Sam Sykes

Acclaimed author Sam Sykes returns with a brilliant new epic fantasy that introduces to an unforgettable outcast magician caught between two warring empires. 'Seven Blades in Black offers villains that are as memorable and unique as the heroes. Action, magic, romance and humor mingle well in this mammoth tale. It's an immersive read in a well realized world' Robin Hobb Set in the Scar, where the magical, decadent Imperium battles the upstart, technologically-savvy Revolution, SEVEN BLADES IN BLACK follows the exploits of Sal the Cacophony, the most famous and dangerous of all the rogue mages. Among humans, none have power like mages. And among mages, none have will like Sal the Cacophony. Once revered, now vagrant, she walks a wasteland scarred by generations of magical warfare. The Scar, a land torn between powerful empires, is where rogue mages go to disappear, disgraced soldiers go to die and Sal went with a blade, a gun and a list of names she intended to use both on. But vengeance is a flame swift extinguished. Betrayed by those she trusted most, her magic torn from her and awaiting execution, Sal the Cacophony has one last tale to tell before they take her head. All she has left is her name, her story and the weapon she used to carved both. Vengeance is its own reward. PRAISE FOR SEVEN BLADES IN BLACK 'Sykes is a master at taking familiar elements of fantasy and stirring them to a wicked, wholly original churn. In Sal the Cacophony, Sykes has crafted a protagonist for the ages. Ludicrous, wicked, delightful' Pierce Brown, author of Red Rising 'Exciting and inventive. I never realized how much I needed wizard-hunting gunslingers in my life. Buy Sam's book' Peter V. Brett, author of The Painted Man 'Seven Blades in Black is terrific. The tale of Sal the Cacophony is delightfully sarcastic and deeply sorrowful. If you've ever wanted to read Final Fantasy: The Book, this is it' Nicholas Eames, author of Kings of the Wyld 'By the end of the first page, you'll know Sam is in love with his characters. By the end of the second, you'll know you are too' Myke Cole, author of The Armored Saint 'Gunslingers and mad mages and monsters, oh my. Sykes' latest is a brutal and vulgar epic yet still fun enough that - and I say this as the highest of compliments - makes me wish like hell it ends up with an adaptation into a role-playing game' Chuck Wendig

Seven Blades in Black

"Originally published in single magazine form as Brave chef Brianna no. 1-4"--Copyright page.

Brave Chef Brianna

Long before he was sent to hell, the Aeon known as Khoth-Kapira was the closest thing to a living god the world had ever known. Possessed of a vast intellect, he pioneered many of the wonders that persist in the world long after he was banished. Nearly every fragment of medical, economic and technological progress that the mortal races enjoyed could be traced back to him. But with his wonders came cruelty beyond measure: industrialised slavery, horrifying experimentations and a rage that would eventually force the world to bow to him. Now, as Khoth-Kapira stirs, the world begins to shudder with disasters yet to come.The epicenter is the city of Cier'Djaal. A religious war between two unstoppable military juggernauts begins to brew. The racial fury among many peoples of the world is about to explode. Demons begin to pour from the shadows at the head of a vicious cult worshipping dark powers. And Lenk finds himself in the middle once more, his fate and the fate of Khoth-Kapira interlinked as the demon attempts to convince him of his earnestness. 'Your world is breaking around you,' He Who Makes says, 'let me fix it. Let me help you. Let me out.'

The City Stained Red

The second novel in an epic fantasy trilogy that follows an unforgettable outcast mage caught between two warring empires. Sal the Cacophony-outlaw, outcast, outnumbered-destroys all that she loves. Her lover lost and cities burned in her wake, all she has left is her magical gun and her all-consuming quest for revenge against those who stole her power and took the sky from her. When the roguish agent of a mysterious patron offers her the chance to participate in a heist to steal an incredible power from the famed airship fleet, the Ten Arrows, she finds a new purpose. But a plot to save the world by bringing down empires swiftly escalates into a conspiracy of magic and vengeance that threatens to burn everything to ash, including herself. For more from Sam Sykes, check out: The Grave of Empires:Seven Blades in BlackTen Arrows of Iron Bring Down Heaven:The City Stained RedThe Mortal TallyGod's Last Breath The Affinity for Steel Trilogy:Tome of the UndergatesBlack HaloThe Skybound Sea

