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books tagged “Historical Fantasy” (historical fantasy)
books tagged “Historical Fantasy”
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Across the Nightingale Floorby Lian HearnISBN 1573222259 (1-57322-225-9)
Hardcover, Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Across the Nightingale Floor'Book summary:The debut novel of Lian Hearn's Tales of the Otori series, Across the Nightingale Floor, is set in a feudal Japan on the edge of the imagination. The tale begins with young Takeo, a member of a subversive and persecuted religious group, who returns home to find his village in flames. He is saved, not by coincidence, by the swords of Lord Otori Shigeru and thrust into a world of warlords, feuding clans, and political scheming. As Lord Otori's ward, he discovers he is a member by birth of the shadowy "Tribe," a mysterious group of assassins with supernatural abilities.
Hearn sets his tale in an imaginary realm that is and isn't feudal Japan. This device serves the author well as he is able to play with familiar archetypes--samurai, Shogun, and ninja--without falling prey to the pitfalls of history. The novel fills a unique niche that is at once period piece and fantasy novel. Hearn unfolds the tale of Takeo and the conflicting forces around him in a deliberate manner that leads to a satisfying conclusion and sets the stage for the rest of the series. --Jeremy Pugh [via]
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Across The Nightingale Floor: Episodes Twoby Lian HearnISBN 1573223328 (1-57322-332-8)
Softcover, Riverhead Books
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Across The Nightingale Floor: Episodes Two'Book summary:The debut novel of Lian Hearn's Tales of the Otori series, Across the Nightingale Floor, is set in a feudal Japan on the edge of the imagination. The tale begins with young Takeo, a member of a subversive and persecuted religious group, who returns home to find his village in flames. He is saved, not by coincidence, by the swords of Lord Otori Shigeru and thrust into a world of warlords, feuding clans, and political scheming. As Lord Otori's ward, he discovers he is a member by birth of the shadowy "Tribe," a mysterious group of assassins with supernatural abilities.
Hearn sets his tale in an imaginary realm that is and isn't feudal Japan. This device serves the author well as he is able to play with familiar archetypes--samurai, Shogun, and ninja--without falling prey to the pitfalls of history. The novel fills a unique niche that is at once period piece and fantasy novel. Hearn unfolds the tale of Takeo and the conflicting forces around him in a deliberate manner that leads to a satisfying conclusion and sets the stage for the rest of the series. --Jeremy Pugh [via]
More editions of Across The Nightingale Floor: Episodes Two:
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The Anubis Gatesby Tim PowersISBN 0441004016 (0-441-00401-6)
Softcover, Ace Books
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Anubis Gates'Book summary:Author Tim Powers evokes 17th-century England with a combination of meticulously researched historic detail and imaginative flights in this sci-fi tale of time travel. Winner of the 1984 Philip K. Dick Award for best original science fiction paperback, this 1989 edition of the book that took the fantasy world by storm is the first hardcover version to be published in the United States. In his brief introduction, Ramsey Campbell sets The Anubis Gates in an adventure context, citing Powers's achievement of "extraordinary scenes of underground horror, of comedy both high and grotesque, of bizarre menace, of poetic fantasy."
The colonization of Egypt by western European powers is the launch point for power plays and machinations. Steeping together in this time-warp stew are such characters as an unassuming Coleridge scholar, ancient gods, wizards, the Knights Templar, werewolves, and other quasi-mortals, all wrapped in the organizing fabric of Egyptian mythology. In the best of fantasy traditions, the reluctant heroes fight for survival against an evil that lurks beneath the surface of their everyday lives. [via]
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Ars Magicaby Jonathan TweetISBN 1887801553 (1-887801-55-3)
Softcover, Atlas Games
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Ars Magica'Book summary:Ars Magica ("The Art of Magic") is the award-winning roleplaying game that focuses on wizards who are as powerful as the ones we know from legend and literature, and the land of Mythic Europe, where those legends are real. The rules encourage players to develop their characters over long periods of time, and make the covenant, the home base of the characters, as central to the stories as any individual character. Troupe-style roleplaying allows players to take on the roles of different characters in different stories, so that the players have equal access to power even though the characters do not. This new edition is rewritten to improve the rules for existing players, and to be more attractive and accessible to new audiences. [via]
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Black Powder Warby Naomi NovikISBN 0345481305 (0-345-48130-5)
Softcover, Del Rey
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Black Powder War'Book summary:A splendid series.
Anne McCaffrey
Naomi Novik has done for the Napoleonic Wars what Anne McCaffrey did for science fiction: constructed an alternate reality in which dragons are real in a saga that is impressively original, fully developed, and peopled with characters you care about.
David Weber, author of the Honor Harrington series
After their fateful adventure in China, Capt. Will Laurence of His Majestys Aerial Corps and his extraordinary dragon, Temeraire, are waylaid by a mysterious envoy bearing urgent new orders from Britain. Three valuable dragon eggs have been purchased from the Ottoman Empire, and Laurence and Temeraire must detour to Istanbul to escort the precious cargo back to England. Time is of the essence if the eggs are to be borne home before hatching.
