In a world where only those of noble birth are invited to join the elite Griffin Riders, orphan Neb is destined for a life of drudgery. His path changes when he steals the disobedient young griffin Balkind in an attempt to prove that you don't need noble blood to become a hero. He'll risk his life and soul to become a mere Griffin's Boy. He'll also lose his heart to the enigma known as Samara.In a world where only those of noble birth are invited to join the elite Griffin Riders, orphan Neb is destined for a life of drudgery. His path changes when he steals the disobedient young griffin Balkind in an attempt to prove that you don't need noble blood to become a hero. Join "The Griffin's Boy" on the adventure of a lifetime as he encounters girls for the very first time, learns the meaning of friendship and battles evil forces for his very soul.

Ken and Meg were on their way from New York to Tokyo to start a new life with their father in Japan, but something went really wrong during their flight. When they came by, they found themselves in an exotic and mysterious kingdom full of flowers. Be ready for an adventure full of excitement, battles, magic, love... and tears.Ken and Meg were on their way from New York to Tokyo to start a new life with their father in Japan, but something went really wrong during their flight. When they came by, they found themselves in an exotic and mysterious kingdom full of flowers. Be ready for an adventure full of excitement, battles, magic, love... and tears. There is a legend in the Kingdom of Rosetta: Rosetta will be in peril. Danger will approach from the west, beware. The drought will come, beware. Wait and pray for saviors if Rosetta were to remain. They will come, the two people from Yamato. A brother and sister, from nowhere in the sky. One brings Health and the other brings Fortune. Oh, the spicy fragrance of peppermint! Oh, the soothing fragrance of cherry blossom! They are your only hopes, Rosettalians. The Fortune will find the true heart in the mythical land. The Fortune will gain power and so will the Fountain. The Health will..., and here the legend is torn. What if you suddenly have to make a decision between two contradictory perspectives? Do you follow your heart? Or do you follow the heart of your beloved one?

Duel at Strolling Ponds is the second installment in The Tales of Katsume Shogoro, masterless samurai, and last surviving member of his family. Shogoro’s quest is to restore his clan’s lost honor, and undo the shame that burdens his soul.Duel at Strolling Ponds is the second installment in The Tales of Katsume Shogoro, masterless samurai, and last surviving member of his family. Shogoro’s quest is to restore his clan’s lost honor, and undo the shame that burdens his soul.Picking up where A Ronin’s Honor left off, Shogoro receives a reply from his nemesis, Matsuo Kaname, regarding his challenge to a warrior’s duel. A date and time is set for the fateful meeting. The location is the Strolling Ponds Garden.Elsewhere, an army of unknown size and intent marches towards Shinano Province.

Tuck and Avers accept a request to take a message to a far away nation. On the way they encounter a steampunk filled world that sends them in another direction.The 2nd installment of the Miserable Planet. Avers recovers from her scuffle with Tuck just in time to start a new adventure into a new world. An encounter with a cooky scientist's laboratory lead to a hodgepodge escape with clanky flying machines. Who is this scientist and why are they are the run? You'll have to look inside. The land of sci fi turns into a land of steampunk. Tuck and Avers accept a request to take a message to a far away nation. On the way they encounter a steampunk filled world that sends them in another direction.

The Castle Keeper vignettes provide a glimpse into the time between Shadows in the Stone and Scattered Stones. You’ll have already met many of the characters, but some you will meet in Scattered Stones.These vignettes are not complete stories, only 300 words of a moment. Volume 01 contains the first twelve in a series of vignettes to be written.Almost five years has passed since Isla of Maura was kidnapped and Bronwyn Darrow left Maskil in search of her. In many ways, not much has happened; the inhabitants of the Land of Ath-o’Lea have continued their daily routine. But if you look deeper into the individual lives you’ll see much has changed in little ways.The Castle Keeper vignettes provide a glimpse into the time between Shadows in the Stone and Scattered Stones. You’ll have already met many of the characters, but some you will meet in Scattered Stones.These vignettes are not complete stories, only 300 words of a moment. Volume 01 contains the first twelve in a series of vignettes to be written.

Jacqueline Carey is back with an amazing adventure not seen since her New York Times bestselling Kushiel’s Legacy series. Lush and sensual, Starless introduces us to an epic world where exiled gods live among us, and a hero whose journey will resonate long after the last page is turned. Let your mind be like the eye of the hawk…Destined from birth to serve as protector of the princess Zariya, Khai is trained in the arts of killing and stealth by a warrior sect in the deep desert; yet there is one profound truth that has been withheld from him. In the court of the Sun-Blessed, Khai must learn to navigate deadly intrigue and his own conflicted identity…but in the far reaches of the western seas, the dark god Miasmus is rising, intent on nothing less than wholesale destruction. If Khai is to keep his soul’s twin Zariya alive, their only hope lies with an unlikely crew of prophecy-seekers on a journey that will take them farther beneath the starless skies than anyone can imagine.

The missing dead call to Violet. They want to be found. Violet can sense the echoes of those who've been murdered and the matching imprint that clings to their killers. Only those closest to her know what she is capable of, but when she discovers the body of a young boy she also draws the attention of the FBI, threatening her entire way of life. As Violet works to keep her morbid ability a secret, she unwittingly becomes the object of a dangerous obsession. Normally, she'd turn to her best friend, Jay, except now that they are officially a couple, the rules of their relationship seem to have changed. And with Jay spending more and more time with his new friend Mike, Violet is left with too much time on her hands as she wonders where things went wrong. But when she fills the void by digging into Mike's tragic family history, she stumbles upon a dark truth that could put everyone in danger.

