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Lockdown Tales
by Neal AsherWhat comes after the Polity? Best-selling author Neal Asher was far from idle during the isolation of lockdown; he kept himself occupied in the best way possible: he wrote. Six stories, 150,000 words of fiction that crackle with energy and invention, exploring the latter days of the Polity and what lies beyond, when the Polity is no more. The prador, Spatterjay, hoopers, sassy A.I.s, resurrected Golem, a mutated giant whelk that can ravage an island, hooders, megalomaniacs, war drones, Penny Royal, an intriguing sfnal take on High Planes Drifter and a far future SF tale with echoes of Robinson Crusoe... All this and more await you within Lockdown Tales. Everything you would expect from concentrated Neal Asher.
Lockdown: An incredibly prescient crime thriller from the author of The Lewis Trilogy
by Peter May'They said that twenty-five percent of the population would catch the flu. Between seventy and eight percent of them would die. He had been directly exposed to it, and the odds weren't good.'A CITY IN QUARANTINELondon, the epicenter of a global pandemic, is a city in lockdown. Violence and civil disorder simmer. Martial law has been imposed. No-one is safe from the deadly virus that has already claimed thousands of victims. Health and emergency services are overwhelmed.A MURDERED CHILDAt a building site for a temporary hospital, construction workers find a bag containing the rendered bones of a murdered child. A remorseless killer has been unleashed on the city; his mission is to take all measures necessary to prevent the bones from being identified.A POWERFUL CONSPIRACYD.I. Jack MacNeil, counting down the hours on his final day with the Met, is sent to investigate. His career is in ruins, his marriage over and his own family touched by the virus. Sinister forces are tracking his every move, prepared to kill again to conceal the truth. Which will stop him first - the virus or the killers?Written over fifteen years ago, this prescient, suspenseful thriller is set against a backdrop of a capital city in quarantine, and explores human experience in the grip of a killer virus.(P)2020 Quercus Editions Limited
Lockdown: Star Wars (Maul)
by Joe SchreiberSet before the events of Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace, this new novel is a thrilling follow-up to Star Wars: Darth Plagueis. It's kill or be killed in the space penitentiary that houses the galaxy's worst criminals, where convicts face off in gladiatorial combat while an underworld gambling empire reaps the profits of the illicit blood sport. But the newest contender in this savage arena, as demonic to behold as he is deadly to challenge, is fighting for more than just survival. His do-or-die mission, for the dark masters he serves, is to capture the ultimate weapon: an object that will enable the Sith to conquer the galaxy. Sith lords Darth Plagueis and Darth Sidious are determined to possess the prize. And one of the power-hungry duo has his own treacherous plans for it. But first, their fearsome apprentice must take on a bloodthirsty prison warden, a cannibal gang, cutthroat crime lord Jabba the Hutt, and an unspeakable alien horror. No one else could brave such a gauntlet of death and live. But no one else is the dreaded dark-side disciple known as Darth Maul.From the Hardcover edition.
Lockdown: Star Wars (Maul)
by Joe SchreiberNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERSet before the events of Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace, this new novel is a thrilling follow-up to Star Wars: Darth Plagueis. It's kill or be killed in the space penitentiary that houses the galaxy's worst criminals, where convicts face off in gladiatorial combat while an underworld gambling empire reaps the profits of the illicit blood sport. But the newest contender in this savage arena, as demonic to behold as he is deadly to challenge, is fighting for more than just survival. His do-or-die mission, for the dark masters he serves, is to capture the ultimate weapon: an object that will enable the Sith to conquer the galaxy. Sith lords Darth Plagueis and Darth Sidious are determined to possess the prize. And one of the power-hungry duo has his own treacherous plans for it. But first, their fearsome apprentice must take on a bloodthirsty prison warden, a cannibal gang, cutthroat crime lord Jabba the Hutt, and an unspeakable alien horror. No one else could brave such a gauntlet of death and live. But no one else is the dreaded dark-side disciple known as Darth Maul.Praise for Lockdown "Schreiber . . . was a great choice for this novel, imbuing the story with a dark, foreboding tone while never quite stepping into the horror territories that Death Troopers and Red Harvest took us."--Jedi News "Fans of the dark side should rejoice. Lockdown delivers a can't-put-this-down tale of scum and villainy."--Club Jade "[Lockdown is] an action-packed ride that spins one entertaining chapter after another. The multiple layers of story keeps readers guessing what will happen next and just who will live and who will die. . . . It certainly adds to the character of Darth Maul while matching [Darth] Plagueis's complexity with sheer fun. . . . Five out of five metal bikinis."--Roqoo Depot "Somehow, Schreiber is able to skate the line between hard-hitting prison story and the adventure and excitement I love from Star Wars in a way that doesn't betray either genre. It's really quite masterful."--Big Shiny Robot "Lockdown is an exciting, engaging read. . . . It actually lines up beautifully for a sequel, which I, for one, would love to read."--Coffee with Kenobi "The novel makes The Clone Wars better. It also illuminates The Phantom Menace. I think it's the hallmark of the best tie-in fiction to resonate throughout other parts of the expanded universe in that way."--Knights' Archive "By the fiftieth page, I was hooked. . . . Lockdown is a wonderful 'antihero' novel, where it's just fine to root for the villain, because there are even worse things out there. This book was so fun and entertaining. I'll have to keep an eye out for more Star Wars books from Schreiber."--Seattle GeeklyFrom the Hardcover edition.
