#dark magical weirdness and devastation.....could be what causes the BEAST TO AWAKEN

[finndoesntwantthis]

Hate to always harp on it but like 👀 a feud with Kross that ends in a crazy insane and violent match wherein Finn loses the NXT title to Kross and Scarlett and their magical darkness could...yah know...bring back The Boy

[ygreczed-3]

The Red Guard and the Snow Angel

Stormy Lands concept art

The Thunder War Spirit’s seal concept art

Gavin and the thunder war spirit

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4

On the stormy lands.

Gavin : It's been raining for days. I just want to see a fucking fire now. And feel dry again. Connor : The man from Braverive said there was a city in the middle of the thunder desert… We should be close. Hank : I really need a dry bed. I'm too old for this shit…  Gavin : Rheumatism, old man ? 

They see a cave

Hank : Shut up. Let's just stop for the night.

X

Gavin wakes up in the middle of the night Nines and Connor are in stasis, Hank is sleeping.

??? : ℌ𝔲𝔪𝔞𝔫… ℑ 𝔠𝔞𝔫 𝔣𝔢𝔢𝔩 𝔶𝔬𝔲𝔯 𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔯𝔰𝔱… 𝔗𝔥𝔦𝔯𝔰𝔱 ����𝔬𝔯 𝔭𝔬𝔴𝔢𝔯… 𝔣𝔬𝔯 𝔰𝔱𝔯𝔢𝔫𝔤𝔱𝔥… ℌ𝔲𝔪𝔞𝔫, 𝔠𝔬𝔪𝔢 𝔱𝔬 𝔪𝔢…

Gavin walks away from the camp and goes deeper in the cave. There is a stone shining orange/yellow in the dark blue night.

???  : ℑ 𝔠𝔞𝔫 𝔪𝔞𝔨𝔢 𝔶𝔬𝔲 𝔭𝔬𝔴𝔢𝔯𝔣𝔲𝔩. Gavin : … And what do you want from me ? ???  : … 𝔜𝔬𝔲𝔯 𝔟𝔬𝔡𝔶.

Gavin touches the stone and a huge lightning strikes from the dark grey clouds. Connor, Nines and Hank are awakened by the sound of thunder, and then Gavin's scream. A thunder spirit is invading the cave, transferring from the stone to Gavin's body.

Hank : What the hell ?!

The magic flows into Gavin's nape, forming a golden seal.

Connor : Nines ! His neck !

Nines sees the seal and hits the spot with an ice arrow. The thunder vanishes from the cave but the seal remains on Gavin's neck. Gavin drops on his knees, in shock, trembling and breathing heavily. 

Hank : You okay kid ? What happened ?

Hank turns to Nines

Hank : How did you know you had to hit the neck ? Connor : We're magic creatures. We have seals too, we know they're a weakness. Hank : So… What was that ? Nines : A thunder war spirit.

*Nines looks at the stone*

Nines : This one was sealed in that cave... Somehow, Gavin unleashed it and now... he hosts it.

X

NB : So, the people that live in the stormy lands sealed the thunder war spirit in that cave a long long time ago. The first generations used to educate fighting monks to watch the cave but as time passed, it became a legend and now fighting monks are sent to other strategic points. The cave and the thunder war spirit that, in the past, devastated the Stormy Lands with bestial ferocity are now almost forgotten.

The war spirit was waiting for a suitable host to come by, someone already powerful and skilled in the arts of combat, but also spirited and ambitious, because those emotions fuels it. Its purpose is to take control of the body it possesses using negative emotions. Attacking the seal that appears on Gavin's neck stunts the spirit and seals it again for an unkown period of time. The only way to control the spirit is to use a goal as a channel, and redirect the thunder power to serve this purpose. The control can be absolute when the host has a steel motivation.

The basic victims of the war spirit are theoretically unable to have higher purposes in life than their own interests, so they always end up being totally under the spirit's influence and are killed to give full control of their bodies.

X

Gavin is outside, touching his neck, lost in his thoughts. It's raining and he's drenched. Nines glares at him from the entrance of the cave.

Nines : You should be dead.

Gavin  doesn't even turn his head to stare back at the golem.

