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fantasy – high & other world

High fantasy is usually epic in scope, and takes place in an entirely different world. Return to general Fantasy

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Summary: The magic is gone…or is it? Lucian is a jaded flirt and professional bard who knows all the old songs about sorcery. When he meets Corwin, a shy mage who can still use magic despite the Drought, Lucian finds his desire growing with each passing day—not just for answers, but for Corwin himself. Sparks fly as they find themselves passionately entangled in adventure and each other. But learning the true origin of the Drought and the Key to ending it comes at a price that their bond may not survive…

The Eighth Key - Laura Weyr
The Eighth Key
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Word Count: 48338

Summary: Every story has a beginning…. Dragons. Angels fear them and demons follow them. Formidable beasts of incredible power, they fight each other to the death for dominance. But dwindling dragon numbers cause alarm among the angelic ranks. Surely when the dragons have finished killing each other, the victors will search elsewhere for conquest… maybe even the Upper Realm. Roland, an angelic artist of significant talent, doesn’t know what to believe. Part of him longs to see a dragon in person, and his peaceful life of contentment is wearing thin. He wants passion, desire, adventure, and love. He gets more than he bargained for when he and his sister are ambushed and captured by demons, and they bring him to a creature who surpasses Roland’s wildest imaginings. But the mighty dragon Asagoroth is not all that he seems. Something sparks between him and Roland. Something neither anticipated. Something that will shake the cosmos to its core. Note to readers: this is the second edition, fully revised and updated.

On Wings of Passion - M.D. Grimm
On Wings of Passion
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Word Count: 50963

Summary: Trystan is an unchosen angel—shunned by society, bullied, and without a future. In a hidden well, Trystan discovers a carving of a dragon, who were once the commanders of demons and now believed extinct. But Trystan learns the carving doesn’t depict an ordinary dragon. Stories tell that millennia ago, the great dragon Asagoroth and his demon army nearly conquered the three realms but was killed by the five elders. The powerful angels combined their life forces to cast a spell, sacrificing their lives. But history is full of falsehoods. The five elders only managed to imprison the dragon, and Asagoroth had cast his own spell—one of releasement. It only needs the blood of a certain angel to liberate him from his cage…. Asagoroth, enemy of angels, conqueror of realms, is free. But even as the angels prepare for war, the great dragon surprises them with an ultimatum: hand over the angel who awakened him or face annihilation. Note to readers: this is the second edition, fully revised and updated. The current audiobook is based on the first edition.

On Wings of Thunder - M.D. Grimm
On Wings of Thunder
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Word Count: 135000

Summary: I am the dark foreigner among pale-skinned mercenaries, crossing exposed grasslands. My only ally is a sinister scholar hiding scars from past rituals. He alone knows I carry a child. Each day assaults my senses and leads me farther away from home. Inevitably, my mission will lead out of isolation to the first Human settlement in my path. With few watching my back and more tempted to exploit it, I wade into an unforgiving test of my training and vigilance, determined not to be pulled down. Twisted portents and pious zealotry expose danger in every direction, while new, threatening dreams of distant sands muddle my Queen's past with my present. As all close in around me, I must find a way to serve the Valsharess and slip free of man-made chains which would enslave me. In Black Witch, Death Mage, far-reaching threads and mystical visions constrict to bind those within it, pulling the tales of present and past closer than they've been in thousands of years. Sister Seekers is dark epic fantasy for adults with an ever-broadening scope. The saga genre-hops a bit so things never get stale. Found Family is a core theme throughout. Perfect for fans of entwined plots, challenging themes, immersive worldbuilding, and elements of erotic horror. Sexuality and inner conflict play into character growth with nuanced intrigue, intense action, and fantastical magic.

Black Witch Death Mage - A.S. Etaski - Sister Seekers
Black Witch, Death Mage: Sister Seekers 5
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Word Count: 121000

Summary: A child’s memory. A journey’s end. Lance doesn’t remember the time before Ulfr found him. It’s a dark pit in his mind that he avoids at all costs. And yet, despite his best efforts, pieces start to fall, and echoes from the past begin to ring. However, he has little time to comprehend their meaning, since the Captain of the Imperial Army herself has come to collect him and bring him to the capital city of the Nifdem Empire. Whisked away to the gilded streets and glittering court of the Hill of Tarran, and then to the snowy reaches of Swenen, Lance and Gust will learn the answers to questions they’ve had from the start. And be forced to acknowledge their roles in the survival of the empire and the ripple effects of their actions. But such knowledge can come at a steep price. As allies and enemies begin to step from the shadows, Lance will learn the truth of his past and the price of his redemption, and all the pain that comes with them. While Gust will have to decide what he’s willing to sacrifice to safeguard the one he loves.

