A land under occupation. A legendary sword. A young man's journey to find his destiny. Aren has lived by the rules all his life. He's never questioned it; that's just the way things are. But then his father is executed for treason, and he and his best friend Cade are thrown into a prison mine, doomed to work until they drop. Unless they can somehow break free . . . But what lies beyond the prison walls is more terrifying still. Rescued by a man who hates him yet is oath-bound to protect him, pursued by inhuman forces, Aren slowly accepts that everything he knew about his world was a lie. The rules are not there to protect him, or his people, but to enslave them. A revolution is brewing, and Aren is being drawn into it, whether he likes it or not. The key to the revolution is the Ember Blade. The sword of kings, the Excalibur of his people. Only with the Ember Blade in hand can their people be inspired to rise up . . . but it's locked in an impenetrable vault in the most heavily guarded fortress in the land. All they have to do now is steal it . . .
Empires rise, civilisations fall and one culture comes to subsume another. It's the way of the world . . . sometimes ways of life are improved, sometimes they are not. But the progression of change is huge and - usually - unstoppable.
In this story, the Ossian way of life is fading and the Dachen way is taking its place and Aren is comfortable with that. Even when his parents are accused of treason he supports the establishment and maintains there's been some mistake . . . which is all it takes to get himself and his best friend arrested . . .
Thrown into a prison mine they plan their escape - only to be overtaken by events when they're rescued, and promptly find themselves in the middle of an ambush. By the time they've escaped, they're unavoidably linked to Garric - their unwelcome saviour - and his quest to overturn to Dachen way of life.
If they leave Garric now, they'll be arrested or killed by their pursuers. If they turn him in, Garric will kill them. If they stay with him, they'll be abetting a murderous quest they don't believe in. There are no good options - but Aren will still have to choose a path . . . Designed to return to classic fantasy adventures and values, from a modern perspective, this is a fast-moving coming-of-age trilogy featuring a strong cast of diverse characters, brilliant set-pieces and a strong character and plot driven story.
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### Review
*The Ember Blad*e is everything I could possibly want in an epic fantasy novel, and so much more. Buy this book as soon as it is available.―***FANTASY BOOK REVIEW***
It's like David Eddings, Margaret Weis, Tracey Hickman and Terry Brooks had a brainstorming session over a power lunch... then Wooding stole their notes, drank their beer and set about skewing everything. ...great fun, a classic epic fantasy.―***WERTZONE***
If you like Brandon Sanderson you'll love this. The best epic fantasy for years.―***Gavin Smith, author of The Bastard Legion***
I bloody loved it! . . . A thrilling adventure, vividly told, that reflects a modern tyranny through a fantasy lens. Explores themes of collaboration and resistance, the power of symbols, friendship and sacrifice: how far will you go for a revolution? I loved it and I can't wait for the sequel.―***Elspeth Cooper, author of THE SONGS OF THE EARTH***
From the excellent characterizations to the relentless chase, from breathtaking set pieces to the intricate world-building, everything was written with finesse. It seriously doesn't matter whether you're a fan of classic, epic, or grimdark fantasy (even better if all three), there's a place for you here. *The Ember Blade* is a book every fantasy fan will feel right at home with, and yet will find new adventures in it. It's a book that fantasy readers will love to revisit and inhabit longer and longer with every visit.―***NOVEL NOTIONS***
A well-written tale of revolution, dark magic, and a quest for an ancient game-changing artifact set in a well-built and well-realised epic fantasy world.―***THE BOOK BAG***
### About the Author
Chris Wooding is a full time, award-winning novelist, a YA novelist, and a professional script writer for film and TV. He has travelled extensively, plays bass and guitar (and has recorded several albums) and his novels have been published all over the world. He has penned the Braided Path trilogy, a standalone novel (*The Fade*) and the Tales of the Ketty Jay series for Gollancz, all of which were critical and commercial successes. Chris Wooding lives in Kent, and you can learn more at www.chriswooding.com. Views: 396
The Lord of Stariel is dead. Long live the Lord of Stariel. Whoever that is.
Everyone knows who the magical estate will choose for its next ruler. Or do they?
Will it be the lord’s eldest son, who he despised?
His favourite nephew, with the strongest magical land-sense?
His scandalous daughter, who ran away from home years ago to study illusion?
Hetta knows it won’t be her, and she’s glad of it. Returning home for her father’s funeral, all Hetta has to do is survive the family drama and avoid entanglements with irritatingly attractive local men until the Choosing. Then she can leave.
But whoever Stariel chooses will have bigger problems than eccentric relatives to deal with.
Winged, beautifully deadly problems.
For the first time in centuries, the fae are returning to the Mortal Realm, and only the Lord of Stariel can keep the estate safe.
In theory.
