Kelly McCullough

Among the last of his kind, Aral Kingslayer, once a fabled Blade of Namara, is forced to survive on the fringes of society, resorting to thievery, until a mysterious woman named Maylien hires him to deliver a secret message – one that changes everything. Original.

Broken Blade

"Superhero geek Evan survives a supervillian's death ray, and is sent to the Academy for Metahuman Operatives. Unfortunately, instead of fighting bad guys, Evan finds himself blacklisted, and on the wrong side of the school's director. Can he convince his semi-retired has-been mentor to become a real hero once again?"--

School for Sidekicks

Former temple assassin Aral Kingslayer finds his past catching up to him when Jax Seldansbane, a fellow Blade and his former fiancée, needs his help in destroying the dark forces that took everything from him. Original.

Crossed Blades

When a good deed lands them in the middle of a three-way battle to find an artifact that might prevent a war, former temple assassin Aral Kingslayer and Triss, a living shadow who is his secret partner, must stop this priceless treasure from falling into one of the many factions on their trail. Original. 20,000 first printing.

Bared Blade

Ravirn, a sorcerer and direct descendant of one of the three Fates, must brave Hell itself and the Lord of the Dead to retrieve his girlfriend's webgoblin, who is storing all of her research for her doctorate in his memory.

Cybermancy

Reclaiming his swords and his soul, Aral Kingslayer, one of the world's greatest assassins, must confront his past as a Blade when the forces that destroyed his patron Namara 12 years earlier come back to haunt him. Includes teaser. By the author of Blade Reforged. Original. 20,000 first printing.

Drawn Blades

Kelly McCullough, author of Drawn Blades, presents another Fallen Blade adventure with Aral Kingslayer... Aral Kingslayer has nothing to lose?and only justice to gain. Torn apart by the death of his goddess, he must avenge her in order to save himself from being lost forever.... It's been nine long years since the death of his patron, Namara, and exalted assassin Aral Kingslayer desperately misses the thrill and glory of being a higher power of justice. Now he is haunted by the ghosts of the past?and by the ghost of the lost goddess herself. When Namara calls upon Aral in a dream to seek justice for her death and the ruination of her temple, Aral must obtain the help of his fellow former Blades and his Shade familiar, Triss, to pursue the vengeance he knows Namara deserves. Even if it means attacking Heaven's Son?and going against one of their own?in a bloody battle of epic proportions...

Darkened Blade

Enter the "fascinating world"(Fresh Fiction) of the Fallen Blade in this thrilling fantasy novel from Kelly McCullpough. After the fall of the goddess of justice, temple assassin Aral Kingslayer lost his purpose in life and turned to the bottle. That might have been the end of him if luck hadn’t given him a few people to help him get back on his feet—notably the irresistible Baroness Maylien Dan Marchon, who once sought his aid in claiming the throne that’s rightfully hers. Reluctant to resume the role of an assassin, he turned her down. But now Aral has learned that one of the few people willing to help him in his darkest days has been imprisoned by Maylien’s uncle, King Thauvik. Aral knows he can’t let an old friend die, but the alternative is to return to the life he left years ago. It was the death of Thauvik’s half brother that earned Aral the name Kingslayer, and now he is thrust into a war that will see no end until he lives up to his name…

Blade Reforged

"A 12-year-old boy uses his new magical powers and the help of a snarky fire hare to defeat his evil stepfather in a magical version of St. Paul"--

Magic, Madness, and Mischief

In this middle-grade sequel to Kelly McCullough's Magic, Madness, and Mischief, a 13-year-old boy and his snarky fire hare familiar must use his new magical powers to rescue his long-lost father in a magical version of St. Paul. Kalvan Monroe is worried. Every story he’s ever read told him things should be better now. He mastered his magic, defeated his evil stepfather, and freed the land. Everything should be good now. But in breaking the Winter King's power, he also broke the spell that helped his mother keep her grip on reality. Basically . . . things at home aren’t great. And it turns out that the magical powers that be aren’t done with him yet. So, he’s also dealing with that. And the constant attempts on his life. And, oh yeah, there’s school, too. Not to mention that the Earth itself is talking to him . . . Is it too late for him to just give up and hide under the bed? Praise for Magic, Madness, and Mischief: "The author excels at introducing magic into the everyday modern world." —School Library Journal "McCullough smoothly blends family drama, school story, and magical coming of age in this entertaining fantasy. ... Fans of Percy Jackson will be eager to hop into Kalvan’s world."—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (BCCB)