Ten Arrows of Iron

Lenk can barely keep control of his mismatched adventurer band at the best of times (Gariath the dragon man sees humans as little more than prey, Kataria the Shict despises most humans, and the humans in the band are little better). When they're not insulting each other's religions they're arguing about pay and conditions. So when the ship they are travelling on is attacked by pirates things don't go very well. They go a whole lot worse when an invincible demon joins the fray. The demon steals the Tome of the Undergates - a manuscript that contains all you need to open the undergates. And whichever god you believe in you don't want the undergates open. On the other side are countless more invincible demons, the manifestation of all the evil of the gods, and they want out. Full of razor-sharp wit, characters who leap off the page (and into trouble) and plunging the reader into a vivid world of adventure this is a fantasy that kicks off a series that could dominate the second decade of the century.

Tome of the Undergates

Jason M. Hough

Harry Connolly

Mary Robinette Kowal

Terry Brooks

Brian McClellan

Seanan McGuire

Mark Lawrence

Anthony Ryan

Brian Staveley

Jim Butcher

Michael J. Sullivan

Kristen Britain

Rachel Caine

Joe Abercrombie

John Marco

Kat Richardson

Mazarkis Williams

Delilah S. Dawson

David Anthony Durham

Peter Orullian

Tim Marquitz

Not bound, as a book. Free. The new anthology from Shawn Speakman embodies that magical idea.

Tales by Masters of Fantasy

Unbound

A standalone epic fantasy novella starring Sal the Cacophony, who Pierce Brown called a "protagonist for the ages," from Sam Sykes' widely acclaimed Seven Blades in Black. To the city of Last Word, one of the last freeholds in a land rent asunder by magic, Sal the Cacophony comes with gun, a blade, and a burning need for revenge. But when the gallows threatens to deny her the satisfaction of the kill, Sal the Cacophony decides to free her query -- it's the principle of the thing. And in doing so, she sparks a war that will shake the city's fragile peace to its core. To escape with her life and her kill, she'll have to save a criminal-turned-companion: a Freemaker, versed in the forbidden arts of magic and machinery. But the weight of their secrets may be too heavy to let them escape in one piece. For more from Sam Sykes, check out: The Grave of EmpiresSeven Blades in Black The Affinity for Steel TrilogyTome of the UndergatesBlack HaloThe Skybound Sea Bring Down HeavenThe City Stained RedThe Mortal TallyGod's Last Breath

The Gallows Black

Pathfinder Tales: Shy Knives is based on the award-winning world of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. With more than a million players worldwide, Pathfidner is the world's most popular tabletop RPG. Shaia “Shy” Ratani is a clever rogue who makes her living outside of strictly legal methods. While hiding out in the frontier city of Yanmass, she accepts a job solving a nobleman’s murder, only to find herself sucked into a plot involving an invading centaur army that could see the whole city burned to the ground. Shy could stop that from happening, but doing so would involve revealing herself to the former friends who now want her dead. Add in an aristocratic partner with the literal blood of angels in her veins, and Shy quickly remembers why she swore off doing good deeds in the first place.

Pathfinder Tales: Shy Knives

A deal struck in a dark place set an outlaw mage on the path to revenge. And now that it’s led to places even darker, she and everyone she knows may pay the price for her bargain in the final novel of “an unforgettable epic fantasy” trilogy (Publisher’s Weekly). Sal the Cacophony has made few friends, but many enemies. Many, many enemies. When her magic was taken from her, she cried out for revenge. And a power she never understood promised her vengeance. A deal for a bloody price was made. And now the bill has come due. In one of the last free cities of the burned-out ruin of the Scar, Sal’s many foes—old and new—have hunted down her and her few allies—willing and otherwise -- and all her plans to save them might not be enough. One last stand. One more story. One final blade to be drawn. For more from Sam Sykes, check out: The Grave of Empires: Seven Blades in Black Ten Arrows of Iron Three Axes to Fall Bring Down Heaven: The City Stained Red The Mortal Tally God's Last Breath The Affinity for Steel Trilogy: Tome of the Undergates Black Halo The Skybound Sea

Three Axes to Fall

God's Last Breath

The heat gets turned up on Brianna when rival restaurant owner, Madame Cron, shows up unexpectedly during the dinner rush!

