The enchanting fantasy series by the John W. Campbell Award–winning author of Tea with the Black Dragon. Warrior, linguist, astronomer, philosopher, lens grinder, lord, dwarf—the name Nazhuret conjures many definitions. His story is not a simple one: The course of his history is a strange and winding tale filled with danger. All three novels in this epic saga about the outcast-turned-legend are collected in one incredible volume. Lens of the World: In this New York Times Notable Book, a tenacious orphan discovers his identity. Raised as both servant and student at the military Royal School of Sordaling, Nazhuret has been an outsider as long as he can recall. Yet, when he is taken in by a mysterious madman and educated in arts ranging from lens grinding to war, he sets on a path that will change the course of not only his own life, but the entire realm of Velonya. King of the Dead: Fate has offered Nazhuret the opportunity to rise above his status to a position of glory and wealth, but he would rather live quietly in obscurity with Arlin, the love of his life. Unfortunately, the secrets of his past cannot stay buried, and Nazhuret soon finds himself once again embroiled in the conflicts of the kingdom, fighting for his life and for the land he calls home. The Belly of the Wolf: In the twilight of his life, after a long respite from the tumultuous world of war and intrigue, Nazhuret embarks on one final adventure. Velonya is in chaos after the apparently unnatural death of Nazhuret’s old friend, the king. Together with his daughter, Nazhuret must use his wisdom, courage, and talent to keep civil war from destroying everything he loves.

A New York Times Notable Book: “A coming-of-age fantasy in a late-medieval alternate world . . . Possibly MacAvoy’s best work since the Damiano trilogy” (Kirkus Reviews). “In the absorbing, realistic world depicted in this first volume of a projected series, MacAvoy introduces Nazhuret who, looking back from middle age, tells of the adventures of his youth.” —Publishers Weekly An outcast of small stature and the offspring of unknown parents, Nazhuret is forced out of the military Royal School of Sordaling. He is soon taken under the wing of Powl, a mysterious mentor, madman, and master of optics, who pushes Nazhuret to his mental and physical limits while teaching him the arts of astronomy, languages, swordsmanship, and—most importantly—mind and body control. When Nazhuret take his leave of Powl, he embarks on a journey through war, darkness, and death, rising above his humble beginnings and taking his destiny into his own hands . . . “This is a plot and a theme and a character so rich that revelations would be unforgivable. Add to these one of the most surprising supporting characters and plots in years and a fantasy setting that is always intriguing but never intrusive and you have a book that readers won’t want to end.” —School Library Journal “Patiently and persistently describes the progress of a young man destined by fate to be a hero. Enticing in its careful world-building and graceful writing, this fantasy is highly recommended.” —Library Journal

The optician Nazhuret saves his homeland from war in the award-winning Lens of the World series that “promises to become a landmark of the decade” (Kirkus Reviews). Book two of the award-winning Lens of the World trilogy, this volume finds the half-breed orphan Nazhuret as a modest and fastidious lens grinder. Although he could have chosen an exalted and wealthy life as a noble member of the court, he wishes to live in humble and undisturbed poverty with his lady Arlin. But the ordinary life that Nazhuret wants is abruptly shattered when a vicious attack by paid assassins forces him to run. With possible enemies on all sides, the only place to go is the neighboring kingdom of Rezhmia, where Nazhuret has an ancient blood-tie. However, he finds that Rezhmia is no safe haven, for dark clouds are gathering there, intent on destruction of the homeland of Nazhuret’s heart. Evil tidings, treacherous family members, and powerful sorcery threaten to overtake him, but Nazhuret must survive for the sake of those he loves. “The understated and unusual fantasy series begun in Lens of the World continues to delight in this second volume. . . . MacAvoy’s series has some of the flavor and subtlety of Gene Wolfe’s modern classic The Book of the New Sun, but her own unique elements—a fascination with shifting genders and the mysteries of death—make this series distinctive in the often monochromatic fantasy field.” —Kirkus Reviews “Nazhuret and his sword-wielding mistress Arlin are provocative, complex people—like the world in which they live.” —Library Journal “Remarkable.” —Publishers Weekly

Half-student, half-servant in the military Royal School of Sordaling, where he appears short and ugly to his tall Velonyan companions, Nazhuret is forced out at age 20. He is taken on by Powl - a mysterious individual learned in arts such as astronomy, war and languages - who teaches Nazhuret, above all, to control his body and mind. After several years, Nazhuret begins to find his own way, traveling around Velonya as an itinerant optician and befriending a wolf. Going south, he works as a bouncer in a tavern, where he discovers his mixed heritage: he is part Rezhmian, of a neighboring country often at war with Velonya. When he discovers a plot to kill King Raduf, Nazhuret's training, both of body and mind, is sorely tested. MacAvoy's complex realm is full of confusion and ambiguity, in which, as Powl says, "You, Nazhuret . . . are the lens of the world: the lens through which the world may become aware of itself. The world, on the the other hand, is the only lens in which you can see yourself."

A 16-year-old boy who escapes a kidnapper thinks he can forget his trauma, but instead, he loses his grip on reality and believes he's part of an alternate world called Marbury. Sixteen-year-old Jack gets drunk and is in the wrong place at the wrong time. He is kidnapped. He escapes, narrowly. The only person he tells is his best friend, Conner. When they arrive in London as planned for summer break, a stranger hands Jack a pair of glasses. Through the lenses, he sees another world called Marbury. There is war in Marbury. It is a desolate and murderous place where Jack is responsible for the survival of two younger boys. Conner is there, too. But he's trying to kill them. Meanwhile, Jack is falling in love with an English girl, and afraid he's losing his mind. Andrew Smith has written his most beautiful and personal novel yet, as he explores the nightmarish outer limits of what trauma can do to our bodies and our minds. “An engrossing horror/fantasy hybrid...Nightmarish imagery is chillingly effective, and the pacing superbly builds suspense.” -- Kirkus Reviews

Thirty-one, funeral director, London. That's pretty much all Julian Desmond remembers from his waking life. He wakes in a dimension that can only be accessed via dreams (REM World). A rock monster tells him dreams are real and they can kill him. The Resistance promises to protect him, but when he receives his Gift of premonition, he learns it's at a price. Laughing Man seems clueless, harmless, even doltish. But he's evidently destined to join forces with an immortal tyrant. Julian chooses to save his life. He intends to use him as leverage, but as the nights wear on and he grows more powerful, will he come to regret it? A harrowing journey of self-destruction, addiction, grief, trauma, and healing.

Ken Follett’s magnificent historical epic begins as five interrelated families move through the momentous dramas of the First World War, the Russian Revolution, and the struggle for women’s suffrage. A thirteen-year-old Welsh boy enters a man’s world in the mining pits. . . . An American law student rejected in love finds a surprising new career in Woodrow Wilson’s White House. . . . A housekeeper for the aristocratic Fitzherberts takes a fateful step above her station, while Lady Maud Fitzherbert herself crosses deep into forbidden territory when she falls in love with a German spy. . . . And two orphaned Russian brothers embark on radically different paths when their plan to emigrate to America falls afoul of war, conscription, and revolution. From the dirt and danger of a coal mine to the glittering chandeliers of a palace, from the corridors of power to the bedrooms of the mighty, Fall of Giants takes us into the inextricably entangled fates of five families—and into a century that we thought we knew, but that now will never seem the same again. . . .