Gavin : Heard this already. Nines : Elemental war Spirits are powerful. Humans… Most humans actually couldn't even contain their magic. That’s... quiet impressive. Gavin : … It's lurking inside… waiting for the best moment to kill me, I can feel it. 

Gavin sighs and closes his eyes, his fingers still tracing the edges of his new scar.

 Anyway. I can't believe you left a scar there. Scars in the back are made when you run away… and I've never run away.  Nines : … Now you can't say you killed everyone who left you with a scar. Gavin : Who knows, I could still kill you. Nines : … Don't be ridiculous. You can't even defend your own body. How could you pretend to be strong enough to kill me ? Gavin : Don't underestimate me, snowy prick.

X

Gavin is still outside, in the pouring rain. Hank is standing by the entrance of the cave.

Hank : Hey… How do you feel ? Gavin :... Weird.  Hank : ...You know, we fight from time to time, but we're brothers in arms, in the Red Guard… Nice to know you're okay. Gavin : … Hm… ...Hey Hank… If I… Die during this mission… I want a tombstone… next to my mother. And I… I want you to visit it, sometimes. I doubt that anyone is gonna remember me… except you, because I was a pain in your ass. Hank : Pff. Don't think about it now. Just be careful in the future, alright ?

X

Hank's frowning in pain, groaning. Connor rises up his head. 

Connor : You okay ? Hank : … That little brat was right… I have an old injury on my back… this constant rain is making it so sore… Dammit. Connor : Does this make it better ?

Connor applies his hand on Hank's back, using snow magic.

Hank : … Yeah, it… actually works. Connor : Cold sooth pain. Markus knows healing magic, he tried to teach me but I'm way better at fighting.  Hank : … What was your job ? When you were still in Detroit ? Connor : I worked a long time in Amanda Stern's fields. And some time before the Night of Freedom, she asked me to clean up and classify her books. I… I read them when she wasn't around. She had a lot of books about Kamski and magic. Hank : That's how you had this idea ? Connor : … One book actually says something that… intrigues me. Hank: ? Connor : "The key to our prosperity lays in…" And the end was never written. If we knew that maybe… Our people could finally find peace.

X

During the trip, Hank and Connor grow fond of one other. Hank likes Connor's capacity to analyze things and is low key impressed by his knowledge and his fighting skills, they even start to spar together. Connor happens to be interested in human sciences, and they end up talking philosophy a lot. 

Connor feels intrigued by Hank, and starts feeling this "warm feeling" that puzzles him. Hank slowly realizes golems might not be totally responsible for what happened to his family, and starts showing empathy to Connor.

One night in an inn, Hank can't sleep, as usual, so Connor takes him out. They walk around the town, Hank talks about the Golden Age in Detroit, and the beautiful night market that was organized once a month. Connor says he remembers it. Golems weren't allowed in it, but he liked to watch the lights and hear the music from afar. When they get back to the room, Hank goes back into the bed and actually falls deep asleep. Connor stays there and looks at him as he sleeps, and can't help but think about how beautiful his silver thin hair looks in the moonlight. He brushes his hand, and it's so warm, a warmth that echoes his feelings. He just sits down near the bed and stays there, lost in his thoughts.

Nines doesn't like that Connor gets closer to Hank. He recognizes Hank is somehow well behaved and… righteous compared to Gavin, but he's still a HUMAN and he thinks Connor is forgetting they are not on the same side. Connor doesn't want to hear anything from his brother, because "I know what I'm doing okay ?". And he's embarrassed to think his brother might understand he's developing affection for Hank. Also, Connor is totally oblivious to Nines and Gavin's growing connection. 

X

On the other hand, Nines relates to Gavin more than he would like to : they're actually pretty similar in the way they think. Gavin doesn't believe they'll even reach and find Kamski, he's just sticking around to make sure he'll be able to capture the androids when they fail, to take them back to Detroit and get all the glory. Nines is accompanying Connor because he doesn't trust the humans and is ready to kill them without batting an eyelid if they tried anything. 

