Fifteen years ago, Mercedes Lackey put pen to paper to write Arrows Of The Queen, her first novel about Valdemar, a fantasy kingdom replete with magical races and magical creatures, enemies and allies both sorcerous and mundane. This ancient land of mystery is unique even among fantasy realms, for it is protected by an elite corps -- the Heralds. These men and women gifted with extraordinary mind powers are Chosen by, and bonded with, wondrous horselike beings known as Companions. Brought by their Companions from the length and breadth of Valdemar to Haven, Valdemar's capital city, they are trained in a special school, the Collegium, and devote their lives to protecting king and kingdom. Mindspeakers, FarSeers, FarSpeakers, Firestarters, ForeSeers -- their individual talents are as varied as their backgrounds. There are even those who can channel the magical nodes in the earth itself to use for their own purposes. Garbed in their uniforms of white leather, they patrol their territory, dispensing justice and keeping the peace. They are emissaries, spies, diplomats, scouts, warriors, judges, and counselors.
With eighteen novels published, and millions of copies in print, Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar series has won the hearts of countless readers. In response to overwhelming demand on the part of her many fans, veteran editors John Helfers and Denise Little now present The Valdemar Companion. With the help and guidance of Mercedes Lackey, Helfers and Little have compiled a reader's guide to Mercedes Lackey's best-selling world of Valdemar. Included in this comprehensive work is an all-original Mercedes Lackey Valdemar novella, as well as an essay by Lackey about Valdemar, and extensive interviews with the author and her publisher. With an overview of the history of Valdemar, detailed essays on the various races and kingdoms, a substantial concordance containing entries on every major character, device and setting, and including articles on the magical races and creatures, a chapter on the diverse Valdemar fan clubs, and a section devoted to the songs of Valdemar, along with beautifully detailed maps, The Valdemar Companion is everything any Valdemar fan could wish for.

The Valdemar Companion

Literature & Fiction

Genre Fiction

Astra Publishing House

First in the bestselling Dragon Prince series, explore a lush epic fantasy world replete with winged beasts, power games of magical treachery, and a realm of princedoms hovering on the brink of war • “Marvelous!”—Anne McCaffrey When Rohan became the new prince of the Desert, ruler of the kingdom granted to his family for as long as the Long Sands spewed fire, he took the crown with two goals in mind. First and foremost, he sought to bring permanent peace to his world of divided princedoms. And, in a land where dragon-slaying was a proof of manhood, Rohan was the sole champion of the dragons, fighting desperately to preserve the last remaining lords of the sky and with them a secret which might be the salvation of his people.... Sioned, the Sunrunner witch who was fated by Fire to be Rohan’s bride, had mastered the magic of sunlight and moonglow, catching hints of a yet to be formed pattern which could irrevocably affect the destinies of Sunrunners and ordinary mortals alike. Yet caught in the machinations of the Lady of Goddess Keep, and of Prince Rohan and his sworn enemy, the treacherously cunning High Prince, could Sioned alter this crucial pattern to protect her lord from the menace of a war that threatened to set the land ablaze?

Dragon Prince

Rawn, Melanie

United States

Second in the bestselling Dragon Prince series returns to a lush epic fantasy world replete with winged beasts, power games of magical treachery, and a realm of princedoms hovering on the brink of war • “Marvelous!”—Anne McCaffrey When Rohan was crowned High Prince and his Sunrunner wife Sioned became High Princess, they swore to keep the peace of the lands and preserve the secret of the dragons, an inheritance they would one day pass on to their only child, Pol, heir to both princely and Sunrunner powers. But the evil influence of the former High Prince Roelstra had not ended with his death at Rohan’s hands. And even as Pol grew to manhood, other young men were being trained in the ways of war, youths descended from Roelstra and claimed by Rohan’s enemies as willing pawns in what could become a bloody battle for succession. Yet not all players in these games of power fought merely with words or swords. For now a foe vanquished by the Sunrunners ages ago was once again growing in strength, an enemy determined to desroy Sunrunners and High Prince alike. And the only hope of defeating these masters of dark sorcery lay in reclaiming the knowledge so carefully concealed in the long-lost- Star Scroll….

