Recommendations based on "Critical Role: The Mighty Nein Origins--Caduceus Clay"

It has been twenty years since the end of the war. The dictatorial Augurs - once thought of almost as gods - were overthrown and wiped out during the conflict, their much-feared powers mysteriously failing them. Those who had ruled under them, men and women with a lesser ability known as the Gift, avoided the Augurs' fate only by submitting themselves to the rebellion's Four Tenets. A representation of these laws is now written into the flesh of any who use the Gift, forcing those so marked into absolute obedience.As a student of the Gifted, Davian suffers the consequences of a war fought – and lost – before he was born. Despised by most beyond the school walls, he and those around him are all but prisoners as they attempt to learn control of the Gift. Worse, as Davian struggles with his lessons, he knows that there is further to fall if he cannot pass his final tests.But when Davian discovers he has the ability to wield the forbidden power of the Augurs, he sets into motion a chain of events that will change everything. To the north, an ancient enemy long thought defeated begins to stir. And to the west, a young man whose fate is intertwined with Davian’s wakes up in the forest, covered in blood and with no memory of who he is…

SANCTAPHRAX WILL BE destroyed by the energy of the Mother Storm. . . .Far over the Edge, the Mother Storm is brewing—a storm more terrifying than any seen in the lifetime of any Edgelander. Sweeping in from the open sky, it must strike the source of the Edgewater River to bring new energy to the land. But in its way is Sanctaphrax, a magnificent city built on a floating rock and tethered to the land by a massive chain. Only one person can save the Edgelands from certain disaster: Twig, the young sky pirate captain who dared to sail over the Edge—and returned with his memory shattered and his crew flung far and wide. But to recover his memory and take action, Twig must first find his lost crew. And this means a journey back into the Deepwoods, and beyond. . . .“As before, Stewart’s descriptions are brilliant; Riddell’s line drawings are exquisitely detailed and notably grotesque. . . . Altogether this series is so exceptional that if I had any chance of collecting, I’d bet good money on it still being in print a century from now. . . . When’s the next book coming?”—Interzone“Fabulously illustrated. . . .”—The Sunday Times“Richly inventive. . . .”—Literary Review

Faith shapes the landscape, defines the laws of physics, and makes a mockery of truth. Common knowledge isn't an axiom, it's a force of nature. What the masses believe is. But insanity is a weapon, conviction a shield. Delusions give birth to foul new gods.Violent and dark, the world is filled with the Geisteskranken--men and women whose delusions manifest, twisting reality. High Priest Konig seeks to create order from chaos. He defines the beliefs of his followers, leading their faith to one end: a young boy, Morgen, must Ascend to become a god. A god they can control.But there are many who would see this would-be-god in their thrall, including the High Priest's own Doppels, and a Slaver no one can resist. Three reprobates--The Greatest Swordsman in the World, a murderous Kleptic, and possibly the only sane man left--have their own nefarious plans for the young god.As these forces converge on the boy, there's one more obstacle: time is running out. When one's delusions become more powerful, they become harder to control. The fate of the Geisteskranken is to inevitably find oneself in the Afterdeath. The question, then, is:Who will rule there?

In Washington, D.C., a homeless man takes an assassin's bullet and dies in Commander Gray Pierce's arms. A bloody coin clutched in the dead man's hand--an ancient relic that can be traced back to the Greek Oracle of Delphi--is the key to a conspiracy that dates back to the Cold War and threatens the very foundation of humanity. For what if it were possible to bioengineer the next great prophet--a new Buddha, Muhammad, or even Jesus? Would this Second Coming be a boon . . . or would it initiate a chain reaction that would result in the extinction of humankind? Vital seconds are ticking rapidly away as Pierce races across the globe in search of answers, one step ahead of ruthless killers determined to reclaim the priceless artifact. Suddenly the future of all things is balanced on the brink between heaven and hell--and salvation or destruction rests in the hands of remarkable children.