Avenging Lance - M.D. Grimm - A Warrior's Redemption
Avenging Lance
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Word Count: 76144

Summary: Fairy tales. Prince Charming fights evil, wins the princess, lives happily ever after. Three sons, three wishes, witches, dragons, a quest, and happily ever after. These stories are part of our cultural fabric. The stories change in retellings to reflect contemporary culture, such as Princess Charming, or heroes and heroines as people of color. In this collection, queer characters take center stage in stories that grew out of questions: What if the prince falls in love with Cinderella's gay stepbrother? What if Rumpelstiltskin doesn't really want the Queen's child but rather the King himself? What if Beauty and the Beast are two men? These stories explore metaphors of magic and the magical, this time, with a gay perspective. What price must be paid for happily ever after? Duty or love? Is love worth great sacrifice? Once upon a time ...

The Wicked Stepbrother - Warren Rochelle
The Wicked Stepbrother and Other Stories
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Word Count: 55000

Summary: In Unsafe Words, the first full-length collection of her edgy, award-winning short stories, Loren Rhoads punctures the boundaries between horror, dark fantasy, and science fiction in a maelstrom of sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll. Ghosts, succubi, naiads, vampires, the Wild Hunt, and the worst predator in the woods stalk these pages, alongside human monsters who follow their cravings past sanity or sense. Featuring an introduction by Lisa Morton and cover art by Lynne Hansen, these never-before-collected stories come from the magazines Cemetery Dance, Space & Time, City Slab, and Instant City, the Wily Writers podcast, and from the books Sins of the Sirens, Demon Lovers, The Haunted Mansion Project: Year Two, Tales for the Camp Fire, and more. One story, “With You By My Side It Should Be Fine,” is original to the collection.

Unsafe Words - Loren Rhoads
Unsafe Words
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Word Count: Information not available

Summary: In the final book of The Stranger Trilogy, Amarta reaches the city-state of Seuan, where the Heart—a man famous for his predictions—awaits her. As Amarta struggles to understand this extraordinary land full of threats and treasures, she resolves to protect those who cannot protect themselves, even if that means from herself. Step by step, Amarta unwraps secrets within secrets, coming to understand the cost of getting what she wants. Innel at last gains a chance at redemption for all he has done, but can he pay the price? The Seer and The Lord Commander's paths come together again, but their paths have changed them both, and they meet as strangers. Landfall—the third and final book of The Stranger Trilogy—brings Amarta’s and Innel’s journeys to a satisfying conclusion that will leave you breathless with wonder and wanting to start the journey all over again. Be sure to pick up the first two books in The Stranger Trilogy: Unmoored and Maelstrom.

Landfall - Sonia Orin Lyris - Stranger Trilogy / Seer Saga
Landfall
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Word Count: 92000

Summary: A tragic secret. A trial of pain. Gust holds a secret close to his heart, and it festers like an infected wound. While part of him wants to tell Lance so they can deal with it together, he fears what it will do to his friend. The last thing he wants to do is hurt the man he is falling in love with. And it never seems the right time as they pursue Ulfr’s warriors and elude hunting parties of royal soldiers. Lance wants nothing more than to confess his love and undying loyalty to Gust. But he fears rejection. He has Gust’s friendship and dares not ask for more. He’s not yet a man worthy to ask for more. And as he continues on his self-imposed mission to cut down Ulfr’s warriors, he begins to wonder if he will ever find the redemption he so fiercely seeks. When word of a new Scourge reaches them, their journey brings them to the war-ravaged kingdom of Grekenus. It is there that Lance is forced to face the actions of his past, and once again his life hangs in the balance. Now it is only Gust who can defend him against those thirsty for blood… and to Lance himself.

Forgiving Lance - M.D. Grimm - A Warrior's Redemption
Forgiving Lance
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Word Count: Information not available

Summary: First of the Vyrdigaan Prophecies, telling the back-story of Parsivaal Probyt. Parsivaal had always known his mother hated him. Everyone at the Beryk enclave believed him to be the product of rape. A chance meeting with a woman claiming to be his grandmother helps him to learn the truth of his origins. Through her, he discovers another branch of his family. His new-found relatives show him love and introduce him to a radically different culture and lifestyle. As he grows up, his life choices lead him away from his homeworld of Malvania and into the unknown. Having come from a remote enclave, he finds it difficult to adapt to life in a busy city. An unlikely travelling companion becomes his guide and helps him adjust to life outside the enclave. Dreams and visions compel him to solve a mystery and set him on a path taking him away from his new life and onwards to further adventures. Travel with him as he is propelled towards his destiny by a series of perplexing and frustrating events.

