Eine Geschichte aus der Welt der Schattenwandler - exklusiv als E-Book! Der Dämon Kane wird vom Verlangen nach der schönen Corrine verzehrt. Doch er weiß nur zu gut, dass es ihm verboten ist, sich mit einer Sterblichen einzulassen. Doch in der Nacht von Samhain kann sich kein Dämon seiner dunklen Begierden erwehren, und Kane ist fest entschlossen, Corrine zu der Seinen zu machen ... Published in English in the Anthology *Supernatural.*

From New York Times bestselling author Jacquelyn Frank comes the scorching hot first book in a thrilling new series featuring four warrior brothers who have the power—and the curse—of immortality.   For centuries, Dethan has been trapped in a fiery inferno for defying the gods and snatching the power of immortality. Condemned to have his battle-hardened body licked by flames only to regenerate and be consumed all over again, Dethan has lost all hope—until the Goddess of Conflict appears. She will release him from torment—if he’ll use his power and strength as a warrior to raise an army and defeat a fierce enemy faction of gods. Free to live as a man once again, Dethan meets Selinda—heir to the throne of Hexis—and his thoughts quickly turn from the conquest of cities to the conquest of this headstrong beauty. Betrothed to a cruel, calculating powermonger, Selinda needs a champion, and so Dethan enters into another bargain: If she will share her bed—and her body—with him, Dethan will save her city from destructive forces within and without. As the lovers ignite a searing passion, Dethan will risk all—even the wrath of the Goddess of Conflict—for a chance to make Selinda his forever.

Valerian Jorku is second born heir to a massive throne overseeing the largest country in many lands, a country that is ever growing, thanks to his power hungry brother Vicktor, the emperor. But Vicktor is a cruel master and Valerian grows increasingly restless as he experiences his brother's brutal nature and its effect on others. Melena, a newly acquired slave girl he is conditioning to his pleasure, whispers nightly of his responsibilities to the people and how those responsibilities should outweigh his honorable intentions toward a brother who is clearly insane. Should he listen to this woman, sister to a rebel thorn in his side, or should he continue to honor his father's last wishes and be Vicktor's silent general, doing whatever he asks, no matter how wrong? When Vicktor threatens her life and begins to turn Valerian's women against him, Melena seizes the opportunity to push Valerian further in the right direction. But Valerian is not a man to be mastered. He is the one in control and ultimately it is he who holds all of their fates and futures in his hands.

Valerian is brother to the vicious warlord Vicktor, who destroys and dominates in every land he conquers and with every slave he captures. Valerian is made of a different stripe. While he is dominant, there is balance to his view of the world and how he treats others. This is readily apparent when his brother offers him a rare gift, a defiant slave of surpassing beauty and a spirit begging to be reigned in. Melena Ni Coro despises her captor. She fears her brother has been killed by the man who now holds her leash, and she wants him to know she would rather die than be tamed by him. She is prepared to fight him every step of the way. Yet in spite of her hatred, Valerian begins to tear away at Melena's defiance and anger. He teaches her there is much more to life and passion than she might think. All he asks is that she remain true to herself and honest with him. Together they will learn there is more pleasure to be found in each other than either of them realizes.

From the New York Times bestselling author of the Nightwalkers and Shadowdwellers series, Seduce Me in Dreams begins a sexy new futuristic series featuring an elite group of military heroes. Dark. Mysterious. Sensual. When Bronse Chapel, the commander of a specialized unit of the Interplanetary Militia, begins to dream about a beautiful and exotic brunette, he wants to dismiss it as being induced by lack of sleep . . . or perhaps lack of sex. But his instincts tell him it's something different, something far more dangerous. Ravenna is the leader of the Chosen Ones, a small group of people from her village born with extraordinary powers. She doesn't know that draws her to Bronse's dreams night after night, but she senses that he and his team are in jeopardy. Ravenna can help him, but first Bronse must save the Chosen Ones from those who plan to use their powers for evil. Together, Bronse and Ravenna will be unstoppable. But Ravenna is hiding something that could endanger them all.

