Aquasilva Trilogy
3 / 3 books Complete
Started: 18 June 2001
| Finished: 22 April 2003
All across the waterworld of Aquasilva, change is being fought and ruthlessly suppressed by the Domain and its ferocious holy warriors, the Sacri. If the people of Aquasilva have any hope of survival, the Domain must be stopped. Amid the perpetually raging storms plaguing the mineral-starved world, young Cathan, son of a powerful count, travels to inform his father of a crucial discovery of an iron ore cache in their lands. En route to the clan congress where his father awaits, Cathan unwittingly stumbles upon a Domain-engineered plot to unleash a firestorm of oppression upon the world. Cathan is thrust into events beyond his control, forced to become an unwilling agent of change. A way must be found to break the ruthless grip of the Domain. And Cathan begins to understand the daunting scope of what lies ahead in a long and deadly struggle for liberation. Extraordinary first-time novelist Anselm Audley has crafted a fiercely intelligent, lightning-paced, and ambitious fantasy saga that mines the contrary natures of evil and good, fire and water, stasis and change. A richly dramatic evocation of an epic struggle that often bears pointed comparison to our own real-life culture wars, this astonishing first volume of Audley's "Heresy trilogy introduces one of the most exciting voices of the new millennium.
The Dreamseeker Trilogy
3 / 3 books Complete
Started: 14 March 2002
| Finished: 17 April 2003
Silver Cloud, a wild horse who is noble, brave, fast and strong, roams the plains. He belongs to a society which is more sophisticated and peaceful than that of the neighbouring human tribe which now, on the verge of extinction, needs his help. Silver Cloud's ruling spirit, Ghost Horse, sets him the task of saving them and, as Red Hawk, the leader of the tribe, is old and dying, his young grandson, Four Winds, is sent to accompany him. Silver Cloud and Four Winds must complete three tasks which will redeem the tribe, but during their journey they must battle against evil animal spirits:the snake-haired monster, Thadadaho, the shape-shifter Yietso, and the flame-eyed Unktehi, as well as face the storms, fires and earthquakes that threaten their quest.
The Incas Trilogy
3 / 3 books Complete
Started: 2 January 2002
| Finished: 7 April 2003
Conquistadors and Incas, New World and old, and a clash of cultures which will change both civilisations forever, in this epic historical adventure in the tradition of Wilbur Smith and Christian Jacq. In sixteenth-century Peru, as Huayna Capac, king of the Incas, dies, he confides the mysteries of other worlds and the Inca Gods to Anamaya, daughter of an Incan princess. After his death she is the guardian of the Empire. But Anamaya cannot remember these secrets when Atahualpa, the king's chosen successor, asks for guidance. Although she knows they are within her, the only concrete reminder is the black puma spirit which prowls around her at night. In Spain, Francisco Pizarro has returned from his first voyage to Peru and seeks the king's permission to conquer this new land and be named its governor. When he sails, amongst the 180 men who accompany him is Gabriel Montelucar y Flores, a young nobleman who has escaped the clutches of the Inquisition. As the journey continues, first by sea and then overland in Peru, Gabriel will play a role he could never imagine, and become a linchpin both for Pizarro and Anamaya.
Epic and unforgettable, it captures the Incas in all their splendour, savagery and spirituality - and the determination and ruthlessness of the Spanish conquistadors. And it is a classic novel of love across religious and cultural boundaries.
Epic and unforgettable, it captures the Incas in all their splendour, savagery and spirituality - and the determination and ruthlessness of the Spanish conquistadors. And it is a classic novel of love across religious and cultural boundaries.
Kushiel's Legacy: Phèdre Trilogy
3 / 3 books Complete
Started: 23 June 2001
| Finished: 1 April 2003
In a kingdom born of angels, Phedre is an anguisette, cursed or blessed to find pleasure in pain. Sold to the Court of Night Blooming Flowers, her fate as a beautiful but anonymous courtesan was sealed. Her bond was purchased by the nobleman Anafiel Delauney, who recognised the scarlet mote in Phedre's eye as the rare mark of one touched by a powerful deity. Under Delauney's patronage she is trained in history, politics, language, and the use of body and mind as the ultimate weapon of subterfuge in a dangerous game of courtly intrigue.