Probyt's Progress - Xanxa Symanah - Vyrdigaan Prophecies
Probyt's Progress (Vyrdigaan Prophecies Book 1)
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Word Count: 81000

Summary: A baby’s laughter. A mind uncaged. Lance is known as Scourge, the warrior in the black armor, the dog of the warlord Ulfr Blackwolf. He was just a boy when Ulfr found him and molded him into the perfect weapon. He slaughters and pillages on command, merciless and numb, devoid of emotions. Then a baby girl laughs at him during a raid. And everything changes. When Gust, a talented healer, is out deer hunting and stumbles across a magnificent horse bearing a mortally wounded rider, he has no idea that his life is about to change forever. Gust applies all his skills to his patient, determined to save the rider’s life, and is rewarded when the man opens his eyes. As friendship, and more, bloom between warrior and healer, so does the danger over the horizon. Ulfr has not forgotten, and Lance must take his first steps on the long road to redemption.

Healing Lance - M.D. Grimm - A Warrior's Redemption
Healing Lance
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Word Count: 27686

Summary: On Earth a stranger is convicted of murder, though he has no memory of the crime. A young architect wins his Masters degree, but -- still battling his demons -- he makes a momentous decision. A young woman waits for her father to come home, but her troubles are only just beginning. These three people share a connection they have yet to discover. On the remote world of Berikatanya the people suffer the most cataclysmic failure of Elemental magic in their history. How will they deal with the loss of so many powerful magicians? Berikatanyan Dawn is a prequel novella that can be enjoyed on its own, and also sets the scene for John's SF/Fantasy trilogy: The Berikatanyan Chronicles. It is only available as a free download when signing up to John's mailing list.

Berikatanyan Dawn - John Beresford
Berikatanyan Dawn
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Word Count: Information not available

Summary: The sequel to The Seer. Finally liberated from her captor, Amarta—The Seer of Arunkel—travels south to Perripur, her former hunter—and lover—at her side. She needs all the help she can get, because more hunters are tracking her, close behind. As Amarta’s fame spreads across two countries, so does her need to understand herself, and to find others who can also see into the future. Back in Arunkel, the man who once held Amarta's freedom—the queen's Lord Commander and Royal Consort—plays a deadly game with the aristocratic Houses. He must win if his queen and his child are to survive. He has not forgotten the Seer whom he once hunted, and held captive. Amarta has not forgotten him, either. Unmoored—the first book of The Stranger Trilogy—begins new adventures for Amarta, The Seer. Come explore this rich world, follow the court intrigue, and learn the truth about power. Be sure to pick up the other books in the trilogy: Maelstrom and Landfall.

Inmoored - Sonia Orin Lyris - The Stranger Trilogy
Unmoored
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Word Count: 60097

Summary: Once upon a time, on a rocky island with enchantment under the ocean ... Cadence Bell left the windswept Northern Isles and his parents’ inn for the theaters and royal masques and glitter of Londre, swearing he’d make his fortune as a playwright and poet, trading fish stew and rain for fame and adoration and a place at the Queen’s Court. Now his parents are gone and Cade’s inheritance brings him back home, where he’d never wanted to return. But magic lurks beneath the waves, a stray pearl might be a key to another world, and even the quiet local schoolteacher has secrets of his own. Jeremiah Carver never meant to hide secrets. But he promised to tell no one about the other world he’s seen, and he keeps his word. Even if that means concealing magic from Cadence Bell. Which is difficult, since Cade’s not only a dazzling literary success, but also the person Jeremiah’s loved from afar since their years-ago childhood. And he’s afraid he’s falling for Cade all over again now. When Cadence falls under the siren spell of the ocean’s magic, Jeremiah has to make a choice and return to a world he’s left behind once before to rescue his heart from the sea.

Cadence and the Pearl - K.L. Noone
Cadence and the Pearl
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Word Count: 83336

Summary: A land has fallen. An escape was made. It’s a victory, but at what price? Shaleigh has made a terrible mistake, one she may not ever be able to fix. Lost and in a strange land with anger and death all around her, she must navigate her way through treacherous lands on her quest for redemption. Along the way she’ll have to negotiate with the mercurial Queen of the Fae, survive the dangers of the Masked King’s realm, and seek out a terrifying fire dragon. With two powerful beings hot on her trail, Shaleigh has no choice but to keep moving, or else face the dangerous magic of the Madness that has already caused so much pain and heartache. With her sights on helping her friends and her heart longing for home, Shaleigh is determined, but will it be enough? Book 2 of the Stolen series

Broken - Marlena Frank - Stolen Series
Broken
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Word Count: 125350