The Shadowdwellers live in a realm of darkness and sensuality, where order is prized and sin must be punished. Yet for Magnus, the head priest of Sanctuary, salvation rests with the one woman who can entice him to break every rule. . . She Was The Ultimate Temptation Magnus is a man of contradictions--a spiritual leader in a warrior's body. To him, laws are for enforcing and visions must be followed--even if that means freeing a beautiful slave and making her his reluctant handmaiden. Betrayed once before, Magnus can barely bring himself to trust another woman. Yet Daenaira's fiery innocence is drawing them both into a reckless inferno of desire. Daenaira grew up hearing tales of a fearsome priest who seemed more myth than reality. But Magnus is very real--every inch of him--and so is the treachery surrounding them. Beneath Sanctuary's calm surface, an enemy is scheming to unleash havoc on the Shadowdwellers, unless Magnus trusts in a union ordained by fate, and sealed by unending bliss. . .

From New York Times bestselling author Jacquelyn Frank comes the smoothly sensual second book in an exciting new series featuring four immortal warrior brothers who must stake their hearts against their fate.   As punishment for plotting with his brothers to steal immortality, Garreth is suffering a freezing torment until the end of time. Again and again, his fierce fighter’s physique is frozen into a chiseled ice sculpture, his heart hardening like a diamond in his chest—only to thaw and resume the chilling torture. Until, like his older brother Dethan, he is offered a reprieve from a goddess—in exchange for his allegiance in a celestial civil war. Garreth lives to fight and fights to live. But while laying siege to an embattled city, he finds another reason to go on—a beautiful warrior woman named Sarielle, who commands a mythic beast through a mysterious and powerful bond. Terrified of her strength, the city rulers have kept her captive, and now she refuses to submit to a new master. As Garreth seeks to unleash her passion and melt the icy resistance of her heart, will he become her ultimate salvation—or lead them both to greater destruction? From the Paperback edition.

A hidden society of vampires—and the humans they love—are at the heart of this opening novel in a biting, all-original series from the New York Times bestselling author of the Nightwalkers saga. Rafe DaSilva is an energy vampire, soaking up nourishment from the sun—and, only when necessary, drawing sweet sustenance from humans who are pure in body and spirit. As the right-hand man to his queen, Rafe is a key player at a historic peace summit in New York City, which will unite the vampire nations against a common threat: the sycophants, who feed on humanity and kill indiscriminately. But Rafe’s fascination with a beautiful blond police detective may put everything at risk. Detective Renee Holden has never worked a homicide quite like this. The victim has twin puncture wounds on his neck, and the only eyewitness swears she saw a vampire. Now’s definitely not the time to get distracted by a seductive stranger. But the suave, darkly austere, exotically handsome Rafe DaSilva is a hard man to deny, and as Renee falls under his spell, she also falls prey to his enemies. Desperate to protect her, Rafe lifts the veil on a shadow realm she can only visit—a world of intoxicating power, terrifying dangers, and forbidden pleasures.

As commander of his brother Vicktor's armies, Valerian has had to do many things he didn't agree with. People fear him, but his fairness and sane temperament place him far above Vicktor in their eyes. Vicktor's resentment of Valerian's popularity has caused an ever-growing rift between the brothers. Caught between their fraternal friction is a slave girl, Melena, who learns sometimes it is not so easy a thing to hold hatred in your heart. Her anger toward Valerian eases as his loving punishment and intense correction begin to break through her defensiveness. But this connection works both ways. Melena has come to see she has power of her own to wield. Is she woman enough to guide Valerian into betraying his brother for the well being of his country?