Spirits, Spells, and Snark

Aliette de Bodard

Kelly Link

Sabrina Vourvoulias

Catherynne M. Valente

Sarah Kuhn

Isabel Yap

Caroline M. Yoachim

July/August 2016

Uncanny Magazine Issue 11

John Chu

Ursula Vernon

K.M. Szpara

Javier Grillo-Marxuach

Hiromi Goto

Naomi Kritzer

Chinelo Onwualu

May/June 2017

Uncanny Magazine Issue 16

Prepare for a total systems failure in this WebMage novel from Kelly McCullough. Ravirn—umpteenth great-grandson of one of the three Fates—is a talented sorcerer and a computer hacker extraordinaire in a world where magic has merged with 21st century technology. But even though he’s the best hacker around, there are some things that even he can’t fix. Necessity—the sentient computer that runs the multiverse—is still broken, and the only thing that can repair her is a massive reboot. But while Necessity is offline, anyone with enough power can attempt to seize control of the entire multiverse. As the time for the reboot draws near, four clear contenders emerge: Zeus, Hades, Fate, and Eris—all Gods from the Greek mythos who are more than a match for any man, even a demi-god like Ravirn. Now, in order to protect Necessity, Ravirn has to utilize all of his skills as a mage and fight to prevent complete chaos—even if it costs him his life...

Spellcrash

Hades has a hell of a firewall in this WebMage novel from Kelly McCullough. Not just any computer geek can hack into Hades. But Ravirn, a direct descendant of one of the three Fates, is no ordinary hacker. Magic has gone digital in the twenty-first century, and Ravirn is a sorcerer with a laptop—otherwise known as his shape-changing best friend. These days, Ravirn’s crashing at his girlfriend's place while she works on her doctorate in computer science. Only one problem: all of her research is in her webgoblin's memory, which is now in Hades along with its soul. To save Cerice's webgoblin (and her PhD), Ravirn must brave Hell itself. But can he do it without corrupting the mweb—the magical internet—and without facing down the Lord of the Dead himself?

Einst kämpfte Aral, die legendäre Klinge von Namara, im Namen der Gerechtigkeit, stets begleitet von seinem Vertrauten, dem lebenden Schatten Triss. Doch nun schlagen sich die beiden mit Gaunereien durch, immer im Dunkeln verborgen. Eines Tages heuert eine rätselhafte Frau Aral an. Er soll eine geheime Nachricht überbringen. Doch wie sich herausstellt, ist der Auftrag eine Täuschung, denn er führt ihn zu einer geheimen Zusammenkunft, die sich zum Ziel gemacht hat, das Reich in einen Krieg zu stürzen.

Roman

Die zerborstene Klinge

Einst kämpften Sie im Namen der Gerechtigkeit für die Göttin von Namara: Aral Königsmörder und sein Schatten Triss. Der eigenwillige Schatten hat die Form eines Drachen und würde für seinen Träger durchs Feuer gehen. Doch nach dem Tod der Göttin hat sich vieles verändert und nun führen sie ein Leben im Zwielicht, das ihnen selbst zuwider ist. Doch dann machen sie bei einem Auftrag eine Entdeckung, die alles, was beide bisher geglaubt haben, infrage stellt... Die zerborstene Klinge. Aral Königsmörder und sein treuer Schatten Triss haben einen Auftrag. Sie sollen eine geheime Nachricht überbringen. Doch wie sich herausstellt, ist der Auftrag eine Täuschung, denn er führt sie zu einer geheimen Zusammenkunft, die sich zum Ziel gemacht hat, das Reich in einen Krieg zu stürzen. Die Klinge von Namara. Auf Aral Königsmörder ist ein hohes Kopfgeld ausgesetzt. Daher schlägt er sich möglichst unauffällig als Dieb durch. Eines Tages eilt er zwei Fremden zu Hilfe und gerät dadurch unfreiwillig in einen Krieg um ein magisches Artefakt. Doch das beschert ihm mehr Aufmerksamkeit, als gut ist für jemanden, dessen Gesicht landesweit auf rund 10.000 Steckbriefen zu sehen ist.

