Search Results for: Revenger

ELEGY FOR A LOST STAR sets the stage for a major turning point in the Symphony of Ages series.

The dragon Anwyn – who has lain for three years in deathlike sleep in a grave of rock and black coal is freed by the cataclysm that concluded Requiem For The Sun. Disoriented and confused, she remembers only two things – the person who trapped her in dragon form and locked her in the grave – Rhapsody – and an all-encompassing desire to wreak vengeance.

Meanwhile, Achmed, the Firbolg king, resumes rebuilding the his shattered home, while a guild of merciless assassins set about taking revenge on him for the killing of their leader.

A horribly deformed but magical being finds its way through a carnival of freaks to the palace of an evil despot, who sees in it the potential to be the instrument by which his plans of conquest and brutal domination of a continent will be realized.

With the rise of new leaders, good and evil, the long-awaited birth of the Child of Time, the dark plans of assassins and rulers, a confrontation that shakes the relationship of the Three, and a battle to the death between two dragons of unimaginable elemental power, the seeds of chaos are planted for a war that will, by its end, consume half of the world.

Ten years ago, Calamity came. It was a burst in the sky that gave ordinary men and women extraordinary powers. The awed public started calling them Epics. But Epics are no friend of man. With incredible gifts came the desire to rule. And to rule man you must crush his wills.

Nobody fights the Epics… nobody but the Reckoners. A shadowy group of ordinary humans, they spend their lives studying Epics, finding their weaknesses, and then assassinating them.

And David wants in. He wants Steelheart – the Epic who is said to be invincible. The Epic who killed David’s father. For years, like the Reckoners, David’s been studying, and planning – and he has something they need. Not an object, but an experience.

He’s seen Steelheart bleed. And he wants revenge.

In the far future, a young man stands on a barren asteroid. His ship has been stolen, his family kidnapped or worse, and all he has on his side is a semi-intelligent spacesuit. The only member of the crew to escape, Hari has barely been off his ship before. It was his birthplace, his home and his future.

He’s going to get it back.

McAuley’s latest novel is set in the same far-flung future as his last few novels, but this time he takes on a much more personal story. This is a tale of revenge, of murder and morality, of growing up and discovering the world around you. Throughout the novel we follow Hari’s viewpoint, and as he unravels the mysteries that led to his stranding, we discover them alongside him. But throughout his journeys, Hari must always bear one thing in mind.

Nobody is to be trusted.

Praised by the likes of Joe Abercrombie and Brent Weeks, Stephen Deas has made dragons his own.

Captured by an unknown enemy and forced to wage war on his rivals, the Dragon Queen has found herself hated and feared by all the people of this new land. There is little they can do to hurt her while she has her dragon, but she cannot escape while the magic necklace she is forced to wear remains active – or it will throttle her. And the enemies of her new master are gathering for revenge …

Lost in a body that isn’t his own, Berren – the Bloody Judge – continues his search for the man who stole his life. Accompanied by a single Adamantine soldier, they scrabble to survive in a world shaken by the Dragon Queen’s attack and suspicious of all those who are strangers. But there is another power inside Berren, one which escapes when he is in danger and has the habit of disintegrating those around him. And that power has its own agenda … One that will lead it to the Dragon Queen, and battle.

The critics, fellow authors and readers alike are agreed – if you love dragons and epic fantasy, Stephen Deas is the writer for you. The man who brought dragons back to their full glory, might and terror.

THE LAND OF THE HEADLESS is set in a far future where mankind has taken his religious dogma and the divsions that result from it out into space.

On a planet where society is shaped by a strict adherance to the word of God as laid out in the Old Testament and Quran a poet is accused of the rape of a woman. Found guilty he must face the punishment laid down in the Good Book; beheading.

Beheaded, he is fitted with a neck valve, ordinator and basic sensory equipment and sent out into the world. But he bears a terrible and very visible stigma. the only way he can make a living is to join the army and serve in the war against the neighbouring planet. And plan his revenge against the man he believes is really guilty.

LAND OF THE HEADLESS is a searing satire of religious fundamentalism, a novel of love and war and a study of self-delusion. It is an elegantly written, thought-provoking and unique SF novel.

Gradisil is a multi-generational story of murder, betrayal and revenge. It is told through the eyes of three characters and against a background where mankinds rush into space has faded away leaving individual pioneers to force their way independently into space after the collapse of the big government space agencies.

They ride up into space on the lines of electromagnetic force that flower into space from earth like the mighty Yggradisil – the earth tree of Norse myth. Leaving their weight behind they still carry a cargo of enmities and hatreds.