Yet disaster threatens the mission at every turnthanks to the diabolical machinations of the Chinese dragon Lien, who blames Temeraire for her masters death and vows to ally herself with Napoleon and take vengeance. Then, faced with shattering betrayal in an unexpected place, Laurence, Temeraire, and their squad must launch a daring offensive. But what chance do they have against the massed forces of Bonapartes implacable army? [via]More editions of Black Powder War:
Bridge of Birdsby Barry HughartISBN 0345321383 (0-345-32138-3)
Softcover, Ballantine Books
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Bridge of Birds'Book summary:Bridge of Birds is a lyrical fantasy novel. Set in "an Ancient China that never was", it stands with The Princess Bride and The Last Unicorn as a fairy tale for all ages, by turns incredibly funny and deeply touching. It won the World Fantasy Award in 1985, and Hughart produced two sequels: The Story of the Stone, and Eight Skilled Gentlemen. All present the adventures of Master Kao Li, a scholar with "a slight flaw in [his] character", and Lu Yu, usually called Number Ten Ox, his sidekick and the story's narrator. Number Ten Ox is strong, trusting, and pure of heart; Master Li once sold an emperor shares in a mustard mine, because "I was trying to win a bet concerning the intelligence of emperors."
Number Ten Ox comes from a village in which the children have been struck by a mysterious illness. He recruits Master Li to find the cure and comes along to provide muscle. They seek a mysterious Great Root of Power, which may be a form of ginseng. Of course, nothing turns out to be as simple as it seems; great wrongs must be avenged and lovers separated must be reunited, from the most humble to the highest. And even in the midst of cosmic glory, Pawnbroker Fang and Ma the Grub are picking the pockets of their own lynch mob, who are frozen in awe and wonder. --Nona Vero [via]
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Carthage Ascendantby Mary GentleISBN 0380805502 (0-380-80550-2)
Softcover, Harpercollins
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Carthage Ascendant'Book summary:In a brutal age of bloodshed and miracles where dark sorcery has extinguished the sun, the fate of Western Europe, Africa--and perhaps all the world--rests in the hands of a warrior woman named Ash.
The undefeated legions that are the army of Carthage rampage across the kingdoms of Europe. Beneath a sunless sky, Burgundy alone stands in the path of the Visigoth horde and their legendary slave general, the Faris. Deep in enemy territory lies a living stone idol of frightening power that must be destroyed if anyone is to survive, a being that whispers in Ash's soul, that has guided her through every military campaign, that only she and her enemy--her twin--can hear.
But there is an even greater evil that lurks at Carthage, one that created the stone idol and shaped Ash's existence. It plots with deadly purpose the final annihilation that will wipe Burgundy from the face of the earth. For Burgundy lies at the heart of it all--the richest prize in Europe and the key to the world--the jewel of the Carthaginian campaign.
In a brutal age of bloodshed and miracles where dark sorcery has extinguished the sun, the fate of Western Europe, Africa--and perhaps all the world--rests in the hands of a warrior woman named Ash.The undefeated legions that are the army of Carthage rampage across the kingdoms of Europe.Beneath a sunless sky, Burgundy alone stands in the path of the Visigoth horde and their legendary slave general, the Faris. Deep in enemy territory lies a living stone idol of frightening power that must be destroyed if anyone is to survive, a being that whispers in Ash's soul, that has guided her through every military campaign, that only she and her enemy--her twin--can hear.
But there is an even greater evil that lurks at Carthage, one that created the stone idol and shaped Ash's existence. It plots with deadly purpose the final annihilation that will wipe Burgundy from the face of the earth. For Burgundy lies at the heart of it all--the richest prize in Europe and the key to the world--the jewel of the Carthaginian campaign. [via]
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Child of the Prophecyby Juliet MarillierISBN 0312870361 (0-312-87036-1)
Softcover, Tor Books
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Child of the Prophecy'Book summary:The powerful fantasy novel Child of the Prophecy successfully concludes Juliet Marillier's Sevenwaters Trilogy, which chronicles a fated family's three-generation struggle to preserve the failing magic of ancient Ireland.
The daughter of a forbidden romance, Fianne has been raised in isolation and trained in magic by her loving but remote druid-father, Ciaran, and her ruthless sorceress-grandmother, the Lady Oonagh. They send Fianne to Sweetwaters to live among relatives who had no knowledge of her existence and who may have instigated the death of her mother, their sister Niamh. Fianne has come to carry out her grandmother's long-planned vengeance on the clan--and on the Old Ones, who are the source of Ireland's mystic power. Despite her mother's death, Fianne is reluctant to harm her Sweetwaters kin. But if she lets them live, the Lady Oonagh will kill both her father and Darragh, the handsome young horse tamer who has captured Fianne's heart.
Child of the Prophecy works as a standalone novel, but readers will benefit by first reading its equally accomplished prequels, Daughter of the Forest and Son of the Shadows. --Cynthia Ward [via]
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Crystal Caveby Mary StewartISBN 0060548258 (0-06-054825-8)
Softcover, Harpercollins
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Crystal Cave'Book summary:Initially published nearly thirty years ago, Mary Stewart's The Crystal Cave has been spellbinding readers and converting them into serious Arthurian buffs ever since. The first in a series of four books, this novel focuses on the early life of Merlin the magician, and the political developments of fifth-century Britain. Not for the fainthearted, this verbose text pays careful attention to historical details and methodical plot development.
Merlin's childhood is formed by the absence of his reticent, convent-bound mother and his unnamed and unknown father. As the bastard grandson of a local king, Merlin is the object of both envy and ridicule. His strange powers and predictions earn him greater status as a pariah, and he leaves home as a preadolescent. Returning years later as a young man--empowered by self-knowledge and magic--Merlin finds himself caught in the currents of the shifting kingdoms.