One day he finds Gavin in a sandy combe, training. Nines doesn't really know how, cause they didn't even say anything to each other, but he joins him in his training. Gavin admits the thunder spirit has made him really powerful and that he was sure he would be able to kill him, but this time, he wasn't bragging… His words sound like self realization, and Gavin doesn't seem that happy about it.

Nines provokes him saying "Show me" but Gavin shrugs. He says "I don't want to summon it… it would kill me too."

Nines asks Gavin if he is scared of the spirit, and Gavin looks away for a minute. "I'm a human. Humans are vulnerable  to magic, that's why we fight it. But now… magic is part of me… How am I supposed to feel safe with this beast inside me, all the time ?"

Nines can't believe he replies "Beasts can be tamed. Magic can be controlled. Fear can be overcome. Just work on that instead of doing bulk up."

Gavin stays silent and Nines starts to walk off but then he turns around to face Gavin again and says "I can show you how."

The man hesitates but finally accepts.

[ask-jaghatai-khan]

Trullholme — The Isle of Troggoths

// I’ve always liked odd subfactions, and the second I saw the Dankhold Troggboss in the Gloomspite release I hoped against hope - and they delivered. So here’s my homebrew fluff for an all-troll faction!

“O’er storm-seas prowled, ere dark mist shrouding, from whence ancient beasts thundered, and savaged kinsfolk like Wyrds upon cattle.”

History

It is unknown to the peoples of the Mortal Realms just where the island of Trullholme originally came from - what primordial magics crafted it and when. All that is known is the destruction the phenomenon brings with it wherever it appears. A wandering isle, shrouded in fog and composed of a strange blend of earth, magic, and fragments of forgotten plunders, upon which rides potential thousands of troggoths. Named Trullholme by the barbarian tribes of Ghur who first recorded the existence of the isle in their sagas, the landmass moves through the oceans of the Realms as if at random, crossing the boundaries from one to the next in a shroud of magical mist. It is a vast land, and its appearance and approach to civilized shores heralds devastation for all nearby. When the great landmass at last impacts the beach, the shockwave awakens its ravenous denizens, who proceed to rampage as far afield as their brutal chieftains will lead them. Mystery still shrouds what happens after the slaughter - when the great troggherds migrate back to Trullholme, laden with not just food, but loot that should by all means be useless to them. As the Bad Moon waxes grim across the Realms, and the appearances of Trullholme become more frequent, it is suspected that the island itself might act with some dark purpose…

Territory

The Isle of Troggoths is a large, mobile island that prowls the seas of the Mortal Realms, often emerging and retreating into a cloud of preternatural fog that acts similarly to a Realmgate. Mainly composed of brackish wetlands and dark mangroves, moving inland the hills rise into rocky moors, eventually turning into craggy hills and cliffs of substantial size. Two oddities mark out the island above all others - first being the pockmarked and shattered appearance of much of the land. Though most of the hills and swamps are worn and ancient, there can occasionally be found an abandoned ruin, or colossal set of bones, seemingly placed with no relation to their surroundings. What few scholars have managed to study the isle believe these to be displaced plunder by the troggherds, though few can say for certain. The second remarkable feature is the sprawling cave system beneath the island, containing not just mobs of elder troggoths, but strange magical anomalies that can warp reality like a trogg’s club warps a suit of armor.

Within the deepest pit on Trullholme, lying beneath the elder grove that is nestled in the sodden crags of the isle’s interior, is a dark and weird secret. For in truth, the entire isle is held together and potentially guided by the whims of an artifact known as the Fang of the Elderwoald. A large, jagged crystal, sickly green in color, the Fang radiates intense magical power, and seemingly holds sway over the simple minds of the troggoths that inhabit its land. No one knows for certain what it is, or even that it exists at all, save in the maddest visions of wild and corrupted sorcerers. A handful of Gloomspite shamans have heard tell of the crystal from the muddled mumblings of Trullholme troggbosses, or from strange divinations brought on by their mushroom magics. These greenskin seers guess that it could be the tooth of some ancient godbeast, a fragment of the Bad Moon, or even one of the tusks of Gorkamorka himself. All that can be known for sure is that the Fang of the Elderwoald holds total sway over all those in its domain, and seems attracted - by Moon or some other malign force - to the prospect of pillaging.