Lockdown: the crime thriller that predicted a world in quarantine
by Peter May'They said that twenty-five percent of the population would catch the flu. Between seventy and eight percent of them would die. He had been directly exposed to it, and the odds weren't good.'A CITY IN QUARANTINE London, the epicenter of a global pandemic, is a city in lockdown. Violence and civil disorder simmer. Martial law has been imposed. No-one is safe from the deadly virus that has already claimed thousands of victims. Health and emergency services are overwhelmed. A MURDERED CHILD At a building site for a temporary hospital, construction workers find a bag containing the rendered bones of a murdered child. A remorseless killer has been unleashed on the city; his mission is to take all measures necessary to prevent the bones from being identified. A POWERFUL CONSPIRACY D.I. Jack MacNeil, counting down the hours on his final day with the Met, is sent to investigate. His career is in ruins, his marriage over and his own family touched by the virus. Sinister forces are tracking his every move, prepared to kill again to conceal the truth. Which will stop him first - the virus or the killers?Written over fifteen years ago, this prescient, suspenseful thriller is set against a backdrop of a capital city in quarantine, and explores human experience in the grip of a killer virus.
Lockdown: the crime thriller that predicted a world in quarantine
by Peter May'They said that twenty-five percent of the population would catch the flu. Between seventy and eight percent of them would die. He had been directly exposed to it, and the odds weren't good.'A CITY IN QUARANTINE London, the epicenter of a global pandemic, is a city in lockdown. Violence and civil disorder simmer. Martial law has been imposed. No-one is safe from the deadly virus that has already claimed thousands of victims. Health and emergency services are overwhelmed.A MURDERED CHILD At a building site for a temporary hospital, construction workers find a bag containing the rendered bones of a murdered child. A remorseless killer has been unleashed on the city; his mission is to take all measures necessary to prevent the bones from being identified.A POWERFUL CONSPIRACY D.I. Jack MacNeil, counting down the hours on his final day with the Met, is sent to investigate. His career is in ruins, his marriage over and his own family touched by the virus. Sinister forces are tracking his every move, prepared to kill again to conceal the truth. Which will stop him first - the virus or the killers?Written over fifteen years ago, this prescient, suspenseful thriller is set against a backdrop of a capital city in quarantine, and explores human experience in the grip of a killer virus.
Locked
by Parker WitterIt had always been the three of us, and then it was the two of us-Ed and August. There was not, nor had there ever been a chance of a Noah and August. And that was fine. Because the truth was I had known Noah forever but I still had no idea who he really was. Especially not now. In this sizzling novella, one girl must choose between loyalty and love. August had the two best guy friends a girl could ask for in Noah and Ed. Then Ed confessed he felt more for her - and their new relationship changed everything. She had hoped it would be Noah that she'd end up with someday, but it's clearer than ever that Noah's just not interested in being a one-girl guy. When the small seaplane the three of them are on crashes, August finds herself injured and marooned on an island with ... Noah. Unsure of what's become of Ed, August and Noah do their best to not lose hope as they fight to survive on an island that is not as deserted as they first believed. But fighting the elements - and their attraction to each other - becomes a losing battle. Soon, a secret from Noah's past that could bind them to the island forever is revealed, and August must choose between giving into her feelings for him, or struggling to make it back home.
