators, his only way home might be to find the land’s most dangerous beasts: the dragons. But it was a dragon which destroyed his vessel and his shipmates. If they don’t want outsiders coming to their land, would they help Breetor find a way home, or kill him like they did his crew? The Land of the Beasts is a brilliantly thought out and set up tale which any fans of dragons and creatures of legends will love. Get The Land of the Beasts now and explore the legendary island yourself. Interview with author Q: Tell us about the type of stories you write? A: I write YA epic fantasy or YA high fantasy novels and comics set in my Blade or Flame world. The world I’ve created is filled with magical creatures, a dragon rider, magic weaponry, and all sorts of things expected in a YA epic fantasy, all in a single young adult medieval world. The stories are often filled with dynamic action, ranging from sword combat, magic battles, and epic duels between magical creatures often written in more depth than a typical YA fantasy dragon story. However, I always try to ensure that each character has a good reason to be motivated with whatever they’re fighting for. Q: The Land of the Beasts contains a wide variety of magical creatures. Where did you get ideas for such a setting? At the core of the story, or most YA high fantasy and YA epic fantasy stories involving magical creatures for that matter, is the dragon. I always liked the idea of dragons coming from a land devoid of mass human population, only to be seen sparsely. As for the other magical creatures, such as griffins, hydras and manticores, I felt other creatures needed to dwell on this land, and realised such a place would make a great setting for a fable reminiscent of the tales of old. Q: Your Blade or Flame world is has been credited for including (in meaningful ways), almost every creature of legend in existence in some way or form. Why include so many magical creatures in a single YA high fantasy world? Don’t such fables and legends already come from a single world; ours? What if all legends and fables told in our history were true? What if every dragon rider, and all other magical creatures did exist? Wouldn’t that make our world similar to the one I’ve created? What better setting could there be for a youth fantasy or YA high fantasy? Q: Lastly, how does The Land of the Beasts differ from your YA epic fantasy tales? The Land of the Beasts is written to better resemble the type of fable you’d expect to hear in an old tavern or similar setting. It lacks the heavy character development seen in Champion’s Rising, or the ideological theme present in The Dragons’ Will. However, it features far more exploration, and better describes the magical creatures that exist in the youth fantasy world I’ve created, and adds a whole depth of background behind the dragons glimpsed in the aforementioned works. Perhaps more-so than the others, this reads like a fable of legend telling the journey of how a king became a legend.