Behavior

The troggoths of Trullholme spend most of their time in dormancy, sleeping for up to years at a time. Younger troggoths tend to be more active and hungry, but as they age and grow their stores of energy stabilize and compel them to sleep. Some ancient beasts sleep for so long that they practically merge with the land and could be mistaken for entire hills. Many different breeds of troggoth reside on the island, from stinking wetland-dwellers, to stone troggs in the uplands, deep cave-slumberers, and stranger breeds still, such as the fabled troggoths of frost and fire who dwell deep beneath the isle, under layers of stone, earth, roots, and bone.

Troggoths are not terribly intelligent, and even the brightest among them pales next to the dumbest orruk warboss. Regardless, some have enough strength to assert themselves as primitive chieftains or herd-alphas, laying claim to territory and siring many young. Juvenile troggoths may band together for safety against their larger kin, but will eventually turn to solitude as any competition becomes a threat. Those who survive long enough will slip into long hibernations to conserve their strength, only awakening to gorge themselves, do away with interlopers, or heed the call of the Elderwoald. The exceptions to this are the Elder Hags - those female troggoths who have lived for many centuries, guarding the inner sanctum of the Fang and only emerging either to hunt, or seek a troggboss mighty enough to sire a worthy brood.

When the ramblings of the isle eventually lead it to land, the earthquake it causes will awaken near all the troggoths on the island, who will then pour out into the wide world to find food. They act with little purpose, ransacking and following larger troggoths at the promise of a good hunt. During this time they may be aided by other forces or steered to cause a more preferable path of devastation. Greenskins are usual allies, though many factions have seen wisdom in guiding the stampedes towards their enemies rather than face the tide themselves. What’s oddest is what happens afterwards - tales abound of the troggoths hauling off all manner of plunder that would otherwise be of no use to them and bringing it to Trullholme before the island departs. Unseen by any, the deep-dwelling hags offer up all manner of treasures to the Fang, seeking to sate the hunger it radiates. Treasure, magical artifacts, meat - all content the Fang for a little while, before it steers Trullholme towards new prey.

Notable Creatures

Thrud the Slumberer — “We couldn’t hold the hill, sir. It - moved.” — The largest and most ancient of all the troggbosses on Trullholme. Named by the ancient barbarians of Ghur, Thrud means “mighty”, and it is a fitting term. Spending decades at a time asleep in the foothills of the inland crags, Thrud is of mountainous size, and wields a club fashioned from the bone of some beast even more ancient and colossal than he. The Slumberer may have sired almost all the troggoths of the isle, and is one of the only creatures besides the Elder Hags who has laid eyes on the Fang. The strange artifact has likely granted Thrud some measure of power, as when he arrives for the slaughter, weird phenomenon converge, and all the troggoths in his vicinity seem almost organized.

Mirhegge the Bogmother — “Hark now, the Saga of Bolvar Warbear, and learn how even the mighty may meet foul ends.” — The creature known in the most ancient, dark stories of barbarian and greenskin alike, Mirhegge is the matron of the Elder Hags, bride of Thrud and keeper of the Fang. Perhaps one of the smartest troggoths in existence, the Bogmother has been gifted with a natural ability to channel the chaos that leaks forth from the Fang. She may command the wills of even the mightiest troggbosses, empower or curse, and sow illusions to weaken foes or protect the isle. It is unknown just how far from a normal troggoth the creature Mirhegge has diverged.

The Fang of the Elderwoald — “I’z seen it! Toof ov da Bad Moon! Da green crystal!” — A strange and powerful artifact of a forgotten era, even those attuned to the dark energies of destruction are unsure just what power possesses the Fang, or where it came from. It radiates the power of life, but so intense as to twist beings like the corruption of Chaos - which it might be, though a chaos still far beyond the grasp of any petty sorcerer. The Fang has an unknowable hunger, and a connection to its island and the troggs thereon, guiding them to fresh lands, and compelling offerings from its legions of beasts and waiting hags.

