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In the lands of the True Game, your lifelong identity will emerge as you play. Prince or Sorcerer, Armiger or Tragamor, Demon or Doyen…


Which will it be?

“The King Who Was a King – The Book of a Film” is a fascinating treatise on the development of film written by H. G. Wells and first published in 1929. Writing at the when cinema was beginning to explode, Wells explores the emerging industry’s history, future, and the elements of contemporary film.

It was a changed world. No longer did the black monks of the Christian Church own half of England and extend their deadly domain over their flock. No longer did the murderous Ragnarssons and their Viking hordes ravage the shires unopposed. Now, in the year 867 AD, those who wished to be Christian were free to worship without the heavy yoke of the ever-hungry Church. Those who did not could follow the Asgarth Way, the Norse religion that paid homage to the gods of Asgard: Othin, Thor, Frey…and Rig. Rig, the patron – perhaps the father? – of Shef Sigvarthsson. Whose new weapons and battle strategy had defeated both the battle-hardened Vikings and the Frankish knights of Pope Nicholas’ failed Crusade.

While enemies plotted, Shef left England by ship, to avoid the wedding of his ally, Alfred of Wessex, to his childhood love, Godive. Shipwrecked on the Frisian Coast he begins a journey that will keep him away from England for months and years, and add more legends to his already myth-shrouded life.

In One King’s Way Harry Harrison Continues the story of Shef Sigvarthsson, god-chosen warrior and mystic. From the Vikings of the North Sea to the scheming priests of Germany, from the frozen northern lands to the snow-covered Finnish tundra, he fights his way towards overwhelming kingship. While his supernatural allies and enemies engage in a shadowy battle for his future. This is historical fantasy of the highest order, from a giant of the genre.

The hill below the fortress of Taurovinda, stronghold of Urtha, High King of the Cornovidi, is coming alive: the Otherworldly realm of the Shadows of Heroes are claiming the land as their own. But this time their actions are driven by a force that is darker and older than even the oldest among the ghosts. Who or what is raising the Dead? Merlin, a temporary resident in the fortress, must answer that question if this time of kings and lovers is to be saved. Jason’s wonderful ship, Argo, has returned, drawn back by her own guilty past, and a dreadful secret that she will reveal only to Merlin. Argo holds the key to the mystery. And Niiv, the bewitching, beautiful Northlands enchantress, is working her way even closer into Merlin’s charms.

This is a journey that will take Merlin back in history, and to a fabled island of legend. Love is in the air. But at a price.

Never Trust a Demon

Three years earlier, Jorian had been the crowned King of Xylar. But the laws of Xylar decreed that each randomly chosen King must be beheaded at the end of a five-year reign. Jorian had a prejudice against losing his head. With the aid of the aged wizard Karadur, he managed to flee.

Unfortunately he had not been able to bring his beloved wife, Queen Estrildis, with him, nor had he yet been able to find a means of freeing her from the palace in Xylar City.

Now, however, he felt that his luck was about to change. He and the aged wizard Karadur were being flown through the night air in a great copper bathtub, powered by a demon under Karadur’s control. Ahead of them lay Xylar City. There, while the demon kept the bathtub hovering above the palace, Jorian could let down a rope and rescue Estrildis.

It should have been a foolproof scheme¿

Forester Bradwell shares his son’s adventures and learns a lesson he will never forget for Forester Bradwell is one of the elite in a time and society where stupidity and ignorance have been conquered by genetic engineering. But his son Freeman is a Retard. The King of Eolim is the story of the Bradwell’s search for a home that will truly be “home” for Free.

Lost for more than four hundred years, the Scepter of Mercy lies beyond the reach of the kingdom of Avornis, in the lands corrupted by the Banished One. Cast from heavens to an earthy exile, the Banished One seeks to use the scepter to reclaim his godhood. But the intertwined destiny of the two very different men may interfere with his ascension…

Lanius is the only son of King Mergus of Avornis. But he is the son of the king’s seventh wife – and therefore illegitimate in the eyes of church and state. After the king’s death, the council of regents takes advantage of the irregular succession to use young Lanius as their figurehead while they rule behind the scenes.

Grus is a captain in the King’s navy, a man of common origins, as well as common sense. He is charged with guarding Avornis’ border against her enemies – including those who live in thrall of the Banished One. He’s watched his homeland weaken under careless rulers – and fears for the future as disturbing visions torment his dreams.

Now both Lanius and Grus must decide what’s best for the kingdom – before the influence of the Banished One spreads to their people as well.

And so begins the quest for the Scepter of Mercy…

A sequel to “Werenight” and “Prince of the North”. Just when he thought he could settle down to enjoy peace, Gerin the Fox is called upon to face a new enemy, the Gradi, who bring with them their cold, fierce gods, bent on the destruction of all who do not worship them.

‘You will be a King, and Great King, and then you will Die, and you may not avoid that destiny, try as you may¿’

Two-thirds god, one-third human, Gilgamesh is a giant among men and a formidable warrior, even as a boy. When his father the king of Rurk dies, Gilgamesh is forced into exile by the newly crowned Dumuzi, jealous of his prowess and fearful of his intentions.

