In the embattled kingdom of Qualinesti, Dark Knights harass the common folk, and the once-proud Elven Senate moves at the will of the green dragon Beryl. Even the elf king walks a tightrope between serving the needs of his people and keeping the dragon’s knights peaceful.

Out of these mired politics a mysterious heroine arises, a Kagonesti woman of the forest glades and rocky eastern reaches. She and her loyal band of resistance fighters swiftly become the terror of the Dark Knights. Known to friend and foe as The Lioness, she is the champion of the people who have been bled by the dragon’s taxes and ground under the steel-shod boots of the hostile knights.

She is Kerianseray, the king’s own outlaw, his secret lover, and his secret weapon.

In the embattled kingdom of Qualinesti, Dark Knights harass the common folk, and the once-proud Elven Senate moves at the will of the green dragon Beryl. Even the elf king walks a tightrope between serving the needs of his people and keeping the dragon's knights peaceful. Out of these mired politics a mysterious heroine arises, a Kagonesti woman of the forest glades and rocky eastern reaches. She and her loyal band of resistance fighters swiftly become the terror of the Dark Knights. Known to friend and foe as The Lioness, she is the champion of the people who have been bled by the dragon's taxes and ground under the steel-shod boots of the hostile knights. She is Kerianseray, the king's own outlaw, his secret lover, and his secret weapon.

When the city of Haven falls to the forces of a dragon overlord, Usha and Dezra Majere find themselves prisoners in a captive city. Unable to leave, the two women become entangled in the city's struggle for freedom. But as family loyalties old and new rise to the surface, the two women find that their greatest battle may be against each other. New enemies and unexpected alliances are forged from the most unlikely places, and Usha and Dezra will have to put their differences aside if they are to stand a chance against the dark forces set to destroy them all.

Come wander the highways and byways of Krynn in the Fifth Age. If you've ever wondered what kender children learn in school, what the dwarves of Thorbardin eat for breakfast, how the people of Solace elect their mayor, this guide is for you. Bertrem of the Order of Aesthetics, keeper (since the disappearance of Astinus) of the Great Library of Palanthas, gathers fact and rumor, tales and gossip from across Krynn to answer your questions.

The room spun madly, whirling and raging. Sparks from the dim light floated down onto Valin, spreading across his flesh, taking away his voice in the very moment he knew he must scream or die. They wrenched from him his humanity, and he screamed voicelessly to feel it go, leaving behind only the pain of the ripping as all his bones broke apart and reformed. He heard his spine crack, like glass crushed. He opened his mouth again to scream, but no sound came out. The room whirled faster and faster. Gray chasing gray, chasing gray. Gray haze and red agony. Tendrils of fire spread into his limbs. Valin tried desperately to breathe. He tried to cry out, and now he had his voice, full and roaring… Crysania! The room spun faster until finally—an hour, a day, an age later—his screaming became silence.

A talent for magic runs like fire through the blood of Dalamar Argent. Yet he is only a servant in the house of an elvish lord, not worthy of the High Art of Sorcery and denied all but the most grudging teaching. As war simmers on the borders of Silvanesti, Dalamar will find a way to learn his art. His quest will take him along dark paths toward an awesome destiny.

A cry rose in Elansa’s breast, right to her throat, past the steel blade pressing. She let it die, unvoiced. To fling back her head and scream would have been to slice her own throat. She could not do it, for all she’d asked Kethrenan to let it happen. Neither could she whimper or plead. She was a princess. And so the outlaw took her away. Brand of the stonelands had the princess. A cry did sound for her, though, against the rage of battle, the war cries and the death screams of elves and goblins, long and loud and filled with terrible rage. It followed her, winding through the barren land, the sound of Kethrenan cursing.

A SHAFT OF ARGENT STARLIGHT TOUCHED BY THE FORGE OF REORX HILTED AND GEMMED IN THE BLOOD OF HEROES UNITE! MOUNTAIN DWARVES OF THORBARDIN A KINGSWORD AT LAST, AT LAST. Deep in the cavern kingdom of Thorbardin, the powerful Stormblade is secretly crafted by an elderly dwarf-master. A Kingsword, it is intended to break the deadlock among the ruling council of Thanes. When Stormblade is stolen and turns up years later, a series of exciting and deadly events are set in motion… Only a heroic dwarf knows the magic of Stormblade, and he sets out to recover the weapon, amidst a land rife with war and treachery…