Roberts has a unique approach to SF and is one of the genre’s premier stylists. This is one of his most original novels yet.

Now a major Hollywood film starring Daniel Radcliffe: read it first, if you dare …

Ignatius Perrish spent the night drunk and doing terrible things. He woke up the next morning with one hell of a hangover, a raging headache … and a pair of horns growing from his temples.

Once, Ig lived the life of the blessed: born into privilege, the second son of a renowned American musician, and the younger brother of a rising late-night TV star, Ig had security and wealth and a place in his community. Ig had it all, and more – he had the love of Merrin Williams, a love founded on shared daydreams, mutual daring, and unlikely midsummer magic.

Then beautiful, vivacious Merrin was gone – raped and murdered, under inexplicable circumstances – with Ig the only suspect. He was never tried for the crime, but in the court of public opinion, Ig was and always would be guilty.

Now Ig is possessed with a terrible new power – with just a touch he can see people’s darkest desires – to go with his terrible new look, and he means to use it to find the man who killed Merrin and destroyed his life. Being good and praying for the best got him nowhere. It’s time for a little revenge; it’s time the devil had his due.

Readers love Horns:

‘Truly scary and disturbing . . . I also loved the devilish humour inserted throughout the story’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

‘it wasn’t hard to get into the story because Joe Hill’s writing has this dark humour to it . . . he created such an amazing book with a concept that just blows my mind just think about it’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

‘This brutal and edgy story is a dark fantasy full of mystery and tension. The characters in this story are human, they’re likeable and they have their faults . . . What an incredible talent. Highly Recommend‘ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

‘Hill crafts one fiery tale that is compact, emotional, and darkly fantastic . . . It’s a very easy, yet compelling read . . . if you like horror, dark fantasy or a thriller that’s a little bit out there, give this a try’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

‘Becomes a unique mystery, love story, coming of age tale that brings all the characters to vivid life. It’s horrible, beautiful, emotional, darkly humorous and one of the best books I’ve read’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

‘I am so pleased to say that Joe Hill has followed in the footsteps of his father, the King of horror (see what I did there?!), and has adopted a writing style that keeps you engrossed . . . your heart will be ripped from your chest and squeezed until you sob over the pages of the book’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

The future holds nothing but blood and death …

… and Teia fears there is nothing she can do about it. Her clan is riding to war, but her secret, untrained gift of foretelling has shown her they are riding to their doom. If she cannot turn them from their course, her only hope of saving them will be to betray them to their sworn enemies.

Gair is mourning his past …

… but there is no time to dwell on his grief or hunger for revenge. Pursuing an artefact from the Founding Wars, he travels deep into the hostile southern deserts. As religious tensions erupt into bloody violence around him, he must make an impossible choice: save innocent lives or sacrifice them in the hope that thousands more can be saved later.

And all the while, his grip on his powers is failing.

Treachery and corruption lurk at the end of every street, in the holy city of Othir. It’s the perfect place for a freelance assassin with no loyalties and even fewer scruples.

Caim makes – or perhaps more accurately, takes – his living on the edge of a blade. Murder is a risky business, but so far he reckons he’s on the right side of it. Or he was … because when a short-notice contract job goes south, Caim finds himself thrust into the middle of a sinister plot in which he seems to be one of the primary marks. Pitted against crooked lawmen, rival killers and the darkest kinds of sorcery, it’s going to take more than luck if he’s to get through this alive.

He may lack scruples, but he’s still got his knives, and his instincts, to rely on – and a developed sense of revenge, or should that be justice? – to fall back on. But when his path leads him from the hazardous back streets of Othir and into the highest halls of power, will instincts and weapons alone really be enough?

If Caim is really going to unravel the plot which has snared him, to unmask a conspiracy at the heart of the empire, he will have to finally claim his birthright as the Shadow’s Son …

Gully Foyle, Mechanic’s Mate 3rd Class.

EDUCATION: none
SKILLS: none
MERITS: none
RECOMMENDATIONS: none

That’s the official verdict on Gully Foyle, unskilled space crewman.

But right now he is the only survivor on his drifting, wrecked spaceship, and when another space vessel – the Vorga – ignores his distress flares and sails by, Gully becomes obsessed with revenge. He endures 170 days alone in deep space before finding refuge on the Sargasso Asteroid and returning to Earth to track down the crew and owners of the Vorga. But, as he works out his murderous grudge, Gully Foyle also uncovers a secret of momentous proportions …

Samuel ‘Sailor’ Doyle has transferred from Vice to Homicide in the Virginia State Police. He has a mistress, an alcohol problem, a prescription drug dependency, and a burgeoning self-loathing that alienates his wife and family.