Guided into the bed chambers of Terre D'Ange's most influential nobles, Phedre uncovers a conspiracy against the throne so vast that even her teacher cannot see the whole of it. As her nation is besieged by invading hordes from the north, the most unthinkable threat to her beloved home comes from traitors within. Betrayed and blindsided by her own longings, only Phedre and her trusted bodyguard Josselin are left to cross borders and warring armies in a race to stop the final blow from falling.
Enter a lush world of pleasure houses, ambitious warlords, scheming courtiers, and the harsh justice of blessed deities through the eyes of a heroine like no other. Sprawling and darkly sensual, Kushiel's Dart is the start of a truly original fantasy series perfect for mature fans of George R. R. Martin, Robin Hobb, and Anne Bishop.
Guided into the bed chambers of Terre D'Ange's most influential nobles, Phedre uncovers a conspiracy against the throne so vast that even her teacher cannot see the whole of it. As her nation is besieged by invading hordes from the north, the most unthinkable threat to her beloved home comes from traitors within. Betrayed and blindsided by her own longings, only Phedre and her trusted bodyguard Josselin are left to cross borders and warring armies in a race to stop the final blow from falling.
Enter a lush world of pleasure houses, ambitious warlords, scheming courtiers, and the harsh justice of blessed deities through the eyes of a heroine like no other. Sprawling and darkly sensual, Kushiel's Dart is the start of a truly original fantasy series perfect for mature fans of George R. R. Martin, Robin Hobb, and Anne Bishop.
Seven Circles Trilogy
2 / 3 books Complete
Started: 1 June 2000
| Finished: 4 March 2003
In the kingdom of the Seven Circles, the harmony of the realm and the peaceful lives of its inhabitants are undermined as disaffected members of all the various races that live there--elves, centaurs, goblins, trolls, druids, and other fantastic beings--gather together into a force that could destroy the Seven Circles.
The Echorium Sequence
3 / 3 books Complete
Started: 2 September 1999
| Finished: 1 March 2003
When a mainlander ship is wrecked and the beautiful Merlee are heard crying across the waves, the lives of three novice Singers are changed forever. Raille, her friend Freen, and the rebellious Kherron find themselves involved in an epic battle to save their entire world.
Courtney Series: The Birds of Prey Trilogy
2 / 3 books Complete
Started: 1 January 1997
| Finished: 24 February 2003
It is 1667 and the mighty naval war between the Dutch and the English still rages. Sir Francis Courtney and his son Hal, in their fighting caravel, are on patrol off Southern Africa, lying in wait for a galleon of the Dutch East India Company returning from the Orient laden with spices, timber and gold...
The Kiss Trilogy
3 / 3 books Complete
Started: 2 January 2001
| Finished: 1 January 2003
Dear Reader,
When I first saw her, I realized that the miniature portrait I had shown to the king did not do her justice. Lady Guinevere Mallory’s beauty transcended even a portrait painter’s skill. It was nearly impossible to believe that this woman, who had buried four husbands before her thirtieth birthday, could have used murder and the dark arts of witchcraft to achieve her great wealth.
I carried the king’s writ to investigate Lady Guinevere’s oft-repeated widowhood. Was it mere coincidence that each death had left her wealthier than the last? The fact that I believed she also held lands that rightfully belonged to my family made my investigations all the more personal and all the more thorough.
Surely, I thought, such a woman would bear some obvious mark of treachery on her countenance, in her manner. But when we met I saw only the beauty of her pale blond hair and her deep violet eyes that seemed to me to offer a glimpse into the intriguing world of her brilliant mind and spirit. I began to wonder how the gentle hands of such an elegant woman, whose cool composure belied her dubious past, could have committed cold-blooded murder.
Now as I learn more about the mysterious widow, I find myself growing more curious about the secrets of her heart–and more determined to reveal those secrets. Guinevere is the most captivating and intriguing woman I have ever met. I have but one question:
Will my interest in her prove to be a fatal one?
