R. A. MacAvoy

Martha Macnamara knows that her daughter Elizabeth is in trouble, she just doesn't know what kind. Mysterious phone calls from San Francisco at odd hours of the night are the only contact she has had with Elizabeth for years. Now, Elizabeth has sent her a plane ticket and reserved a room for her at San Francisco's most luxurious hotel. Yet she has not tried to contact Martha since she arrived, leaving her lonely, confused and a little bit worried. Into the story steps Mayland Long, a distinguished-looking and wealthy Chinese man who lives at the hotel and is drawn to Martha's good nature and ability to pinpoint the truth of a matter. Mayland and Martha become close in a short period of time and he promises to help her find Elizabeth, making small inroads in the mystery before Martha herself disappears. Now Mayland is struck by the realization, too late, that he is in love with Martha, and now he fears for her life. Determined to find her, he sets his prodigious philosopher's mind to work on the problem, embarking on a potentially dangerous adventure.

Tea with the Black Dragon

A young artist journeys back through time to turbulent tenth-century Ireland and falls in love with a beautiful young woman from a past era

The Book of Kells

“No fantasy writer working today has a defter touch with Irish magic” (Morgan Llywelyn, author of Lion of Ireland). Set against the colorful and magical backdrop of Ireland, The Grey Horse chronicles a time when the Irish people suffered under harsh English overlords who sought to destroy their culture and way of life. In the Irish town of Carraroe, a magnificent, completely grey stallion appears. The horse brings with him the promise of better times and magical happenings, for he is actually the shape-shifted form of Ruairi MacEibhir, journeyed to such a time of danger in order to win the hand of the woman he loves.

The Grey Horse

Martha Macnamara and Mayland Long stumble into a magical, musical mystery when they become involved with a murder

Casadh an T'Súgáin

Twisting the Rope

The saga of Damiano Delstrego, a young wizard's son tutored in music by the Archangel Raphael, is set amid the turbulence of fourteenth-century Europe

A Trio for Lute

The haunting conclusion of a magnificent fantasy trilogy, which began with Damiano and continued with Damiano's Lute. Set against the turbulent backdrop of the Italian Renaissance, this alternate history takes place in a world where real faith-based magic exists. Weakened by his contact with mortals, the Archangel Raphael falls prey to his brother Lucifer, who strips him of his angelic powers. Sold in the Moorish slave markets, confused and humbled by his sudden humanity, Raphael finds his only solace in the friendship of the dark-skinned Berber woman Djoura and the spiritual guardianship of his former pupil Damiano Delstrego.

Raphael

A contemporary couple journeys back in time to ancient Ireland in this delightful fantasy by the author of Tea with the Black Dragon. John Thornburn is an artist, mild-mannered and nonviolent. To make ends meet, he teaches some courses in Celtic design. And although his background is half Micmac Indian, he lives in Ireland for two reasons: his far more confrontational and warrior-like girlfriend, Derval O’Keane, and his fascination with the beautiful illuminated manuscript known as the Book of Kells. But he’s about to take a journey to a far more distant place, one that he could not have imagined. Along with Derval, John will find himself in an ancient Celtic realm, where a Viking attack begs to be avenged and a fantastic—and sometimes terrifying—adventure awaits . . . From a master of magical fantasy, the author of the Damiano Trilogy and a winner of the John W. Campbell Award, this is a tale of warriors, love, danger, and Irish history that will cast a spell on anyone who dreams of discovering treasures in long-lost worlds.

When a near-death experience gives Ewen, a martial artist, the ability to travel between the realms of life and the afterlife, he explores the new realms with Susan, a veterinarian searching for her uncle, and her extraordinary dog, Resurrection.

Death and Resurrection

Nancy Palmer

Mistaken and absolved refugee, Dr. Rob MacAulay, struggles to control his tendency to “flinch” as he works to harness the physics of the universe and juggles his relationship with his husband, teaching, researching, headstrong horses, the neighbor girl, and the effects his power has on those around him.

Shimmer

The optician Nazhuret saves his homeland from war in the award-winning Lens of the World series that “promises to become a landmark of the decade” (Kirkus Reviews). Book two of the award-winning Lens of the World trilogy, this volume finds the half-breed orphan Nazhuret as a modest and fastidious lens grinder. Although he could have chosen an exalted and wealthy life as a noble member of the court, he wishes to live in humble and undisturbed poverty with his lady Arlin. But the ordinary life that Nazhuret wants is abruptly shattered when a vicious attack by paid assassins forces him to run. With possible enemies on all sides, the only place to go is the neighboring kingdom of Rezhmia, where Nazhuret has an ancient blood-tie. However, he finds that Rezhmia is no safe haven, for dark clouds are gathering there, intent on destruction of the homeland of Nazhuret’s heart. Evil tidings, treacherous family members, and powerful sorcery threaten to overtake him, but Nazhuret must survive for the sake of those he loves. “The understated and unusual fantasy series begun in Lens of the World continues to delight in this second volume. . . . MacAvoy’s series has some of the flavor and subtlety of Gene Wolfe’s modern classic The Book of the New Sun, but her own unique elements—a fascination with shifting genders and the mysteries of death—make this series distinctive in the often monochromatic fantasy field.” —Kirkus Reviews “Nazhuret and his sword-wielding mistress Arlin are provocative, complex people—like the world in which they live.” —Library Journal “Remarkable.” —Publishers Weekly