Locked Out of Love
by Mary K NorrisJoel Kegler never thought he'd find his Mirror Mate so soon after his breakup with his long-term girlfriend, and fate couldn't have picked a worse match. Melanie Vyntra wants nothing to do with his Guild of Truth and their super powers. Yet she quickens his blood like no other.Melanie has had enough of helplessly watching her brother's life be ravaged by uncontrollable visions. She's found a group that can help cure him--but the price is high. She must use her own latent super talents and play double agent with the Guild of Truth, using Joel as her mentor.Can he prove to her that their powers are not a curse but a gift before Melanie destroys everything he loves? Only if he puts aside his pain and trusts the one woman who can smash his heart into pieces.Sensuality Level: Behind Closed Doors
Locked Out of Love
by Mary K NorrisJoel Kegler never thought he'd find his Mirror Mate so soon after his breakup with his long-term girlfriend, and fate couldn't have picked a worse match. Melanie Vyntra wants nothing to do with his Guild of Truth and their super powers. Yet she quickens his blood like no other.Melanie has had enough of helplessly watching her brother's life be ravaged by uncontrollable visions. She's found a group that can help cure him--but the price is high. She must use her own latent super talents and play double agent with the Guild of Truth, using Joel as her mentor.Can he prove to her that their powers are not a curse but a gift before Melanie destroys everything he loves? Only if he puts aside his pain and trusts the one woman who can smash his heart into pieces.Sensuality Level: Behind Closed Doors
Locked Out of Love
by Mary K. NorrisJoel Kegler never thought he'd find his Mirror Mate so soon after his breakup with his long-term girlfriend, and fate couldn't have picked a worse match. Melanie Vyntra wants nothing to do with his Guild of Truth and their super powers. Yet she quickens his blood like no other.Melanie has had enough of helplessly watching her brother's life be ravaged by uncontrollable visions. She's found a group that can help cure him - but the price is high. She must use her own latent super talents and play double agent with the Guild of Truth, using Joel as her mentor.Can he prove to her that their powers are not a curse but a gift before Melanie destroys everything he loves? Only if he puts aside his pain and trusts the one woman who can smash his heart into pieces.Sensuality Level: Behind Closed Doors
Lockjaw
by Matteo L. CerilliDeath is neither the beginning nor the end for the children of Bridlington in this debut trans YA horror book for fans of Rory Power and Danielle Vega.Chuck Warren died tragically at the old abandoned mill, but Paz Espino knows it was no accident — there's a monster under the town, and she's determined to kill it before anyone else gets hurt. She'll need the help of her crew — inseparable friends, bound by a childhood pact stronger than diamonds, distance or death — to hunt it down. But she's up against a greater force of evil than she ever could have imagined.With shifting timeframes and multiple perspectives, Lockjaw is a small-town ghost story, where monsters living and dead haunt the streets, the homes and the minds of the inhabitants. For readers of Wilder Girls and The Haunted, this trans YA horror book by an incredible debut author will grab you and never let you go.
Locklands
by Robert Jackson BennettOnce, Sancia Grado was just a thief with a grudge and a rare talent. Then she learned how to use that talent, and beat the great merchant houses of Tevanne at their own game. With Clef and Berenice, she even saw off an immortal hierophant - but the war they're fighting now is one they know they can't win.'Absolutely riveting . . . A magnificent, mind-blowing start to a series I'm hungry for' - Amal El-Mohtar, co-author of This is How You Lose the Time War, in the New York Times on FoundrysideThis time, they're not facing robber-baron elites or an immortal hierophant, but an entity whose intelligence is spread over half the globe: a ghost in the machine using the magic of scriving to possess and control not just objects, but human minds.Despite all their efforts their enemy marches on, implacable, unstoppable - and it's closing in on its true prize: an ancient doorway that leads to the centre of creation itself. 'One of the best fantasy writers on the scene today' says Kirkus ReviewsSancia and her friends glimpse a last desperate opportunity to stop this unbeatable foe - but to do so, they'll have to unlock the centuries-old mystery of scriving's origins and pull off the most daring heist they've ever attempted.And as if that weren't enough, their adversary might just have a spy in their ranks - and a last trick up its sleeve . . .