As an established classic in this genre, and the first in a popular series, The Crystal Cave introduces this familiar character with fresh sensitivity. While readers looking for the romance of First Knight will be disappointed, those happy with tight writing and a complex story line will be satisfied. --Nancy R.E. O'Brien [via]
More editions of Crystal Cave:
- Crystal Cave: ISBN 0449206440 (0-449-20644-0)
Softcover, Ballantine Books - The Crystal Cave: ISBN 0449911616 (0-449-91161-6)
Softcover, Random House Publishing Group - Crystal Cave: ISBN 0688013988 (0-688-01398-8)
Hardcover, Harpercollins - Crystal Cave: ISBN 0808514083 (0-8085-1408-3)
Hardcover, Bt Bound - Crystal Cave: ISBN 0816133387 (0-8161-3338-7)
Hardcover, G K Hall & Co - Crystal Cave: ISBN 0060548258 (0-06-054825-8)
Softcover, Harpercollins
- Crystal Cave: ISBN 0449206440 (0-449-20644-0)
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Daughter of the Forestby Juliet MarillierISBN 0312875304 (0-312-87530-4)
Softcover, Tor Books
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Daughter of the Forest'Book summary:At the heart of this surprisingly accomplished first novel, first book of the Sevenwaters trilogy, is a retelling of an ancient Celtic legend. Marillier's story, however, is much more than a slightly disguised fairy tale. Young Sorcha is the seventh child and only daughter of Irish Lord Colum of Sevenwaters, a domain well protected from invading Saxons and Britons by dense forest where, legend says, fey Deirdre, the Lady of the Forest, walks the woodland paths at night. Colum is first and foremost a warrior, bent on maintaining his lands against all outsiders. Not all of his sons are so bound to the old ways, and that family friction leads to outright disobedience when Sorcha and her brother Finbar help a Briton captive escape from Colum's dungeon. Soon after, Colum brings home a new wife who ensorcels everyone she can't otherwise manipulate. By her spell Sorcha's brothers are cursed to become swans. Only Sorcha, hiding deep in the forest, can break the spell by painfully weaving shirts of starwort nettle--but then Sorcha is captured by Britons and taken away across the sea. Determined to break the curse despite her captivity, Sorcha continues to work, little expecting that ultimately she will have to chose between saving her brothers and protecting the Briton lord who has defended her throughout her trials. Marillier's writing is deft and heartfelt, bypassing the usual bombast of fantasy fireworks for a rich, magical story of loyalty and love. --Charlene Brusso [via]
More editions of Daughter of the Forest:
- Daughter of the Forest: ISBN 0765343436 (0-7653-4343-6)
Softcover, Tor Books - Daughter of the Forest: ISBN 031284879X (0-312-84879-X)
Hardcover, Doherty Associates, LLC, Tom - Daughter of the Forest: ISBN 0606246177 (0-606-24617-7)
Hardcover, Demco Media - Daughter of the Forest: ISBN 0312875304 (0-312-87530-4)
Softcover, Tor Books
- Daughter of the Forest: ISBN 0765343436 (0-7653-4343-6)
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The Drawing of the Darkby Tim PowersISBN 0345430816 (0-345-43081-6)
Softcover, Del Rey
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Drawing of the Dark'Book summary:Del Rey's Impact line introduces a list of titles that have "slipped through the cracks and become buried treasure." The re-release of Tim Powers's The Drawing of the Dark (first published in 1979) is indeed worthy of the imprint. It was his third novel and first foray into the fantasy genre.
It is the year 1529 and Brian Duffy, a soldier of fortune, finds himself in Venice. A late-night confrontation with three brothers over a matter of honor convinces Brian to find greener pastures. After a chance meeting with an old monk named Aurelainus, Brian finds himself hired on to be the bouncer at the famous Herzwesten brewery and inn (formerly a monastery) located in Vienna. During Brian's voyage from Venice to Vienna, he crosses the Dolomite Mountains, only to meet assassins who attack him. Dwarves and creatures Brian knew only from mythology assist him in vanquishing his attackers.
The mythical Fisher King is a central character in The Drawing of the Dark, and cameos by the Roman god Bacchus, the Lady of the Lake, reincarnations of King Arthur and Sigmund from Norse mythology, Merlin, and hosts of soldiers, including Vikings and Swiss mercenaries, add to the otherworldly feel. The legendary heroes are allied against legions of soldiers from the Turkish Ottoman Empire under Suleiman and his wizard Ibrahim, who try to repeat the successes of their 1521 and 1526 invasions of eastern Europe by laying siege to Vienna. But just what is their objective? The city or the beer?