Zwei Romane in einem Band

Die zerborstene Klinge / Die Klinge von Namara

In Spirits, Spells, and Snark--the middle-grade sequel to Kelly McCullough's Magic, Madness, and Mischief--a 13-year-old boy and his snarky fire hare familiar must use his new magical powers to rescue his long-lost father in a magical version of St. Paul. Kalvan Monroe is worried. Every story he’s ever read told him things should be better now. He mastered his magic, defeated his evil stepfather, and freed the land. Everything should be good now. But in breaking the Winter King's power, he also broke the spell that helped his mother keep her grip on reality. Basically . . . things at home aren’t great. And it turns out that the magical powers that be aren’t done with him yet. So, he’s also dealing with that. And the constant attempts on his life. And, oh yeah, there’s school, too. Not to mention that the Earth itself is talking to him . . . Is it too late for him to just give up and hide under the bed? Praise for Magic, Madness, and Mischief: "The author excels at introducing magic into the everyday modern world." —School Library Journal "McCullough smoothly blends family drama, school story, and magical coming of age in this entertaining fantasy. ... Fans of Percy Jackson will be eager to hop into Kalvan’s world."—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (BCCB)

Aral Königsmörder war früher ein Tempel-Assassine. Sein Orden wurde zerschlagen und nun ist auf ihn ein hohes Kopfgeld ausgesetzt. Daher verdingt er sich möglichst unauffällig als Dieb. Eines Tages eilt er zwei Fremden zu Hilfe, die in einer Taverne in Bedrängnis geraten und gerät dadurch unfreiwillig in einem Krieg um ein magisches Artefakt. Was ihm mehr Aufmerksamkeit beschert, als gut für jemanden ist, dessen Gesicht landesweit auf rund 10.000 Steckbriefen zu sehen ist ...

Die Klinge von Namara

The universe needs a reboot in this WebMage novel from Kelly McCullough. In the twenty-first century, magic has advanced with the times and gone digital, and Ravirn, a direct descendant of one of the three Fates, is a talented sorcerer—and computer hacker extraordinaire. Now that Ravirn has come into his own as a minor chaos power, he’s partying with Zeus, playing hard-to-get with a gorgeous Fury…and trying to stay one step ahead of Nemesis, the unstoppable goddess of vengeance. But now Necessity—the sentient computer that runs the universe—has caught a virus that crashes most of the magical internet, and Ravirn is tasked with fixing it. And Ravirn hasn’t missed the fact that whoever repairs Necessity will, for that moment, run the universe, able to remake the worlds (and everything else) to their liking. Unfortunately for Ravirn, some very dangerous beings have figured that out, too…

Codespell

From the author of School for Sidekicks comes a witty and thoughtful middle-grade fantasy about the bonds of family and the strength of true friendship. Kalvan Monroe is worried. Either he’s going mad or he really did wake up with uncontrollable fire magic and accidentally summon a snarky talking fire hare. (Yes, that’s right, a hare. Made of fire. That talks.) He’s got to be going crazy, right? But if he’s not, then magic actually is real, and he’s got even more problems to worry about. Because Kalvan isn’t the only one with powers. The same fire magic that allows him to talk his way into and out of trouble burned too brightly in his mother, damaging her mind and leaving her vulnerable to the cold, manipulative spells of the Winter King. Can Kalvan gain control of his power in time to save his mother, or will their fires be snuffed out forever? Kelly McCullough combines Magic, Madness, and Mischief--as well as danger--in a delightful fantasy set in a magical version of St. Paul, Minnesota.

Kelly McCullough

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