Two strangers—one warm and human, the other deadly and craving—become pawns in an all-out vampire war as this series from the New York Times bestselling author of the Nightwalkers saga heats up. As an energy vampire, Halo enjoys the chase for human blood—if it’s pure and consensual. But Halo goes from hunter to hunted when he is knocked unconscious and taken hostage by vicious sycophants. As he comes to, he realizes that he’s naked, starving, and trapped in a sealed room. With him is a deliciously human female, tempting him to feed—except her blood is heady with the scent of poisonous drugs. Never has nourishment been so near, yet so far . . . and it’s all part of the sycophants’ sick game. The last thing Felice Mendoza remembers is everything going black. She awakens stripped, drugged, exposed, and alone—with a vampire. Halo is at once savage and tender, terrifying and alluring. Felice senses that her only chance to escape depends upon his survival. Given the choice between Halo and his enemies, Felice surrenders to his ravenous hunger. It’s a calculated risk—and a delirious pleasure. As Felice is ushered into a world as dangerous as it is desirable, their fight for deliverance is only the beginning.

EDITORIAL REVIEW: *New York Times* bestselling author Jacquelyn Frank invites you to explore a strange and sensuous world of darkest desire ruled by an extraordinary being who is about to meet his earthly match. . . Sandman. Angus. Morpheus. He is known by many names, except his true one, Adrian. When he departs his world, it is to enter the sacred space of sleep, and he is not there to sow sweet dreams. Adrian's mission is to reap the dark energy of nightmares, work that has twisted his soul as well as his once-handsome face. Now, he lives only to await the day darkness finally overcomes him. . .and to collect exquisite reminders of what he's lost. . . But there is one treasure that stands apart. Having risked everything to obtain her, Adrian soon realizes his mistake. For Kathryn has a wholly unexpected power over him, not only for what she represents, but for what for she is: a soul with desires as strong as his own, tempered by compassion that could save Adrian from his self-made hell--or condemn them both. . . Praise for the Novels of Jacquelyn Frank "A lush narrative sure to please readers who have longed for new gothic and darkly romantic tales." --*Booklist* on *Gideon* "Frank's *Nightwalker* series depicts an engrossing alternate world, drawn in prose that is lush and lyrical." --Linda Howard

Hunted by magic, beset by evil, the Nightwalkers face their darkest hour yet. And when the unthinkable happens, only one legendary male has the power, the will, to save them: Adam. . . For 400 Years He Was Lost To Her, But He Is Hers Tonight. . . From their first tantalizing touch, Jasmine knows he is different. What other lover could unlock her tight control, flood vampire senses jaded by a lifetime of decadent self indulgence? Centuries ago, when he disappeared without a trace, she had given up hope of ever fulfilling the promise of incomparable passion. But here he is, against the very laws of nature, ready to bring down their most vicious enemy, ready to bring her blood to the boiling point. . .if she will only let him. Pleasure rules the night.

As an Advocate for his colony, Julian Sawyer travels to Earth to bring back the Chosen--women who possess energy potent enough to help revitalize his people. The stunning, silver-clad beauty who strides into his club one night radiates a sensual magnetism unlike any he's encountered, and Julian realizes that Asia Callahan is not just Chosen, she is his kindra: his one true mate. For months, Asia has tracked the beautiful and mysterious Julian across the country, convinced that he's behind the disappearance of her sister and a dozen other women. She's prepared to believe he's a ruthless killer, but when she presents herself as bait, she discovers that the truth is far more shocking. Taken to a strange, hazardous realm she never knew existed, Asia will face the ultimate choice--between abandoning the life she's always known, and forsaking a passion as dangerous as it is powerful.

The queen of the vampires lives a solitary and protected life. She must be very selective when she hunts and even more so when she takes a lover. Marcus is there to protect his queen from the evils of the world, but he quickly discovers one of the reasons she is such a powerful queen is because she brashly and independently protects herself. Both of them are used to asserting their dominance over a situation and they quickly learn they have this and other things in common...including a common enemy...the most dangerous sycophant to ever rule the Eastern Seaboard's underground. But Draz is more than a pain in the ass and an inconvenience. He has his eyes set on Simone's throne. He's no longer content with ruling just the underworld. He wants to rule the vampires too. In the midst of this struggle, Marcus finds himself falling for the headstrong woman he is meant to protect. But how can he love her and protect her at the same time? All he has to do is look into Simone;s eyes and fall into her heart in order to find all the answers.

