Recommendations based on "Elminster Ascending"

The Final Chapter In The Bestselling, Critically Acclaimed Daevabad Trilogy, In Which A Con-woman And An Idealistic Djinn Prince Join Forces To Save A Magical Kingdom From A Devastating Civil War. Daevabad Has Fallen. After A Brutal Conquest Stripped The City Of Its Magic, Nahid Leader Banu Manizheh And Her Resurrected Commander, Dara, Must Try To Repair Their Fraying Alliance And Stabilize A Fractious, Warring People. But The Bloodletting And Loss Of His Beloved Nahri Have Unleashed The Worst Demons Of Dara's Dark Past. To Vanquish Them, He Must Face Some Ugly Truths About His History And Put Himself At The Mercy Of Those He Once Considered Enemies. Having Narrowly Escaped Their Murderous Families And Daevabad's Deadly Politics, Nahri And Ali, Now Safe In Cairo, Face Difficult Choices Of Their Own. While Nahri Finds Peace In The Old Rhythms And Familiar Comforts Of Her Human Home, She Is Haunted By The Knowledge That The Loved Ones She Left Behind And The People Who Considered Her A Savior Are At The Mercy Of A New Tyrant. Ali, Too, Cannot Help But Look Back, And Is Determined To Return To Rescue His City And The Family That Remains. Seeking Support In His Mother's Homeland, He Discovers That His Connection To The Marid Goes Far Deeper Than Expected And Threatens Not Only His Relationship With Nahri, But His Very Faith. As Peace Grows More Elusive And Old Players Return, Nahri, Ali, And Dara Come To Understand That In Order To Remake The World, They May Need To Fight Those They Once Loved...and Take A Stand For Those They Once Hurt.

From NYT bestselling author Brent Weeks comes the first novel in his breakout fantasy trilogy in which a young boy trains under the city's most legendary and feared assassin, Durzo Blint.For Durzo Blint, assassination is an art -- and he is the city's most accomplished artist.For Azoth, survival is precarious. Something you never take for granted. As a guild rat, he's grown up in the slums, and learned to judge people quickly -- and to take risks. Risks like apprenticing himself to Durzo Blint.But to be accepted, Azoth must turn his back on his old life and embrace a new identity and name. As Kylar Stern, he must learn to navigate the assassins' world of dangerous politics and strange magics -- and cultivate a flair for death.

The perfect killer has no friends. Only targets.For Durzo Blint, assassination is an art. And he is the city's most accomplished artist, his talents required from alleyway to courtly boudoir.For Azoth, survival is precarious. Something you never take for granted. As a guild rat, he's grown up in the slums, and learned the hard way to judge people quickly - and to take risks. Risks like apprenticing himself to Durzo Blint.But to be accepted, Azoth must turn his back on his old life and embrace a new identity and name. As Kylar Stern, he must learn to navigate the assassins' world of dangerous politics and strange magics - and cultivate a flair for death.

'Dazzling and immersive epic fantasy' Publishers Weekly (starred review) 'An absolute treat . . . crammed with imagination, horror, epic scale, and characters I simply could not put down' Grimdark Magazine Blood once turned the wheels of empire. Now it is money. A new age of exploration and innovation has dawned, and the Empire of the Wolf stands to take its place as the foremost power in the known world. Glory and riches await. But dark days are coming. A mysterious plague has broken out in the pagan kingdoms to the north, while in the south, the Empire's proxy war in the lands of the wolfmen is weeks away from total collapse. Worse still is the message brought to the Empress by two heretic monks, who claim to have lost contact with the spirits of the afterlife. The monks believe this is the start of an ancient prophecy heralding the end of days-the Great Silence. It falls to Renata Rainer, a low-ranking ambassador to an enigmatic and vicious race of mermen, to seek answers from those who still practice the arcane arts. But with the road south beset by war and the Empire on the brink of supernatural catastrophe, soon there may not be a world left to save . . . Grave Empire is the first novel in an unmissable new series from Sunday Times bestselling author Richard Swan - a dark flintlock fantasy filled with epic adventure, arcane powers and creeping dread Praise for Richard Swan 'A stunning piece of modern fantasy writing' RJ Barker 'Utterly compelling, thoroughly engrossing and written with skilful assurance' Nicholas Eames 'Richard Swan's sophisticated take on the fantasy genre will leave readers hungry for more' Sebastien de Castell 'Great characters, compelling and wonderfully written. A brilliant debut and fantastic start to the series' James Islington Books by Richard Swan Empire of the Wolf The Justice of Kings The Tyranny of Faith The Trials of Empire The Great Silence Grave Empire

"This deluxe edition of the runaway international bestseller includes: -A sneak peek at Book III-An exclusive, full-color foldout poster of Glaedr by award-winning artist John Jude Palencar-A revealing excerpt of the history of Alagaesia -Never-before-seen art by the author, including an image of Brom's elf ring-A complete and comprehensive list of people, places, things, and dwarf clans" Darkness falls. . . . Swords clash. . . . Evil reigns. Eragon and his dragon, Saphira, have just saved the rebel state from destruction by the mighty forces of King Galbatorix, cruel ruler of the Empire. Now Eragon must travel to Ellesmera, land of the elves, for further training in magic and swordsmanship, the vital skills of the Dragon Rider. It is the journey of a lifetime, filled with awe-inspiring new places and people, each day a fresh adventure. But chaos and betrayal plague him at every turn, and Eragon isn't sure whom he can trust. Meanwhile, his cousin Roran must fight a new battle back home in Carvahall-one that puts Eragon in even graver danger. Will the king's dark hand strangle all resistance? Eragon may not escape with even his life. . . .

