Though she was once a happy teenager with a wonderful family and a full life, Turquoise Draka is now a hunter. In a deadly world of vampires, shapeshifters, and mercenaries, she’ll track any prey if the price is right. Her current assignment: to assassinate Jeshikah, one of the cruelest vampires in history. Her employer: an unknown contact who wants the job done fast. Her major obstacle: she’ll have to hide her strength and enter Midnight, a fabled vampire realm, as a human slave. . . .

In this extraordinary collection, outstanding writers share stories inspired by the symbols of the Tarot. From wandering women to howling wolves to rising dead, the images of the cards are mixed to create medieval parodies, fantasy adventures, New Age satires, comedies of manners, and even a fresh addition to Irish mythology. Features Michael Moorcock, Gwyneth Jones, Josephine Saxton and others.

A new Conan adventure--from one of today's most popular writers of fantasy and SF! For decades, millions of readers have thrilled to the adventures of Conan, the barbarian adventurer invented by Robert E. Howard and further chronicled by other fantasy greats, including such notables as L. Sprague de Camp, Poul Anderson, and Robert Jordan. Now Harry Turtledove, one of today's most popular writers of fantasy and SF, contributes a novel to the Conan saga--a tale of Conan in his youth, in the year or so before he becomes the wandering adventurer we know from the tales of Howard and others. On the verge of adulthood, he lives in a Cimmerian hamlet, caring for his ailing mother, working in his father's smithy, and casting his eye on the weaver's daughter next door. Then war comes: an invasion by the Aquilonian Empire. Conan burns to join the fight, but he's deemed too young. Then, from the border country, comes an unbelievable report: The Aquilonians have smashed the Cimmerian defending forces, and can rule as they please. Soon their heavily garrisoned forts dot the countryside. Their settlers follow after, carving homesteads out of other men's land. Every Cimmerian longs to drive the intruders out with fire and sword, but they must stay their hands, for the Aquilonians have promised savage reprisals. Then, intolerably, the Aquilonian commander takes a wholly dishonorable interest in the weaver's daughter -- and he's not a man to wait, or even ask permission. It's not a recipe for a peaceable outcome.

"Rivka Galchen delivers joy and cleverness reminiscent of The Phantom Tollbooth , Alice in Wonderland , and Hayao Miyazaki movies" (NPR, Best Books of 2019) in Rat Rule 79 , a brain-twisting adventure story about friendship, growing up, and peanut-butter-pickle sandwiches. Fred and her math-teacher mom are always on the move, and Fred is getting sick of it. She's about to have yet another birthday in a new place without friends. On the eve of turning thirteen, Fred sees something strange in the living room: her mother, dressed for a party, standing in front of an enormous paper lantern--which she steps into and disappears. Fred follows her and finds herself in the Land of Impossibility--a loopily illogical place where time has been outlawed by a mad Rat Queen, along with birthday parties and, most cruelly, peanut butter. Fred meets Downer, a downcast white elephant, and Gogo, a pugnacious mongoose mother of seventeen, who help her in her quest to find her mom. Together they must brave dungeons, Insult Fish, a Know-It-Owl, Fearsome Ferlings, and ultimately the Rat Queen herself--and solve an ageless riddle to escape certain doom. Gorgeously illustrated and reminiscent of The Phantom Tollbooth and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz , Rivka Galchen's Rat Rule 79 is an instant classic for curious readers of all ages.

"A moving, thoughtful feminist novel set in a gritty and believable dystopian future."-- Kirkus Reviews In Book One of the Holdfast Chronicles, Aldera the Messenger, along with all other women, is a slave. In Book Two, Aldera the Runner lives in two worlds, both consisting entirely of women. Now In Book Three, The Furies, Aldera the Conqueror leads an army back over the mountains, hoping to end the tyranny and free the salves she left behind.

In the classic noir tradition of "Have Gun, Will Travel," Rachel Pollack--one of the world's foremost authorities on the Tarot--gives us the tale of Jack Shade, an occult shaman for hire. Jack Shade has a secret, and this hidden part of his past sends him on a journey through time and space and a great number of metaphysical doorways. From the cosy poker table in the eleventh floor apartment of the Hotel de Reve Noire to the ethereal Forest of Souls to the faded houses along the Gold River, Jack flows in and out of this world. Even when his own duplicate hires him to kill himself, Jack is mercury in motion. Jack the Nimble. Jack the Quick. The Fissure King: A Novel in Fire Stories collects the four existing Jack Shades novellas and shows us Jack's final trick--one last story that finally reveals Jack's true nature. Only Rachel Pollack, one of the world's greatest authorities of tarot and an award-winning novelist and comic book writer, could dream of someone as mischievous and mythopoeic as Jack Shade. The King is dead. Long live the King.

