Search Worlds Without End

A nameless undead awakens in an ancient crypt, and thus does the journey begin. Drawn mysteriously toward the horizon, he ventures into a land of perils beyond death. A once shining kingdom has been fractured, and mindless Hollows prowl the dark corners. To see it united and restored, the old king must be freed by his get-the youth Balarion. The undead and his companions, surviving champions of the halcyon era, accompany Balarion on this journey to release his father, battling foes both monstrous and clever. Yet it is not their enemies that give them doubt, it is their quest. Can a world so troubled truly be set right again, or is it fated to vanish into the dark?

Eight centuries ago, the legendary Keerana Dost conquered a vast empire. Now younger nations battle for the remnants of his realm. As the turmoil spreads, princes and spies, priests and heretics are drawn into the fray.

Nomad leader Rafiq Khast fights to reclaim his homeland and avenge his family honor.

Princess Natalya undertakes a journey for love and finds herself standing alone against forces that could shatter her nation.

And the warrior-priest Malachy Kidd, blinded in combat years before, finds himself holding the fate of the world in his hands, using his powerful battlemagicks in service to his god... protecting a figure who may be the very devil himself.

Half a millennium ago Neil Elfward, a legendary human warrior, fought alongside his Elven friend Aarundel for the freedom of mankind against the tyranny of the sorcerous Reithrese empire. But Neal's victory began a genocidal war that cost him dearly.

Now the future he hoped for is unraveling. Count Berengar has invited the lovely Genevera, Aarundel's granddaughter, to join in a quest to bring stability to the land. Pressed to accomplish the impossible, Genevera suggests the unthinkable--raising Neal from the dead. But what is true in legend is not always true in reality. A hero from yesteryear may be a hero still, but is Neal the hero they want?

The man he is sworn to protect is the man who butchered his family.

Justices--the select of the Talions, endowed with fearsome magick and lethal martial skills--roam the Shattered Empire, crushing the lawless and championing the oppressed. Their word is law and their judgment binding on highborn and low.

Nolan is a Justice born in what once was the free nation of Sinjaria. Orphaned in the war of conquest with the nation of Hamis, he traveled to far Talianna and secured the right to become a Justice. Now, years later, the Master of all Talions has a dangerous assignment for Nolan: he is to guard the life of the king who destroyed Sinjaria and slaughtered his family. Alone, Nolan ventures into the political maelstrom that is the court of Hamis to stop an assassin even his Masters think cannot be slain...

When sporadic Clan incursions into Inner Sphere territory supply mercenaries with more work than they can handle, Khan Phelan Ward and Prince Victor Davion - cousins, rulers, and enemies - must decide what to do.

Solaris VII, the Game World, is the Inner Sphere in microcosm, and Kai Allard-Liao is its Champion, veteran of the war against challengers who wish his crown for their own. There is no place he would rather be. Then the political realities of the Federated Commonwealth intrude on Solaris. Ryan Steine, a man sworn to dethrone Victor Steiner-Davion, comes to Solaris to orchestrate his rebellion. Tormano Liao, Kai's uncle, redoubles efforts to destroy the Capellan Confederation, and Victor Davion plots to avenge his mother's assassination. In one short month, Kai's past, present and future collapse in on themselves, forcing him to do things he had come to Solaris to avoid. If he succeeds, no one will ever know-but if he fails, he'll have the blood of billions on his hands.

After ascending the throne of the Federated Commonwealth, Prince Victor Steiner-Davion struggles to cope with the continuing threat of the Clans to the peace of the inner sphere and with the machinations of his own ambitious and treacherous sister.

In the first volume of the Blood of Kerensky trilogy, the five warring Successor States of the Inner Sphere confront a new, mutual threat, the invasion of the Clans, technologically superior, bioengineered warriors.

Attempting to settle an old blood feud, Jamie Wolf gathers the key leaders of the Inner Sphere for a meeting at this base on Outreach, hoping that their united forces can defeat an invasion by the technologically superior BattleMechs.

In a time of war, oppression, and rebellion, Alex Carlyle, Davis McCall, and the Gray Death Legion become pawns of the manipulation and betrayal in a revolt against the cruel Davion-supported governor.

With the Lyran Alliance beset by two threatening enemies, Vlad of the Wards and the Jade Falcons, Katrina Sterner finds her only hope in her brother and political rival Victor Davion, who may be destroyed if he assists her.