On Friday 3 July, the rookie investigator is assigned to a double homicide on a rural farm some 15 miles outside Richmond. One of the victims has been interred in a makeshift tomb, while the other is stuck half-in, half-out of a hope chest overflowing with cat litter. And the farm is covered with dead bodies: dozens of cats, sheep, goats, cows, and one dead horse. The mentally handicapped daughter of the victims, Carl and Claire Bruckner, is missing.

Doyle soon discovers that Bruckner was a Marine captain who lost his leg in Vietnam thanks to the incompetence of his commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Robert Lake – now retired General Robert Lake, and Republican Party presidential hopeful, who will be speaking in Richmond on July fourth – the following evening. What Doyle fails to realise as he follows the various clues is that wherever he goes, he is spreading disease – and not just any disease, but Yersinia pestis. The plague.

Is the dead Marine planning revenge, even from beyond the grave?

Weyland has been at war. Invaded by a technologically advanced enemy, the cities sacked, and what fragile peace remained torn apart by a civil war.

All anyone should want is a return to peace.

But Jacob Carneham still wants his revenge; and if he can lure the invaders into the mountain he can have it. He can kill them all.

If he does, there may never be peace again.

If he doesn’t, Weyland will never be free of the threat of invasion.

The northern horse lords are planning an attack. A future Empress is fighting to save her daughter. Jacob’s son is trying to restore peace and stability to Weyland, alongside the rightful King. And behind it all is a greater struggle, which may spell the end for them all . . .

‘A swashbuckling thriller – Pirates of the Caribbean meets Firefly – that nevertheless combines the author’s trademark hard SF with effective, coming-of-age characterisation’ GUARDIAN

‘A blindingly clever imagining of our solar system in the far flung future’ SUN

Return to the Revenger universe, for another thrilling tale set among the stars . . .
Quoins are accepted currency throughout the thousands of worlds of the Congregation. Ancient, and of unknown origin and purpose, people have traded with them, fought for them, and stolen quoin hordes from booby-trapped caches at risk to life and limb throughout the Thirteen Occupations. Only now it’s becoming clear they have another purpose . . . as do the bankers who’ve been collecting them.
The Occupations themselves are another puzzle. The rise and fall of civilisation may have been unevenly spaced across history, but there is also a pattern. Could something be sparking the Occupations – or ending them? And if so, what could it be, lurking far beyond the outermost worlds of the Congregation?
The Ness sisters are being hunted for crimes they didn’t commit by a fleet whose crimes are worse than their own. If they’re to survive, and stay one step ahead of their pursuers – if they’re to answer the questions which have plagued them – it’s going to require every dirty, piratical trick in the book . . .
‘By far the most enjoyable book Reynolds has ever written’ SFX

‘A swashbuckling thriller – Pirates of the Caribbean meets Firefly – that nevertheless combines the author’s trademark hard SF with effective, coming-of-age characterisation’ GUARDIAN

‘A blindingly clever imagining of our solar system in the far flung future’ SUN

Returning to the universe of Revenger, award-winning author Alastair Reynolds delivers another thrilling tale set among the stars.

Two sisters ran away from home to join the crew of a spaceship. They took on pirates, faced down monsters and survived massacres . . . and now they’re in charge. Captaining a fearsome ship of their own, adventures are theirs for the taking – and there’s hoards to loot and treasures to find in the darkest reaches of space. But the rules are also more relaxed out on the fringes, as they’re about to discover . . .

‘A rollicking adventure yarn with action, abduction, fights, properly scary hazards, very grisly torture and even ghosts of a sort’ DAILY TELEGRAPH

‘By far the most enjoyable book Reynolds has ever written’ SFX

Featuring Inspector Dreyfus – one of Alastair Reynolds most popular characters – this is a fast paced SF crime story, combining a futuristic setting with a gripping tale of technology, revolution and revenge.

One citizen died a fortnight ago. Two a week ago. Four died yesterday . . . and unless the cause can be found – and stopped – within the next four months, everyone will be dead. For the Prefects, the hunt for a silent, hidden killer is on . . .

Alastair Reynolds has returned to the world of The Prefect for this stand-alone SF mystery in which no one is safe. The technological implants which connect every citizen to each other have become murder weapons, and no one knows who or what the killer is – or who the next targets will be. But their reach is spreading, and time is not on the Prefects’ side.

