Champion in the DarknessClara is younger than most trainees, but she is ready to hold a Sword Master's blade. While visions and ancient prophecies stand in her way, they also offer a destiny unlike any other. Clara is aided by a haunted mentor, Stelia, whose knowledge of their enemy Kalidess is both a bane and a blessing. As evil threatens their land, Clara and Stelia must find the strength to overcome the darkness!Champion in the Darkness is YA Christian Fantasy.

Enter Aramatir, a world of many kingdoms, where faith and magic war with one another. What happens in such a world when the Champion doubts? In the Kingdom of Septily, Clara has spent her entire life training to become a Sword Master. Still considered too young by many to receive a Sword of Power, and with it, the full title of Sword Master, Clara has passed her tests. The morning of her entrance into the Hall of Swords, she is kept waiting. A prophesy, long dormant, is bestowed upon her by Sword Master Dantor, her toughest teacher: she is to become the next Champion. But, to fulfill prophesy, she is kept out of the Hall of Swords and sent back to training. Sword Scout Stelia has discovered the dark secret of the King's Shadow Guard; they are Drinaii, the mercenary army indebted to the Dark Sisterhood of Sorceresses from the Southern Continent. Stelia, once a Drinaii Captain, fears her words will not be heard by the Sword Masters' Council. She was once their enemy. Will they heed her warning? In the nearby land of Aerland, the second prince of the realm, Adrian, has seen visions of the day he and his griffin partner Kryssander will save the next Champion. Are these visions true? And will be willing to pay the price expected for someone he doesn't know? WHAT REVIEWERS ARE SAYING: "This story is so inspiring. There were several times that I got the chills reading this book." - Hannah Heath, author "If you enjoy fantasy and epic battles, give this one a try. It has a nice blend of action, adventure, and tangles with those spiritual questions in an honest, real way." - A. McCall "There was so much that I loved about "Champion in the Darkness" including its well-paced plot, inspiring stories of redemption, interesting characters, and fantastical creatures. But what I loved the most about this book is that it centers on Clara, a teen-aged girl who receives a calling to become her people's champion." - Ellen Jacobsen, author "The worldbuilding is incredible." - Christine Rains, Author

Enter Aramatir, a world of many kingdoms, where faith and magic war with one another. What happens in such a world when the Champion doubts? In the Kingdom of Septily, Clara has spent her entire life training to become a Sword Master. Still considered too young by many to receive a Sword of Power, and with it, the full title of Sword Master, Clara has passed her tests. The morning of her entrance into the Hall of Swords, she is kept waiting. A prophesy, long dormant, is bestowed upon her by Sword Master Dantor, her toughest teacher: she is to become the next Champion. But, to fulfill prophesy, she is kept out of the Hall of Swords and sent back to training. Sword Scout Stelia has discovered the dark secret of the King’s Shadow Guard; they are Drinaii, the mercenary army indebted to the Dark Sisterhood of Sorceresses from the Southern Continent. Stelia, once a Drinaii Captain, fears her words will not be heard by the Sword Masters’ Council. She was once their enemy. Will they heed her warning? In the nearby land of Aerland, the second prince of the realm, Adrian, has seen visions of the day he and his griffin partner Kryssander will save the next Champion. Are these visions true? And if they are, will be willing to pay the price expected for someone he doesn’t know? Champion in the Darkness is a Christian Sword and Sorcery Fantasy Adventure with faith elements. What readers are saying: "There was so much that I loved about “Champion in the Darkness” including its well-paced plot, inspiring stories of redemption, interesting characters, and fantastical creatures. But what I loved the most about this book is that it centers on Clara, a teen-aged girl who receives a calling to become her people's champion." - Ellen Jacobsen "'Champion in the Darkness' is YA fantasy/Christian fiction, and while the religious side was evident, it never overwhelmed the story. I appreciated how Martinson not only showed people displaying faith when times were easy, but how she explored loss of faith when times were hard, and how different people coped with doubt, anger, and fear." - A. McCall "The worldbuilding is incredible. I love the peeks at the history and the inner workings of the council. There are lovely details about the land and the people, and creatures that are beautiful and horrific. I'm a fan of the people of Aerland and their griffins. I would love to be chosen by griffin to become its partner!" - Christine Rains

The explosive finale to Marie Lu’s New York Times bestselling LEGEND trilogy—perfect for fans of THE HUNGER GAMES and DIVERGENT! He is a Legend. She is a Prodigy. Who will be Champion? June and Day have sacrificed so much for the people of the Republic—and each other—and now their country is on the brink of a new existence. June is back in the good graces of the Republic, working within the government’s elite circles as Princeps Elect while Day has been assigned a high level military position. But neither could have predicted the circumstances that will reunite them once again. Just when a peace treaty is imminent, a plague outbreak causes panic in the Colonies, and war threatens the Republic’s border cities. This new strain of plague is deadlier than ever, and June is the only one who knows the key to her country’s defense. But saving the lives of thousands will mean asking the one she loves to give up everything he has. With heart-pounding action and suspense, Marie Lu’s bestselling trilogy draws to a stunning conclusion. New York Times bestseller YALSA BFYA ALA Top 10 nominee Chicago Public Library Best Book VOYA YA Perfect Ten List Bank Street Best Book Featured on Entertainment Weekly’s Must-List From ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: “Fine writing and excellent execution. Sequel, please!” From THE NEW YORK TIMES: “Legend doesn’t merely survive the hype, it deserves it.” From USA TODAY: “Marie Lu’s dystopian novel is a ‘Legend’ in the making.”

It is tempting to regard the perpetrators of the September 11th terrorist attacks as evil incarnate. But their motives, as Bruce Lincoln’s acclaimed Holy Terrors makes clear, were profoundly and intensely religious. Thus what we need after the events of 9/11, Lincoln argues, is greater clarity about what we take religion to be. Holy Terrors begins with a gripping dissection of the instruction manual given to each of the 9/11 hijackers. In their evocation of passages from the Quran, we learn how the terrorists justified acts of destruction and mass murder “in the name of God, the most merciful, the most compassionate.” Lincoln then offers a provocative comparison of President Bush’s October 7, 2001 speech announcing U.S. military action in Afghanistan alongside the videotaped speech released by Osama bin Laden just a few hours later. As Lincoln authoritatively demonstrates, a close analysis of the rhetoric used by leaders as different as George W. Bush and Osama bin Laden—as well as Mohamed Atta and even Jerry Falwell—betrays startling similarities. These commonalities have considerable implications for our understanding of religion and its interrelationships with politics and culture in a postcolonial world, implications that Lincoln draws out with skill and sensitivity. With a chapter new to this edition, “Theses on Religion and Violence,” Holy Terrors remains one of the essential books on September 11 and a classic study on the character of religion. “Modernity has ended twice: in its Marxist form in 1989 Berlin, and in its liberal form on September 11, 2001. In order to understand such major historical changes we need both large-scale and focused analyses—a combination seldom to be found in one volume. But here Bruce Lincoln . . . has given us just such a mix of discrete and large-picture analysis.”—Stephen Healey, Christian Century “From time to time there appears a work . . . that serves to focus the wide-ranging, often contentious discussion of religion’s significance within broader cultural dynamics. Bruce Lincoln’s Holy Terrors is one such text. . . . Anyone still struggling toward a more nuanced comprehension of 9/11 would do well to spend time with this book.”—Theodore Pulcini, Middle East Journal