The second book in the Twilight of the Clans series pits the Inner Sphere Successor States against their nemesis, the Clans, as they attempt to foray into Clan territory under the command of Victor Steiner-Davion.

The heir apparent of the Lyran Common-wealth has been kidnapped, just when her secret betrothal to Prince Hanse Davion of the Federated Suns would cement the most powerful alliance in the Inner Sphere. Meanwhile, as two half brothers find themselves fighting on opposite sides of the Inner Sphere's endless battles... one uncovers a fiendish plot against the heir and undertakes to ensure her safety--and along with it, the safety of the entire Inner Sphere!

Hanse Davion and Melissa Steiner have united two Great Houses of the Inner Sphere in a marriage that suddenly upsets the balance of power among the stars. Though some hope this may bring an end to centuries of war, Maximilian Liao of the Capellan Confederation has enlisted the aid of two highly placed Davion traitors to destroy Hanse Davion and the Federated Suns from both within and without. But in the distant star chambers of the Capellan March and Draconis Combine, the Warlords of Maximilian Liao are honoring a different and more deadly vow: to wage an unholy war that threatens to rip asunder the vulnerable worlds of the Federated Suns. As Davion 'Mech commander Andrew Redburn and his mercenaries streak into battle, an explosive clash of metal and men signals the return of a formidable foe. Interstellar legend Yorinaga Kurita has returned to stake his claim as the most bloodthirsty warrior of all. For both men it is do-or-die combat that could ensure the triumph of a glorious new alliance -- or result in its total annihilation.

THE EXPLOSIVE CONCLUSION TO THE WARRIOR TRILOGY

The minions of Maximilian Liao are about the deliver a crippling blow to the forces of Prince Hanse Davion -- discovering a way to use Hanse's own technology against him. Half a galaxy away, assassins stalk Hanse's wife, Melissa Steiner, and her mother, Archon Katrina Steiner, in the passageways of their own palace. Invasion is imminent. The only 'Mech force capable of stopping that invasion -- the mercenary Kell Hounds -- is trapped in a game of search and destroy with the most fearsome Kurita unit ever formed. Even if they come back in time... how many would make it?

In a world where ten-meter-tall war machines are the soul of battle, assassins are state policy, and a spy's loyalty is always for sale, the only thing certain is death. Who can you trust? And in the bitter end, how will you be betrayed?

Trained to be the Inner Sphere's finest warrior, Prince Victor-Steiner Davion has only known one enemy in battle: the Clans. A year earlier he led a massive counter-strike against the Smoke Jaguar Clan, pursuing them all the way to their homeworld. He then faced all of the Clans in one last battle for supremacy. But for a man of war like Prince Victor, can there ever be peace? When he returns home he finds the Inner Sphere in tatters, with a new order in power... leaving him a hero without a home.

Born in the fires of battle, Conan of Cimmeria lost his father and village when they were slaughtered by the cruel warlord Khalar Zym. Wandering the world alone, Conan was forged into a peerless warrior by hardship and bloodshed.

Years later, he crosses paths with Zym and his armies. But before Conan can exact vengeance, he must contend with the warlord's daughter-the seductive witch Marique-and a host of monstrous creatures. Only then will Conan's quest bring him face to face with Zym in an epic battle to avenge his people and save the world.

Contents:

• 9 - Introduction (Perchance To Dream And Other Stories) - (2005) - essay
• 11 - Perchance to Dream - [DragonCrown War] - (2005) - novelette
• 51 - The Krells of Tancras Moor - (2003) - novelette
• 77 - Let Me Call You Sweetheart - (1991) - shortstory
• 99 - Tip-Off - (1995) - novelette
• 129 - Absolutely Charming - (1991) - shortstory
• 141 - The Parker Panic - (1999) - novelette
• 175 - Wind Tiger - (1992) - novelette
• 211 - Blood Duty - (1995) - shortstory
• 217 - When You're Dead... - (2001) - shortstory
• 235 - It's the Thought That Counts - (1992) - shortstory
• 263 - Asgard Unlimited - (1998) - shortstory
• 285 - Shepherd - [Talion] - (1991) - shortstory
• 311 - The Final Gift - (1990) - shortstory
• 321 - Kid Binary and the Two-Bit Gang - (1997) - shortstory
• 345 - The Greenhorn - (2002) - poem
• 353 - Peer Review - (1995) - novelette

Four young men come of age in a time of prophecy and war....