Famous Encounters

Sagas of Ghur — The earliest accounts of Trullholme date back to the Age of Myth, just before the coming of Chaos across the Realms. Appearing in the ancient sagas of many cultures, primarily across Ghur, the coming of the isle inspired fear in even the bravest warriors, from noble chieftains to Bloodbound warlords. The unbridled destruction wrought by the tide of troggoths was more than simple animalistic fury - such was the scale and totality of the despoilment that the arrival of the troggherds was treated more like a plague or curse than a simple invasion. Soon, Trullholme had appeared in most all the Realms, though it still eluded study by any learned folk. In time, the appearances of the isle became less and less frequent, and its monstrous legend became myth, as the hordes of Chaos were fought off, knowledge was lost, and civilizations had little time for mere stories.

Bad Moon Rising — With the waxing light of the Bad Moon shining with new, terrible energy across the Realms, the isle of Trullholme has begun to appear again, more and more, bringing terrible destruction once again. The troggoths have grown large and powerful, their hags and hordes more numerous, and the hunger of the unseen Fang has only grown. Gloomspite shamans have attempted to find ways to attract the island, as some believe it is drawn to the light of the Bad Moon. Whether this is true, or if the Gloomspite merely offer the best opportunity for great slaughter and plunder to the Fang, it is irrelevant. Great herds of troggoths march again against any who would stand in their way, and many a champion of every stripe has sought to prove themselves a match for the ancient heroes of legend, only to end up dissolved in a troggboss’ stony gut. Attempts to lock down the island and invade it for hunt, study, or promises of treasure, have so far fallen short.

[aion-rsa]

Top New Fantasy Books in January 2021

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Here are some of the upcoming books we’re anticipating this month:

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Top New Fantasy Books January 2021

Across the Green Grass Fields by Seanan McGuire

Type: Novel Publisher: Tordotcom Release date: Jan. 12, 2021

Den of Geek says: McGuire’s Wayward Children series is a loosely connected group of novels all playing with fantasy tropes. What does it really mean to be a chosen one in a magical world? In the latest installment she turns her careful wit to centaurs and unicorns.

Publisher’s summary: “Welcome to the Hooflands. We’re happy to have you, even if you being here means something’s coming.”

Regan loves, and is loved, though her school-friend situation has become complicated, of late.

When she suddenly finds herself thrust through a doorway that asks her to “Be Sure” before swallowing her whole, Regan must learn to live in a world filled with centaurs, kelpies, and other magical equines―a world that expects its human visitors to step up and be heroes.

But after embracing her time with the herd, Regan discovers that not all forms of heroism are equal, and not all quests are as they seem…

Buy Across the Green Grass Fields by Seanan McGuire.

The Ruthless Lady’s Guide to Wizardry by C.M. Waggoner

Type: Novel Publisher: Ace Release date: Jan 12, 2021

Den of Geek says: Romance and magic come together in what looks like a fun tale with a wide variety of characters. The roguish setting reminds us of The Lies of Locke Lamora with more women. Publisher’s summary: Dellaria Wells, petty con artist, occasional thief, and partly educated fire witch, is behind on her rent in the city of Leiscourt—again. Then she sees the “wanted” sign, seeking Female Persons, of Martial or Magical ability, to guard a Lady of some Importance, prior to the celebration of her Marriage. Delly fast-talks her way into the job and joins a team of highly peculiar women tasked with protecting their wealthy charge from unknown assassins.   Delly quickly sets her sights on one of her companions, the confident and well-bred Winn Cynallum. The job looks like nothing but romance and easy money until things take a deadly (and undead) turn. With the help of a bird-loving necromancer, a shapeshifting schoolgirl, and an ill-tempered reanimated mouse named Buttons, Delly and Winn are determined to get the best of an adversary who wields a twisted magic and has friends in the highest of places.

Buy The Ruthless Lady’s Guide to Wizardry by C.M. Waggoner.

The Forever Sea by Joshua Phillip Johnson

Type: Novel Publisher: DAW Release date: Jan. 19 Den of Geek says: A gorgeous and mysterious fantasy world is ready to unfold. The world-building here looks delightfully weird, with sailing ships on fields of greenery.