Locklands
by Robert Jackson BennettOnce, Sancia Grado was just a thief with a grudge and a rare talent. Then she learned how to use that talent, and beat the great merchant houses of Tevanne at their own game. With Clef and Berenice, she even saw off an immortal hierophant - but the war they're fighting now is one they know they can't win.This time, they're not facing robber-baron elites or an immortal hierophant, but an entity whose intelligence is spread over half the globe: a ghost in the machine using the magic of scriving to possess and control not just objects, but human minds.Despite all their efforts their enemy marches on, implacable, unstoppable - and it's closing in on its true prize: an ancient doorway that leads to the centre of creation itself.Sancia and her friends glimpse a last desperate opportunity to stop this unbeatable foe - but to do so, they'll have to unlock the centuries-old mystery of scriving's origins and pull off the most daring heist they've ever attempted.And as if that weren't enough, their adversary might just have a spy in their ranks - and a last trick up its sleeve . . .'Absolutely riveting . . . A magnificent, mind-blowing start to a series I'm hungry for' - Amal El-Mohtar, co-author of This is How You Lose the Time War, in the New York Times on Foundryside'One of the best fantasy writers on the scene today' says Kirkus Reviews(P) 2022 Penguin Audio
Locklands: A Novel (The Founders Trilogy #3)
by Robert Jackson BennettThe jaw-dropping conclusion to the acclaimed Founders Trilogy, from the Hugo-nominated author of Foundryside and Shorefall &“Bennett concludes his Founders trilogy . . . with characteristically high-spirited mayhem. Great fun, with nonstop action.&”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review) Sancia, Clef, and Berenice have gone up against long odds in the past. But the war they&’re fighting now is one even they can&’t win.This time, they&’re not facing robber-baron elites or even an immortal hierophant, but an entity whose intelligence is spread over half the globe—one that uses the magic of scriving to control not just objects but human minds. To fight it, they&’ve used scriving technology to transform themselves and their allies into an army—a society—unlike anything humanity has seen before. With its strength at their backs, they&’ve freed a handful of their enemy&’s hosts from servitude, and even defeated some of its fearsome, reality-altering dreadnoughts. Yet despite their efforts, their enemy marches on. Implacable. Unstoppable. Now, as their opponent closes in on its true prize—an ancient doorway, long buried, that leads to the chambers at the center of creation itself—Sancia and her friends glimpse a last opportunity to stop this unbeatable foe. To do so, they&’ll have to unlock the centuries-old mystery of scriving&’s origins, embark on a desperate mission into the heart of their enemy&’s power, and pull off the most daring heist they&’ve ever attempted. But their adversary might have a spy in their ranks—and a last trick up its sleeve. And to have a chance at victory, Sancia, Clef, and Berenice will have to make a sacrifice beyond anything that&’s come before.
Locksmith: A Felix Taylor Adventure
by Nicholas MaesCommended for the 2009 Best Books for Kids & Teens, long-listed for the 2009 CLA Book of the Year for Children Award Twelve-year-old Lewis Castorman is a master locksmith: there is no lock on earth that he is unable to open. He is therefore flattered when world-renowned chemist Ernst K. Grumpel invites him to his office in New York City and offers him a lock-picking assignment. His confidence quickly turns to dismay, however, when he learns this job will take him to Yellow Swamp in northern Alberta, the scene of a disastrous chemical spill a year earlier. He is also horrified to discover that Grumpel is utterly ruthless and, through his chemical inventions, can alter the rules of nature at his will. But the assignment is one that Lewis can’t refuse. How is Grumpel able to create such miraculous transformations? What secrets has he locked away and why has he taken pains to store them in Alberta? Despite the strange discoveries Lewis will make at every turn in his adventures, nothing will prepare him for the final encounter that awaits him in Yellow Swamp.