SUMMARY: "Technology has started to accelerate at a terrifying rate. By mid-21st century, we might see a Singularity: a convergence of artificial intelligence, advanced nanotechnologies for building things at the atomic scale, precise genomics, other wonders. What happens after that? Will the descendants of today's humanity become gods or demons, or simply destroy themselves? And will we be among their number, carried along by rejuvenation and immortality treatments? For Natalie and her irritatingly beautiful young sister Suzanna, these are no longer abstract questions. The familiar world is on the brink of crisis. Dumped by her live-in boyfriend and stuck back at home with her parents, Nat is not a happy person. And her father Hugh is acting like a mad scientist. What the hell is he building out there in the garage? When Hugh frog-marches his family into the garage, it looks as if he's really gone mad, and they're due to perish even before the plague wipes out all life on earth. But the machine Hugh has been working on hurls them all--not forgetting their dog Ferdy--ever farther into the future, and the escapade doesn't stop until the very end of time and space"--P. [4] of cover.

From Publishers Weekly

In SF veteran Broderick's brain-stretching stand-alone, 20-something August Seebeck enters a mysterious game, the Contest of Worlds, in which some of the godlike players are his brothers and sisters, battling against terminatorish "deformers." August discovers superhuman powers of his own and falls in love with a heartbreakingly beautiful female player, Lune. But the game's ultimate purpose remains unclear while the context of the action keeps changing, as August zips through multiple universes. The more he learns of other worlds, the less he can be sure of—but the more his decisions matter. As things get increasingly serious for August, the story's tone remains wry, packed with offhand literary references and bookish puns. Broderick (The Dreaming) pays homage to Fritz Leiber's tales of alternate histories and to Roger Zelazny's Amber series; the narrative also resembles Robert A. Heinlein's The Number of the Beast in its cheerful trashing of comfortable but undependable certainties. In a universe where nothing can be taken at face value, scientists and SF readers need to be ready to move on, to ask the next question. Broderick shows that the effort needn't be a grim duty but actually fun. (May 3)
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From

*Starred Review* August Seebeck fears that Great-aunt Tansy's claim that for several weeks there have been dead bodies in the bathroom on Saturday nights means she's losing her grip. When he meets two women coming in his second-floor bathroom window to dispose of a body, it's shocking, despite Tansy's warning. August learns he and the women have something in common--the string of symbols that is etched into their feet. Moreover, the women's light-show trick to make him forget the encounter doesn't work. And, anyway, the 11 Seebeck siblings are players in a Game of Worlds, and none of the others believe August is their brother until certain proof--more than just the foot-hieroglyphics--is forthcoming. August travels a multitude of worlds, visiting siblings and falling in love with Lune (one of the women in the bathroom--not a Seebeck), bent on understanding the game in which they're all players, while his hitherto-unknown family squabble over his sudden appearance and are attacked by the Deformers, their opponents in the game. Broderick's influences are writ large even before he confesses in the afterword that they are Roger Zelazny and Fritz Lieber. He follows in the footsteps of giants, and does it elegantly, drawing further inspiration from contemporary scientific thought. Regina Schroeder
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

From Publishers Weekly

In this jaunty blend of mysticism and theoretical physics, Australian grad student August Seebeck, who discovered in Godplayers (2005) that he was part of a superhuman family battling implacable cyborgs for control of multiple, interlocking realities, feels frustrated and bewildered. None of his alleged siblings will tell him exactly who he is, why the K-machines are their enemies, what the rules of the conflict are and, generally, what the blazes is going on. As the action bounces from one time, character or universe to another, confusion multiplies. And then there's the underlying question of whether anything in any universe is real or whether everything is part of a super video game. Inspired by Roger Zelazny's Amber series, Broderick keeps the style light, mixing wonderful panoramas with puns and goofy sight gags. Toward the end, August does start putting things together, gathering plenty of momentum to propel readers into the next chunk of this dazzling SF saga. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From

In the sequel to Godplayers (2005), August Seebeck is still wandering through Wonderland, armed with a mysterious, devastatingly powerful vorpal implant (and yes, there is a Jammerwock) and an intense desire to get some straight answers out of his cagey newfound relatives about the Contest of Worlds, his role in it, and their opponents, the K-machines. It seems the contest isn't entirely as it seemed, and neither is the woman August loves. There are betrayals and confusion and misdirection every time August starts to get closer to the truth, or even to asking the right questions. His quest to discover the reasons behind his pivotal role in the contest is a trip down the rabbit hole to doors that don't exist, exotic siblings, and even more exotic locales. It's a fun story, full of galaxy-spanning adventure and intrigue, that incorporates a perspective on that currently hot concept, technological singularity. Broderick also continues his homage to humorous sf masters Roger Zelazny and Fritz Leiber as he seamlessly constructs the story he has to tell. Regina Schroeder
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved