Presents the timeless love story between a farm boy named Westley and the beautiful Princess Buttercup, along with the author's comments on life and art as he attempts to edit the children's classic. A tale of true love and high adventure, pirates, princesses, giants, miracles, fencing, and a frightening assortment of wild beasts. William Goldman's modern fantasy classic is a simple, exceptional story about quests--for riches, revenge, power, and, of course, true love--that's thrilling and timeless. Anyone who lived through the 1980s may find it impossible--inconceivable, even--to equate "The Princess Bride" with anything other than the sweet, celluloid romance of Westley and Buttercup, but the film is only a fraction of the ingenious storytelling you'll find in these pages. Rich in character and satire, the novel is set in 1941 and framed cleverly as an "abridged" retelling of a centuries-old tale set in the fabled country of Florin that's home to "Beasts of all natures and descriptions. Pain. Death. Brave men. Coward men. Strongest men. Chases. Escapes. Lies. Truths. Passions."

"Agnieszka loves her valley home in a quiet village. But the corrupted Wood stands on the border, full of malevolent power, and its shadow lies over her life. Her people rely on the cold, driven wizard known only as the Dragon to keep the Wood's dark forces at bay. But he demands a terrible price for his assistance: every ten years, one young woman must be handed over to serve him without question. The next choosing is fast approaching, and Agnieszka knows--everyone knows--that the Dragon will take Kasia: beautiful, graceful, brave Kasia, all the things Agnieszka isn't, and her dearest friend in the world. And there is no way to save her. But when the Dragon comes, it is not Kasia he will choose."--Back cover.

"A fresh and imaginative retelling of the Rumpelstiltskin fairytale from the bestselling author of Uprooted, called "a very enjoyable fantasy with the air of a modern classic" by The New York Times Book Review. Miryem is the daughter and granddaughter of moneylenders, but her father is not a very good one. Free to lend and reluctant to collect, he has left his family on the edge of poverty--until Miryem intercedes. Hardening her heart, she sets out to retrieve what is owed, and soon gains a reputation for being able to turn silver into gold. But when an ill-advised boast brings her to the attention of the cold creatures who haunt the wood, nothing will be the same again. For words have power, and the fate of a kingdom will be forever altered by the challenge she is issued. Channeling the heart of the classic fairy tale, Novik deftly interweaves six distinct narrative voices--each learning valuable lessons about sacrifice, power and love--into a rich, multilayered fantasy that readers will want to return to again and again"--

Overview: The New York Times bestselling novel about a young man practicing magic in the real world. Like everyone else, precocious high school senior Quentin Coldwater assumes that magic isn't real, until he finds himself admitted to a very secretive and exclusive college of magic in upstate New York. There he indulges in joys of college-friendship, love, sex, and booze- and receives a rigorous education in modern sorcery. But magic doesn't bring the happiness and adventure Quentin thought it would. After graduation, he and his friends stumble upon a secret that sets them on a remarkable journey that may just fulfill Quentin's yearning. But their journey turns out to be darker and more dangerous than they'd imagined.

"Larry Boyd just found the coolest thing in the trash. It's an old bottle of INSTA-TAN. "Rub on a dark suntan in minutes" - that's what the label says. So Larry and his friends do. But nothing much happens. Until Larry notices the hair. Dark spikey hair growing on his hands and face. Really gross shiny hair. Hair that keeps growing back even after he shaves it off..." -- from the back cover.

"From the New York Times bestselling author of The Bone Season and The Priory of the Orange Tree, the stunning fourth novel set in the world of Scion. Dreamwalker Paige Mahoney has eluded death again. Snatched from the jaws of captivity and consigned to a safe house in the Scion Citadel of Paris, she finds herself caught between those factions that seek Scion's downfall and those who would kill to protect the Rephaim's puppet empire. The mysterious Domino Program has plans for Paige, but she has ambitions of her own in this new citadel. With Arcturus Mesarthim-her former enemy-at her side, she embarks on an adventure that will lead her from the catacombs of Paris to the glittering hallways of Versailles. Her risks promise high reward: the Parisian underworld could yield the means to escalate her rebellion to outright war. As Scion widens its bounds and the free world trembles in its shadow, Paige must fight her own memories after her ordeal at the hands of Scion. Meanwhile, she strives to understand her bond with Arcturus, which grows stronger by the day. But there are those who know the revolution began with them-and could end with them . . . The Mask Falling is a gripping, fantastical new addition to this "intoxicating urban-fantasy series" (NPR.org) that will leave readers begging for more"--

