Nimbulan, the last Battlemage and the founder of the school for Communal Magic, is seeking to create a permanent protection for the kingdom of Coronnan, a spell-crafted border to keep enemies out. His search for the key to this magic leads him to a terrifying discovery—the dragons, the guardians of magic, are in terrible danger…

"I can command storms, summon fire and unmake stone," Balfruss growled. "It's dangerous to meddle with things you don't understand." Balfruss is a battlemage, sworn to fight and die for a country that fears and despises his kind. Vargus is a common soldier -- while mages shoot lightning from the walls of the city, he's down in the front lines getting blood on his blade. Talandra is a princess and spymaster, but the war may force her to risk everything and make the greatest sacrifice of all. Magic and mayhem collide in this explosive epic fantasy from a major new talent.

The epic conclusion to the New York Times–bestselling Summoner trilogy, by Taran Matharu! Fletcher and his friends fight for survival in the ether, where they pursue a mortally dangerous quest to rebuild their world and broker peace. Even as hatred threatens to turn friend into foe in The Battlemage, Fletcher must lead a small army of soldiers into battle to protect his ancestral homeland, and face his biggest challenge yet: his nemesis, the albino orc, Khan, who seeks to destroy everything Fletcher holds dear.

Only a bastard can save a kingdom from chaos.

A childless queen confined to the palace.

A king overly enamored of male companionship.

The kingdom desperately needs an heir.

Who will father one?

Two courtiers ask Keladon, retired battlemage and the king’s bastard half-brother, to make his way in secret to the queen’s bedchamber. His loyalty to the kingdom overcomes his dread of palace intrigues and his guilt in turning her, a foreign princess, into a royal captive decades ago.

Their brief encounter leads to his unrequitable love for her.

Keladon returns to the castle nine months later to celebrate the proclamation of his secret son as the king’s child and heir. But within the castle’s walls and the nearby city, he stumbles across a conspiracy of magic and murder. Acting alone, in the shadows, only he can save the kingdom from the ultimate treachery - and protect the one woman he would risk his life for.

In The Dragon's Touchstone, the kingdom of Coronnan descends into chaos, pitting the dragons against the dark forces of blood magic, and in The Last Battlemage, Nimbulan risks the safety of the citizens of Coronnan to find his long-lost wife, an exiled sorceress who remains the last link between dragons and mortals. Original.

Encyclopedia of Fantasy and Horror Fiction provides comprehensive coverage of the major authors and works in these popular genres. Each entry includes a brief discussion of the author's life and work and includes a full bibliography. Each entry on

Glenndon, raised by the witchwoman Brevelan and Jaylor, Senior Magician and Chancellor of the University of Magicians, has now been established as the son of King Darville and heir to the throne of Coronnan. But there is still much unrest within the realm. Both old and new enemies are plotting to overhrow the king and seize control of Coronnan and dragon magic. Even as attacks come from unexpected sources, Jaylor is forced to send his twin daughters on their journeymen missions, escorting two noble ladies to their far-distant homes. Though Lillian and Valeria have never felt complete without one another, they will soon have to travel separate pathways to see their ladies home. Lily is robust and has an affinity with plants and their healing properties but no recognized magical ability. Val has an unmatchable talent and like Glenndon the imagination to work magic in unusual ways. But using magic costs the spell-thrower physically and Val is frail; she needs to find solutions to problems without drawing too heavily on her talent. Caught in a vast spell-created storm that spreads chaos from the heart of Coronnan City to the caravans the girls are traveling with, can all the scattered children of Jaylor and Brevelan find the means to save both the kingdom and their family?