Brave Chef Brianna #2

Brianna must go up against Madame Cron in the ultimate Monster City cook off in order to save her restaurant from closing!

Brave Chef Brianna #4

Brianna’s restaurant has gained some positive attention, so of course that’s when her brother Hans decides to roll into town with his food truck for a little competition!

Brave Chef Brianna #3

Brave Chef Brianna #1

Acclaimed author Sam Sykes returns with the second thrilling novel in his Bring Down Heaven series. The heart of civilization bleeds. Cier'Djaal, once the crowning glory of the civilized world, has gone from a city to a battlefield and a battlefield to a graveyard. Foreign armies clash relentlessly on streets laden with the bodies of innocents caught in the crossfire. Cultists and thieves wage shadow wars, tribal armies foment outside the city's walls, and haughty aristocrats watch the world burn from on high. As his companions struggle to keep the city from destroying itself, Lenk travels to the Forbidden East in search of the demon who caused it all. But even as he pursues Khoth-Kapira, dark whispers plague his thoughts. Khoth-Kapira promises him a world free of war where Lenk can put down his sword at last. And Lenk finds it hard not to listen. When gods are deaf, demons will speak.

The Mortal Tally

A City Stained Red

Shawn Speakman

Not bound, as a book. Free.Like Unfettered before it, the contributing writers of Unbound were allowed to submit the tales they wished fans of genre to read--without the constraints of a shackling theme. The result is magical. Twenty-three all-original stories are sure to captivate you--some will move you to tears while others will keep you turning the pages long into the night. The power of Unbound lies in its variety of tales and the voices behind them. If you are a fan of discovering new writers or reading the works of beloved authors, Unbound is for you.Return to Landover with Terry Brooks. Go to trial with Harry Dresden and Jim Butcher. Enter the Citadel and become remade with Rachel Caine. Survive a plague with John Marco and his robot companion Echo. Be painted among the stars by Mary Robinette Kowal. These tales and the others that comprise the anthology are only bound by how enchanting and enthralling they are.Unbound is filled with spectacularly wonderful stories, each one as diverse as its creator. You will be changed upon finishing it.And that is the point.

There are only a few productive things a man can do once he picks up a sword. And the very lowest of these is to become an adventurer, like Lenk and his companions. For the right price, no deed is too dirty, no task is too dangerous, no foe too ferocious. Not even a demon. From wars ancient and terrible, wounds are bleeding. From seas deep and fathomless, demons are rising. From the mouth of hell, the Kraken Queen is calling. And all that stands between the damned and the mortal world are a pack of degenerates and the steel they carry. Seas will rise. Heaven will fall. Now, for the first time the breakout trilogy by Sam Sykes is collected in one volume.

The Aeon's Gate Omnibus

An Affinity for Steel

Echte Helden wider Willen Lenk und seine Gefährten haben auf ganzer Linie versagt. Es ist ihnen nicht gelungen, die krakenarmige Dämonenkönigin Ulbecetonth daran zu hindern, die Welt der Menschen zu betreten. Doch zunächst ist es Lenks Aufgabe, seine Gefährten zur Zusammenarbeit zu bewegen. Denn trotz ihrer gemeinsam erlebten Abenteuer – oder gerade deswegen –, können sie einander nicht ausstehen. Dabei gehen Lenk die Argumente aus. Diesmal ist es nämlich sehr wahrscheinlich, dass sie alle bei dem Versuch, die Welt zu retten, sterben werden – und dabei werden sie nicht einmal dafür bezahlt!

Roman

Die Tore zur Unterwelt 3 - Verräterische Freunde

A standalone epic fantasy novella starring Sal the Cacophony, who Pierce Brown called a "protagonist for the ages," from Sam Sykes' widely acclaimed Seven Blades in Black and Ten Arrows of Iron. Sal the Cacophony does not make friends. When you have a magic gun, a trusty blade and rogue mages to hunt, you don’t need them. Sal the Cacophony makes enemies. And when her hunt leads to a town on the edge of nowhere, she finds them in spades: an unassuming mage with a secret, a vengeful bandit queen with ideals and steel to spare, and a colossal, centuries-old beast who has decided now is the best time to migrate. Sal the Cacophony could be their savior. But as everyone eventually learns, Sal’s “salvation” is usually worse.

Sam Sykes

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