"The Mandalorian and Grogu continue their journey to find more of Grogu's kind as they make their way through a dangerous galaxy in the tumultuous era following the fall of the Empire. They will encounter strange creatures, mysterious Jedi, old friends, and the sinister Moff Gideon, who wants the Child for his own purposes"--

Quentin and his friends are now the kings and queens of Fillory, but the days and nights of royal luxury are starting to pall. After a morning hunt takes a sinister turn, Quentin and his old friend Julia charter a magical sailing ship and set out on an errand to the wild outer reaches of their kingdom. Their pleasure cruise becomes an adventure when the two are unceremoniously dumped back into the last place Quentin ever wants to see: his parent's house in Chesterton, Massachusetts. And only the black, twisted magic that Julia learned on the streets can save them.

Another fantasy adventure from the author of ELLA ENCHANTED. Two princesses in a kingdom of magic, evil and sorcerors. When Princess Meryl succumbs to the terrible Grey Death, can Princess Addie overcome her fears and embark on a dangerous quest to find the cure? Princess Meryl and Princess Addie, two sisters as close as can be, are growing up in a world full of magic. When their mother dies of the terrible Grey Death, a mysterious illness for which there is no known cure, they must look after each other. Addie looks to Meryl for inspiration - her brave, lively sister, full of dreams to emulate the epic adventures of the legendary hero, Drualt. But then Meryl succumbs to the unmistakable symptoms of the Grey Death herself. Addie knows that she must go out and find a cure. She will have to face ogres, spectres, gryphons and dragons along the way. Can she really find the courage for the epic task ahead?

"With the acclaimed Temeraire novels, New York Times bestselling author Naomi Novik has created a fantasy series like no other, combining the high-flying appeal of Anne McCaffrey's Pern saga and the swashbuckling derring-do of Patrick O'Brian's historical seafaring adventures. Now, with League of Dragons, Novik brings the imaginative tour de force that has captivated millions to an unforgettable finish. Napoleon's invasion of Russia has been roundly thwarted. But even as Capt. William Laurence and the dragon Temeraire pursue the retreating enemy through an unforgiving winter, Napoleon is raising a new force, and he'll soon have enough men and dragons to resume the offensive. While the emperor regroups, the allies have an opportunity to strike first and defeat him once and for all--if internal struggles and petty squabbles don't tear them apart. Aware of his weakened position, Napoleon has promised the dragons of every country--and the ferals, loyal only to themselves--vast new rights and powers if they fight under his banner. It is an offer eagerly embraced from Asia to Africa--and even by England, whose dragons have long rankled at their disrespectful treatment. But Laurence and his faithful dragon soon discover that the wily Napoleon has one more gambit at the ready--one that that may win him the war, and the world. Praise for Naomi Novik and her Novels of Temeraire "Novik's influences run the gamut from Jane Austen to Patrick O'Brian, with a side trip through Anne McCaffrey. Her books are completely involving and probably addictive, their central conceit explored in clever detail with a great deal of wit and historical insight."--San Francisco Chronicle "These are beautifully written novels: not only fresh, original, and fast-paced, but full of wonderful characters with real heart."--Peter Jackson "A gripping adventure full of rich detail and the impossible wonder of gilded fantasy."--Entertainment Weekly "A new writer is soaring on the wings of a dragon."--The New York Times "A glorious series whose future status as a genre classic is now assured."--SF Reviews "If you've never read these novels, now is the time to start."--io9 "Enthralling reading."--Time"--

Under Platform 13 at King's Cross Station there is a secret door that leads to a magical island ... It appears only once every nine years. And when it opens, four mysterious figures step into the streets of London. A wizard, an ogre, a fey and a young hag have come to find the prince of their kingdom, stolen as a baby nine years before. But the prince has become a horrible rich boy called Raymond Trottle, who doesn't understand magic and is determined not to be rescued. The Secret of Platform 13 is an exciting magical adventure from Eva Ibbotson, the award-winning author of Journey to the River Sea.

Maia and her twin sister must leave their home to seek their fortunes. On their journey they endure hardship, hunger, imprisonment, bloody battles with pirates and separation. Maia meets a traveler who threatens the delicate balance of their society.

From award-winning author Guy Gavriel Kay, who "stands among the world's finest fantasy authors" (Montreal Gazette), comes a sweeping tale evocative of the Celtic and Norse cultures of the ninth and tenth centuries, filled with the human passion and epic adventure he is noted for.