New York Times bestselling author Michael A. Stackpole is a recognized star of military fantasy. The Dark Glory War is a thrilling new tale set in a world threatened by an unstoppable foe....

In the sacred season of the Moon Month, four young men don the masks that herald their coming-of-age celebration, a time of testing, ritual, festival, and romance.

But for Tarrant Hawkins and his friends Leigh, Rounce, and Nay, their first test becomes a desperate struggle for survival. For they will encounter the vanguard of an invasion force poised to overrun their homeland of Oriosa, and all four will find their lives changed forever when they encounter a legendary weapon that brings its wielder invincibility. Yet the magic sword may prove more curse than blessing, signaling the arrival of a cataclysmic battle with ancient foes. And in the face of dire sorceries and terrible battles, these youths will come to manhood... or to death.

In an age of treachery and peril, a young thief may be the prophesied savior ... or the betrayer of the world.

From Michael A. Stackpole, New York Times bestselling author and a master of epic fantasy, comes a stirring chronicle of magic, intrigue, passion, and the most unlikely of heroes...

Once one of the grandest of human cities, Yslin now has a dark heart known as the Dimandowns. And when Will, an orphaned young thief from the Dim, plots to prove himself to his master by stealing a prize from the exiled Elves who share the fetid slums, his theft of the strange artifact snares him in a web of prophecy.

It also brings him together with Kedyn's Crow, a shadowy human warrior, and Resolute, a Vorquelf determined to redeem his long-lost island home. To them, Will could be the fulfillment of a long-held dream and the last chance the world has to save itself from Chytrine, the northern tyrant who would be empress of the world.

But their belief in Will finds few allies in a world torn by war and magick. Preoccupied with their own internecine struggles, the world's leaders see Will as a pawn. Only Chytrine seems able to recognize Will's destiny, and she sends her Dark Lancers to destroy him. For who better to destroy a hero than the ill-fated heroes of the previous generation, survivors of a failed war to exterminate Chytrine, now corrupted to her service?

Yet even as Will is tested, a new generation takes up arms where their predecessors failed. Alexia, princess of a dead nation, leads an army to oppose Chytrine. And the sorcerers of Vilwan have fashioned their own hero, Kerrigan Reese, bestowing upon him powers and abilities no human has held for centuries.

Together these heroes travel to the mysterious Fortress Draconis to stop Chytrine from stealing more fragments of the DragonCrown -- a powerful artifact that, once in her control, will guarantee her dominion forever.

As her merciless armies sweep from the north, the tyrant Chytrine pursues her quest to become empress of the world in a brutal campaign of unspeakable bloodshed and unholy sorcery. While cities and kingdoms topple, her agents, both living and dead, search for fragments of the shattered DragonCrown--which, when reassembled, will make her unstoppable.

Opposing Chytrine is the beautiful and determined Alexia, Princess of Okrannel. As she struggles to save the life of Kedyn's Crow, a mysterious human warrior accused of treachery, she gathers around her an alliance of unlikely heroes, including Resolute, an exiled Vorquelf out for vengeance; Kerrigan Reese, a mage with uncertain potential; and last but not least, young Will, an orphan thief from the slums of Yslin, who may be the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy--or its innocent victim. Alexia and her friends will need all their courage and magick, their only advantage the secret possession of a vital fragment of the DragonCrown.

But when Chytrine's terrifying horde of cruel warriors, voracious minions, and remorseless undead slaves join the battle against them, even courage and magick may not be enough to stem the tide of ultimate darkness.

The hope of the future, Will Norrington, prophesied to bring down the northern tyrant Chytrine and redeem the world, is said to be dead, lost in the heart of a fiery volcano. The news has thrown the Council of Kings into a furor and drained the spirit from once united factions. As questions swirl about as to Will's legacy, and even his identity, one thing is clear: a divided alliance lacks power. And this may be exactly the opening Chytrine needs to seize control-and capture the empowering artifact, the DragonCrown-once and for all.

Still, Will's friends and comrades remain true to his cause, preparing to continue the fight. Among them is the Vilwanese hero, Kerrigan Reese, and Alyx, groomed to lead an army. Sayce, pregnant with Will's child, must remain behind as the new custodian of the Norrington future in case they fail. But even as they draw up battle plans, with the enemy nearer than they think, a shattering betrayal-and a stunning revelation-may change the course of everything.