In neighbouring Kis his fighting skills are honed to perfection, and when in time Dumuzi dies, Gilgamesh returns to be proclaimed king by the wily priestess Inanna, goddess of beauty. Together they rule Uruk, and prosperity descends upon the land.

However, the kingship is not enough to satisfy Gilgamesh’s gargantuan appetite for adventure, and his boredom is only relieved by the coming of Enkidu, a strange wild man who proves the king’s equal in combat. The two become closer than brothers, but when Gilgamesh incurs the wrath of Inanna, the gods conspire to tear them apart, and for Gilgamesh all that remains is his search for immortality.

In retelling the legend of the great Sumerian monarch, Robert Silverberg brings all his superb storytelling powers to a mesmerising tale of ambition, power and obsession, against the background of an ancient and fearsome world.

‘We reap and we thresh; grain for half the world. We are the Grain Kings raised of old.’

They call them the Grain Kings. Gigantic mechanical monarchs of the wheat-bearing plains that were once the frozen Alaskan wastes. Whole eco-systems in themselves, they can supply the food so desperately needed by the teeming millions of our overpopulated planet. But even now, as the whole world waits in hungry suspense, the great powers battle for control of the prairies and two competing combine harvesters find they are heading on a course of collision. A collision with catastrophic consequences – not only for the hundreds of crewmen aboard each massive machine but for the future survival of all mankind.

They came out of the long grey ages of Time, killing and plundering, and their object was to take back captives to appease the blood-thirsty mobs. The city was burning when Paul Sanders drove into it that wet and foggy evening, the streets filled with tall, cruel-faced warriors.

Taken prisoner by them, he and a handful of others found themselves transported in Time to the world of a million years hence. A strange world filled with the weirdest anachronisms where a superstitious people were held in thrall by three men, the Time Kings, who alone knew the secret of time travel.

The ancient knowledge had been destroyed by a people smarting under utter defeat. During the long ages there had been three Interstellar Empires when Earth had reigned supreme throughout the galaxy, but it remained for a group of men from the early dawn of the Atomic Age to overthrow the anarchy which prevailed and to restore Earth to her previous position of greatness, leading the people back to the stars which were their destiny.

A central influence on HP Lovecraft and countless other authors, including Neil Gaiman and Grant Morrison, THE KING IN YELLOW is finding new fame as a vital element of HBO’s hit series TRUE DETECTIVE, starring Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey. Presented here with a short story by Ambrose Bierce, AN INHABITANT OF CARCOSA, which was a direct influence on this collection, this is a perfect read for fans of classic horror and fantasy.

Shef, the One King, is a visionary and warrior. His accomplishments have changed the history of the Dark Ages as we know it – he has defeated the English, the Pope’s army and the Norse in turn. Now, he must face the reborn power of the Holy Roman Empire.

While the Gods of Asgard continue to use him as a plaything Shef must defeat Bruno, the German emperor, who wields the Holy Lance which pierced Christ’s side. The terrible invention of Greek Fire threatens Shef’s fearsome Viking navy, and he must turn to the East to seek new wisdom. Finally, his quest may lead him to the Holy Grail itself.

As Harry Harrison’s highly-acclaimed series reaches its climax, not even the gods can predict victor and vanquished.

As a child of just seven summers, Gunnhild finds herself fascinated with the powers of a witch-woman who is a concubine of her father’s, a powerful Norse chieftain. She also finds another fascination in handsome and lordly Eirik, son of their king. When her mother dies, Gunnhild promises, “I will never yield”, and that, “through me, our blood shall flow greatly”.
Gunnhild has learned from her chieftain father the way the powerful use the weak. But there are other lessons and other power she seeks. Sent away to learn the magic of a pair of shamans, Gunnhild becomes a Spaewife – a knower of the Gods, a master in the ways of witchcraft and sorcery. Aided by her new abilities, Gunnhild marries Eirik. She is destined to become queen, and her magic is a fearsome complement to Eirik’s strength. But Eirik’s enemies are cunning, and Gunnhild is soon without his might.
If Gunnhild can keep the promise she made as a child to never yield, her family’s blood will flow greatly, and the sons she bore Eirik will each become a king.
Her own struggles, though, are far from over…

The years since first he gained the Starburst Crown have been difficult ones for Coronal Lord Prestimion and the vast, unfathomable realm he rules. But finally peace has been restored to Majipoor. And now it is time for Prestimion to name the able Prince Dekkeret as his succeeding Coronal and to descend to the Labyrinth as Pontifex. But a power from a dark past that both men believed was dead is stirring once again – an evil more potent and devastating than either leader dares to remember.

A Viking temple. A Viking ship. Both preserved in the clinging, black mud of the North Yorkshire estuary. Press and TV watch over the archaeologists’ shoulders as past and present merge.