They are called the Demons, one of the elusive Nightwalker races living in shadow and struggling for survival against their human enemies. Their proudest warrior is Elijah, a man who bends for nothing and no one...until one woman brings him to his knees... Some Feelings You Just Can't Fight He is known as the Warrior Captain--a master of every weapon, a fierce soldier sworn to protect his kind. Powerful, relentless, merciless, Elijah has always won every battle he's ever taken on--until now. Ambushed by necromancers, he is left for dead only to be discovered by the woman who could very well deliver the final blow...Siena, the Lycanthrope Queen. With three centuries of warring, little more than a decade of uneasy peace has existed between the Lycanthropes and Elijah's people. Now, after a lifetime of suspicion, the warrior in Elijah is consumed with a different battle--winning Siena's heart by giving her pleasure beyond all boundaries. What starts as attraction and arousal soon burns into a passion with consequences that will echo through the ages for both their people. And as would-be enemies become inseparable lovers, another threat approaches, one with the power to destroy them all... Surrender to the night.

A body that won't quitClothes that are barely thereEyes that openly invite him to take what he wantsDevon Candler is nothing like the helpless, vulnerable woman Liam expected when he agreed to provide security for her secluded Catskill Mountain estate. Yet her life is at risk. Her enemies monsters. Her secrets devastating. Liam Nash is a trained killer who takes no prisoners, fears no man. But to him this woman is seductively, devastatingly. . .

From New York Times bestselling author Jacquelyn Frank comes this first book in The World of the Nightwalkers—an exciting and sensual new spin-off series in which the Bodywalkers, an ancient race of the night, battles the evil forces who prey on them. The unexpected happens in an instant. On her way to work, secretary Docia Waverley hurtles into a crashing crossroads, and she quickly begins to suspect that things will never be the same. Then, when a tall, blond, muscular stranger intervenes on her behalf, telling her it is his duty to protect her at all cost, what is just a feeling turns to proof positive. That is, as long as Docia’s savior doesn’t turn out to be a crazed kidnapper. When Ram finds Docia, he has no doubt that she is his queen. But as this golden warrior sweeps in to protect her, he feels something more than body heat every time they touch. He is overwhelmed by a searing connection that goes deep into the twin souls inside him. A desire rises in him that is forbidden—this woman is his queen, the mate of his king, his leader, his best friend. And yet Docia is so vulnerable and attractive that she awakens a hunger in Ram that is undeniable, a carnal craving he cannot yield to . . . not without risking the very survival of the Bodywalkers.

Ariana Colla is a queen among her people. As one third of a ruling triumvirate she has power and prestige, but she believes she has never let it go to her head. Her power as a politician is matched only by her power to wield fire with her hands and mind. She and her society are refined and sophisticated. Raja Sin is also a ruler of his people, but they are very far from being refined. Arianna considers him and his people barbarians. Savages that have vexed the Saren people with war and bullying. But that’s supposedly all in the past. There is peace now between the Sarens and Sin’s people. But that doesn’t change the hard feelings left behind by war and it doesn’t change Ariana’s opinion of Sin. Sin feels just the opposite. He finds everything about Ariana to be fascinating and exciting. In fact, ever since the conclusion of their peace talks he has been unable to erase her from his thoughts. She is in his mind and in his blood like a fever that won’t break. It drives him mad until he is compelled to take drastic action. Sin and Ariana are two opposite sides of a coin, the same but different. They each want what’s best for their people, and they each have trouble seeing issues from the other’s perspective. Can Raja Sin get Ariana to see things his way? Or are they destined to remain worlds apart?

They're called the Nightwalkers--proud, ancient beings who live in the shadows, existing just beyond the human world. But there are also dangerous humans who hunt them--necromancers who use the blackest magic to manipulate them. And for a Demon named Gideon, the battle against these evil forces will soon be all too personal... AS A HEALER, HE KNOWS HER BODY. BUT IT'S HER HEART HE WANTS. For a thousand years, Gideon has healed his people. And as the oldest surviving male of his race, his wisdom has always been respected without question. But Gideon knows that even he is vulnerable to the powerful, primitive desires that befall his kind during Hallowed moons--and nine years ago that truth was hammered home when he found himself claiming Magdalegna, the Demon King's sister, in a wild embrace. Horrified by his lack of control, he left her wanting and furious--and then exiled himself for the better part of a decade. Now, with necromancers threatening his people--and Magdalegna nearly their victim--Gideon must face another truth. He and the beautiful, stubborn Magdalegna are destined to be together, to share a love as deep and old as time itself. But first he needs to regain her trust. Then he'll have to save her life... Every night holds secrets.

In a world where emotion can be a deadly weapon, one slight, battered runaway holds the key to a dark and twisted enigma. . . "Drink of me, " she whispers, her silver eyes trusting, pleading. What female dares speak such words to one of the Sange? His people are scorned by every race for their fierce sensuality, their fearful rituals. And as Prime, Reule is the most telepathically gifted of them all. But nothing has prepared him for the intensity of emotion radiating from the outlander rescued by his Pack. Terrified, tormented, but beautiful beyond measure, Mystique shatters his legendary control. As she reaches for him in the steamy heat of the healing baths, he knows this blind need can have but one end. . . In blood, in knowledge, in ecstasy.

ICY RECEPTION Ambrea Vas Allay is the rightful heir to the throne of Allay. But when she is summoned home from exile, she discovers that her father, who had executed her mother, has died. Her young half-brother, controlled by their uncle, has taken power. Ambrea is torn by an impossible choice: renounce the crown or waste away in prison. The last thing she expects is to be liberated by a huge, tattooed Tarian—or to feel a searing passion for her mysterious rescuer. SMOLDERING DECEPTION Rush “Ender” Blakely loves being part of the elite force of the Interplanetary Militia and the mission to save the princess Allay. But the tough Tarian hides a fiery secret—a blazing power that makes him literally too hot to handle. He must be crazy to carry a torch for this strong, beautiful princess—when any intimacy between them is bound to be explosive. BLAZING INSURRECTION As Ambrea steels herself to take back the throne, does she dare entrust this scorching stranger with the fate of an empire—and, even more so, with her heart?

In the Name of Science Dr. Jenesis DeBruehl once hoped that her scientific research would have positive ramifications for humanity, only to have her work twisted by the evil Dr. Eric Paulson and used to torture innocents. Seven years later she finally has her own lab again, despite her checkered past. Kincaid “Kin” Gregory is a Morphate, one of the people mutated by Paulson. Now running the lab that Jenesis is joining, Kin is surprised by the lust he feels for the human woman. While Jenesis struggles with her guilt over the role she played in Kincaid’s mutation, he encourages her to use him as her personal test subject. No limitations. With Kin’s body all hers, Jenesis is about to make a whole new kind of discovery . . .

Beyond our world lies a land where darkness reigns - the land of the virile, sensual Shadowdwellers. Yet their mysterious abilities are no match for the power of desire... Double Your Pleasure... Discipline... Penance... Order... A Sanctuary priest's life revolves around such things. But when Sagan is taken captive and thrust into the Alaskan wilderness, he encounters a woman who challenges his faith and his self-control. Valera is a natural born witch who almost lost herself to the lure of dark magic. By rights, Sagan should shun her, but convention will count for nothing in the face of a passion that could change the world of the Shadowdwellers forever.... As Chancellor of the Shadowdwellers, Malaya's first duty is to her people. Her bodyguard, Guin, knows this only too well. For tradition's sake, Malaya must marry, and the thought of this lush, vibrant, woman in a loveless union is impossible for him to bear. Guin loves Malaya - not as a subject loves his queen but as a man craves a woman. And even if he cannot keep her, he'll show her everything she stands to lose...

