A novel of metaphysical suspense traces the ultimate confrontation between good and evil as it unfolds on both the Earthly plane and the Other Side.

You’ve heard the story before: an orphaned boy, raised by a wise old man, comes to a fuller knowledge of his magic and uses it to fight the great evil threatening his world. But what if that hero were destined to become the new dark lord? The Academy of Chaenbalu has stood against magic for centuries. Hidden from the world, acting from the shadows, it trains its students to detect and retrieve magic artifacts, which it jealously guards from the misuse of others. Because magic is dangerous: something that heals can also harm, and a power that aids one person may destroy another. Of the academy’s many students, only the most skilled can become avatars—warrior thieves, capable of infiltrating the most heavily guarded vaults—and only the most determined can be trusted to resist the lure of magic. More than anything, Annev de Breth wants to become one of them. But Annev carries a secret. Unlike his classmates who were stolen as infants from the capital city, Annev was born in the village of Chaenbalu, was believed to be executed, and then unknowingly raised by his parents’ killers. Seventeen years later, he struggles with the burdens of a forbidden magic, a forgotten heritage, and a secret deformity. When Annev is subsequently caught between the warring ideologies of his priestly mentor and the Academy’s masters, he must finally decide whether to accept the truth of who he really is ... or embrace the darker truth of what he may one day become.

Annev has avoided one fate. But a darker path may still claim him . . . After surviving the destruction of Chaenbalu, new mysteries and greater threats await Annev and his friends in the capital city of Luqura. As they navigate the city’s perilous streets, Annev searches for a way to control his nascent magic and remove the cursed artifact now fused to his body. But what might removing it cost him? As Annev grapples with his magic, Fyn joins forces with old enemies and new allies, waging a secret war against Luqura’s corrupt guilds in the hopes of forging his own criminal empire. Deep in the Brakewood, Myjun is learning new skills of her own as apprentice to Oyru, the shadow assassin who attacked the village of Chaenbalu—but the power of revenge comes at a daunting price. And back in Chaenbalu itself, left for dead in the Academy’s ruins, Kenton seeks salvation in the only place he can: the power hoarded in the Vault of Damnation . . .

"This edgy fantasy doesn't just blur boundaries of genre, of gender, of past and present, life and death--it explodes them." --Cinda Williams Chima, New York Times bestselling author of the Seven Realms series and the Shattered Realms series. Without the dead, she'd be no one. Odessa is one of Karthia's master necromancers, catering to the kingdom's ruling Dead. Whenever a noble dies, it's Odessa's job to raise them by retrieving their soul from a dreamy and dangerous shadow world called the Deadlands. But there is a cost to being raised: the Dead must remain shrouded. If even a hint of flesh is exposed, a grotesque transformation begins, turning the Dead into terrifying, bloodthirsty Shades. A dramatic uptick in Shade attacks raises suspicions and fears around the kingdom. Soon, a crushing loss of one of her closest companions leaves Odessa shattered, and reveals a disturbing conspiracy in Karthia: Someone is intentionally creating Shades by tearing shrouds from the Dead--and training them to attack. Odessa is forced to contemplate a terrifying question: What if her magic is the weapon that brings the kingdom to its knees? Fighting alongside her fellow mages--and a powerful girl as enthralling as she is infuriating--Odessa must untangle the gruesome plot to destroy Karthia before the Shades take everything she loves. Perfect for fans of Three Dark Crowns and Red Queen, Reign of the Fallen is a gutsy, unpredictable read with a surprising and breathtaking LGBT romance at its core.

Enjoy the panorama of a Creation so beautifully detailed, ordered and complex that it would be unbelievable if it was not there in front of us. As you look at the world around you, it is impossible not to experience the incredible awe and wonder of its design. Is this the result of an unlimited number of immeasurable odds or a more satisfying and reasonable explanation of a Creator? What is the purpose of it all?

"e;Literature adds to reality, it does not simply describe it,"e; said C.S. Lewis, one of the greatest English writers of the medieval period. This book is a part of a set of ten books of the Greatest Classic Series containing captivating, amazing and mysterious stories, full of horror and hair-raising suspense -- all written by world famous authors, like Ambrose Bierce, H.P Lovecraft, Louisa Annie Murray, Vincent O' Sullivan, Mary Wilkins, Edgar Allen Poe, H.G Wells and many more. Actually, the entire classic series has been aimed to enrich the young minds with the wonderful assets of English language and literature and to develop their interest in understanding the language, inculcating in them the reading habits, particularly among the school- going children in the age group of 12 to 18 years studying in higher classes from standard seven to twelve. This book contains an introductory page exclusively about the author, his brief life sketch, notable works and achievements along with word meanings of difficult words on each page marked and highlighted in the text for the students' convenience and easy understanding of the story. There is also an Exercise part after each story titled as 'An Understanding' containing four or five Questions which the reader/student has to answer making the book all the more interesting and reader-friendly. Therefore, these books are a must read for all the students, irrespective of their age, education and social background. Even the teachers may find it interesting and can recommend the books for the senior classes as supplementary reading.