The King of Vordan is dying, and his daughter, Raesinia, is destined to become the first Queen in centuries. But politics knows no loyalties, especially for Duke Orlanko, Minister of Information and spymaster of the empire. The most feared man in the Vordan will bow his knee to no Queen, unless she is firmly under his influence. Freshly returned from their recent victories in the colonies, Colonel Janus, Marcus and Winter must play a new and far deadlier game than the open warfare of the front, using all their talents, earthly or supernatural.

With his groundbreaking New York Times bestseller The Sword of Shannara and its acclaimed sequels, Terry Brooks brought a new audience to epic fantasy. Now that story of clashing forces of darkness and light, of Shannara’s beginnings and the human race’s possible end, marches forward into an unforgettable second volume full of mystery, magic, and momentous events. Across the ruined landscape that is America—hopelessly poisoned, plague-ridden, burned, and besieged by demon armies bent on exterminating all mortal life—two pilgrims have been summoned to serve the embattled cause of good. Logan Tom has journeyed to desolate Seattle to protect a ragged band of street urchins and the being known as “the gypsy morph,” who is both mortal and magical, and destined to save mankind unless he is destroyed. Likewise, Angel Perez has her own quest, one that will take her from the wreckage of Los Angeles to a distant, secret place untouched by the horrors of the nationwide blight–a place where the race of Elves has dwelled since before man existed. But close behind these lone Knights of the Word swarm the ravening forces of the Void. As the menacing thunder of war drums heralds the arrival of the demons and their brutal minions in Seattle, the young survivors who call themselves the Ghosts are forced to brave the dangerous world of gangs, mutants, and worse to escape the invasion. And Logan Tom must infiltrate a refugee compound to rescue Hawk, the leader of the street urchins, who has yet to learn the truth about who and what he is. Meanwhile, Angel Perez has joined an equally urgent mission: to find the Ellcrys, a fabled talisman crucial to protecting the Elven realm against an influx of unspeakable evil from the dread dimension known as the Forbidding. But Angel and her Elf allies must beware–for a demon spy, with a monstrous creature at its command, walks among them. As the legions of darkness draw the noose tighter, and the time of confrontation draws near, those chosen to defend the soul of the world must draw their battle lines and prepare to fight with, and for, their lives. If they fail, humanity falls. BONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from Terry Brooks's The Measure of the Magic.

Where there is light, there must always be shadow... The fourth volume in Janny Wurts's spectacular epic fantasy, now re-released with a striking new cover design along with the rest of the series. The curse that hangs over the Master of Shadow, Arithon, and Lord of Light, Lysaer, is drawing the two half-brothers ever closer towards direct conflict. For the Natural Balance to be maintained, the two must never fight. If they do, one is sure to perish and the Mistwraith will regain its evil power over their world. Even now, Lysaer - convinced of his own godhead and aided by the treacherous Koriani Sisterhood - is tracking Arithon the Masterbard through the snows and wastes of the winter-locked mountains and the Barrens of Daon Ramon. Arithon is tortured by the knowledge that for the sake of future generations he must not be killed, no matter the cost of others' lives now. Fighting valiantly to prevent unnecessary suffering, he strikes out on his own; but he is injured and failing fast. Meanwhile, the ancient Paravians are stirring, summoned by trespassers on their sacred domain; and the Fellowship of Seven are battling on many other fronts, as the Mistwraith's wards begin to break, and khadrim and free wraiths roam the land...

There was nothing Jarek Mace wouldn't do for the right price—including becoming a hero.The Angostin hordes raged over the Southern Borders. Evil sorcery ruled, and the vampyre kings lived once more. The Highland people were in much need of a great hero.Jarek Mace needed nothing and no one—not even that bard Owen Odell, with whom he now traveled. But when Mace harassed the Angostins for his own purposes, he inadvertently aided the Highland people. And now he was being hailed as a hero, a legend, the great Morningstar returned.But Owen Odell knew the real man behind the people's tales. Mace was an outlaw, a bandit, a heartless thief. He was no savior of the people. He was no legend. Or was he?“It seems that every time I read a new David Gemmell novel it is better than the last—and Morningstar is no exception. . . . The main difference between the book and the myths it draws upon is that Gemmell includes some of the less savory characters who we suspect may have been at the basis of both Robin and Arthur.”—Starburst

The final book in the Crimson Empire trilogy, a game-changing fantasy epic featuring an unforgettable warrior. Former warrior queen and now pariah, Cold Zosia wakes in the ashes of a burning city. Her vengeance has brought her to this -- her heroic reputation in tatters, her allies scattered far and wide, and her world on the cusp of ruin. General Ji-Hyeon has vanished into the legendary First Dark, leaving her lover Sullen alone to carry out the grim commands of a dead goddess. The barbarian Maroto is held captive by a demonic army hell-bent on the extermination of the Crimson Empire, and only his protégéé Purna believes he can be saved. Zosia must rally her comrades and old enemies one last time, for what will prove the greatest battle of her many legends. . .if anyone lives to tell it.