King of the Dead

The enchanting fantasy series by the John W. Campbell Award–winning author of Tea with the Black Dragon. Warrior, linguist, astronomer, philosopher, lens grinder, lord, dwarf—the name Nazhuret conjures many definitions. His story is not a simple one: The course of his history is a strange and winding tale filled with danger. All three novels in this epic saga about the outcast-turned-legend are collected in one incredible volume. Lens of the World: In this New York Times Notable Book, a tenacious orphan discovers his identity. Raised as both servant and student at the military Royal School of Sordaling, Nazhuret has been an outsider as long as he can recall. Yet, when he is taken in by a mysterious madman and educated in arts ranging from lens grinding to war, he sets on a path that will change the course of not only his own life, but the entire realm of Velonya. King of the Dead: Fate has offered Nazhuret the opportunity to rise above his status to a position of glory and wealth, but he would rather live quietly in obscurity with Arlin, the love of his life. Unfortunately, the secrets of his past cannot stay buried, and Nazhuret soon finds himself once again embroiled in the conflicts of the kingdom, fighting for his life and for the land he calls home. The Belly of the Wolf: In the twilight of his life, after a long respite from the tumultuous world of war and intrigue, Nazhuret embarks on one final adventure. Velonya is in chaos after the apparently unnatural death of Nazhuret’s old friend, the king. Together with his daughter, Nazhuret must use his wisdom, courage, and talent to keep civil war from destroying everything he loves.

Lens of the World, King of the Dead, and The Belly of the Wolf

The Lens of the World Trilogy

The award-winning author of Lens of the World “concludes what may be one of the best fantasy series of the decade” with her now elderly hero Nazhuret (Publishers Weekly). Nazhuret, the reluctant philosopher-hero of R. A. MacAvoy’s award-winning bestseller Lens of the World, is embarking on his final adventure. He must unwillingly end a long period of exile and once again take up the sword in defense of freedom. His old friend the King is suddenly and unexpectedly assassinated, leaving the kingdom in chaos. Nazhuret interrupts the peace of his old age to endure the horrors of war and the supernatural realm of the dead. Before his journey comes to an end, he must test his wisdom to its limit in the face of danger and treachery. He is accompanied by his beloved daughter Nahvah and, as Nazhuret’s final debt of honor is paid, he faces the darker side of human nature with both of their lives at stake. “A moving and fascinating culmination to the life of the hero we have watched mature . . . As in the past, Nazhuret takes readers on an exhilarating journey.”—School Library Journal “The conclusion to the trilogy,Lens of the World, is as effective and unusual as its predecessors. . . . MacAvoy’s sense of place, exquisite prose, and first-person narration remain exceptional. She remains, albeit without any fanfare, in the top rank of the American fantasists' roster.” —Booklist “Quiet, unpretentious, vivid, understated, succinct: an object lesson for other, more verbose fantasists in how to produce more from less, and how to write an appealing and gratifying trilogy by offering a self-contained story each time out.” —Kirkus Reviews

The Belly of the Wolf

A young warrior’s coming of age journey across space leads him to a vitally important—and mortally dangerous—mission. When the warrior Wanbli came of age, he cast his lot among the stars and left the world where he’d been born. Left it, he thought, forever. His odyssey led him to one ship, then another, and to another still. It brought him face to face with the far-flung members of the universe’s Seven Sentient peoples. And, finally, it brought him to the colony ship Commitment. There, Wanbli learned the true purpose of his life—a mission so vital that it required risking the lives of everyone on the ship and the future of his home world. His mission meant returning to that world, but only if he could survive the deadly machinations of those who sought to stop him.

The Third Eagle

Set against the turbulent backdrop of the Italian Renaissance, this alternate history takes place in a world where real faith-based magic exists. Our hero is Damiano Dalstrego. He is a wizard’s son, an alchemist, and the heir to dark magics. But he is also an innocent, a young scholar and musician befriended by the Archangel Raphael, who instructs him in the lute. To save his beloved city from war, Damiano leaves his cloistered life and sets out on a pilgrimage, seeking the aid of the powerful sorceress Saara as he walks the narrow path between light and shadow, accompanied only by his talking dog. But his road is filled with betrayal, disillusionment, and death, and Damiano is forced to confront his dark heritage, unleashing the hellish force of his awesome powers to protect those he loves. The further volumes of this tale are Damiano’s Lute and Raphael.

R. A. MacAvoy

About

Books

Join the club