The Lord of Stariel is the first book in the Stariel series. If you like your fantasy mixed with romance, served with a side of mystery, and garnished with statistically improbable quantities of attractive people, you’ve come to the right place!
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One of the most phenomenally acclaimed and successful books of recent years is now available as a paperback—with three just-discovered stories Here, gathered in one volume, are the stories that made Clarice a Brazilian legend. Originally a cloth edition of eighty-six stories, now we have eighty- nine in all, covering her whole amazing career, from her teenage years to her deathbed. In these pages, we meet teenagers becoming aware of their sexual and artistic powers, humdrum housewives whose lives are shattered by unexpected epiphanies, old people who don't know what to do with themselves— and in their stories, Clarice takes us through their lives—and hers—and ours. Views: 396
From New York Times Bestselling Author Kristen Proby comes Stay With Me, an all new addition to the series that has sold more than a million copies to date, her beloved With Me In Seattle Series!
Amelia Montgomery has left her past behind her. With a beauty and fashion career that’s skyrocketing and a loving family around her, everything else is just junk in the rearview mirror.
Until it’s not.
When she has to drop out of the public eye, her cousin Jules offers her a new, temporary life on the Puget Sound. Her past may be catching up with her, but hope for the future is in Seattle.
Wyatt Crawford can’t figure out the enigmatic beauty who’s living next door. As an architect, he’s usually good at looking beneath the surface—but she barely even leaves her house.
Until she needs his help.
When she knocks on his door, how can he resist? It isn’t long before Wyatt and Amelia become more than just neighbors. But when he finally learns the truth, will the skeletons in her closet be too much for him to handle, or will he stay? Views: 396
When your grandfather hails from medieval England and you've grown up on fairy tales of knights and castles, it's hard to find a modern-day guy who measures up. Chloe Penelope Merriweather has decided once and for all to give up her belief in fairy tales. She's spending the summer before college traipsing around England, visiting the sights she's heard so much about. But a tiny part of her wishes with all her heart that she too could travel through time, have a grand adventure, and meet her own knight in shining armor. And wouldn't it be perfect if she could actually meet one of the infamous Merriweather women? But alas, fairy tales belong in books. So she'll have to settle for enjoying the trip of a lifetime and close the book once and for all on childish dreams...or will she? Richard, Lord Bainford, otherwise known as the Beast of Bainford just wants to be left alone. But children keep turning up at the... Views: 396
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A heart-breaking story about a Nigerian poultry farmer who sacrifices everything to win the woman he loves, by Man Booker Finalist and author of The Fishermen, Chigozie Obioma. Set on the outskirts of Umuahia, Nigeria and narrated by a chi, or guardian spirit, AN ORCHESTRA OF MINORITIES tells the story of Chinonso, a young poultry farmer whose soul is ignited when he sees a woman attempting to jump from a highway bridge. Horrified by her recklessness, Chinonso joins her on the roadside and hurls two of his prized chickens into the water below to express the severity of such a fall. The woman, Ndali, is stopped her in her tracks. Bonded by this night on the bridge, Chinonso and Ndali fall in love. But Ndali is from a wealthy family and struggles to imagine a future near a chicken coop. When her family objects to the union because he is uneducated, Chinonso sells most of his possessions to attend a college in Cyprus. But when he arrives he... Views: 396
The story unfolds between Maghreb, Italy and the Middle East in a contemporary context. The international political balance is controlled by heightened tensions between “traditionally Islamic” countries and “Western” countries. ISIS claims a series of attacks in Algeria, while Iran is trying to drive its development of nuclear weapons forward, against the expectations of the UN and of the rest of the world.
Algiers (Algeria)– The city, once ideal and beloved home to an Italian couple, unpredictably turns into a hostile place they must quickly escape.
Hagelloch (Germany) – Ten-year-old Nicholas Wharz and his father Alexander disappear in mysterious circumstances.
Milan (Italia) – A man’s life is shaken by unforeseen encounters and events, the fate and survival of others will depend on his choices and actions.
Andimeshk (Iran) - A refinery in a barren area in the south of Iran, a significant crossroads for crude oil trade and essential passage to access the Persian Gulf, also conceals a secret that is threatening the lives of innocent people.
Everything is connected, everything is clear at last, he is asked to take action, to recover the necessary information at all costs. This is how Nino finds himself thrown into a world that he’d have believed to be light years away from him and that now becomes his dangerous reality.
About the author:
Tom Avito is the pen name with which the author signs his first novel. Born in Tripoli (Libya) in 1967, he lived through the dramatic expulsion of Italian citizens from Libya under Gaddafi’s authoritarian regime. The author moved to Italy 1970 with his parents and has since lived in Naples, Milan and Rapallo. He currently works for an important oil company, he is married and has two wonderful children. His great passion for action thrillers and espionage pushed him to write his first novel “The unpredictable”.
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