Two rival kings must unite to defeat a malevolent god in the “wise and humorous” conclusion to the Hugo Award–winning author’s Scepter of Mercy trilogy (Publishers Weekly). When Avornis falls, the Banished One will reign supreme. Rival kings Lanius and Grus each covet solitary power, but realize that a kingdom divided cannot stand against the evil god who enslaves the minds of men through their nightmares. Once, Avornis was safe from his dark influence, protected by a powerful talisman supplied by the pantheon of deities who expunged the immortal called Milvago from their ranks. But that was centuries earlier, before the Scepter of Mercy was lost, and only through its recovery can Avornis survive. Now, Lanius has a daring—most likely impossible—plan, but it requires the cooperation of his fellow ruler, the warrior and usurper king Grus. If they fail to work together they will die together nevertheless, along with everything that is good and right in their world. Hugo Award winner Harry Turtledove brings his Scepter of Mercy trilogy to a spectacular end with a story of courage, conflict, and selfless sacrifice. In The Scepter’s Return, as in the previous books of the series, the acclaimed world-builder reimagines epic fantasy, leaving his own special imprint on the popular genre much as he has done with the alternate history for which he is so justifiably renowned.

For hundreds of years, the rulers of Avornis sought to reclaim the Scepter of Mercy, their only protection from the fallen god known as the Banished One. They all failed. Now, the burden rests on the shoulders of two kings, divided by pride, but united in duty.

When Princesses Rosalie and Scarlet went to bed on a breezy summer night, they didn't expect to awake to such a fright. Their father, the king's, scepter was taken by a thief. The royal family was in utter disbelief. The princesses sneak out of bed and find a small clue. Their mission is clear, they know what they must do. Along their journey, they meet friends who help them track the thief down. Will they find him and return the scepter to their father who wears the crown?

"In The Scepter and the Star, John J. Collins turns to the Dead Sea Scrolls to shed new light on the origins, meaning, and relevance of messianic expectations. The first Christians were Jews who believed that Jesus of Nazareth was the messiah - the Christ; Christians could be called "followers of the messiah." Other Jews did not accept this claim, and so the Christians went their own way and grew into a separate religion. The disagreement about the identity of the messiah is the root difference between Judaism and Christianity." "The recent disclosure of the full corpus of the Dead Sea Scrolls now makes it possible to see this disagreement in a fuller context than ever before. The most stunning revelation of the new evidence is the diversity of messianic expectations in Judaism around the beginning of the common era. The Hebrew word "messiah" means "anointed one." According to the scrolls, the messiah could be a warrior king in the line of David, a priest, a prophet, or a teacher. He could be called "the Son of God." Jesus of Nazareth fitted the expectations some Jews of the time had of the messiah. The majority of Jews, however, had quite different expectations."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

The first all-encompassing book on Israel’s foreign policy and the diplomatic history of the Jewish people, The Star and the Scepter retraces and explains the interactions of Jews with other nations from the ancient kingdoms of Israel to modernity. Starting with the Hebrew Bible, Emmanuel Navon argues that one cannot grasp Israel’s interactions with the world without understanding how Judaism’s founding document has shaped the Jewish psyche. He sheds light on the people of Israel’s foreign policy through the ages: the ancient kingdoms of Israel, Jewish diasporas in Europe from the Middle Ages to the emancipation, the emerging nineteenth-century Zionist movement, and Zionist diplomacy following World War I and surrounding World War II. Navon elucidates Israel’s foreign policy from the birth of the state in 1948 to our days: the dilemmas and choices at the beginning of the Cold War; Israel’s attempts to establish periphery alliances; the Arab-Israeli conflict; Israel’s relations with Europe, the United States, Russia, Asia, Africa, Latin America, the United Nations, and the Jewish diasporas; and how twenty-first-century energy geopolitics is transforming Israel’s foreign relations today. Navon’s analysis is rooted in two central ideas, represented by the Star of David (faith) and the scepter (political power). First, he contends that the interactions of Jews with the world have always been best served by combining faith with pragmatism. Second, Navon shows how the state of Israel owes its diplomatic achievements to national assertiveness and hard power—not only military strength but economic prowess and technological innovation. Demonstrating that diplomacy is a balancing act between ideals and realpolitik, The Star and the Scepter draws aspirational and pragmatic lessons from Israel’s exceptional diplomatic history.

PRAISE FOR THE LADY OF THE STORM: "Sizzling...Kennedy's exquisite world building and terrific plotting make this a must-read."-Booklist, starred review HE'LL DO ANYTHING TO FREE HIS PEOPLE... Lord Drystan Hawkes dreams of fighting for England's freedom from the endless evils of the Elven Lords. But first he must find the beautiful slave girl who holds the secret to his quest. SHE HOLDS THE KEY TO HIS LIBERATION... Enslaved for years in a realm of illusion, Camille Ashton has learned to trust no one. But she's truly spellbound when she meets Drystan, and somehow when they are together, she can see what's true. From Kathryne Kennedy, acclaimed by critics as "absorbing" and "impossible to put down," The Lord of Illusion opens ups to an enchanting world with characters that live and breathe between the pages. PRAISE FOR THE LADY OF THE STORM: "A mesmerizing tale sprinkled with whimsy, peril, and love." —Fresh Fiction "A well-developed fantasy setting...Fantastical creatures, magical spells, lengthy quests, angst, and passion will satisfy readers." —Publishers Weekly "Romantic and emotional...Another whirlwind ride into the magical chaos that is England...the writing was superb." —Long and Short Reviews

Six stories of fantasy and science fiction by a modern master, including three pieces published for the first time: "The Path of Progess," "Kalamada's Blessing," "The Shepherd's Daughter," "Shadows of the Past," "Reconstruction," and the original short fantasy novel, "The Return of the Djinn."