Lockstep: A Novel
by Karl SchroederWhen seventeen-year-old Toby McGonigal finds himself lost in space, separated from his family, he expects his next drift into cold sleep to be his last. After all, the planet he's orbiting is frozen and sunless, and the cities are dead. But when Toby wakes again, he's surprised to discover a thriving planet, a strange and prosperous galaxy, and something stranger still—that he's been asleep for 14,000 years.Welcome to the Lockstep Empire, where civilization is kept alive by careful hibernation. Here cold sleeps can last decades and waking moments mere weeks. Its citizens survive for millennia, traveling asleep on long voyages between worlds. Not only is Lockstep the new center of the galaxy, but Toby is shocked to learn that the Empire is still ruled by its founding family: his own.Toby's brother Peter has become a terrible tyrant. Suspicious of the return of his long-lost brother, whose rightful inheritance also controls the lockstep hibernation cycles, Peter sees Toby as a threat to his regime. Now, with the help of a lockstep girl named Corva, Toby must survive the forces of this new Empire, outwit his siblings, and save human civilization. Karl Schroeder's Lockstep is a grand innovation in hard Science Fiction space opera.At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Lockwood & Co. (The Empty Grave #5)
by Jonathan StroudFive months after the events in THE CREEPING SHADOW, we join Lockwood, Lucy, George, Holly, and their associate Quill Kipps on a perilous night mission: they have broken into the booby-trapped Fittes Mausoleum, where the body of the legendary psychic heroine Marissa Fittes lies. Or does it? This is just one of the many questions to be answered in Book 5 of the Lockwood & Co. series. Will Lockwood ever reveal more about his family's past to Lucy? Will their trip to the Other Side leave Lucy and Lockwood forever changed? Will Penelope Fittes succeed in shutting down their agency forever? The young agents must survive attacks from foes both spectral and human before they can take on their greatest enemy in a climactic and chaotic battle. And to prevail they will have to rely on help from some surprising--and shadowy--allies. Jonathan Stroud once again delivers a rousing adventure full of danger, laughs, twists, and frights. The revelations will send readers back to Book 1 to start the series all over again.
Lockwood & Co.: The Creeping Shadow (Lockwood & Co. #4)
by Jonathan StroudAfter leaving Lockwood & Co. at the end of The Hollow Boy, Lucy is a freelance operative, hiring herself out to agencies that value her ever-improving skills. One day she is pleasantly surprised by a visit from Lockwood, who tells her he needs a good Listener for a tough assignment. Penelope Fittes, the leader of the giant Fittes Agency wants them -- and only them -- to locate and remove the Source for the legendary Brixton Cannibal. They succeed in their very dangerous task, but tensions remain high between Lucy and the other agents. Even the skull in the jar talks to her like a jilted lover. What will it take to reunite the team? Black marketeers, an informant ghost, a Spirit Cape that transports the wearer, and mysteries involving Steve Rotwell and Penelope Fittes just may do the trick. But, in a shocking cliffhanger ending, the team learns that someone has been manipulating them all along. . . .
Lockwood & Co.: The Hollow Boy (Lockwood & Co. #3)
by Jonathan StroudAs a massive outbreak of supernatural Visitors baffles Scotland Yard and causes protests throughout London, Lockwood & Co. continue to demonstrate their effectiveness in exterminating spirits. Anthony Lockwood is dashing, George insightful, and Lucy dynamic, while the skull in the jar utters sardonic advice from the sidelines. There is a new spirit of openness in the team now that Lockwood has shared some of his childhood secrets, and Lucy is feeling more and more as if her true home is at Portland Row. It comes as a great shock, then, when Lockwood and George introduce her to an annoyingly perky and hyper-efficient new assistant, Holly Munro. Meanwhile, there are reports of many new hauntings, including a house where bloody footprints are appearing, and a department store full of strange sounds and shadowy figures. But ghosts seem to be the least of Lockwood & Co.'s concerns when assassins attack during a carnival in the center of the city. Can the team get past their personal issues to save the day on all fronts, or will bad feelings attract yet more trouble? Danger abounds, tensions escalate, and new loyalties form in this third delightfully terrifying adventure in the critically acclaimed Lockwood & Co. series.Praise for The Screaming Staircase "This story will keep you reading late into the night, but you'll want to leave the lights on. Stroud is a genius at inventing an utterly believable world which is very much like ours, but so creepily different. Put The Screaming Staircase on your 'need to read' list!" -- Rick Riordan "A pleasure from tip to tail, this is the book you hand the advanced readers that claim they'd rather read Paradise Lost than Harry Potter. Smart as a whip, funny, witty, and honestly frightening at times, Stroud lets loose and gives readers exactly what they want. Ghosts, kids on their own without adult supervision, and loads of delicious cookies." -- Elizabeth Bird, School Library Journal "Stroud shows his customary flair for blending deadpan humor with thrilling action, and the fiery interplay among the three agents of Lockwood & Co. invigorates the story (along with no shortage of creepy moments)." -- Publishers WeeklyPraise for The Whispering Skull "An occult portal and its spectral guardian nearly cut short the careers of three rising young ghost hunters in this madcap sequel to The Screaming Staircase (2013). For all their internecine squabbling, the three protagonists make a redoubtable team-and their supporting cast, led by the sneering titular skull in a jar, adds color and complications aplenty. Rousing adventures for young tomb robbers and delves into realms better left to the dead." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "Stroud writes with a fine ear for dialog, a wry sense of humor, and a knack for describing haunted places. Creating tension that ebbs and flows, he slowly builds the dramatic narrative to a resounding crescendo, and he makes the quieter scenes that follow just as compelling." -- Booklist (starred review)
Locus Solus
by Raymond Roussel Rupert Copeland CunninghamAn intoxicating sui generis novel by “the greatest mesmerist of modern times” (André Breton) The wealthy scientist Martial Canterel guides a group of visitors through his expansive estate, Locus Solus, where he displays his various deranged inventions, each more spectacular than the last. First, he introduces a machine propelled by the weather, which constructs a mosaic out of varying hues of human teeth, then shows a hairless cat charged with a powerful electric battery, and next a bizarre theater in which corpses are reanimated with a special serum to enact the most important movements of their past lives. Wondrously imaginative and narrated with Roussel’s deadpan wit, Locus Solus is unlike anything else ever written.