From New York Times bestselling author Jacquelyn Frank comes the captivating conclusion to the sizzling series featuring four immortal warrior brothers who love as hard as they fight. After drinking from the fountain of immortality along with his brothers, Maxum is condemned by the gods to be entombed in the earth. Even though he has now been granted a reprieve by day, each night he is buried anew, his rock-hard body immobilized, his bones crushed by the pressure. When he emerges, his body heals, but his spirit remains scarred. There is only one way for Maxum to be completely free: He must kill the god who cursed him. The task will require tremendous power, so Maxum embarks on a quest to gather talismans to equip him for the battle. Then an earthy wench seduces him and steals one of his magical amulets, but he catches her. Finding herself between a rock and a hard place, she strikes a bargain. The beautiful and alluring Airianne is a skilled thief—and she can help him in his acquisition of the talismans. Will this stealthy seductress also try to steal his heart—or will their boldness end up getting them both buried?

The author of The New York Times bestseller Spock's World continues the story of Freehorn, Herewiss, Segnbora, Sunspark, and Hasai in an entertaining and magical sequel to The Door into Fire. "Expands the limits of the Swords and Sorcery genre . . . exciting, magical, intelligent".--Publishers Weekly.

Nita Callahan is at the end of her rope because of the bullies who've been hounding her at school... until she discovers a mysterious library book that promises her the chance to become a wizard. But she has no idea of the difference that taking the Wizard's Oath is going to make in her life. Shortly, in company with fellow beginner-wizard Kit Rodriguez, Nita's catapulted into what will be the adventure of a lifetime -- if she and Kit can both live through it. For every wizard's career starts with an Ordeal in which he or she must challenge the one power in the universe that hates wizardry more than anything else: the Lone Power that invented death and turned it loose in the worlds. Plunged into a dark and deadly alternate New York full of the Lone One's creatures, Kit and Nita must venture into the very heart of darkness to find the stolen, legendary Book of Night with Moon. Only with the dangerous power of the wizardly Book do they have a chance to save not just their own lives, but their world...

From the television event of the year, Steven Spielberg's seaQuest. The year is 2018, and the world's oceans are the last frontiers on Earth. The last hope for peace is the largest, most powerful submarine ever built, the seaQuest--an undersea research ship. But there are unknown dangers on the ocean floor. . . .

What happens between book 9 of the Young Wizards series, "A Wizard of Mars," and the forthcoming book 10, "Games Wizards Play"? Diane Duane answers the question in this volume, collecting together the three canonical works that constitute a "transitional trilogy" between books 9 and 10 -- a 150,000-word extravaganza of untold tales to help keep you going until the tenth book comes out in February 2016. "Interim Errantry" contains: The novella "Not On My Patch", the tale of an unusual Halloween in the Young Wizards' neighborhood, featuring overage Trick Or Treating, suburban zombies, and the Attack of the Killer Pumpkins. The novelette "How Lovely Are Thy Branches", a holiday-themed Young Wizards story in which an alien wizard who looks a lot like a Christmas tree gets the gift he wants most -- decorations -- and a memorable party and sleepover party are disrupted by a superblizzard and an incursion of alien ghosts. And finally, the new original Young Wizards novel "Lifeboats", the tale of a distant world threatened by unavoidable doom, an intervention that takes thousands of Earth's wizards, young and old, into harm's way, and a Valentine's Day that absolutely doesn't go as planned...

Rhiow seems a perfectly ordinary New York City cat. Or so her humans think--but she is much more than she appears. With her partners Saash and Urruah, she collaborates with human wizards, protecting the earth from dark forces and helping to maintain the network of magical gateways between different realities.