Tim Powers does a great job of tying the historical invasion of eastern Europe by the Turks to a rollicking, fun-filled fantasy, which offers its own reasons for the invasion and a wonderful cast of heroes that ultimately repel the invaders. This is a must-read for Tim Powers fans and for readers who have yet to delve into his rich, wonderful worlds. --Robert Gately [via]
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FirdbrandISBN 0517694387 (0-517-69438-7)
Softcover, Random House Value Pub
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The Firebrandby Marion Zimmer BradleyISBN 0451459245 (0-451-45924-5)
Softcover, Roc
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Firebrand'Book summary:Vividly blending the myths of gods with the passions of women and men, Marion Zimmer Bradley delivers a shimmering epic of ancient Troy and Greece, a story of love and betrayal, wars and kings, gods and magic. From the author of The Mists of Avalon. [via]
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Forest Houseby Marion Zimmer BradleyISBN 0451454243 (0-451-45424-3)
Softcover, New Amer Library
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Forest House'Book summary:The author of The Mists of Avalon presents a tale set in Druidic England, as Eilan feels torn between her love of a young Roman soldier and her inner need to become a priestess for her Goddess. 100,000 first printing. $75,000 ad/promo. [via]
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Freedom & Necessityby Emma Bull, Steven BrustISBN 0812562615 (0-8125-6261-5)
Softcover, Tor Books
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Freedom & Necessity'Book summary:The early 19th century was a heady time of repeated challenges to the assumption that the social order as it stood was supernaturally (divinely) ordained. A particularly sticky web of politics and romance traps Susan Voight and James Cobham in a dense, thrillingly suspenseful plot connecting a reforming democratic labor movement, Chartism, to a secret society, the Trotters Club, whose corrupt members intend to exploit a magical ritual for their personal, complicated purposes of vengeance and power. Layers of truths and falsehoods mislead and confound the protagonists in their dealings with each other and the conspiracies; they come to understand that only honesty can save them. Although the perversion of the natural power of sorcery fails because it is unnatural, the social order, unnatural or not, is more resistant to justice. The swift pace, surprising developments, and appealing characters make it nearly impossible to put this book down. Though the women's rights movement is glancingly acknowledged, the conventionally romantic fulfillment is a little disappointing. Is there no other end for intelligent, financially independent women than maternity and love-partnership (as binding, or more, as legal marriage) with a man? [via]
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Freedom And Necessityby Emma Bull, Steven BrustISBN 0765316803 (0-7653-1680-3)
Softcover, Orb Books
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Freedom And Necessity'Book summary:The early 19th century was a heady time of repeated challenges to the assumption that the social order as it stood was supernaturally (divinely) ordained. A particularly sticky web of politics and romance traps Susan Voight and James Cobham in a dense, thrillingly suspenseful plot connecting a reforming democratic labor movement, Chartism, to a secret society, the Trotters Club, whose corrupt members intend to exploit a magical ritual for their personal, complicated purposes of vengeance and power. Layers of truths and falsehoods mislead and confound the protagonists in their dealings with each other and the conspiracies; they come to understand that only honesty can save them. Although the perversion of the natural power of sorcery fails because it is unnatural, the social order, unnatural or not, is more resistant to justice. The swift pace, surprising developments, and appealing characters make it nearly impossible to put this book down. Though the women's rights movement is glancingly acknowledged, the conventionally romantic fulfillment is a little disappointing. Is there no other end for intelligent, financially independent women than maternity and love-partnership (as binding, or more, as legal marriage) with a man? [via]
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His Majesty's Dragonby Naomi NovikISBN 0345481283 (0-345-48128-3)
Softcover, Ballantine Books
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› Find signed collectible books: 'His Majesty's Dragon'Book summary:Aerial combat brings a thrilling new dimension to the Napoleonic Wars as valiant warriors rise to Britain's defense by taking to the skies . . . not aboard aircraft but atop the mighty backs of fighting dragons.When HMS Reliant captures a French frigate and seizes its precious cargo, an unhatched dragon egg, fate sweeps Capt. Will Laurence from his seafaring life into an uncertain future-and an unexpected kinship with a most extraordinary creature. Thrust into the rarified world of the Aerial Corps as master of the dragon Temeraire, he will face a crash course in the daring tactics of airborne battle. For as France's own dragon-borne forces rally to breach British soil in Bonaparte's boldest gambit, Laurence and Temeraire must soar into their own baptism of fire. [via]
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The Hollow Hillsby Mary StewartISBN 0899668550 (0-89966-855-0)
Hardcover, Buccaneer Books
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Hollow Hills'More editions of The Hollow Hills:
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The Hound and the Falconby Judith TarrISBN 0312853033 (0-312-85303-3)
Softcover, St Martins Pr
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Hound and the Falcon'Book summary:Alfred of St. Ruan's Abbey is a monk and a scholar, a religious man whose vocation is beyond question. But Alfred is also, without a doubt, one of the fair folk, for though he is more than seventy years old by the Abbey's records, he seems to be only a youth.[via]
But Alfred is drawn from the haven of his monastery into his dangerous currents of politics when an ambassador from the kingdom of Rhiyana to Richard Coeur de Leon is wounded and Alfred himself is sent to complete the mission. There he encounters the Hounds of God, who believe that the fair folk have no souls, and must be purged from the Church and from the world.More editions of The Hound and the Falcon:
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrellby Susanna ClarkeISBN 1582346038 (1-58234-603-8)
Softcover, Bloomsbury Pub Plc USA