And while huge, death-cold creatures stalk and destroy through the blizzards of an eerily early winter, modern computer science and the dark night-knowledge of the old Norse gods disinter a terrible truth about a past that is sleeping, not dead.

Prince Corum Jhaelin Irsei: the Eternal Champion.

With his plane at war with itself, thanks to the machinations and magic of Chaos, Prince Corum, his beloved Rhalina and the eternal companion Jhary-a-Conel must travel to the last five planes to confront Mabelode, the King of the Swords.

Joining forces with other aspects of the Eternal Champion – Elric and Ereköse – Corum must rescue Rhalina from the Chaos Lord’s minions before attempting to defeat the King of the Swords and free his plane from its madness. But the stakes are also personal for Corum, for the captain who commands the forces of chaos is the same savage Mabden who slaughtered Corum’s family…

One by one the Solar System’s ships were disappearing in mid-space – as if a mighty colossus had grabbed them up and swallowed them whole.

Top agents Joan Randall and Ezra Gurney were sent to investigate. Like the others, somewhere beyond Jupiter, they disappeared.

Captain Future heard the news with shocked horror. Whatever the danger, he had to stop this menacing evil force. Whatever the risk, he had to find the lovely Joan Randall – the woman he loved…

Flung across space and time by the sorcery of super-science, John Gordon exchanges bodies with Zarth Arn, Prince of the Mid-Galactic Empire 2000 centuries in the future!

Suddenly John is trust into a last-ditch battle between the democratic Empire World and the tyranny of the Black Cloud regime. Only one weapon – the terrifying Disruptor – can win the struggle for the Empire Forces. But it is so powerful that unless John uses it correctly it could destroy not only the enemy but the cosmos.

Could his 20th Century mind cope with the technology of 200,000 years from now?

When Group-Captain Timothy ‘Tiger’ Clinton and his son Rex take a holiday in Scotland, they expect to spend time in the great outdoors.

Instead, lost in the fog while deer-stalking, they find themselves at the door of a mysterious, lonely castle, the home of a brilliant Professor. A brilliant Professor who has been building something incredible . . . a spaceship.

Recruited to the Professor’s schemes, Tiger and Rex conquer the newest frontier – SPACE.

These classic space stories by the legendary creator of Biggles are perfect for fans of pulp science fiction romps and classic Star Trek!

The first book in the 5 volume Demon Princes saga. The protagonists parents were murdered by a posse of 5 galactic criminals, the “demon princes”. He vows revenge, and eliminates them one by one. In the process Vance does what he excels at: creating strange worlds, environments, customs, and adaptations that humans have made to live in these conditions.

As a young mathematician, Jim Eckert was transported to a parallel medieval world where he found he had the ability to transform himself into a large but none-too-bright dragon named Gorbash. Jim Eckert’s daring exploits have earned him a title – Baron de Bois de Malencontri et Riveroak – and he has settled down to a peaceful life as a feudal lord, with his beloved Angela at his side.

But a new peril endangers his enchanted realm – as the King of the Gnarlies teams up with the Earl of Cumberland, Jim’s longtime rival, to kidnap his adopted son, Robert. Soon Sir Jim must assume the shape of the Dragon Knight once again to rescue little Robert, and finds himself entrenched in a magical battle royal – one he’ll have to fight harder than ever to survive!

When Maurice’s family moves to the Middle East, they leave Maurice – self-centred, asthmatic, allergy-plagued and an impossible semi-invalid – to live with his great aunt in Brighton. Initially feeling abandoned, Maurice soon becomes fascinated by the eerie and romantic cemetery next door.

Isolated from the world around him, he discovers he can travel through time amongst the graves. He dreams of glory, once he figures out how to control the travel, but the more he travels, the more he realises that things aren’t what they seem.

He isn’t seeing the past with his eyes. He isn’t experiencing these adventures with his own body. And the real owners are getting restless.

It’s dangerous to pick the flowers that grow in King Death’s Garden, but despite some alarming warnings, Maurice, who doesn’t believe in ghosts, just can’t stay away.

You can find out more about the fiction Gwyneth Jones wrote as Ann Halam here: http://www.gwynethjones.uk/HALAM.htm

The beautiful Dedo Nyneve’s innocent tales of a land called Camelot have spawned a real-life cast determined to choose their own fates, yet each move draws them closer to catastrophe. And as the many happentracks of the universe narrow to a dangerous few, the actions of every sorcerer, man, and living creature will determine whether the great god Starquin lives or dies.
For the first time in remembered history, humans and gnomes find themselves sharing the same Earth happentrack. But King Arthur has larger concerns as he watches the society he rules spiralling toward ultimate destruction. Little does he know that the evil Mogan Le Fay has been working her treacherous magic to split the happentracks wide open – a deadly betrayal that could spell the end of Camelot.
With the ma possible futures swiftly shrinking to one last destiny too awful to contemplate, courageous Fang the gnome joins forces with Arthur and Nyneve to manipulate history in a final confrontation of wills and worlds. The last move is Fang’s, as he unravels the strands of time to keep his clan from the brutal vision of Starquin’s end.