#range of ghosts

[veliseraptor]

Fantasy Series You Might Have Missed: A Starter Kit

The Mabinogion Tetralogy by Evangeline Walton | The Coldfire Trilogy by C.S. Friedman | The Worldbreaker Saga by Kameron Hurley | Eternal Sky by Elizabeth Bear | Night Watch Series by Sergei Lukyanenko | Rai-Kirah Trilogy by Carol Berg | Doctrine of Labyrinths by Sarah Monette

[torpublishinggroup]

To celebrate wrapping her Bone Universe series, Fran Wilde suggests 12 complete, bingeable SF/F trilogies you'll love.

[accidentalspaceexplorer]

Range of Ghosts

“Temur, grandson of the Great Khan, is walking away from a battlefield where he was left for dead. All around lie the fallen armies of his cousin and his brother, who made war to rule the Khaganate. Temur is now the legitimate heir by blood to his grandfather's throne, but he is not the strongest. Going into exile is the only way to survive his ruthless cousin. Once-Princess Samarkar is climbing the thousand steps of the Citadel of the Wizards of Tsarepheth. She was heir to the Rasan Empire until her father got a son on a new wife. Then she was sent to be the wife of a Prince in Song, but that marriage ended in battle and blood. Now she has renounced her worldly power to seek the magical power of the wizards. These two will come together to stand against the hidden cult that has so carefully brought all the empires of the Celadon Highway to strife and civil war through guile and deceit and sorcerous power.” (synopsis via Goodreads)

I loved Range of Ghosts. The setting is fantasy Mongols and Islamic empire and China, and it was really interesting to read a fantasy set in a kind of Medieval-era setting, but not set in Europe somewhere. It felt like she did a lot of research, although I’m not from any of those cultures so I can’t be sure. Also, the characters were interesting, and the worldbuilding was super cool! Depending on who controls the territory, a different set of moons/suns is in the sky, which was super unique and cool! I’m really excited to read the second one!

My Rating: 5/5

[matociquala]

Official Post from Elizabeth Bear: First off, the Jonathan Strahan-edited anthology Infinity Wars is out today. It contains stories by Garth Nix, Aliette de Bodard, Eleanor Arnason, Indrapramit Das, Carrie Vaughn, and about a dozen others, including me.My story is called "Perfect Gun," and it's a heartwarming tale of a war machine an

I know. I haven’t been around much lately. 

I’ve been BUSY. :D

[torteen]

Have you heard about our Fantasy Firsts program? Our mission this year is to introduce you to some amazing fantasy series, and we’re continuing to do that today with an exciting sweepstakes. We’re offering the chance to add to your TBR stack with nine fantastic reads. Plus, we’ll be including a book dragon mug for your hot beverage of choice. Head over to our blog to enter for a chance to win!

[lakecountylibrary]

Sean’s picks for the DnD crowd. Protip: Need a particular DnD book? Don’t want to drop $50? Check your library. You’re welcome.

The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie A barbarian, a guard captain, an inquisitor, and a wizard walk into a war...

The Riftwar Saga by Raymond Feist Pug’s magic is unusual, and there’s a freshly-torn rift between the worlds. This series is based on an actual campaign Feist was part of. Start with Magician: Apprentice.

Range of Ghosts by Elizabeth Bear A former princess seeking wizardly power and the weak heir to an embattled throne team up to take on the cult pulling the strings behind the strife and war that spans empires.

The Elric Saga by Michael Moorcock These ‘60s stories of doomed emperor, sorceror, and all-around antihero Elric are classics upon which many modern characters and campaigns have been built. The reading order is all over the map on this one; we suggest finding yourself a nice compilation to start with, like Elric: The Stealer of Souls.

Three Hearts and Three Lions by Poul Anderson A 20th century man is plucked out of time to face down all the armies of chaos, which are about to overthrow the realms of light.

The Legend of Drizzt by R.A. Salvatore Another classic, Drizzt is the original misunderstood dark elf. The Legend of Drizzt starts with Homeland, though you may find it compiled in The Dark Elf Trilogy.

The Discworld series by Terry Pratchett Equal parts parody and adventure, Terry Pratchett is unmatched in the telling of tales that leave you laughing and thinking. You’ll find analogues for every DnD class on Discworld. Where do you start? Wherever you want, though this guide may come in handy (it’s not current with the most recent books, but perfect for beginnings. We suggest starting with Witches or Watch).

Empire of Imagination: Gary Gygax and the Birth of Dungeons and Dragons by Michael Witwer A narrative biography of the inventor of DnD, from his childhood to his death in 2008.

See more of Sean’s recs

[torpublishinggroup]

Elizabeth Bear reveals one of the mysterious, esoteric rituals of master writers everywhere: cat waxing.

[torpublishinggroup]

eBook Sale! Get Elizabeth Bear's Range of Ghosts for just $2.99.

A powerful fantasy from Hugo award–winning author Elizabeth Bear, Range of Ghosts creates a world both deep and broad, where a sorcerer-prince seeks world domination for the glory of his God.

Temur, grandson of the Great Khan, is walking from a battlefield where he was left for dead. All around lie the fallen armies of his cousin and his brother who made war to rule the Khaganate. Temur is now the legitimate heir by blood to his grandfather's throne, but he is not the strongest. Going into exile is the only way to survive his ruthless cousin.

Once-Princess Samarkar is climbing the thousand steps of the Citadel of the Wizards of Tsarepheth. She was heir to the Rasan Empire until her father got a son on a new wife. Then she was sent to be the wife of a Prince in Song, but that marriage ended in battle and blood. Now she has renounced her worldly power to seek the magical power of the wizards.

These two will come together to stand against the hidden cult that has so carefully brought all the empires of the Celadon Highway to strife and civil war through guile and deceit and sorcerous power.