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell'Book summary:It's 1808 and that Corsican upstart Napoleon is battering the English army and navy. Enter Mr. Norrell, a fusty but ambitious scholar from the Yorkshire countryside and the first practical magician in hundreds of years. What better way to demonstrate his revival of British magic than to change the course of the Napoleonic wars? Susanna Clarke's ingenious first novel, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, has the cleverness and lightness of touch of the Harry Potter series, but is less a fairy tale of good versus evil than a fantastic comedy of manners, complete with elaborate false footnotes, occasional period spellings, and a dense, lively mythology teeming beneath the narrative. Mr. Norrell moves to London to establish his influence in government circles, devising such powerful illusions as an 11-day blockade of French ports by English ships fabricated from rainwater. But however skillful his magic, his vanity provides an Achilles heel, and the differing ambitions of his more glamorous apprentice, Jonathan Strange, threaten to topple all that Mr. Norrell has achieved. A sparkling debut from Susanna Clarke--and it's not all fairy dust. --Regina Marler [via]
More editions of Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell:
- Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell: ISBN 1596911530 (1-59691-153-0)
Softcover, St Martins Pr - Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell: ISBN 1582344167 (1-58234-416-7)
Hardcover, Bloomsbury Pub Plc USA - Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell: ISBN 1596910534 (1-59691-053-4)
Softcover, Bloomsbury Pub Plc USA - Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell: ISBN 0765356155 (0-7653-5615-5)
Softcover, Tor Books - Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell: ISBN 1582346038 (1-58234-603-8)
Softcover, Bloomsbury Pub Plc USA
- Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell: ISBN 1596911530 (1-59691-153-0)
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The Last Light Of The Sunby Guy Gavriel KayISBN 0451459857 (0-451-45985-7)
Softcover, Roc
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Last Light Of The Sun'Book summary:In the often formulaic world of fantasy fiction, Guy Gavriel Kay stands out as an innovative and challenging writer. He not only pushes the genre's limits with his unique blend of high fantasy and historical fiction, he also expands his own boundaries as a writer by constantly exploring new directions. The Last Light of the Sun is no exception, as Kay leaves the courtly world of his recent novels for a harsh northern land populated with marauding sea raiders, grim kings struggling to establish some semblance of civilization, and a slowly dying faerie world. The Last Light of the Sun invokes the Britain of the Old English sagas, in which community is built upon honour and loyalty, and the end of the world is always but a battle away.
The book follows a large cast of characters from three different societies: the Viking stand-in Erlings, the Celtic Cyngael, and the Anglo Saxon-like Anglcyn. The three groups clash repeatedly and become more closely intertwined in each meeting, as characters fight, fall in love, and die, and complex family stories and quests are played out across generations and different landscapes. What makes the book truly remarkable is Kay's honest, unsentimental storytelling style. The characters in The Last Light of the Sun are real people, not stock fantasy characters, and the plot often takes unexpected, unconventional twists, resulting in a chain of events that more closely resembles real history than romantic tales. The Last Light of the Sun is one of Kay's bleaker works, largely because it's also one of his most real. But it is still an epic tale, and like the best epics it depicts not only heroes and mighty battles but also patterns of loss and change. It is a world upon which the sun is truly setting, but it is also a world about to be reborn into a new era, and Kay tells its story like the best bards of old. --Peter Darbyshire [via]
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The Lions Of Al-rassanby Guy Gavriel KayISBN 0060733497 (0-06-073349-7)
Softcover, Eos
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Lions Of Al-rassan'Book summary:A Master Storyteller Creates an Enduring Legend of His Own
Over the centuries, the once stern rulers of Al-Rassan have been seduced by sensuous pleasures. Now King Almalik of Cartada is on the ascendancy, adding city after city to his realm, aided by his friend and advisor, the notorious Ammar ibn Khairan--poet, diplomat, soldier--until a summer day of savage brutality changes their relationship forever. Meanwhile, in the north, the Jaddite's most celebrated--and feared--military leader, Rodrigo Belmonte, and Ammar meet. Sharing the interwoven fate of both men is Jehane, the beautiful, accomplished court physician, whose own skills play an increasing role as Al-Rassan is swept to the brink of holy war, and beyond....
In a magnificent setting, hauntingly evocative of medieval Spain, The Lions of Al-Rassan is both a brilliant adventure and a deeply moving story of love, divided loyalties, and what happens to men and women when hardening beliefs begin to remake--or destroy--a world. [via]
More editions of The Lions Of Al-rassan:
- The Lions of Al-Rassan: ISBN 0061056219 (0-06-105621-9)
Softcover, HarperCollins Publishers - The Lions Of Al-rassan: ISBN 0061052175 (0-06-105217-5)
Hardcover, Harpercollins - The Lions Of Al-rassan: ISBN 067085896X (0-670-85896-X)
Hardcover, Viking - The Lions Of Al-rassan: ISBN 0060733497 (0-06-073349-7)
Softcover, Eos
- The Lions of Al-Rassan: ISBN 0061056219 (0-06-105621-9)
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Lord of Emperorsby Guy Gavriel KayISBN 0061020028 (0-06-102002-8)
Softcover, Harpercollins
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Lord of Emperors'Book summary:One of the world's foremost masters of fantasy, Guy Gavriel Kay has thrilled readers around the globe with his talent for skillfully interweaving history and myth, colorful characterization, and a rich sense of time and place. Now, in Lord of Emperors, the internationally acclaimed author of The Lions of Al-Rassan continues his most powerful work.
In Sailing to Sarantium, the first volume in the Sarantine Mosaic, renowned mosaicist Crispin--beckoned by an imperial summons of the Emperor Valerius--made his way to the fabled city of Sarantium. A man who lives only for his craft, who cares little for ambition, less for money, and nothing for intrigue, Crispin now wants only to confront the challenges of his art high upon a dome that will become the emperor's magnificent sanctuary and legacy.