The galaxy has seen great empires rise and fall. Planets have shattered and been remade. Amongst the ruins of alien civilisations, building our own from the rubble, humanity still thrives.

And there are vast fortunes to be made, if you know where to find them . . .

Captain Rackamore and his crew do. It’s their business to find the tiny, enigmatic worlds which have been hidden away, booby-trapped, surrounded with layers of protection – and to crack them open for the ancient relics and barely-remembered technologies inside. But while they ply their risky trade with integrity, not everyone is so scrupulous.

Adrana and Fura Ness are the newest members of Rackamore’s crew, signed on to save their family from bankruptcy. Only Rackamore has enemies, and there might be more waiting for them in space than adventure and fortune: the fabled and feared Bosa Sennen in particular.

Revenger is a science fiction adventure story set in the rubble of our solar system in the dark, distant future – a tale of space pirates, buried treasure and phantom weapons, of unspeakable hazards and single-minded heroism . . . and of vengeance . . .

The capsuleers are the immortal pilots that string together the vast Interglactic empire that makes up the universe of EVE. Remote from the mortal population they have come from they are cold and distant. They are needed but hated.

Drem has reason to hate them – a capsuleer attack on the pirate space colony he worked in killed his family. Ralea hates them too. But her hatred is for herself as well. She worked as an agent for capsuleers acquiring missions for capsuleer agents and taking a cut from the profits. Missions that lead to countless people dying.

Drem seeks revenge, Ralea, redemption. The key to their futures lies with the sisters of Eve, a philanthropic rescue organisation who span the known worlds. But how do you revenge yourself against an immortal? Where can you find redemption if you have killed thousands? Drem and Ralea will find that their quests are intertwined and that they will lead to an unexpected place.

EVE: THE BURNING LIFE is a fast moving space opera: a tale of revenge and redemption that spans the Universe.

TOO DARN HOT! Kitty and Ben return – and this time they’re fighting for their lives!

Kitty and Ben thought they were done with Las Vegas, but it’s beginning to looks like Vegas isn’t done with them. A sadistic cult of lycanthropes and their vampire priestess have laid a curse on Kitty, revenge for her disrupting their rituals, and now an invisible evil that smells like brimstone and plays with fire has followed them home. The next full moon triggers danger and destruction in the form of fire, and it’s not just targeting Kitty, but the pack of werewolves she’s sworn to protect.

Kitty needs help if she’s going to be able to extinguish the terror that’s threatening to torch them all!

The solar system’s greatest thief is wanted for murder. To prove his innocence, he needs to pull off a heist even he thought was impossible . . .

The Quantum Thief is a dazzling hard SF novel set in the solar system of the far future – a heist novel peopled by bizarre post-humans but powered by very human motives of betrayal, revenge and jealousy. It is a stunning debut.

Jean le Flambeur is a post-human criminal, mind burglar, confidence artist and trickster. His origins are shrouded in mystery, but his exploits are known throughout the Heterarchy – from breaking into the vast Zeusbrains of the Inner System to steal their thoughts, to stealing rare Earth antiques from the aristocrats of the Moving Cities of Mars.

Except that Jean made one mistake. Now he is condemned to play endless variations of a game-theoretic riddle in the vast virtual jail of the Axelrod Archons – the Dilemma Prison – against countless copies of himself.

Jean’s routine of death, defection and cooperation is upset by the arrival of Mieli and her spidership, Perhonen. She offers him a chance to win back his freedom and the powers of his old self – in exchange for finishing the one heist he never quite managed . . .

Readers have been gripped by THE QUANTUM THIEF:

‘I am very surprised and delighted by this novel . . . this monolith of story, this dire-light, this cutting of an epic gordian knot has got to be one of the classics of literature‘- Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

‘I enjoyed the hell out of this and am eating up the rest of the series without hesitation’ – Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

‘I cannot emphasize how much I love and appreciate the depth and complexity that [The Quantum Thief] realizes. Rajaniemi has crafted a hard science masterpiece that sets up a wonderful series’ – Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

‘This really is one of my all time favourite High Concept SciFi novels. It’s an unrelenting stream of far out tech and cultural experimentation taken to extremes.’ – Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

‘Complex & yet compulsively readable . . . The Quantum Thief is one of the most innovative debut novels I’ve ever read!‘ – Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

‘I really don’t remember last time when I was excited in such way by a book . . . surely the best debut in this genre for a long time‘ – Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

The final reckoning has come: the future of the Land will be decided now and written in the blood of men.