Hugh of Beaucaire
When I first saw her, I realized that the miniature portrait I had shown to the king did not do her justice. Lady Guinevere Mallory’s beauty transcended even a portrait painter’s skill. It was nearly impossible to believe that this woman, who had buried four husbands before her thirtieth birthday, could have used murder and the dark arts of witchcraft to achieve her great wealth.
I carried the king’s writ to investigate Lady Guinevere’s oft-repeated widowhood. Was it mere coincidence that each death had left her wealthier than the last? The fact that I believed she also held lands that rightfully belonged to my family made my investigations all the more personal and all the more thorough.
Surely, I thought, such a woman would bear some obvious mark of treachery on her countenance, in her manner. But when we met I saw only the beauty of her pale blond hair and her deep violet eyes that seemed to me to offer a glimpse into the intriguing world of her brilliant mind and spirit. I began to wonder how the gentle hands of such an elegant woman, whose cool composure belied her dubious past, could have committed cold-blooded murder.
Now as I learn more about the mysterious widow, I find myself growing more curious about the secrets of her heart–and more determined to reveal those secrets. Guinevere is the most captivating and intriguing woman I have ever met. I have but one question:
Will my interest in her prove to be a fatal one?
Hugh of Beaucaire
Dragoncrown War Cycle
3 / 3 books Complete
Started: 27 November 2001
| Finished: 1 January 2003
In an age of treachery and peril, a young thief may be the prophesied savior . . . or the betrayer of the world.
Once one of the grandest of human cities, Yslin now has a dark heart known as the Dimandowns. And when Will, an orphaned young thief from the Dim, plots to prove himself to his master by stealing a prize from the exiled Elves who share the fetid slums, his theft of the strange artifact snares him in a web of prophecy.
It also brings him together with Kedyn’s Crow, a shadowy human warrior, and Resolute, a Vorquelf determined to redeem his long-lost island home. To them, Will could be the fulfillment of a long-held dream and the last chance the world has to save itself from Chytrine, the northern tyrant who would be empress of the world.
But their belief in Will finds few allies in a world torn by war and magick. Preoccupied with their own internecine struggles, the world’s leaders see Will as a pawn. Only Chytrine seems able to recognize Will’s destiny, and she sends her Dark Lancers to destroy him. For who better to destroy a hero than the ill-fated heroes of the previous generation, survivors of a failed war to exterminate Chytrine, now corrupted to her service?
Yet even as Will is tested, a new generation takes up arms where their predecessors failed. Alexia, princess of a dead nation, leads an army to oppose Chytrine. And the sorcerers of Vilwan have fashioned their own hero, Kerrigan Reese, bestowing upon him powers and abilities no human has held for centuries.
Together these heroes travel to the mysterious Fortress Draconis to stop Chytrine from stealing more fragments of the DragonCrown—a powerful artifact that, once in her control, will guarantee her dominion forever.
Once one of the grandest of human cities, Yslin now has a dark heart known as the Dimandowns. And when Will, an orphaned young thief from the Dim, plots to prove himself to his master by stealing a prize from the exiled Elves who share the fetid slums, his theft of the strange artifact snares him in a web of prophecy.
It also brings him together with Kedyn’s Crow, a shadowy human warrior, and Resolute, a Vorquelf determined to redeem his long-lost island home. To them, Will could be the fulfillment of a long-held dream and the last chance the world has to save itself from Chytrine, the northern tyrant who would be empress of the world.
But their belief in Will finds few allies in a world torn by war and magick. Preoccupied with their own internecine struggles, the world’s leaders see Will as a pawn. Only Chytrine seems able to recognize Will’s destiny, and she sends her Dark Lancers to destroy him. For who better to destroy a hero than the ill-fated heroes of the previous generation, survivors of a failed war to exterminate Chytrine, now corrupted to her service?
Yet even as Will is tested, a new generation takes up arms where their predecessors failed. Alexia, princess of a dead nation, leads an army to oppose Chytrine. And the sorcerers of Vilwan have fashioned their own hero, Kerrigan Reese, bestowing upon him powers and abilities no human has held for centuries.
Together these heroes travel to the mysterious Fortress Draconis to stop Chytrine from stealing more fragments of the DragonCrown—a powerful artifact that, once in her control, will guarantee her dominion forever.