But Crispin's desire for solitude will not be fulfilled. Beneath him the city swirls with rumors of war and conspiracy, while otherworldly fires mysteriously flicker and disappear in the streets at night. Valerius is looking west to Crispin's homeland of Varena to assert his power--a plan that may have dire consequences for the family and friends Crispin left behind. But loyalty to his homeland comes at a high price, for Crispin's fate has become entwined with that of Valerius and his empress, as well as the youthful Queen Gisel, his own monarch who is an exile in Sarantium herself. And now another voyager arrives in Sarantium, a physician determined to earn his fortune amid the shifting currents of loyalty, intrigue, and violence.
Drawing from the twin springs of history and legend, Lord of Emperors is also a deeply moving exploration of art, power, and the ways in which people from all walks of life seek to leave an impressionthat endures long after thery're gone. It confirms Kay's place as one of the most esteemed masters of fantasy. [via]
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Mists of Avalonby Marion Zimmer BradleyISBN 0345350499 (0-345-35049-9)
Softcover, Ballantine Books
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Mists of Avalon'Book summary:Even readers who don't normally enjoy Arthurian legends will love this version, a retelling from the point of view of the women behind the throne. Morgaine (more commonly known as Morgan Le Fay) and Gwenhwyfar (a Welsh spelling of Guinevere) struggle for power, using Arthur as a way to score points and promote their respective worldviews. The Mists of Avalon's Camelot politics and intrigue take place at a time when Christianity is taking over the island-nation of Britain; Christianity vs. Faery, and God vs. Goddess are dominant themes.
Young and old alike will enjoy this magical Arthurian reinvention by science fiction and fantasy veteran Marion Zimmer Bradley. --Bonnie Bouman [via]
More editions of Mists of Avalon:
- Mists of Avalon: ISBN 0345441184 (0-345-44118-4)
Hardcover, Ballantine Books - Mists of Avalon: ISBN 0785787135 (0-7857-8713-5)
Hardcover, Bt Bound - Mists of Avalon: ISBN 0345333853 (0-345-33385-3)
Softcover, Ballantine Books - Mists of Avalon: ISBN 0394524063 (0-394-52406-3)
Hardcover, Random House Inc - Mists of Avalon: ISBN 0345350499 (0-345-35049-9)
Softcover, Ballantine Books
- Mists of Avalon: ISBN 0345441184 (0-345-44118-4)
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Newton's Cannonby Greg KeyesISBN 0345433785 (0-345-43378-5)
Softcover, Del Rey
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Newton's Cannon'Book summary:Newton's Cannon is an alternate history set primarily in the court of Louis XIV. This might sound familiar to readers of Vonda McIntyre's Nebula-winning The Moon and the Sun. Keyes, like McIntyre, blends alchemy, history, and fantasy in his novel.
Keyes's characters are expertly drawn: Louis XIV, the aging King of France who seeks a return to international preeminence, young Ben Franklin of Boston, a printer's apprentice who yearns to master alchemy, and Adrienne de Montchevreuil, a lovely, impoverished noblewoman who secretly pursues mathematics, but attracts Louis's lustful attention. The many secondary characters are also believable personalities, and the plot is original and suspenseful. Keyes's writing is precise and witty. "It was, Adrienne reflected, impossible not to be impressed by the Grand Canal. More like a cruciform inland sea with banks of polished marble, it summed up many things about Versailles. It was monumental in proportion, insanely expensive, impossible to overlook, and entirely frivolous."
Though the ending of Newton's Cannon leaves much unresolved--setting up book two of The Age of Unreason, A Calculus of Angels--it's fine entertainment all by itself. --Nona Vero [via]
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Newton's Cannonby J. Gregory KeyesISBN 0345406052 (0-345-40605-2)
Softcover, Random House Publishing Group
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Newton's Cannon'Book summary:Newton's Cannon is an alternate history set primarily in the court of Louis XIV. This might sound familiar to readers of Vonda McIntyre's Nebula-winning The Moon and the Sun. Keyes, like McIntyre, blends alchemy, history, and fantasy in his novel.
Keyes's characters are expertly drawn: Louis XIV, the aging King of France who seeks a return to international preeminence, young Ben Franklin of Boston, a printer's apprentice who yearns to master alchemy, and Adrienne de Montchevreuil, a lovely, impoverished noblewoman who secretly pursues mathematics, but attracts Louis's lustful attention. The many secondary characters are also believable personalities, and the plot is original and suspenseful. Keyes's writing is precise and witty. "It was, Adrienne reflected, impossible not to be impressed by the Grand Canal. More like a cruciform inland sea with banks of polished marble, it summed up many things about Versailles. It was monumental in proportion, insanely expensive, impossible to overlook, and entirely frivolous."
Though the ending of Newton's Cannon leaves much unresolved--setting up book two of The Age of Unreason, A Calculus of Angels--it's fine entertainment all by itself. --Nona Vero [via]
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Phoenix And Ashesby Mercedes LackeyISBN 0756402727 (0-7564-0272-7)
Softcover, Daw Books
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Phoenix And Ashes'Book summary:[via]Following her acclaimed novels The Serpent's Shadow and The Gates of Sleep, Mercedes Lackey reinvents a classic fairy tale-and gives it a new twist. In a dark and atmospheric retelling of Cinderella, she sets her story in London during the first World War.