From an acclaimed new master of fantasy fiction comes Book Four in the continuing saga of magic, adventure, courage, and fate on parallel worlds–mystical Eldh and modern Earth. Blood of Mystery A twist of time has left Runebreaker Travis Wilder and three of his otherworldly friends stranded on 1880s Earth in a lawless Colorado mining town. As they search for a way back to their own time, Grace Beckett–in present-day Eldh–journeys to a frozen kingdom where she learns her own terrifying destiny: to oppose the Pale King and his monstrous army in the coming cataclysmic battle that will decide Eldh’s future forever. If the Pale King emerges victorious, his master Mohg, the dread Lord of Nightfall, will return from exile, break the First Rune, and remake Eldh in his own dark image. And Earth itself, Eldh’s sister world, will be the next to fall under shadow. Even if Travis returns to Eldh in time to align his calling as Runebreaker with Grace’s destiny as Blademender, how can two mere humans hope to defeat an evil more ancient than any world, more powerful than all existence?

For the first time in his life, Edward Macleod has a purpose. He’s sprouted wings and finally found confirmation that he is indeed one of the magical Guardians of the Afterlife. Now Edward must rescue his mother and all his new friends from the Jackal. But time is quickly running out and he needs to master his Guardian powers first. Without them, he doesn’t stand a chance in the ultimate battle— and the souls of those closest to him will be lost forever.

A heart-pounding new adventure from the New York Times bestselling series. In the world of Erdas, every child must discover if they will summon a spirit animal, a rare and incredible gift. Conor, Abeke, Meilin, and Rollan were rare even among those few. They summoned legendary animals--brave guardians who were reborn to protect their world. Now more of these legends are appearing across Erdas, bonded to special children. But a dark force has emerged. Older than memory, it has slept for centuries beneath the surface of the world. With the power to tear away spirit animals, it begins a rampage that will be felt in every corner of Erdas. If the young heroes can't stop it, the darkness will first consume the spirit animals . . . and then the world.

Kit is back. And she's still stuck playing her ridiculous elf dancer character. After leading a group out of the full submersion video game, Chronicles of Retha, Kit knew she couldn't leave the remaining players to suffer their fate alone. So she returned to the game with the goal to get everyone out.There's just one problem. Forcing a system wide logout requires the defeat of the end game boss character. A boss who hasn't ever been beaten before.Solus Miles, the best player on the server, is famous for fighting solo, but Kit's return changes that. With Kit fighting for their freedom, Solus realizes that he'll have to travel with her and her motley crew and play up the charade of their "fake" relationship as pledged players if he really wants to help her in this fight. (Besides, if he goes with her, maybe he can keep her from dying all the time, too.)When the top guilds are still skeptical of Kit's plan, she turns to those whom others overlook: the non-playable characters controlled by the game mechanics.But Retha has changed. Monsters, events, and quests have shifted, complicating her task. The journey across an altered Retha tests even Kit's veteran knowledge and strains her leadership like never before.Can she leverage her NPC allies and convince the other players to join her?

In Heroes Die and Blade of Tyshalle, Matthew Stover created a new kind of fantasy novel, and a new kind of hero to go with it: Caine, a street thug turned superstar, battling in a future where reality shows take place in another dimension, on a world where magic exists and gods are up close and personal. In that beautiful, savage land, Caine is an assassin without peer, a living legend born from one of the highest-rated reality shows ever made. That season, Caine almost single-handedly defeated–and all but exterminated–the fiercest of all tribes: the Black Knives. But the shocking truth of what really took place during that blood-drenched adventure has never been revealed . . . until now. Thirty years later, Caine returns to the scene of his greatest triumph–some would say greatest crime–at the request of his adopted brother Orbek, the last of the true Black Knives. But where Caine goes, danger follows, and he soon finds himself back in familiar territory: fighting for his life against impossible odds, with the fate of two worlds hanging in the balance. Just the way Caine likes it.

SOME LAWS YOU BREAK. SOME BREAK YOU. AND THEN THERE'S CAINE'S LAW. From the moment Caine first appeared in the pages of Heroes Die, two things were clear. First, that Matthew Stover was one of the most gifted fantasy writers of his generation. And second, that Caine was a hero whose peers go by such names as Conan and Elric. Like them, Caine was something new: a civilized man who embraced savagery, an actor whose life was a lie, a force of destruction so potent that even gods thought twice about crossing him. Now Stover brings back his greatest creation for his most stunning performance yet. Caine is washed up and hung out to dry, a crippled husk kept isolated and restrained by the studio that exploited him. Now they have dragged him back for one last deal. But Caine has other plans. Those plans take him back to Overworld, the alternate reality where gods are real and magic is the ultimate weapon. There, in a violent odyssey through time and space, Caine will face the demons of his past, find true love, and just possibly destroy the universe. Hey, it's a crappy job, but somebody's got to do it.