Yorath The Wolf

Yorath, the son of a royal prince, was born with a deformity that marks him for death. The court physician saves him by convincing his family that he died shortly after birth and takes him to a distant forest where he thrives, unaware of his birthright and the dark prophecy that looms over him. But as he grows to manhood, Yorath can’t avoid being drawn into the violent conflict that plagues the land. Becoming a soldier, he rises through the ranks until he becomes a reluctant combatant in the struggle for the throne. Even as Yorath wields the power of a kingmaker, the ways of the court are as much anathema to him as the brutality of war. If he is ever to escape the violence and machinations he so despises, he has but one choice: He must confront his heritage or lose the land he has come to love and the peace he so cherishes.

Tradition demands that King Sharn Am Zor conduct himself with all the pomp and circumstance befitting a king of Chameln, but underneath the fine jewelry and the beautifully embroidered tunic he secretly hates, Sharn remains an impulsive, restless young man. After the suggestion of marriage provokes an angry outburst from Sharn during a formal ceremony, his beloved cousin and co-ruler, Queen Aidris Am Firn, promises to draw up a list of suitable maidens. To everyone’s surprise, Sharn not only listens to her counsel; he proceeds to confidently select a princess from the land of the Eildon to be his wife. But courtship is far more complicated than Sharn had originally imagined, for in Eildon, neither the land nor the people are as they appear. While Sharn must compete against other suitors for the hand of the princess, the loyal companions who accompany him are faced with a series of magical attacks that begin as petty pranks but soon escalate into outright hostility with potentially fatal consequences. As Sharn nears the end of his quest, however, he learns that this predation may be the least of his problems.

Indexes, covers and tables of contents of Paperback Inferno (issues 43-97, 1983-1992), the paperback reviews journal of the British Science Fiction Association (BSFA). As well as complete tables of contents of all these issues, this book includes indexes to every book and magazine reviewed, every cover artist, and every letter writer, along with summary statistics of the issues.

Fantasy is a creation of the Enlightenment, and the recognition that excitement and wonder can be found in imagining impossible things. From the ghost stories of the Gothic to the zombies and vampires of twenty-first-century popular literature, from Mrs Radcliffe to Ms Rowling, the fantastic has been popular with readers. Since Tolkien and his many imitators, however, it has become a major publishing phenomenon. In this volume, critics and authors of fantasy look at its history since the Enlightenment, introduce readers to some of the different codes for the reading and understanding of fantasy, and examine some of the many varieties and subgenres of fantasy; from magical realism at the more literary end of the genre, to paranormal romance at the more popular end. The book is edited by the same pair who produced The Cambridge Companion to Science Fiction (winner of a Hugo Award in 2005).

Fantasy is a genre in motion, gradually expanding its reach and historical sources to embrace a global identity Historical Dictionary of Fantasy Literature, Second Edition is a snapshot of the genre in this moment, identifying new themes and sources that are emerging to inspire, enhance and invigorate the published works of fantasy writers.

Cherry Wilder's The Rulers of Hylor series established a detailed and intricate fantasy world. Katya Riemann completed and polished this last Hylor novel, a tale of warring kingdoms, treacherous advisers and generational conflicts, set in a world of rich physical beauty, vibrant life and a realism leavened with occasional and startling magic. Gael Maddoc, the child of struggling peasants, leaps at the chance when she is offered training as a kedran, a mounted soldier. She wins glory bringing her charges home safe across a huge desert, seeking aid from the Shee. But the Shee--the dwindling Fair Folk--then recruit her for their own purposes. Her nascent magical talents and her resourcefulness show her to be the Wanderer, a legendary figure for whom they've been waiting. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

From Cyberspace to outer space, from the Dark Continent to the speed of light, the dozens of stories in this terrific collection represent the year's finest offerings in imaginative fiction. Among the twenty-eight tales assembled here are: The Land of Nod, Mike Resnick's powerful tale of the orbital space colony Kirinyaga and how the old ways conflict with the new. Foreign Devils, Walter Jon Williams's exotic revision of the War of the Worlds Martian Invasion. Red Sonja and Lessingham in Dreamland, Gwyneth Jones's unpredictable venture into the frightening territory of on-line romance. Death Do Us Part, Robert Silverberg's masterful tale of love in the future. In addition, there are two dozen more stories from today's and tomorrow's brightest stars, including, William Barton, Stephen Baxter, Gregory Benford, James P. Blaylock, Damien Broderick, Michael Cassutt, Jim Cowan, Tony Daniel, Gregory Feeley, John Kessel, Nancy Kress, Jonathan Lethem, Ian McDonald, Maureen F. McHugh, Paul Park, Robert Reed, Charles Sheffield, Bud Sparhawk, Bruce Sterling, Michael Swanwick, Steven Utley, Cherry Wilder, Gene Wolfe. Rounding out the volume are a long list of Honorable Mentions and Gardner Dozois's comprehensive survey of the year in science fiction. In all, the stories assembled here will take you as far as technology, imagination, and hope can go. Climb aboard. "Highly recommended."--Library Journal

Some of the earliest books ever written, including The Epic of Gilgamesh and the Odyssey, deal with monsters, marvels, extraordinary voyages, and magic, and this genre, known as fantasy, remained an essential part of European literature through the rise of the modern realist novel. Tracing the history of fantasy from the earliest years through to the origins of modern fantasy in the 20th century, this account discusses contributions decade by decade--from Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy and Lewis's Narnia books in the 1950s to J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. It also discusses and explains fantasy's continuing and growing popularity.