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Quicksilverby Neal StephensonISBN 0060593083 (0-06-059308-3)
Softcover, Harpercollins
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Quicksilver'Book summary:In Quicksilver, the first volume of the "Baroque Cycle," Neal Stephenson launches his most ambitious work to date. The novel, divided into three books, opens in 1713 with the ageless Enoch Root seeking Daniel Waterhouse on the campus of what passes for MIT in eighteenth-century Massachusetts. Daniel, Enoch's message conveys, is key to resolving an explosive scientific battle of preeminence between Isaac Newton and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz over the development of calculus. As Daniel returns to London aboard the Minerva, readers are catapulted back half a century to recall his years at Cambridge with young Isaac. Daniel is a perfect historical witness. Privy to Robert Hooke's early drawings of microscope images and with associates among the English nobility, religious radicals, and the Royal Society, he also befriends Samuel Pepys, risks a cup of coffee, and enjoys a lecture on Belgian waffles and cleavage-all before the year 1700.
In the second book, Stephenson introduces Jack Shaftoe and Eliza. "Half-Cocked" Jack (also know as the "King of the Vagabonds") recovers the English Eliza from a Turkish harem. Fleeing the siege of Vienna, the two journey across Europe driven by Eliza's lust for fame, fortune, and nobility. Gradually, their circle intertwines with that of Daniel in the third book of the novel.
The book courses with Stephenson's scholarship but is rarely bogged down in its historical detail. Stephenson is especially impressive in his ability to represent dialogue over the evolving worldview of seventeenth-century scientists and enliven the most abstruse explanation of theory. Though replete with science, the novel is as much about the complex struggles for political ascendancy and the workings of financial markets. Further, the novel's literary ambitions match its physical size. Stephenson narrates through epistolary chapters, fragments of plays and poems, journal entries, maps, drawings, genealogic tables, and copious contemporary epigrams. But, caught in this richness, the prose is occasionally neglected and wants editing. Further, anticipating a cycle, the book does not provide a satisfying conclusion to its 900 pages. These are minor quibbles, though. Stephenson has matched ambition to execution, and his faithful, durable readers will be both entertained and richly rewarded with a practicum in Baroque science, cypher, culture, and politics. --Patrick O'Kelley [via]
More editions of Quicksilver:
- Quicksilver: ISBN 0060833165 (0-06-083316-5)
Softcover, Harpercollins - Quicksilver: ISBN 0060599332 (0-06-059933-2)
Hardcover, Harpercollins - Quicksilver: ISBN 0380977427 (0-380-97742-7)
Hardcover, Harpercollins - Quicksilver: ISBN 0434008931 (0-434-00893-1)
Softcover, Heinemann - Quicksilver: ISBN 0434008176 (0-434-00817-6)
Hardcover, Heinemann - Quicksilver: ISBN 0060593083 (0-06-059308-3)
Softcover, Harpercollins
- Quicksilver: ISBN 0060833165 (0-06-083316-5)
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Sailing to Sarantiumby Guy Gavriel KayISBN 0061059900 (0-06-105990-0)
Softcover, HarperCollins Publishers
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Sailing to Sarantium'Book summary:Valerius the Trakesian has great ambition. Rumored to be responsible for the ascension of the previous Emperor, his uncle, amid fire and blood, Valerius himself has now risen to the Golden Throne of the vast empire ruled by the fabled city, Sarantium.
Valerius has a vision to match his ambition: a glittering dome that will proclaim his magnificence down through the ages. And so, in a ruined western city on the far distant edge of civilization, a not-so-humble artisan receives a call that will change his life forever.
Crispin is a mosaicist, a layer of bright tiles. Still grieving for the family he lost to the plague, he lives only for his arcane craft, and cares little for ambition, less for money, and for intrigue not at all. But an imperial summons to the most magnificent city in the world is a difficult call to resist.
In this world still half-wild and tangled with magic, no journey is simple; and a journey to Sarantium means a walk into destiny. Bearing with him a deadly secret, and a Queen's seductive promise; guarded only by his own wits and a bird soul talisman from an alchemist's treasury, Crispin sets out for the fabled city from which none return unaltered.
In the Aldwood he encounters a great beast from the mythic past, and in robbing the zubir of its prize he wins a woman's devotion and a man's loyalty--and loses a gift he didn't know he had until it was gone.
In Sarantium itself, where rival factions vie in the streets and palaces, and chariot racing is as sacred as prayer, Crispin will begin his life anew. In an empire ruled by intrigue and violence, he must find his own source of power. And he does: high on the scaffolding of the greatest art work ever imagined, while struggling to deal with the dangers--and the seductive lures--of the men and women around him.
Guy Gavriel Kay's magnificent historical fantasies draw from the twin springs of history and legend to create seamless worlds as vibrant as any in literature. Sailing to Sarantium begins The Sarantine Mosaic, a new and signal triumph by today's most esteemed master of high fantasy.