After his pyrrhic victory at Moorview, King Emin learns the truth about the child Ruhen – but he is powerless to act. Instead, he must mourn his dead friends while his enemy promises the beleaguered peoples of the Land a new age of peace. The past year has taken a grave toll: the remaining Menin troops seek revenge upon Emin, daemons freely walk the Land, and Ruhen’s power is increasing daily.

And yet, a glimmer of hope remains. There is one final, desperate chance for victory: a weapon so terrible only a dead man could wield it, and only a madman would try. But if they do not grasp this opportunity, King Emin and his allies will be obliterated as Ruhen’s millennia-old plans are about to bear terrible fruit. If his power continues unchecked, Ruhen will achieve total dominion – and not just over mankind, but over the Gods themselves.

The world: ‘Cyberabad’ is the India of 2047, a new, muscular superpower of one and a half billion people in an age of artificial intelligences, climate-change induced drought, water-wars, strange new genders, genetically improved children that age at half the rate of baseline humanity and a population where males out-number females four to one. India herself has fractured into a dozen states from Kerala to the headwaters of the Ganges in the Himalayas. Cyberabad is a collection of 7 stories:

The Little Goddess. Hugo nominee Best Novella 2006. In near future Nepal, a child-goddess discovers what lies on the other side of godhood.
The Djinn’s Wife. Hugo nominee and BSFA short fiction winner 2007
A minor Delhi celebrity falls in love with an artificial intelligence but is it a marriage of heaven and hell?
The Dust Assassin. Feuding Rajasthan water-rajas find that revenge is a slow, subtle process.
Jasbir and Sujay go Shaadi. Love and marriage should be plain-sailing when your matchmaker is a soap-star artificial intelligence
Sanjeev and Robotwallah. What happens to the boy-soldier roboteers when the war of Separation is over?
Kyle meets the River. A young American in Varanas learns the true meaning of ‘nation building’ in the early days of a new country.
Vishnu at the Cat Circus. A genetically improved ‘Brahmin’ child finds himself left behind as he grows through the final generation of humanity.

Noted for its blistering pace, awesome dragons and devious politicking Stephen Deas’ landmark fantasy trilogy moves to a terrifying epic conclusion in The Order of the Scales. Perfect for all fans of Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern series

As the various factions fight for control of the Adamantine Palace, mankind’s nemesis approaches. The realm’s dragons are awakening from their alchemical sedation and returning to their native fury. They can remember why they were created and they now know what mankind has done to them. And their revenge will be brutal.

As hundreds of dragons threaten a fiery apocalypse only the Adamantine Guard stand between humanity and extinction. Can Prince Jehal fight off the people who want him dead and unite their armies in one final battle for survival?

Legends of the Raven: Three

WHAT PRICE VICTORY?

The Raven have kept their promises, but fate has not finished with them. As the war between the colleges of magic rages on, one man sees his chance for revenge. Balaia is already in flames … as Tessaya, Lord of the Paleon Tribes, unleashes his horde on the Dark Colleges.

Dystran, Lord of the Mount, faces certain defeat at Tessaya’s hands. He may be cornered and desperate, but he refuses to be beaten; so he turns the unthinkable power of his dimensional magic on his enemies…and tears the veil between the realms, allowing a vast, predatory even to catch the sent of the countless souls of Balaia. It’s possible not even The Raven can save them now …

Springtime in Styria. And that means war.

There have been nineteen years of blood. The ruthless Grand Duke Orso is locked in a vicious struggle with the squabbling League of Eight, and between them they have bled the land white. While armies march, heads roll and cities burn, behind the scenes bankers, priests and older, darker powers play a deadly game to choose who will be king.

War may be hell but for Monza Murcatto, the Snake of Talins, the most feared and famous mercenary in Duke Orso’s employ, it’s a damn good way of making money too. Her victories have made her popular – a shade too popular for her employer’s taste. Betrayed, thrown down a mountain and left for dead, Murcatto’s reward is a broken body and a burning hunger for vengeance. Whatever the cost, seven men must die.

Her allies include Styria’s least reliable drunkard, Styria’s most treacherous poisoner, a mass-murderer obsessed with numbers and a Northman who just wants to do the right thing. Her enemies number the better half of the nation. And that’s all before the most dangerous man in the world is dispatched to hunt her down and finish the job Duke Orso started…

Springtime in Styria. And that means revenge.