Publisher’s Summary: On the never-ending, miles-high expanse of prairie grasses known as the Forever Sea, Kindred Greyreach, hearthfire keeper and sailor aboard harvesting vessel The Errant, is just beginning to fit in with the crew of her new ship when she receives devastating news. Her grandmother—The Marchess, legendary captain and hearthfire keeper—has stepped from her vessel and disappeared into the sea.

But the note she leaves Kindred suggests this was not an act of suicide. Something waits in the depths, and the Marchess has set out to find it.

To follow in her grandmother’s footsteps, Kindred must embroil herself in conflicts bigger than she could imagine: a water war simmering below the surface of two cultures; the politics of a mythic pirate city floating beyond the edges of safe seas; battles against beasts of the deep, driven to the brink of madness; and the elusive promise of a world below the waves. 

Kindred finds that she will sacrifice almost everything—ship, crew, and a life sailing in the sun—to discover the truth of the darkness that waits below the Forever Sea. Buy The Forever Sea by Joshua Phillip Johnson.

Top New Fantasy Books December 2020

When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain by Nghi Vo

Type: Novel Publisher: Tordotcom Release date: Dec. 8

Den of Geek says: A story of animal spirits intertwines with human history and love. Technically the author’s second book in this setting, it also functions as a standalone.

Publisher’s Summary: The cleric Chih finds themself and their companions at the mercy of a band of fierce tigers who ache with hunger. To stay alive until the mammoths can save them, Chih must unwind the intricate, layered story of the tiger and her scholar lover—a woman of courage, intelligence, and beauty—and discover how truth can survive becoming history.

Buy When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain by Nghi Vo.

Red Hands by Christopher Golden

Type: Novel Publisher: St. Martin’s Press Release date: Dec. 8

Den of Geek says: In this fantasy with elements of thriller and science fiction, the magic is a compulsion: a zombie-like “killing touch.” This dark, weird novel might be one for fans of Supernatural. Publisher’s summary: In bestselling author Christopher Golden’s supernatural thriller Red Hands, sometimes a story is a warning. Sometimes the warning comes too late

When a mysterious and devastating bioweapon causes its victims to develop Red Hands, the touch of death, weird science expert Ben Walker is called to investigate.

A car plows through the crowd at a July 4th parade. The driver climbs out, sick and stumbling, reaching out…and everyone he touches drops dead within seconds. Maeve Sinclair watches in horror as people she loves begin to die and she knows she must take action. But in the aftermath of this terror, it’s Maeve who possesses that killing touch. Fleeing into the mountains, struggling with her own grief and confusion, Maeve faces the dawning realization that she will never be able to touch another human being again.

“Weird s**t expert” Ben Walker is surprised to get a call from Alena Boudreau, director of the newly restructured Global Science Research Coalition. There’s an upheaval in the organization and she needs to send someone she can trust to Jericho Falls. Whoever finds Maeve Sinclair first will unravel the mystery of her death touch, and many are willing to kill her for that secret. 

Walker’s assignment is to get her off the mountain alive. But as Maeve searches for a hiding place, hunted and growing sicker by the moment, she begins to hear an insidious voice in her head, and the yearning, the need… the hunger to touch another human being continues to grow. When Walker and Maeve meet at last, they will unravel a stunning legacy of death and betrayal, and a malignant secret as old as history.

Buy Red Hands by Christopher Golden.

D (A Tale of Two Worlds) by Michel Faber

Type: Novel Publisher: Hanover Square Press Release date: Dec. 8

Den of Geek says: This quirky novel has garnered praise from Neil Gaiman and looks like a modern The Phantom Tollbooth. As long as you have some tolerance for absurdity it might be a sweet and weird Christmas read. Publisher’s summary: It all starts on the morning the letter D disappears from language. First, it vanishes from Dhikilo’s parents’ conversation at breakfast, then from the road signs outside and from her school dinners. Soon the local dentist and the neighbor’s dalmatian are missing, and even the Donkey Derby has been called off.

Though she doesn’t know why, Dhikilo is summoned to the home of her old history teacher Professor Dodderfield and his faithful Labrador, Nelly Robinson. And this is where our story begins.

