#1 New York Times bestselling author Patrica Briggs presents a tale of beauty meets beast in this romantic fantasy novel. Hated and feared, magic was banished from the land. But now, freed from the spells of the wicked bloodmages, magic-both good and evil-returns. And Aren of Fallbrook feels her own power of sight strengthen and grow... Overcome by visions of mayhem and murder, Aren vows to save her village from the ruthless raiders who have descended upon it-and killed her family. With the return of wildlings to the hills and forests, she strikes a bargain with the Hob, a magical, human-like creature imbued with the power of the mountains. But the Hob is the last of his kind. And he will exact a heavy price to defend the village-a price Aren herself must pay...

California was a wild and lawless place in the 1850s, and San Luis Obispo County was no exception. Outlaws and bandits passed along the El Camino Real, now Highway 101, leaving a trail of victims. Despite attempts to stem the tide of crime with a vigilante committee and a string of executions, notorious men continued to be drawn to the central coast well into the next century. The James brothers, the Daltons and even Al Capone made their mark here, while lawmen worked to tame this piece of the western frontier. Author Jim Gregory details nefarious activities lost to time.

This sweeping collection of new translations paints a brilliant picture of the development of Ch’an (Zen) Buddhism, China’s most radical philosophical and meditative tradition. In this landmark anthology of some two dozen translations, celebrated translator David Hinton shows how Ch'an (Japanese: Zen)—too long considered a perplexing school of Chinese Buddhism—was in truth a Buddhist-inflected form of Taoism, China's native system of spiritual philosophy. The texts in The Way of Ch’an build from seminal Taoism through the “Dark-Enigma Learning” literature and on to the most important pieces from all stages of the classical Ch’an tradition. Guided by Hinton’s accessible introductions, readers will encounter texts and authors including: I Ching (c. 12th century BCE) Lao Tzu (c. 6th century BCE Bodhidharma (active c. 500-550 CE) Sixth Patriarch Prajna-Able (Hui Neng, 638-713) Cold Mountain (Han Shan: c. 8th-9th centuries) Yellow-Bitterroot Mountain (Huang Po, d. 850) Blue-Cliff Record (c. 1040) Through this steadily deepening and transformative reading experience, readers will see the profound and intricate connections between native Chinese philosophy, Taoism, and Ch’an. Contemporary Zen students and practitioners will never see their tradition in the same way again.

Return to the Dragonlance universe with this classic story about the rise of Krynn’s eleven nations Silvanos Goldeneye, the august founder of the united eleven nation known as Silvanesti, lies buried in a crystal tomb. Now, the leadership of the clans and households falls to his son, Sithel, who is himself the father of rival twins Sithas and Kith-Kanan. Both brothers represent different emerging factions among the Silvanesti: While Sithas allies himself closely with the court and encourages the elves to withdraw from contact with other races, Kith and his Wildrunners forge connections and trade goods with the humans of Ergoth. When Sithel is assassinated—and Kith is vaguely implicated—the tensions between the two brothers escalate to dangerous heights. As the world of Krynn watches, a new elven nation rises from the strife . . .

Success will destroy elemental magic. Failure condemns this world and the next. Pick up the award-winning series, nominated for Best Book of 2017 and winner of Best Worldbuilding, and enter a story described as “Brilliantly contrived and beautifully executed, it reminds us why we love the genre” and, “This was pure magic and 'Epic Fantasy' at its very best.” Six months after a tragic war, the world of Myrrah has found peace. But many of the heroes have not. When Zhao’s reluctant homecoming sparks a battle over the fate of Elementals among his people, he calls on his friends for help only to find they are busy with new problems of their own. And one has the potential to end all magic. For nearly destroying the world in an ancient war, the Ashanti were cursed by the Goddess Mhyrah with lifespans of less than a decade. To regain normal lives for his people, Beh’kana, the Ashanti King, will defy the traditions handed down since the dawn of time, even if that means rekindling an ancient feud—one that nearly destroyed the world before it fully began. His quest to conquer death and gain control of the source of all elemental magic—the spirit realm—threatens to burn the world to ashes. Lavinia did not seek to be named Guardian of the Spheres when she touched each to gain control of elemental power. But now that choice has propelled her to being the key to stopping the Ashanti. She controls the gates that allow magic into the world, and she must close them to prevent the Ashanti from crossing into the spirit realm and gaining power beyond imagination—enough to enslave or destroy the world they once sought to rule. But with the closure of each gate, an elemental power is lost, and those who stand against the Ashanti are less able to fight a threat that seeks control over life and death. Welcome back to the world of Myrrah, full of elemental magic and epic fantasy adventure! The fate of the world hangs in the balance, and the sacrifice to save it might be elemental magic. Discover this exhilarating tale that has received praise such as “It is the sort of read that reminds us how great fantasy can be.” and, “Strong characters and a beautiful world hold up a fine story. We love Ms. Birt’s work, we only wish we’d found her sooner.” The Games of Fire Trilogy bundle contains all three books of the series: Spark of Defiance, Fantasia Reviews 2017 nominated book of the Year Gates of Fire & Earth, and A New Goddess PLUS the Untold Stories of the World of Myrrah that contains novellas and short stories set in the same world (and often featuring familiar characters!).

A classic, examining the history of the great Chinese Zen masters of the 7th through 10th century.