The third novel in the original saga based on the movie Willow From the story by George Lucas, creator of Star Wars and Indiana Jones , and Chris Claremont, author of the bestselling X-Men adventures, comes the thrilling and unforgettable climax to an epic saga of myth, magic, and legend. Elora Danan has in her possession two last dragon eggs . . . and the last hope of the world. To protect them, Elora spellbinds herself to her faithful companions Thron Drumheller, the sorcerer and her sworn guardian, and Khory Bannefin, the woman warrior inhabited by a demon's offspring. It is a dire spell that ensures none of them will betray their cause . . . even at the cost of their lives. Meanwhile, Elora and her allies are being relentlessly pursued by the dreaded Black Rose, the Deceiver's commando assassins. But the greatest enemy lies within Elora herself. For the Deceiver is her own dark twin from a potential future of unimaginable evil. And the only way Elora can stop that future is to befriend an enemy whose insatiable appetite for destruction could destroy all of creation. Or is that, too, part of the Deceiver's plan?

Paul Dear is a good and clever boy, but he’s special in ways that even his adoring parents could never have imagined. For by day, in London’s Kensington Gardens, he walks and talks with the pixies and sprites and other magical creatures that dwell among the living–but are unseen by most. Then everything changes when tragedy strikes–and a quest begins that will lead Paul to a curio shop where a magical ally awaits him and launches him into the starry skies, bound for a realm where anything is possible. Far from home, Paul will run with fierce Indian warriors, cross swords with fearsome pirates, befriend a magnificent white tiger, and soar beside an extraordinary, ageless boy who reigns in a boundless world of imagination.

Apropos is a product of a violent childhood. Estranged from his prostitute mother, fatherless since his unfortunate conception, Apropos makes his living as a thief. But when the death of a young girl rattles his conscience, and when he forges an unlikely alliance with a hero of true nobility, Apropos finds himself confronting for the first time in his life the selfish nature of his maverick, every-man-for-himself ethos. At times a loyal friend, at others a ruthless betrayer, Apropos is fast approaching the moment when he must choose between honor and safety, between the core of nobility residing in his heart and the shame that has haunted him through life. A darkly atmospheric tale rich with tension and unexpected turns of fate, SIR APROPOS OF NOTHING is crafted by Peter David with both penetrating wit and subtle poignancy. Treating the fantasy genre to an invigorating overhaul, David delivers something altogether new and original, starring a character as familiar as yesterday--and as new as tomorrow.

The latest volume in the acclaimed Heiresses of Russ series features stories that are anything but invisible: the women in these tales are not hiding and are not easily overlooked but rather are choosing the harder path, the more dangerous route, whether that leads to love or loss or adventure. Included in these pages are stories that have won a World Fantasy Award, a Tiptree Award, and a British Fantasy Award...but every one of these stories chosen by guest editor A.M. Dellamonica (herself an award-winning writer of queer speculative fiction) is emblematic of the new vitality to be found in lesbian-themed tales of wonder, the eerie, and the miraculous.

Armchair fiction presents extra large paperback editions of the best in classic science fiction novels. "Search the Sky" is by two of science fiction's best known authors--Frederik Pohl and C. M. Kornbluth. Ross wanted off. He had been born and had spent his life on Halsey's Planet, far beyond our universe. But something was wrong with the society there, something he couldn't quite name--a feeling of breakdown and detrition. Then one of the rare spaceships came through from Earth, after a journey of several hundred years. When the descendents of the original crew stepped out and told their story, the spark was provided and Ross was off on a mission. Other planets in these outer reaches--also peopled by colonists from Earth--had failed to respond to the spaceship's signals. Maybe the breakdown on Halsey had already affected them. Ross was given the chance to find out. It was an odd mission. He didn't even know what he was looking for. But he had to go.

Oliza Shardae Cobriana is heir to Wyvern's Court, home of the avians and serpiente, whose war with each other ended just before Oliza was born. But hatred is slow to die, and not everyone likes the expressive way in which Urban, a serpiente dancer, is courting Oliza--especially not Marus, her reserved avian suitor. And when Urban is found beaten in avian land, Oliza is filled with despair. How can she be expected to lead a unified society if her people still cannot live peacefully together? Before Oliza can try to mend the rift in Wyvern's Court, she is kidnapped by mercenaries, who take her deep into wolves' territory. As Wyvern princess, all Oliza has ever wanted is to see a future where she can find love and take a mate without inciting another war. The time is now. She owes it to her people--and to herself.

For Tom and his teddy bear, each day's activity continues into a wonderful nighttime adventure when Tom wields his magic cloth at bedtime.