Carson Springs Trilogy
3 / 3 books Complete
Started: 28 June 2001
| Finished: 1 January 2003
Caressed by the golden California sun, a perfectly round valley nestled in a ring of hills flecked with orange groves lies thirty miles or so east of Santa Barbara. Settled by the Spaniards four hundred years ago, it remains an idyllic, near-mystical site where the local convent still houses nuns whose prayers mingle with the hum of their famous honey bees. It is here that Eileen Goudge has set her new trilogy-in Carson Springs. Beneath the tranquil surface of Carson Springs disputes flare, feuds simmer, and secrets are guarded. In Stranger in Paradise, the opening novel, a woman's love for a much younger man ignites a blaze of disapproval. Goudge's legion of fans will be drawn irresistibly into the life of this beautiful, lush, unique valley, where family histories have dangerously deep and tangled roots.
Hurog Duology
2 / 2 books Complete
Started: 26 February 2002
| Finished: 31 December 2002
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Patricia Briggs comes the first “thrilling”* novel in the Hurog duology.
Most everyone thinks Ward of Hurog is a simple-minded fool—and that’s just fine by him. But few people know that his foolishness is (very convincingly) feigned. And that it’s the only thing that’s saved him from death.
When his abusive father dies, Ward becomes the new lord of Hurog...until a nobleman declares that he is too dim-witted to rule. Ward knows he cannot play the fool any longer. To regain his kingdom, he must prove himself worthy—and quickly.
Riding into a war that’s heating up on the border, Ward is sure he’s on the fast track to glory. But soon his mission takes a deadly serious turn. For he has seen a pile of magical dragon bones hidden deep beneath Hurog Keep. The bones can be dangerous in the wrong hands, and Ward is certain his enemies will stop at nothing to possess them...
Most everyone thinks Ward of Hurog is a simple-minded fool—and that’s just fine by him. But few people know that his foolishness is (very convincingly) feigned. And that it’s the only thing that’s saved him from death.
When his abusive father dies, Ward becomes the new lord of Hurog...until a nobleman declares that he is too dim-witted to rule. Ward knows he cannot play the fool any longer. To regain his kingdom, he must prove himself worthy—and quickly.
Riding into a war that’s heating up on the border, Ward is sure he’s on the fast track to glory. But soon his mission takes a deadly serious turn. For he has seen a pile of magical dragon bones hidden deep beneath Hurog Keep. The bones can be dangerous in the wrong hands, and Ward is certain his enemies will stop at nothing to possess them...
Tenebrea trilogy
3 / 3 books Complete
Started: 27 February 2001
| Finished: 12 November 2002
The sole survivor of an alien massacre that destroyed her entire family, a vengeful Andrea Flores leaves Earth for the harsh planet Jod, where she joins the Tenebrea, a fierce and mysterious cadre of elite warriors that holds the key to the universe's survival--and to Andrea's ultimate vengeance on
Eddie Dickins Trilogy
4 / 3 books Complete
Started: 1 September 2002
| Finished: 7 October 2002
When eleven-year-old Eddie Dickens's sickly parents become "a bit crinkly round the edges," he is taken in by his great-uncle and great-aunt, Mad Uncle Jack and Mad Aunt Maude, and embarks on adventures that involve strolling actors, St. Horrid's Home for Grateful Orphans, and a carnival float shaped like a giant cow.
Tales of Einarinn
5 / 5 books Complete
Started: 3 December 1998
| Finished: 5 September 2002
In Einarinn, the secret of magic is known only by an elite few. They live in deliberate isolation, under the watchful eye of the Archmage. But nothing last for ever. Livak is a part-time thief and a full-time gambler, long accustomed to living by her wits and narrowly avoiding serious trouble. When she attempts to sell a stolen antique to a passing merchant, she finds herself pulled into a new and dangerous world of political intrigue in which the stakes are higher than anyone involved can imagine. For the antique she has acquired dates from a particular period in the history of Einarrin about which little is known, but much has been speculated. And when the truth begins to emerge, Livak decides to take the greatest gamble of her life.