This is the story of Corran Horn, a heroic X-wing pilot who faces the greatest challenge of his life: trying to come to terms with his Jedi heritage and learning to use the Force--without succumbing to the dark side.

Corran Horn was an officer in the Corellian Security Force before casting his lot with the New Republic. As the grandson of a legendary Jedi hero, he has latent Force powers that have yet to be developed. But he has managed to distinguish himself with Rogue Squadron, the X-wing fighter force that has become the scourge of the Empire and of the pirates that prey on Republic shipping.

When a new pirate band begins terrorizing the space lanes, Rogue Squadron seems at last to have met its match. Led by an ex-Moff in an Imperial-class Star Destroyer, the pirates appear uncannily aware of the squadron's plans and tactics, and are able to detect and escape even the cleverest ambushes. Either there is a security leak...or the pirates have access to a dark and unnatural power that only a trained Jedi could contend with.

Then Corran's wife, Mirax, vanishes on a covert mission to locate the pirates' secret base, and Corran vows to find her. He begins Jedi training at the Jedi academy, hoping to develop his untapped powers. But as he grows dissatisfied with Luke Skywalker's methods, he will break with the academy before his training is finished.

Calling on his Corellian undercover experience, he infiltrates the pirate organization. His plan is daring and dangerous. He will learn what he can, sabotage what he can, and use every means possible to find his wife. And his very survival may depend on a terrible choice--whether or not to surrender to the dark side.

I, Jedi brings readers into the startling, dramatic journey of a young man with a wild talent who must somehow master those powers within... or be destroyed by them.

Twenty-one years after the destruction of Darth Vader and the Emperor, the Star Wars galaxy has been hit by a threat more deadly than anything that has gone before. In VECTOR PRIME, aliens invaded from outside the galaxy and were routed... at great cost to our heroes. Now, in a climate of mistrust - especially of the Jedi - Leia cannot convince the New Republic that the threat may not be over, even as the next wave of alien warships are entering the galaxy... It is up to Leia, Luke, the Solo kids - Jedi Knights all - and the few who believe to defend the Outer Rim planets from invasion!

Twenty-one years after the destruction of Darth Vader and the Emperor, the Star Wars galaxy has been hit by a threat more deadly than anything that has gone before. In VECTOR PRIME, aliens invaded from outside the galaxy and were routed... at great cost to our heroes. Now, in a climate of mistrust - especially of the Jedi - Leia cannot convince the New Republic that the threat may not be over, even as the next wave of alien warships are entering the galaxy... It is up to Leia, Luke, the Solo Kids - Jedi Knights all - and the few who believe to defend the Outer Rim planets from invasion.

They are sleek, swift, and deadly. The are the X-wing fighters. And as the struggle rages across the vastness of space, the fearless men and women who pilot them risk both their lives and their machines. Their mission: to defend the Rebel Alliance against a still-powerful and battle-hardened Imperial foe in a last-ditch effort to control the stars!

Its very name strikes fear into enemy hearts. So when Rebel hero Wedge Antilles rebuilds the legendary Rogue Squadron, he seeks out only the best -- the most skilled, the most daring X-wing pilots. Through arduous training and dangerous missions, he weeds out the weak from the strong, assembling a group of hard-bitten warriors willing to fight, ready to die. Antilles knows the grim truth: that even with the best X-wing jockeys in the galaxy, many will not survive their near-suicidal missions. But when Rogue Squadron is ordered to assist in the assault on the heavily fortified Imperial stronghold of Black Moon, even the bravest must wonder if any at all will survive....

Sleek, swift, and deadly, they are the X-wing fighters. And as the battle against the Empire rages across the vastness of space, the pilots risk both their lives and their machines for the cause of the Rebel Alliance. Now they must embark on a dangerous espionage mission, braving betrayal and death on the Imperial homeworld to smash the power of a ruthless foe!

It is the evil heart of a battered and reeling Empire: Coruscant, the giant city-world from whose massive towers the Imperial High Command directs the war. The Rebels will invade this mighty citadel in a daring move to bring the Empire to its knees. But first Wedge Antilles and his X-wing pilots must infiltrate Coruscant to gain vital intelligence information. Capture means death, or worse--enslavement by the vicious leader known as "Iceheart," Ysanne Isard, now Emperor in all but name. And one of Rogue Squadron's own is already her slave, a traitor hidden behind a mask of innocence, working to betray both colleagues and the Rebellion itself.