Life's already much too busy for Rhiow and the other cats of the New York City worldgating maintenance teams. The old, cramped Penn Station is being torn apart and relocated into its big new building, which means that the Penn worldgates have had to be moved too. Everyone's nerves are in shreds, and no one's had enough sleep for a human, let alone a Person. So when Rhiow goes staggering home to her litterbox the morning after the job's done and finds it already occupied by another cat -- who then vanishes -- at first she thinks she's hallucinating. But she's not. When her team is called to Los Angeles to do a minor consult after the city's single worldgate is deranged by a string of earthquakes, Rhiow's "hallucination" reappears bearing a dire message from the past. The messenger, a tom called Hwaith, reveals that similar earthquakes are striking Los Angeles in 1946 -- indicators not only of increasing instability in the San Andreas Fault, but of something far more troubling. Something is trying to subvert the Los Angeles gate to its own purposes. "The Lone Power?" Rhiow asks. "No," Hwaith says. "Something worse. Something from outside." Rhiow and her team find themselves caught up in ever-deepening peril and mystery as they make the dangerous trip back to post-war Los Angeles. Their intervention plunges them headfirst into the glitzy, murky world of 1946 Hollywood, a smoggy film-noir landscape filled with glamourous starlets, flamboyantly corrupt studio heads, wicked, pampered cats with hidden agendas, unsolved murders, snoopy screenwriters, scheming PR flacks, and a shadowy, celebrity-ridden cult dabbling in knowledge better left alone -- knowledge which could destroy their world's present and doom its future, if the dreadful promise of the Year of the Black Jaguar is fulfilled...

Herewiss is the only man in centuries to possess the Power of the blue Flame, but he can't use or control it -- not even to help his dearest friend, Freelorn, exiled prince of Arlen. Herewiss does have a talent for more mundane sorcery, and (aided by the unearthly creature Sunspark) he uses it to rout the armies besieging Freelorn. But now Herewiss faces a devastating choice. His time to master the blue Fire is running out. Should he join Freelorn in his fight to regain his kingdom? Or should he seek out the ancient keep in the Waste where doors lead into other worlds -- perhaps even the door whose use will teach him to control the Power that he must master or die?...

Every eleven years, Earth's senior wizards hold the Invitational: an intensive three-week event where the planet's newest, sharpest young wizards show off their best and hottest spells. Wizardly partners Kit Rodriguez and Nita Callahan, and Nita's sister, former wizard-prodigy Dairine Callahan, are drafted in to mentor two brilliant and difficult cases: for Nita and Kit, there’s Penn Shao-Feng, a would-be sun technician with a dangerous new take on managing solar weather; and for Dairine, there's shy young Mehrnaz Farrahi, an Iranian wizard-girl trying to specialize in defusing earthquakes while struggling with a toxic extended wizardly family that demands she perform to their expectations. Together they're plunged into a whirlwind of cutthroat competition and ruthless judging. Penn's egotistical attitude toward his mentors complicates matters as the pair tries to negotiate their burgeoning romance. Meanwhile, Dairine struggles to stabilize her hero-worshipping, insecure protégée against the interference of powerful relatives using her to further their own tangled agendas. When both candidates make it through to the finals stage on the dark side of the Moon, they and their mentors are flung into a final conflict that could change the solar system for the better . . . or damage Earth beyond even wizardly repair.

Second of Diane Duane's "Middle Kingdoms" sequence, sequel to THE DOOR INTO FIRE. The quest of Freelorn Ferrant's son, exiled prince of Arlen, continues as he and his people push eastward across the Middle Kingdoms in pursuit of his lost throne. But his companion, the warrior and sorceress Segnbora, brings her own possibly deadly agenda to the search...

In a Manhattan warehouse, an innocent man has been murdered during a mysterious crime. Evidence points to the involvement of Venom - the alien symbiote who is obsessed with Spider-Man's destruction. Yet Venom has always safeguarded innocent lives. Has Venom gone completely around the bend, or is there another suspect? Spider-Man thinks there is more to the crime than meets the eye. The spectre of the Hobgoblin, one of Spider-Man's nastiest villains, falls on a series of thefts, and leads the web-slinger to a deadly secret that may cause New York's destruction. Spider-Man must outsmart two of his deadliest enemies to save the city - but even more danger awaits him! Diane Duane, the New York Times best-selling author, launches an epic trio of Spider-Man novels with The Venom Factor; featuring all-new illustrations by popular comics artist Ron Lim.

