This second book in the Savage Empire series introduces two new continuing characters to the saga of the Savage Empire. Zanos the Gladiator and Astra, a master reader, are loyal citizens of the Aventine Empire. Nevertheless, one holds a deadly secret and the other is drawn into a high-level conspiracy that brings them together and propels them into a desperate flight to the Savage Empire. A prophecy of peace and hope might provide a new life for them there-if their pursuing enemies don't kill them first. One of Zanos and Astra's new friends in the Savage Empire is the blind reader Torio, who has unexpectedly gained the rare talent of prophecy. The cryptic messages of his new gift send Zanos, Astra, Torio, and his beloved Melissa on a danger-filled journey north to Zanos's homeland. There, each one finds a personal destiny, and all must pay a price for confronting the lethal Sorcerers of the Frozen Isles.

The Aventine Empire is crumbling under the attacks of savages armed with strange and dangerous powers. Exiled from the empire, a powerful telepath named Leonardo is captured by the savages, and finds himself in unfamiliar territory. Prepared for their brutality and mindless aggression, Leonardo learns their world differs from what he has been taught, and he is forced to question all of his previously held assumptions. This edition includes the first three works of the seven-volume Savage Empire series, last issued more than 10 years ago.

Detective Brandy Mather enlists the help of a handsome computer scientist in order to solve the mystery of a corpse that appears much older than the actual age of the victim.

*Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award* *A New York Times Notable Book* *Winner of the Texas Book Award and the Oklahoma Book Award* This New York Times bestseller and stunning historical account of the forty-year battle between Comanche Indians and white settlers for control of the American West “is nothing short of a revelation…will leave dust and blood on your jeans” (The New York Times Book Review). Empire of the Summer Moon spans two astonishing stories. The first traces the rise and fall of the Comanches, the most powerful Indian tribe in American history. The second entails one of the most remarkable narratives ever to come out of the Old West: the epic saga of the pioneer woman Cynthia Ann Parker and her mixed-blood son Quanah, who became the last and greatest chief of the Comanches. Although readers may be more familiar with the tribal names Apache and Sioux, it was in fact the legendary fighting ability of the Comanches that determined when the American West opened up. Comanche boys became adept bareback riders by age six; full Comanche braves were considered the best horsemen who ever rode. They were so masterful at war and so skillful with their arrows and lances that they stopped the northern drive of colonial Spain from Mexico and halted the French expansion westward from Louisiana. White settlers arriving in Texas from the eastern United States were surprised to find the frontier being rolled backward by Comanches incensed by the invasion of their tribal lands. The war with the Comanches lasted four decades, in effect holding up the development of the new American nation. Gwynne’s exhilarating account delivers a sweeping narrative that encompasses Spanish colonialism, the Civil War, the destruction of the buffalo herds, and the arrival of the railroads, and the amazing story of Cynthia Ann Parker and her son Quanah—a historical feast for anyone interested in how the United States came into being. Hailed by critics, S. C. Gwynne’s account of these events is meticulously researched, intellectually provocative, and, above all, thrillingly told. Empire of the Summer Moon announces him as a major new writer of American history.