The Star Scroll: Dragon Prince #2

Third in the bestselling Dragon Prince series returns to a lush epic fantasy world replete with winged beasts, power games of magical treachery, and a realm of princedoms hovering on the brink of war • “Marvelous!”—Anne McCaffrey It began with the discovery of the star scroll—the last repository of forgotten spells of sorcery, the only surviving record of the ancient foe who in times past had nearly destroyed the Sunrunners and their magic. Now, as Andry, the new Sunrunner Lord of Goddess Keep, begins to master this potentially deadly knowledge, while Pol, son of High Prince Rohan, seeks to touch the minds of dragons, the long-vanquished enemy is mobilizing to strike again, drawing on forbidden lore to play an ever-shifting game of treachery and betrayal—and secretly infiltrating even the most strongly protected of citadels. And soon, Pol, Andry, Rohan, his Sunrunner wife Sioned, and all whom they hold dear will find it hard to tell friend from foe as spell wars threaten the devastate the land—and dragons soar the skies, inexorably lured by magic’s fiery call….

Sunrunner's Fire: Dragon Prince #3

Blending science fiction and fantasy, the first book of the Coldfire Trilogy tells a dark tale of an alien world where nightmares are made manifest. Over a millennium ago, Erna, a seismically active yet beautiful world was settled by colonists from far-distant Earth. But the seemingly habitable planet was fraught with perils no one could have foretold. The colonists found themselves caught in a desperate battle for survival against the fae, a terrifying natural force with the power to prey upon the human mind itself, drawing forth a person's worst nightmare images or most treasured dreams and indiscriminately giving them life. Twelve centuries after fate first stranded the colonists on Erna, mankind has achieved an uneasy stalemate, and human sorcerers manipulate the fae for their own profit, little realizing that demonic forces which feed upon such efforts are rapidly gaining in strength. Now, as the hordes of the dark fae multiply, four people—Priest, Adept, Apprentice, and Sorcerer—are about to be drawn inexorably together for a mission which will force them to confront an evil beyond their imagining, in a conflict which will put not only their own lives but the very fate of humankind in jeopardy.

Black Sun Rising (Coldfire)

Friedman, C.S.

Blending science fiction and fantasy, the second book of the Coldfire Trilogy continues a dark tale of an alien world where nightmares are made manifest. Two men, absolute enemies, must unite to conquer an evil greater than anything their world has ever known. One is a warrior priest ready to sacrifice anything and everything for the cause of humanity's progress; the other, a sorcerer who has survived for countless centuries by a total submission to evil. In their joint quest, both will be irrevocably changed. When True Night Falls is the sequel to C. S. Friedman's acclaimed Black Sun Rising.

When True Night Falls (Coldfire)

Unlikely allies Damien and Tarrant are faced with an enemy who may prove invulnerable—a demon who has declared war on mankind. Called Calesta, he is a master of illusion and devourer of pain, and he plans to remake the human species until it exists only to sate his unquenchable thirst for suffering. The war against Calesta will take Damien and Tarrant from the depths of Hell to the birthplace of demons and beyond—in a battle that could cost them not only their lives, but the very soul of mankind. Crown of Shadows is the stunning conclusion to C. S. Friedman's Coldfire trilogy.

Crown of Shadows (Coldfire)

He was Tiger, born of the desert winds, raised as a slave and winning his freedom by weaving a special kind of magic with a warrior's skill. She was Del, born of ice and storm, trained by the greatest of Northern sword masters. Together, they discover a kinship and friendship that grows to love while facing dangers of both sword and sorcery.

The Novels of Tiger and Del, Volume I

Roberson, Jennifer

This second Sword omnibus edition includes the third and fourth novels in the best-selling series: Sword-Maker and Sword-Breaker.

The Novels of Tiger and Del, Volume II: Sword-Maker - Sword Breaker

With their father and brother taken from them, the royal Eddon twins Barrick and Briony have done their best to hold the kingdom together. But now Barrick has been captured in a failed war against the immortal Twilight People, and Briony has been forced to flee the castle. Everywhere in the north the fierce Twilight People, led by the ageless warrior- witch Yasammez, hold sway. Old magics are stirring beneath the ancient castle and behind the Shadowline, and the machinations of gods, fairies, and mortals threaten to spread devastation across the entire world.

Shadowplay (Shadowmarch, Vol. 2)

Williams, Tad

Teen & Young Adult

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