Lodestar
by Michael FlynnWhen Adam (AKA David Desherite) plots revenge against the people that framed him and stole control of LEO from VHI, his plans threaten to undo much that Mariesa had worked so hard to achieve. Can Mariesa set things right before her worst fears become true?
Lodestar: Keeper Of The Lost Cities; Exile; Everblaze; Neverseen; Lodestar (Keeper of the Lost Cities #5)
by Shannon MessengerA New York Times bestselling series A USA TODAY bestselling series A California Young Reader Medal–winning series Dark schemes unfold and Sophie&’s loyalty is pushed to the limit in this thrilling fifth book in the Keeper of the Lost Cities series.Sophie Foster is back in the Lost Cities—but the Lost Cities have changed. The threat of war hangs heavy over her glittering world, and the Neverseen are wreaking havoc. The lines between friend and enemy have blurred, and Sophie is unsure whom to trust. But when she&’s warned that the people she loves most will be the next victims, she knows she has to act. A mysterious symbol could be the key—if only she knew how to translate it. Every new clue seems to lead deeper into her world&’s underbelly and the Black Swan aren&’t the only ones who have plans. The Neverseen have their own Initiative, and if Sophie doesn&’t stop it, they might finally have the ultimate means to control her.
Lodestone
by Terry RissenAlchemy "Al" Jones is an Earth Elemental with an affinity for metals. He uses his covert abilities doing freelance planetary mineral surveys. He's spent decades as a loner, avoiding planets, Company drones, other Paras, and emotional entanglements. When he's stranded on a station with a ship that needs more repairs than he has funds to cover, he's got a decision to make. And then he meets Nick, who turns his world inside out. Nicholai Royce is an Earth Elemental with an affinity for gems, and he's on a mission. Paras are a maligned minority, and Nick's in the sector to look over unclaimed planets that could be suitable for a Para home world. But he's got a problem--his ship barely reached the station, and he doesn't have the cash to get it out of dry dock. Then he meets Al, who is absolutely not the kind of person Nick should be falling for. On the other hand, Al's scheme could get them back into space--or could get them killed.A story from the Dreamspinner Press 2015 Daily Dose package "Never Too Late."
Lodge of the Lynx (Adept #2)
by Katherine Kurtz Deborah Turner HarrisThe sequel to The Adept finds the Adept, in his guise as psychiatrist Adam Sinclair, continuing his battle againsts the forces of Darkness, embodied in the druidic cult, the Lodge of the Lynx, which threatens all of Scotland.
Lofty Dreams of Earthbound Men (Isleshire Chronicles)
by Susan LaineIsleshire Chronicles: Book OneOn the night of the summer solstice, Obadai Bashim encounters Jules Sterling, a young engineering sage. Jules is on the run from a ripper, an assassin of the Theocracy who has already killed his master. Open atrocities by rippers are unusual in County Isleshire, where freedom and acceptance reign over prejudice. However, political instability between the Five Kingdoms and the Divine Theocracy has set the theocrats on a mission to crown religious doctrine over science, and the Sage's Guild is number one on their eradication list. If Obadai helps, he'll have a price on his head too, but he can't abandon Jules. Escaping the ripper's clutches is not enough. Jules has a mission of his own: to repair a faulty airship inn about to crash into the fortified township of Dunbruth. Luckily, Obadai has a few magickal secrets up his sleeve.