Showing titles in Historical

'Leaf by Niggle' recounts the strange adventures of the painter Niggle, who sets out to paint the perfect tree. But he senses that he will be snatched away from his work long before it is finished - if indeed it could ever be finished in this world. For it is in another and brighter place that Niggle finds his tree is finished and learns that it is indeed a real tree, a true part of creation.

Graham Hancock, an expert in ancient civilisations and author of the nine million selling Fingerprints of the Gods, and expert, too, on the use of hallucinogens to achieve higher states of consciousness, brings these two interests together in the final volume of the War God trilogy.

Ben Stiger, Legate of the Lost Thirteenth Legion, a nobleman from an infamous family, and born fighter, has defeated the enemy army before Lorium and raised the siege of the city. Mortally wounded and dying, the emperor has made Stiger his heir, but in name only. The senate and the church must confirm and anoint him. Will they want a Stiger on the throne? Or will they choose someone else? Hundreds of miles away, the Cyphan Confederacy’s armies are marching along the coast, moving inexorably toward the capital, leaving a swath of destruction in their wake.

When Charlie returns to Lichfield, she steps into chaos. The killer is still on the loose, Lady Harcourt's secret is out, Seth and Gus are gone, and Lady Vickers has come to stay. But nothing compares to the chaos inflicted on Charlie's heart by seeing Lincoln every day. Despite their frequent clashes, Lincoln and Charlie manage to work together to narrow their list of suspects. No one can be trusted, especially not the members of the committee who are not what they seem. Long buried pasts are dug up as Charlie and Lincoln attempt to restore peace to Lichfield.

For as long as he can remember, Alric dreamed of being a hero; of defeating a dragon and saving the princess, but his royal position would never allow it, until...the arrival of the Mercerian Emissaries demands a princely escort, and being neither the heir nor the spare, he is the perfect choice. Used to a lifetime of comfort and ease, he expects this duty to be as tiresome as all the others. His tranquil life is upended from the beginning, as havoc seems to follow these dignitaries everywhere, causing him all sorts of grief.

The boundaries between gods and mortals blur in a futuristic world where ancient Hindu deities reign supreme, not by divine right, but through advanced technology and manipulation of human consciousness. Enter the protagonist, Sam, who dares to challenge these self-proclaimed gods by resurrecting the forgotten concept of Buddhism, symbolizing a cosmic rebellion against tyranny and the timeless struggle for spiritual and intellectual freedom.

Phèdre nó Delaunay has a turbulent path before her, one that will touch the lives of queens, princes and nobility. It will change the course of her land, but this all lies ahead. After a childhood of indentured servitude, Phèdre’s bond is purchased by Anafiel Delaunay, a nobleman with a very particular mission. He’s also the first to recognize who and what she is: one touched by the god Kushiel’s dart, chosen to forever experience pain and pleasure as one.

The Song Empire has been invaded by its warlike Jurchen neighbours from the north. Half its territory and its historic capital lie in enemy hands; the peasants toil under the burden of the annual tribute demanded by the victors. Meanwhile, on the Mongolian steppe, a disparate nation of great warriors is about to be united by a warlord whose name will endure for eternity: Genghis Khan. Guo Jing, son of a murdered Song patriot, grew up with Genghis Khan's army.

For Ryhalt Galharrow, working for Crowfoot as a Blackwing captain is about as bad as it gets - especially when his orders are garbled, or incoherent, or impossible to carry out. The Deep Kings are hurling fire from the sky, a ghost in the light known only as the Bright Lady had begun to manifest in visions across the city, and the cult that worship her grasp for power while the city burns around them.

Beatrice is the convent's librarian. For years, she has shunned the company of her sisters, finding solace only with her manuscripts. Then, one carnival night, two women, bleeding and stricken, are abandoned outside the convent's walls. Moments from death, one of them presses something into Beatrice's hands: a bewitching book whose pages have a dangerous life of their own.

Fifty thousand gun-toting paladins march behind him, all baptized in angel blood, thirsty to burn unbelievers. Only the janissaries can stand against them. Their living legend, Kevah, once beheaded a magus amid a hail of ice daggers. But ever since his wife disappeared, he spends his days in a haze of hashish and poetry. To save the kingdom, Kevah must conquer his grief and become the legend he once was. But Micah writes his own legend in blood, and his righteous conquest will stop at nothing. When the gods choose sides, a legend will be etched upon the stars.

Convicted of treason and stripped of rank and standing, Temeraire and Lawrence are transported to the prison colony at New South Wales. With them travel three dragon eggs destined to be handed over to second-rate officers willing to accept so remote an assignment - including one former acquaintance, Captain Rankin, whose cruelty once cost a dragon its life. They arrive at a young Australian colony in turmoil after the overthrow of the military governor, William Bligh - formerly Captain Bligh, late of HMS Bounty.

In a world where an industrial revolution is powered by magic, Tyen, a student of archaeology, unearths a sentient book called Vella. Once a young sorcerer-bookbinder, Vella was transformed into a useful tool by one of the greatest sorcerers of history. Since then she has been collecting information, including a vital clue to the disaster Tyen’s world faces.Elsewhere, in an land ruled by priests, Rielle the dyer’s daughter has been taught that to use magic is to steal from the Angels.

It is the autumn of 1910, and for 15 long years, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson have battled R’lluhloig, the Hidden Mind that was once Professor James Moriarty. Europe is creeping inexorably towards war, and a more cosmic conflict is nearing its zenith, as in a single night all the most eminent members of the Diogenes Club die horribly, seemingly by their own hands. Holmes suspects it is the handiwork of a German spy working for R’lluhloig, but his search for vengeance costs an old friend his life.

Stiger has survived the brutal ordeal at Fort Covenant, which saw his company shattered and an enemy army destroyed. Stiger is slowly being accepted into the legion. There are still some who seek to make him feel like an outcast. Unexpectedly, he finds himself summoned to see the general. Stiger is dispatched on a critical mission for the empire. He must travel to the island kingdom of Thresh to deliver a message and a large quantity of gold. Despite the mission’s importance, it seems like an easy job: a march through friendly territory well away from the enemy....

A road trip with Gabe and her friends leads Sylvia to discover more about her mother’s veiled past yet throws up several questions, too. The stack of unopened letters addressed to her family will hopefully provide answers. As she delves into the contents, a startling revelation emerges: the letters allude to a clandestine union between two magician families, hinting at the elusive identity of Sylvia’s father. Full of hope, she embarks on a quest to find the author of the letters.

Join Gu Xuilan as she journeys to her home in the deathblighted desert now ironically named the Golden Fields to face family, her own doubts, and the relentless rise of the dead. Join Bai Meizhen in the small and personal story of her discovery of love, blooming at the Argen Peak Sect, only hinted at in the course of Ling Qi's story. Join many characters from all across the world of Destiny Cycle, in small stories both grand and personal, here in the Journey to the East and other Tales of Destiny.

When a corpse found floating face-down in Vilnoc harbor is not quite as dead as it seems, Temple sorcerer Penric and his chaos demon Desdemona are drawn into the uncanny investigation. Pen’s keen questions will take him across the city of Vilnoc, and into far more profound mysteries, as his search for truths interlaces with tragedy.

Maud Blyth has always longed for adventure. She’d hoped for plenty of it when she agreed to help her beloved older brother unravel a magical conspiracy. She even volunteered to serve as an old lady's companion on an ocean liner. But Maud didn't expect the old lady to turn up dead on the very first day of the voyage. Now she has to deal with a dead body, a disrespectful parrot and the lovely, dangerously outrageous Violet Debenham. Violet is everything Maud has been trained to distrust, yet can’t help but desire: a magician, an actress and a magnet for scandal.

As Holo and Lawrence begin the final leg of their journey, Lawrence decides to accompany Holo to her ancient home of Yoitsu, if only to forestall their parting just a bit longer. Boarding a ship from the port of Lenos (much to the chagrin of the wisewolf, who is none too fond of water!), the pair's fate becomes entangled with that of a boy named Col, whose tale of his circumstances—combined with the gossip of the sailors—leads to a shocking revelation about Holo's homeland!