Set between England and the wintry land of Liminus, a world enslaved by the monstrous Gamp and populated by fearsome, enchanting creatures, D (A Tale of Two Worlds) is told with simple beauty and warmth. Its celebration of moral courage and freethinking is a powerful reminder of our human capacity for strength, hope and justice.

Buy D (A Tale of Two Worlds) by Michel Faber.

Top New Fantasy Books November 2020

Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson 

Type: Novel  Publisher: Tor Books Release date: Nov. 17 

Den of Geek says: Sanderson’s famous Stormlight Archive series continues with book 4. 

Publisher’s summary: After forming a coalition of human resistance against the enemy invasion, Dalinar Kholin and his Knights Radiant have spent a year fighting a protracted, brutal war. Neither side has gained an advantage, and the threat of a betrayal by Dalinar’s crafty ally Taravangian looms over every strategic move.

Now, as new technological discoveries by Navani Kholin’s scholars begin to change the face of the war, the enemy prepares a bold and dangerous operation. The arms race that follows will challenge the very core of the Radiant ideals, and potentially reveal the secrets of the ancient tower that was once the heart of their strength. 

At the same time that Kaladin Stormblessed must come to grips with his changing role within the Knights Radiant, his Windrunners face their own problem: As more and more deadly enemy Fused awaken to wage war, no more honorspren are willing to bond with humans to increase the number of Radiants. Adolin and Shallan must lead the coalition’s envoy to the honorspren stronghold of Lasting Integrity and either convince the spren to join the cause against the evil god Odium, or personally face the storm of failure.

Buy Rhythm of War by Brian Sanderson.

Comes a Pale Rider by Caitlin R. Kiernan 

Type: Short story collection  Publisher: Subterranean Release date: Nov. 30

Den of Geek says: Kiernan’s dark, intricate prose injects a variety of stories with atmosphere and horror. As with any short story collection, there will probably be a range of quality here, but Kiernan is one to watch if you like lush writing. 

Publisher’s summary: Possibly Caitlín R. Kiernan’s most enduring character, albino monster slayer Dancy Flammarion has been carving a bloody swath across the American South ever since her first appearance in Threshold(2001), “laying the bad folks low.” In 2006, Subterranean Press published a World Fantasy Award-nominated collection of Dancy Flammarion short stories, Alabaster, and beginning in 2012, Dark Horse Comics released a three-volume graphic novel series introducing Dancy to comics in Alabaster: Wolves(winner of the Bram Stoker Award), Alabaster: Grimmer Tales, and Alabaster: The Good, the Bad, and the Bird. And now, with Comes a Pale Rider, Kiernan offers a second collection of Dancy Flammarion short stories. From Selma, Alabama to the back roads of Georgia to a South Carolina ghost town, Dancy continues her holy war with the beings of night and shadow, driven always on by her own insanity or an angel with a fiery sword—or possibly both.

Buy Comes a Pale Rider by Caitlin R. Kiernan.

The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2020 by John Joseph Adams and Diana Gabaldon 

Type: Short story collection Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Release date: Nov. 3 

Den of Geek says: A tumultuous year still includes this annual anthology with stories from Charlie Jane Anders, Ken Liu, Rebecca Roanhorse, and more. 

Publisher’s summary: Today’s readers of science fiction and fantasy have an appetite for stories that address a wide variety of voices, perspectives, and styles. There is an openness to experiment and pushing boundaries, combined with the classic desire to read about spaceships and dragons, future technology and ancient magic, and the places where they intersect. Contemporary science fiction and fantasy looks to accomplish the same goal as ever—to illuminate what it means to be human. With a diverse selection of stories chosen by series editor John Joseph Adams and Diana Gabaldon, The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2020 explores the ever-expanding and changing world of SFF today.

Buy The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2020 by John Joseph Adams and Diana Gabaldon.

Top New Fantasy Books October 2020

The Emperor’s Wolves by Michelle Sagara

Type: Novel  Publisher: Mira Release date: Oct. 13

Den of Geek says: Sagara’s urban fantasy sets itself apart with creative anthropomorphic characters. This new entry could be a good entry point into the pre-existing canon, since it starts a new series in the same world.