Summary: I emerge from the Deepearth for the first time, blinded by searing light. Vast lands beyond my comprehension await me. I will face them pregnant and alone. My Sisters and I have been compelled to take missions in this uncharted wilderness. By order of our Queen and the abyssal power which backs Her, we cannot refuse. For the slimmest chance of success, we must move beyond each other's reach with little knowledge to aid us. The Valsharess predicted we would never see each other again. When a sisterhood has no demons but each other, what are we to this new land once we've been split apart? Etaski's fantasy world breaks wide open in Surfacing, as the Sister Seekers epic rises to the next level. Beneath the unforgiving sun, webs dissolve into dreams, and scattered shards of dark history wait to be picked up and pieced together. Sister Seekers is dark epic fantasy for adults with an ever-broadening scope. The saga genre-hops a bit so things never get stale. Found Family is a core theme throughout. Perfect for fans of entwined plots, challenging themes, immersive worldbuilding, and elements of erotic horror. Sexuality and inner conflict play into character growth with nuanced intrigue, intense action, and fantastical magic.

Surfacing - A.S. Etaski - Sister Seekers
Surfacing: Sister Seekers 4
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Word Count: 17314

Summary: IChurch Chetwood, renowned motion picture director, is given an ultimatum by his studio: film a movie with romance or else. Since this is the height of the Depression, and since Church enjoys eating, he reluctantly agrees. He finds a beautiful woman who’s willing to sail on the August Moon to the uncharted island of Iwi Po’o. While there, he makes the discovery of a lifetime, guaranteed to make them all millionaires ... Only it doesn’t exactly turn out like that. The “discovery of a lifetime,” a saber-toothed tiger the press dubs Chetwood’s Kitty, breaks free and runs amok in Manhattan, causing death and mayhem. Months later, Church is facing indictment and a long stretch up the river and has no choice but to lie low until he can get out of town. While nursing his troubles in a saloon, he spots a young man who’s even more down on his luck than Church. Johnny Smith has been on his own since Black Tuesday, four years earlier, and he does what he has to in order to keep body and soul -- what’s left of it -- together, even if it isn’t what he ever expected to do. He enters the saloon, hoping for a little warmth and perhaps a meal. What he finds is Church Chetwood, the director whose documentaries have fascinated him for years. Mr. Chetwood buys him that meal, and Johnny willingly goes with him to his rooming house, ready to do whatever Mr. Chetwood wants, even if Mr. Chetwood claims he isn’t “like that.” Is Johnny’s luck about to take a turn for the better? After all, Mr. Chetwood has a plan to get out of town, and if Johnny’s really lucky, maybe Church will let him come along.   Johnny crosses paths with Church in a dingy saloon. Two orphans of the storm that’s the Depression, what will their future bring, and will it bring it to them together?

Call Me Church - Tinnean
Call Me Church
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Word Count: 15500

Summary: When Dominick has to attend a six-day dragon mating ceremony, he wants to avoid speaking to anyone for fear his severe stutter will send possible suitors running. However, Lysander and Zachary, both from different cultures with a thing for redheads, refuse to let him hide. Worse, they actively pursue him, even after Dominick mucks up their first encounter. Against the backdrop of a ceremony that takes testing endurance, strength, and acoustics to new heights, differences between languages, customs, and expectations create an obstacle course where any misstep could send the men home… alone.

An Invitation To Love - Blaine D. Arden
An Invitation To Love
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Word Count: 150722

Summary: It’s raining on Berikatanya. During the day. That hasn’t happened for three hundred years. Stripped of its time displacement before the Battle of Lembaca Ana, the Valley is once again the subject of dispute. Confrontation between the great houses is disrupted by a daytime rainstorm – unheard of since the creation of the malamajan centuries ago. Suspicion falls on the Elementals, especially Lautan, who has not been seen since the battle. Meanwhile, millions of kilometres out in space, the last Prism ship is preparing to make planetfall. Where is Lautan, and why can’t he stop the freakish rainstorms? Can Patrick rediscover his father’s lore and unlock the secrets of the Pattern Juggler in time to help? Or will civilisation be submerged under the influence of the malevolent new Water Wizard? The Elementals continue their adventures in the second instalment of John Beresford’s SF/Fantasy crossover, The Berikatanyan Chronicles. Primordial forces spin out of control in this tale of magic, mystery, and mayhem that will appeal to lovers of Thomas Covenant, Merlin, and Allanon. Get your copy today!

Water Wizard - John Beresford - Berikatayan Chronicles
Water Wizard
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Word Count: 18000

Summary: A man arrives at his new job. A woman lets one last customer into her shop. Two teens sneak away to a party. These all sound normal. But these simple actions are on worlds that it's unlikely you've seen before. Twenty short stories bring you twenty weird worlds you won't soon forget.

Weird Worlds - Patricia Loofbourrow
Weird Worlds
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