Piers Anthony delivers another tale set in the bestselling world of Xanth, filled with magic, surprises, adventure, and a few puns. Here s what the author has to say about his new book: "Five Portraits"is a kind of sequel to"Board Stiff"in that it picks up where the other leaves off, with the same characters. Apart from that, it s one of my favorites within the series. There s something about Astrid Basilisk that appeals to me: a very pretty girl whose very glance is deadly, yet she s a nice person whose selfless effort to save five difficult children from future Xanth is thoroughly worthy. I also like the theme of the power of unlikely friendship. Not just Xanth, but Mundania, too, would be better if there were more such friendships. "

In the world of Gnomon, citizens are constantly observed and democracy has reached a pinnacle of 'transparency.' Every action is seen, every word is recorded, and the System has access to its citizens' thoughts and memories--all in the name of providing the safest society in history. When suspected dissident Diana Hunter dies in government custody, it marks the first time a citizen has been killed during an interrogation. The System doesn't make mistakes, but something isn't right about the circumstances surrounding Hunter's death. Mielikki Neith, a trusted state inspector and a true believer in the System, is assigned to find out what went wrong. Immersing herself in neural recordings of the interrogation, what she finds isn't Hunter but rather a panorama of characters within Hunter's psyche: a lovelorn financier in Athens who has a mystical experience with a shark; a brilliant alchemist in ancient Carthage confronting the unexpected outcome of her invention; an expat Ethiopian painter in London designing a controversial new video game, and a sociopathic disembodied intelligence from the distant future. Embedded in the memories of these impossible lives lies a code which Neith must decipher to find out what Hunter is hiding. In the static between these stories, Neith begins to catch glimpses of the real Diana Hunter--and, alarmingly, of herself. The staggering consequences of what she finds will reverberate throughout the world.

It is winter in Area X. A new team embarks across the border on a mission to find a member of a previous expedition who may have been left behind. As they press deeper into the unknown — navigating new terrain and new challenges — the threat to the outside world becomes more daunting. In Acceptance, the last installment of Jeff VanderMeer’s Southern Reach Trilogy, the mysteries of Area X may have been solved, but their consequences and implications are no less profound — or terrifying.

Catherine Jinks's follow-up to PAGAN'S CRUSADE is another tale with special appeal for boys -- filled with action, featuring a witty young narrator, and loaded with down-and-dirty details of medieval life. The year is 1188, and Jerusalem is in the hands of the Infidel. Upstanding Crusaders and their squires--like Lord Roland Roucy de Bram and Pagan Kidrouk--are returning to Europe, hoping to rally more knights to their cause. The sardonic young Pagan expects Lord Roland's family to be the picture of fortitude and good manners, but he is in for a rude awakening. Brutish and unfeeling, the de Bram clan cares nothing for the Crusades, or indeed for anything outside their neighborhood in France. Meanwhile, local unrest is brewing. Church authorities are duking it out with the de Brams over a group of "heretics" living nearby. And now Pagan and Roland, sworn to defend Christianity, are left to decide for themselves whom to stand by-and whom to trust.

It's not easy to keep a boyfriend, run a business, and survive for centuries as one of the immortal undead. Glory St. Clair knows-ever since a sexy Scottish vampire bit her while she was a tad. . . bloated. But when a frustrated vampire hunter firebombs her vintage clothing boutique, she's ready to pitch a fit. Then her long-time, part-time lover takes off in a rage to hunt the hunter and prove himself worthy of her. And that's only the beginning of her troubles. The Energy Vampires want her-and not in a good way. They're paranormal drug dealers, selling thrills to those who've lived for ages, been everywhere, and done everything. . . and they want to suck Glory dry. But it'll take more than a few super-suckers to get the goods out of her.

Everyone’s favorite time-travelers are changing their styles!  The Time Warp Trio series now features a brand-new, eye-catching design, sure to appeal to longtime fans, and those new to Jon Scieszka’s wacky brand of humor.

Encouraged by her grandfather, Jenette makes a trip to Norway where she is drawn into an experience beyond her control. Plummeted into the nineth century she is forced to rediscover herself and come to terms with another culture in another time.Jenette Wilkinson is encouraged by her grandfather to make a trip to Europe to discover her northern heritage. She visits a small town in Norway to see a Viking longboat for herself and has a strange reaction when she touches its hull. On a tour she is taken partway up the mountain that dominates the landscape and when she decides, against her better judgement, to revisit its slopes, more takes place than she ever thought possible.Somehow, she is thrown into a nineth century Viking world and struggles with a new culture and identity. Only time will tell whether she is able to adapt as flashbacks of her previous life continue to pose problems.Finally forced to flee the situation, her final decision will have a bearing on the ancestor she had been hoping to find.

A FREE companion guide to my Heavy Metal Fairy Tales 2013.Book One - The Window maker, the codpiece and the Sex Gods from Planet Metal.Book Two - Return to PlanetBook Three - Glass Eye That Wasn'tBook Four - the Robotic Badger of Doom Part 1Book Four - the Robotic Badger of Doom Part 2Book Five - The Curse of the BeerWolf Part 1Here is a FREE guide to my Heavy Metal Fairy Tales, written by me, Jerry Metal.Who are the Sex Gods from Planet Metal?Who is Nestor the window maker?Why does the evil Wizard want to steal his enchanted flying codpiece?And what exactly is a Codpiece anyway?Here you will find answers to all these questions as well as an overview of the heros and villains of my Heavy Metal universe! Plus a brief outline of plots to all five of my self published Metal Fairy Tales:The Window maker, the codpiece and the Sex Gods from Planet Metal, Return to Planet Metal, The Glass Eye That Wasn't and the Robotic Badger of Doom Parts One and Two (so epic it had to be split into two parts!) and Book Five 'The Curse of the BeerWolf Part One.