The Wolf Trial

Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose meets Bret Easton Ellis' American Psycho in this brilliant historical epic. Inspired by an extraordinary true case - the first ever documented account of a serial killer in world history. In the second half of the 16th century, Paulus Melchior, lawyer, academic, and enlightened rationalist, travels with his young assistant Willy Lessinger to the isolated German town of Bideburg where local landowner, Peter Stumpf, is accused of brutally murdering dozens of people. A society still trapped in a medieval mindset, the townsfolk clamour for the killer to be tried as a werewolf. If their demands are met, his blameless wife and children will also be executed in the most barbaric way imaginable as agents of Satan and creatures contaminated by wolf blood. Paulus and Willy must fight superstition, the cruelty of those who fear what they don't understand, and a zealous church determined to retain its grip on the souls of Bideburg in this compelling, utterly unforgettable, shocking tour de force. Praise for The Wolf Trial: 'a great storyteller' Louise Welsh 'First, a warning. This novel isn’t for the squeamish. Then again, neither was 16th century Germany, yet Neil Mackay brings its crimes and cruelties, heresies and horrors to life with all the manifold skills of a natural-born story-teller. A frighteningly impressive achievement. Imagine a land in which Christianity is as bloodthirsty as Isis, and where the punishments hereti face make Bosch’s nightmares look timid. That’s what Neil Mackay has done here, turning back to 16th century Germany and the world’s first recorded trial of a serial killer for an impeccably crafted story that also never stops rooting out answers to the question of evil.' David Robinson, author of In Cold Ink 'The tale is gripping, the violence extreme, and the storycraft utterly superb... The Wolf Trial will be one of the landmark texts of the year, without a shadow of a doubt.' Sogo Magazine

Finding my fated mate just took a deadly twist.When Dad dies, I'm shocked to discover my family's lies in the secret town of Fable. It sucks to return to the Sun pack that I fled. It sucks worse to be thrown into a dangerous game, which will end in my official wolf mating with the winner...unless I'm the victor.Of course, I refuse. I'm 17, for wolf's sake. But wolf politics are savage, and Mom gives me two commands as cold as the snowstorm hitting town.#1 Join the Wolf Games#2 WinBut then, I meet them. The two gorgeous shifters from rival packs, who are entering the games. Are they with or against me?Hunter, the scorching-hot, mysterious Moon Wolf and my first crush.And Ri, the brooding Irish Shadow Wolf and my enemy.They're as ruthless as Mom and fiercely determined to win for their packs. I've found myself in the middle of a war that could tear me apart, body and soul.Except, what if my greatest secret is the wolf inside me?

"If you liked American Gods by Neil Gaiman or Circe by Madeline Miller, be sure to pick this one up." -- Timeworn A sweeping tale of forbidden love and warring gods, where a young Inuit shaman and a Viking warrior become unwilling allies in a war that will determine the fate of the new world. There is a very old story, rarely told, of a wolf that runs into the ocean and becomes a whale. . . Born with the soul of a hunter and the spirit of the Wolf, Omat is destined to follow in her grandfather's footsteps-invoking the spirits of the land, sea, and sky to protect her people. But the gods have stopped listening and Omat's family is starving. Desperate to save them, Omat journeys across the icy wastes, fighting for survival with every step. When she encounters Brandr, a wounded Viking warrior, they set in motion a conflict that could shatter her world. . .or save it.

Rules aren't only meant to be broken. They're meant to be changed. Saving the werewolf species from extinction isn't as easy as the packs of Magaelorum thought. The She-Wolf Games might have united packs in all the territories, but the she-wolf alpha leaders are crazy to think I'll join their ranks to help continue four--wait, five--powerful bloodlines. If only that was the most of my worries. A war brews around us as witches and lycans team up against us. Breaking the magical barrier protecting our species from the rest of Magaelorum will be our end. It doesn't help that the pack leaders refuse to see past their mating games. But I do. I'm the only she-wolf to have lived in the Mortal World outside our sanctuary. I know what we must fight for. Now, the She-Wolf Games have turned into a game of picking the men who will best help me rise. The men who understand it's more than anticipating my upcoming season. Welcome to the Wolf-Mate Trials, where only those worthy of me will survive.

Volume Two of The Runelords Raj Ahtan, ruler of Indhopal, has used enough forcibles to transform himself into the ultimate warrior: The Sum of All Men. Ahtan seeks to bring all of humanity under his rule-destroying anything and anyone that stood in his path, including many friends and allies of young Prince Gaborn Val Orden. But Gaborn has fulfilled a two-thousand-year-old prophecy, becoming the Earth King-a mythic figure who can unleash the forces of the Earth itself. And now the struggle continues. Gaborn has managed to drive off Raj Ahtan, but Ahtan is far from defeated. Striking at far-flung cities and fortresses and killing dedicates, Ahtan seeks to draw out the Earth King from his seat of power, to crush him. But as they weaken each other's forces in battle, the armies of an ancient and implacable inhuman enemy issue forth from the very bowels of the Earth. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

A captivating, atmospheric mystery set in the crystalline winterland of Russia. Abandoned in a blinding blizzard in the wintry wilds of Russia, Sophie Smith fears for her life. But just like in a fairy tale, a princess comes to her rescue: the beautiful, exotic Anna Volkonskaya. Over a river of ice in a horse-drawn sleigh, she brings Sophie and her friends to a magnificent, if weathered, winter palace. At first, Sophie is enchanted by Princess Anna's stories of long-ago royalty, of white wolves and gray diamonds. But when the princess takes a particular interest in her, Sophie grows concerned. What is her place in the sinister mystery that surrounds her? Even as the wind and wolves howl outside, is she more in danger now, a prisoner of the palace, than she ever was lost in the snow?

Faolan, a wolf once doomed to die, struggles to fulfill his destiny as the leader of the wolves of Beyond. No one ever saw Faolan as a leader. Banished as a pup, he survived and returned as a gnaw wolf--the lowest member of the wolf pack. But Faolan wasn't meant to be a gnaw wolf. It's not just his strange, splayed paw, or his uncanny connection with the bears. There's something about Faolan that inspires certain wolves . . . and leaves others deeply suspicious. Now, with a dangerous threat on the horizon, the pack must make a choice. Will they trust the silver outsider with the task of leading? If Faolan can't fulfill his destiny, it could be the end of the wolves of the Beyond.

A stunning re-imagining of Robin Hood, the first in an exciting new trilogy Forget everything you've ever heard about Robin Hood.Robin Loxley is seven years old when his parents disappear without a trace. Years later the great love of his life, Marian, is also taken from him. Driven by these mysteries, and this anguish, Robin follows a darkening path into the ancient heart of Sherwood Forest. What he encounters there will leave him transformed . . .The first book of a trilogy, Shadow of the Wolf is a breathtakingly original--an utterly compelling--retelling that will forever alter the legend of Robin Hood.