"Although the wombat is real and the dragon is not, nobody knows what a wombat looks like and everyone knows what a dragon looks like."Not a novel, not a book of short stories, Adventures in Unhistory is a book of the fantastic-a compendium of magisterial examinations of Mermaids, Mandrakes, and Mammoths; Dragons, Werewolves, and Unicorns; the Phoenix and the Roc; about places such as Sicily, Siberia, and the Moon; about heroic, sinister, and legendary persons such as Sindbad, and Aleister Crowley, and Prester John; and-revealed at last-the Secret of Hyperborea.

The launch of an exciting new series of parallel-world adventure from "the modern master of alternate history" ( Publishers Weekly )

From Harry Turtledove, the master of alternate history, comes After the Downfall, a novel of magic, epic warfare, and desperate choices. 1945: Russian troops have entered Berlin, and are engaged in a violent orgy of robbery, rape, and revenge. Wehrmacht officer Hasso Pemsel, a career soldier on the losing end of the greatest war in history, flees from a sniper's bullet, finding himself hurled into a mysterious, fantastic world of wizards, dragons, and unicorns. There he allies himself with the blond-haired, blue-eyed Lenelli, and Velona, their goddess in human form, offering them his knowledge of warfare and weaponry in their genocidal struggle against a race of diminutive, swarthy barbarians known as Grenye. But soon, the savagery of the Lenelli begins to eat at Hasso Pemsel's soul, causing him to question everything he has long believed about race and Reich, right and wrong, Ubermenschen and Untermenschen. Hasso Pemsel will learn the difference between following orders... and following his conscience. Skyhorse Publishing, under our Night Shade and Talos imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of titles for readers interested in science fiction (space opera, time travel, hard SF, alien invasion, near-future dystopia), fantasy (grimdark, sword and sorcery, contemporary urban fantasy, steampunk, alternative history), and horror (zombies, vampires, and the occult and supernatural), and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller, a national bestseller, or a Hugo or Nebula award-winner, we are committed to publishing quality books from a diverse group of authors.

HAI HAS ALWAYS been an outsider. With a falcon mother and a deceased cobra father, she is considered a mongrel by most, an ally by some, and a friend by few. Hai's broken falcon wings are a painful reminder of the life she once led on the island of Ahnmik. And here in Wyvern's Court, the avian and serpiente royal family keep their distance, refusing to acknowledge her cobra bloodline. They know that Hai's magic is so volatile, she can barely control it, and images of the past and future threaten to overwhelm her.When Hai's cousin, Oliza Shardae Cobriana, abdicates the throne of Wyvern's Court, Hai has visions only of destruction: the serpiente king Salem, dying in her arms; the dutiful guard, Nicias, unable to save a generation of children; and Wyvern's Court engulfed in flames.Now Hai will do anything to protect her new home - even if it means betraying the very people who need her most.

Known to millions as "Star Trek's" Captain Kirk, actor-director and bestselling author William Shatner returns to the stunning future world he created in "TekWar." Ex-cop Jake Cardigan is back. A synthetic plague is sweeping the city. And a top drug-control agent is brutally murdered by a reprogrammed human "zombie, " deadlier than an android assassin. For Jake, all roads lead to one fatal circle - the heart of a vast computerized drug ring, the masters of a savage and powerful underworld...the lair of the TekLords.

This deluxe novel dives into the history and ancient conspiracy behind the world of Tomorrowland with an action-packed original story. It includes a 20-page full color comic insert, bringing to life a comic that plays an integral role in the plot. Written by the film's writers, Brad Bird (The Incredibles), Damon Lindelof (Lost), and Jeff Jensen (Entertainment Weekly), this book is perfect for fans of Tomorrowland and fans of science fiction and alternative history in general.

The second novel in Amelia Atwater-Rhodes's dazzling Mancer trilogy, Of the Divine takes place seventy-one years before Of the Abyss, in a world where sorcery is still practiced freely—but at what cost? Henna is one of the most powerful sorcerers in the Order of Napthol, and her runes ’s runes tell her that the future of Kavet is balanced on the edge of the knife. The treaties between Kavet and the dragon-like race known as the Osei have become intolerable. The time has come for the royal house to magically challenge Osei dominion. Prince Verte, Henna' lover, is to serve as the nexus for the powerful but dangerous spell, with Naples--an untested young sorcerer from the Order of Napthol--a volatile but critical support to its creation. Amid these plans, Dahlia Indathrone’s arrival in the city shouldn’t matter. She has no magic and no royal lineage, and yet, Henna immediately knows Dahlia is important. She just can’t see why. As their lives intertwine, the four will learn that they are pawns in a larger game, one played by the forces of the Abyss and of the Numen—the infernal and the divine. A game no mortal can ever hope to win.