"To say of a man that he was Sailing to Sarantium was to say that his life was on the cusp of change, poised for emergent greatness, brilliance, fortune--or else at the very precipice of a final and absolute fall into chaos and ruin." [via]
A Secret Historyby Mary GentleISBN 0380788691 (0-380-78869-1)
Softcover, Harpercollins
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Seventh Sonby Orson Scott CardISBN 0812533054 (0-8125-3305-4)
Softcover, St Martins Pr
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Seventh Son'Book summary:From the author of Enders Game, an unforgettable story about young Alvin Maker: the seventh son of a seventh son. Born into an alternative frontier America where life is hard and folk magic is real, Alvin is gifted with the power. He must learn to use his gift wisely. But dark forces are arrayed against Alvin, and only a young girl with second sight can protect him.[via]More editions of Seventh Son:
- Seventh Son: ISBN 0613130340 (0-613-13034-0)
Hardcover, Bt Bound - Seventh Son: ISBN 076534775X (0-7653-4775-X)
Softcover, Tor Books - Seventh Son: ISBN 0812533534 (0-8125-3353-4)
Softcover, St Martins Pr - Seventh Son: ISBN 0312930194 (0-312-93019-4)
Hardcover, St Martins Pr - Seventh Son: ISBN 0812533054 (0-8125-3305-4)
Softcover, St Martins Pr
- Seventh Son: ISBN 0613130340 (0-613-13034-0)
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A Song for Arbonneby Guy Gavriel KayISBN 0451458974 (0-451-45897-4)
Softcover, Roc
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› Find signed collectible books: 'A Song for Arbonne'Book summary:A peaceful, gentle, and passionate kingdom named Arbonne is invaded by ruthless northern warriors, and Arbonne's goddess and Arbonne's people must band together to fight the invaders. Reprint. PW. [via]
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Sorcery and Ceceliaby Patricia C. Wrede, Caroline StevermerISBN 0441775594 (0-441-77559-4)
Softcover, Putnam Berkley
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Sorcery and Cecelia'Book summary:A great deal is happening in London this season.[via]
For starters, there's the witch who tried to poison Kate at Sir Hilary's induction into the Royal College of Wizards. (Since when does hot chocolate burn a hole straight through one's dress?!)
Then there's Dorothea. Is it a spell that's made her the toast of the town--or could it possibly have something to do with the charm-bag under Oliver's bed?
And speaking of Oliver, just how long can Cecelia and Kate make excuses for him? Ever since he was turned into a tree, he hasn't bothered to tell anyone where he is!
The girls might think it all a magical nightmare . . . if only they weren't having so much fun.More editions of Sorcery and Cecelia:
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Sorcery and Cecelia or The Enchanted Chocolate Potby Patricia C. WredeISBN 1417635959 (1-4176-3595-9)
Hardcover, Bt Bound
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Sorcery And Cecelia or the Enchanted Chocolate Pot'Book summary:A great deal is happening in London and the country this season.[via]
For starters, there's the witch who tried to poison Kate at the Royal College of Wizards. There's also the man who seems to be spying on Cecelia. (Though he's not doing a very good job of it--so just what are his intentions?) And then there's Oliver. Ever since he was turned into a tree, he hasn't bothered to tell anyone where he is.
Clearly, magic is a deadly and dangerous business. And the girls might be in fear for their lives . . . if only they weren't having so much fun!More editions of Sorcery and Cecelia or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot:
- Sorcery and Cecelia or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot: ISBN 015205300X (0-15-205300-X)
Softcover, Harcourt Childrens Books - Sorcery and Cecelia, Or, The Enchanted Chocolate Pot: ISBN 0152046151 (0-15-204615-1)
Hardcover, Harcourt Childrens Books - Sorcery And Cecilia, Or, The Enchanted Chocolate Pot: ISBN 0606328343 (0-606-32834-3)
Hardcover, Demco Media - Sorcery And Cecelia or the Enchanted Chocolate Pot: ISBN 1417635959 (1-4176-3595-9)
Hardcover, Bt Bound
- Sorcery and Cecelia or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot: ISBN 015205300X (0-15-205300-X)
A Sundial In A Grave: 1610by Mary GentleISBN 0380820412 (0-380-82041-2)
Softcover, Harpercollins
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Tales of Alvin Makerby Orson Scott Card, Renato ArlemISBN 0976401126 (0-9764011-2-6)
Softcover, Dabel Brothers Prod Llc
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Throne of Jadeby Naomi NovikISBN 0345481291 (0-345-48129-1)
Softcover, Del Rey
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Throne of Jade'Book summary:When Britain intercepted a French ship and its precious cargoan unhatched dragons eggCapt. Will Laurence of HMS Reliant unexpectedly became master and commander of the noble dragon he named Temeraire. As new recruits in Britains Aerial Corps, man and dragon soon proved their mettle in daring combat against Bonapartes invading forces.
Now China has discovered that its rare gift, intended for Napoleon, has fallen into British handsand an angry Chinese delegation vows to reclaim the remarkable beast. But Laurence refuses to cooperate. Facing the gallows for his defiance, Laurence has no choice but to accompany Temeraire back to the Far Easta long voyage fraught with peril, intrigue, and the untold terrors of the deep. Yet once the pair reaches the court of the Chinese emperor, even more shocking discoveries and darker dangers await. [via]More editions of Throne of Jade:
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Tiganaby Guy Gavriel KayISBN 0451457765 (0-451-45776-5)
Softcover, Roc
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Tigana'Book summary:Drawing on the most powerful mythic archetypes, this master epic of magic, politics, war--and the power of love and hate--is a rich, beautifully written, multidimensional work. The few surviving inhabitants of the destroyed land of Tigana bond together in a secret battle to release their homeland's curse and gain their freedom. [via]
Ysabelby Guy Gavriel KayISBN 0451461290 (0-451-46129-0)
Hardcover, Roc
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Spanish
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Jonathan Strange Y El Senor Norrelby Susanna ClarkeISBN 8478889736 (84-7888-973-6)
Softcover, Oceano De Mexico
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Las Nieblas De Avalonby Marion Zimmer BradleyISBN 8478886036 (84-7888-603-6)
Softcover, Oceano De Mexico
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