In an alternate-world Los Angeles, prosecutor/psychic Lee Enfield and her partner, Gelert, investigate the murder of an elf. They soon reveal a deadly network of ties among organized crime, multinational corporations, and planetary governments of the Seven Worlds--all working together on the "ethnic cleansing" of elves from the alternate world of Alfheim. Original.

In the remote mountain village where she was born, Mariarta dil Alicg lives the untroubled life of a peasant girl...until, soon after a mysterious stranger's arrival, she starts to hear voices in the wind. The voices whisper strange secrets in Mariarta’s ears -- promising her the power to command the stormwind, hinting at an unknown magical heritage, and prophesying a fate marvelous past all Mariarta’s imaginings. Then a curse falls on Mariarta's village, shattering the lives of her family and friends. Mariarta must set out across the mountain realm of Raetia in search of a way to break the curse -- while also hunting for the truth about the beautiful and terrible being who Mariarta discovers is trying to possess her soul. Mariarta’s search will lead her into hidden domains of sorcery both dreadful and wondrous, and will finally embroil the young woman in the growing rebellion against her land's cruel Austriac oppressors -- but not before Mariarta comes face to face at last with the immortal Lady of the Storms, and challenges her to one final battle for control of her life, her soul, and her destiny... Reader advisory: This novel rated PG-15 for mature themes, language (Romansch), and the reinvention of democracy.

Nita's bratty little sister Dairine, 10, is too smart and powerful for a new wizard. Her computerized wizard manual glibly sends her off on her novice Ordeal. Kit and Nita chase her across the galaxy, trying to catch up before she gets into trouble so deep that not even her brains can rescue her.

It’s five days till Christmas, and the day before the Winter Solstice. The biggest pre-Christmas blizzard seen for decades is heading straight for the New York metropolitan area. But in one small corner of the Town of Hempstead, everyone’s attention is on other business. That’s because there’s a party tonight at Juan and Marina Rodriguez’s house… and the guest of honor is a being from four hundred lightyears away who looks a whole lot like a Christmas tree. As so often happens, the motive force behind the festivities is the redoubtable Carmela Rodriguez, intent on fulfilling her longtime intention to fulfill one of the great wishes of the wizard known as Filif — specifically, to finally get him into a full set of Christmas decorations. The two-day party that ensues (with an epic sleepover in the middle) brings together a cast of old and new friends to eat, drink, exchange presents, and see a few things the likes of which this world has never seen before… This 35,000 word novelette is a canonical work in the Young Wizards universe and takes place between the events of A Wizard of Mars and the forthcoming Games Wizards Play.

Just another Hallowe'en in the Young Wizards universe... In this 14,000-word novelette, written for UNICEF's 60th annual "Trick or Treat for UNICEF" campaign, we tag along with Nita Callahan, Kit Rodriguez, Ronan Nolan, and Dairine Callahan as they do a little overage Trick or Treating in their own neighborhood, and find themselves going up against an old adversary with a peculiar new ally...

This rare and sought-after Middle Kingdoms novelette was published for the first time in the Tor Fantasy tribute anthology Moonsinger's Friends: In Honor of André Norton, and has been out of print for twenty-five years. It now appears here in ebook format for the first time. Lior is the Rodmistress of a small north-coast fishing village in Darthen. Her work brings her up against the Sea on a daily basis. But one day a desperate challenge that Lior issues to the Sea itself in the face of a deadly ocean storm produces a change in the relationship that not even a Rodmistress can easily cope with. Soon Lior must choose between the safety and security of the life she's always known and the terrifying power and possibility offered her by what was once just a force of nature, but has now become something much more personal... Reader's advisory: This story contains mature themes and situations.