The Rebels have taken the Imperial headquarters world of Coruscant, but their problems are far from over. A killer virus called Krytos is spreading among the population, and fomenting a counter-revolution, at the same time as the treason trial of Rebel hero Tycho Celchu. And X-wing pilot Corran Horn, given up for dead in "Iceheart"'s inescapable prison, discovers an extraordinary power in himself--the power of the Force!

When the Alliance Fleet mounts a major campaign against a deadly warlord, tyrant Ysanne Isard has taken control of Thyferra, intending to use its supply of medicinal bacta to destabilize and destroy the New Republic. Undermanned, deprived of Alliance support, Rogue Squadron must oppose Isard's plans, defeat her Star Destroyer fleet, and free Thyferra from her rule in a winner-take-all battle against a seemingly superior force.

Sleek, swift and deadly, the famed X-Wing fighters have earned their reputation as the Rebel Alliance's ultimate strike force the hard way--first in battle, the last line of defense. Now they must make a deal with the devil herself--an enemy whose ultimate goal is their total annihilation.

It's the kind of mission only Wedge Antilles and the Rogue Squadron would dare to undertake. Against impossible odds they will stage a daring raid into an enemy stronghold--only to be rescued from certain destruction by an unexpected ally.

Ysanne Isard, the ruthless Imperial commander, has appeared on the scene seemingly from out of nowhere. Now she proposes a most unusual alliance, offering to help Wedge rescue his captured comrades from Imperial Warlord Admiral Krennel's sadistic prison camp.

But her offer is not without a price. Wedge must lead Rogue Squadron in Isard's deadly struggle against an enemy made in her own image. It's an offer Wedge would love to refuse, for Isard is certain to betray them. But how can they leave their comrades at Krennel's mercy? The answer is: they can't--even if it means being caught between Krennel's ruthlessness and Isard's treachery.

In a world where strong enough talent can engender magic, the family of the Royal Cartographer stands in a unique position. For these bold relations not only draw the maps, but also explore uncharted territories, expanding and updating the existing knowledge about the world. Only sometimes, drawing a new land can be enough to bring it into being. And when tragedy strikes the family, the tormented dreams of one young woman feed back to the Royal Cartographer himself, sending him slowly mad. And maybe also creating a new land where those dreams have become a tangible reality...

New York Times bestselling author Michael A. Stackpole returns with the second book of a groundbreaking trilogy charting exciting new territory in fantasy fiction. Cartomancy follows a group of trailblazing mapmakers with the power to discover new worlds-and shape reality itself....

Under the shadow of invasion by a nameless enemy, there seems only one way to save Nalenyr from oblivion. The old heroes who once defended the land must be awakened. And accomplishing that requires a journey across the magical wasteland where they're rumored to be trapped-a wasteland rife with magic and danger.

Grandson of the Royal Cartographer, Keles Anturasi finds himself trapped in an enemy nation where his skill may well be his death sentence. His brother Jorim is an ocean away, captive in an altered realm in which he's regarded as a god. And their sister Nirati resides in a paradise that exists between life and death with her insane grandfather and an ancient sorcerer bent on the world's destruction.

Now they and their companions must struggle to survive in a world where war on earth mirrors war in heaven. What the gods themselves fear, men must brave. Heroes and mystics they may be, but can any of them survive in a world where things are seldom what they seem: a place where dreams can become reality-and reality can turn into a nightmare....

Time is running out. Nalenyr is besieged on all sides by those who would save the fabled land--and those who would enslave it. Soon the realm will be ravaged by the scourge of magical warfare--overrun by terrifying forces created by an ancient enemy, and soaked in the blood of champions and gods. It is the moment of final conflict, and the grandchildren of the Royal Cartographer are at the center of the climactic struggle.

Keles Anturasi will race across the world, fleeing assassins, seeking control over powers he can barely understand. His brother, Jorim, having ascended to godhood, now finds himself pitted against an elder god--the very god who once created the entire pantheon and now seeks its destruction. And their sister, Nirati, embarks on a treacherous crusade with a dead hero to wage war on hell itself!

As the final battle lines are drawn, they will gather the land's newly awakened defenders of the ancient past. But can this small band of champions, mystics, and magicians stand against an evil that threatens to sweep reality itself into an unending dark age of nightmare and oblivion?