Before they were heroes... 'Rescue? Is that what you call it? Throw a rock and then run? And I bet that's as far ahead as you'd planned.' Penelope made a face. 'Boys! Always thinking about heroics and never about what needs to happen day to day.' Odysseus, Prince of Ithaca, has always been safe, sheltered, protected - and bored! The Age of Heroes is past. The wars are over. The monsters have all been slain. Or so he believes. Are there any adventures left for a thirteen-year-old boy who wants, more than anything, to be a hero? His time comes when Odysseus, his best friend Mentor, a spoiled princess named Helen and her outspoken cousin Penelope are kidnapped by pirates. It is the start of an adventure-filled journey that leads them to the ancient island of Crete. There, Odysseus must face the deadly secret in the Labyrinth, where the Minotaur once devoured all who were unfortunate enough to enter. Now another, more deadly monster roams the maze. There the boy destined to fight in the Trojan War and survive the perilous voyage of the Odyssey discovers the hardest part of being a hero: living long enough to tell the tale.

Sometimes one hero isn't enough - sometimes you need a full dozen. Mack's search for his dazzling dozen continues in the third instalment of this hilarious, action-packed fantasy series by the New York Times bestselling author of GONE. Time is short for Mack MacAvoy! He has less than 30 days to round up the rest of the magnifica and defeat the Pale Queen and her evil daughter Risky. It seems that the only way to do this is to learn the magical language of Vargran, and to do THAT they must travel to Europe to find the Key - an ancient engraved stone that will unlock its power. But can Mack, Jarrah, Xiao, Dietmar and Stephan locate the invisible castle of William "Blisterthong" MacGuffin, who guards the Key? And will The Key hold the power to save the world? The Magnificent 12: The Key is another fast-paced episode in bestselling Michael Grant's hysterical fantasy adventure.

Strange Devices of the Sun and Moon is set in an imaginative recreation of Elizabethan London, a rich, intense city overflowing with life and action, a city of spies and booksellers, alchemists and playwrights, poets, witches, plague and salvation. A series of strange events links the lives of an ordinary woman, a bookseller in St. Paul's, and the great writer Christopher Marlowe, as the Faerie Queen and her court invade London in search of the Queen's son, the reborn King Arthur. Marlowe must become in effect a detective, and Alice, strangely favored by the fairies, must become a heroine in a struggle against evil forces. The culmination of this extraordinary fantasy, a battle between the opposing dragons of good and evil, is certainly one of the most weird and enchanting events in all contemporary fantasy. Strange Devices of the Sun and Moon is a big, delicious fantasy adventure filled with strange creatures and ordinary people, famous characters, and mysterious historical doings. It is a triumph of entertainment and one of the finest fantasy novels of the decade.

"An epic fantasy series-now available as one volume-that follows three women of legendary skill on a quest to save the world's most powerful wizard and the innkeeper's assistant whose heartbreak will bear witness from the author of the bestselling The Last Unicorn. On a night like any other, three mysterious women arrive to an inn separately, one with a fox that is more than it seems. Karsh, the innkeeper, has no choice but to let the tangled drama unfold beneath his roof. His stable boy, Rosseth, is so mesmerized by the three cloaked women, a warrior nun, a fabled adventurer, and a girl who was saved from drowning, that he soon uncovers a deep secret that was better off remaining hidden. And then there is Tikat, overwhelmed by tragedy, who continues his journey to the inn, refusing to let death bring an end his love. Told in alternating points of view, fantasy master Peter S. Beagle has crafted an unforgettable novel of heartbreak and hope"--

"The days of magic and adventure are fading away, giving way to the age of industry and science. As the aged last Hero sits upon the throne of Albion, two friends-the privileged Thomas and his loyal servant, John- set out for the East in search of a legendary beast: the vicious, rarely-seen balverine. But their desire for adventure may be their ultimate undoing. For although the age of Heroes is ending, dangers and darkness still abound in the wilds of Albion. And as they travel, they encounter both unlikely friends and unnerving allies who seek adventure of a different sort. Though Thomas and James seem on the verge of finding their quarry, they may not live to tell the tale. Because their quarry has just found them ..."--Publisher description.

Monster Mission by Eva Ibbotson is a fun fantasy adventure full of fantastical creatures and mythical monsters! 'We must kidnap some children,' announced Aunt Etta. 'Young, strong ones. It will be dangerous, but it must be done.' Three children are stolen and taken to a bizarre island, which is home to some extraordinary creatures - including mermaids, selkies and the legendary kraken. The island is the base for a very mysterious mission. But the magical adventure is cut short when the island is suddenly under siege. Can the children save themselves and their new friends? 'Funny, gripping, charming and completely irresistible' - Amanda Craig