Publisher’s summary: Multiple races carefully navigate the City of Elantra under the Dragon Emperor’s wing. His Imperial Wolves are executioners, the smallest group to serve in the Halls of Law. The populace calls them assassins.

Every wolf candidate must consent to a full examination by the Tha’alani, one of the most feared and distrusted races in Elantra for their ability to read minds. Most candidates don’t finish their job interviews.

Severn Handred, the newest potential recruit, is determined to face and pass this final test—even if by doing so he’s exposing secrets he has never shared.

When an interrogation uncovers the connections to a two-decade-old series of murders of the Tha’alani, the Wolves are commanded to hunt. Severn’s first job will be joining the chase. From the High Halls to the Tha’alani quarter, from the Oracles to the Emperor, secrets are uncovered, tensions are raised and justice just might be done…if Severn can survive.

Buy The Emperor’s Wolves by Michelle Sagara.

Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse 

Type: Novel  Publisher: Gallery / Saga Press Release date: Oct. 13

Den of Geek says: Roanhorse’s Trail of Lightning sent her careening into the urban fantasy world. Now she brings sharp action and an indigenous perspective to high fantasy with a story inspired by the pre-Columbian Americas.

Publisher’s summary: In the holy city of Tova, the winter solstice is usually a time for celebration and renewal, but this year it coincides with a solar eclipse, a rare celestial event proscribed by the Sun Priest as an unbalancing of the world.

Meanwhile, a ship launches from a distant city bound for Tova and set to arrive on the solstice. The captain of the ship, Xiala, is a disgraced Teek whose song can calm the waters around her as easily as it can warp a man’s mind. Her ship carries one passenger. Described as harmless, the passenger, Serapio, is a young man, blind, scarred, and cloaked in destiny. As Xiala well knows, when a man is described as harmless, he usually ends up being a villain.

Crafted with unforgettable characters, Rebecca Roanhorse has created an epic adventure exploring the decadence of power amidst the weight of history and the struggle of individuals swimming against the confines of society and their broken pasts in the most original series debut of the decade.

Buy Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse.

Shadows of the Short Days by Alexander dan Vilhjálmsson

Type: Novel  Publisher: Titan Books Release date: Oct. 20 

Den of Geek says: A unique setting and a fantasy world reminiscent of China Mieville’s serves as the backdrop for a dark story. Both characters — one an artistic rebel and one an antiheroic wizard addicted to magic — sound like they have specific and intriguing ties to their brutal, magical world. 

Publisher’s summary:  Rebels and revolutionaries disappear into the infamous prison, the Nine, never to be heard from again. Masked police roam the streets, dark magic lurks in the shadows, and the implacable flying fortress casts its baleful eye over all below.

Sæmundur, addict and sorcerer, has been cast out from university, and forbidden to study magic. Dissident artist, Garún, is desperate for a just society and will do anything to achieve it.

Both seek revolution in their own ways. Both seek power.

Together, they will change Reykjavik forever.

Buy Shadows of the Short Days by Alexander dan Vilhjálmsson.

Phoenix Extravagant by Yoon Ha Lee

Type: Novel  Publisher: Solaris  Release date: Oct. 15 

Den of Geek says: If you read these lists often, you know I’m a big fan of dragons. Renowned science fiction author Yoon Ha Lee turns to fantasy-with-robots in this twist on the story of an unlikely knight, a mechanical dragon, and a corrupt kingdom. 

Publisher’s summary: Gyen Jebi isn’t a fighter or a subversive. They just want to paint.

One day they’re jobless and desperate; the next, Jebi finds themself recruited by the Ministry of Armor to paint the mystical sigils that animate the occupying government’s automaton soldiers.

But when Jebi discovers the depths of the Razanei government’s horrifying crimes—and the awful source of the magical pigments they use—they find they can no longer stay out of politics.

What they can do is steal Arazi, the ministry’s mighty dragon automaton, and find a way to fight…

Buy Phoenix Extravagant by Yoon Ha Lee.

Top New Fantasy Books September 2020

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

Type: Novel  Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Release date: Sept. 15

Den of Geek says: Clarke’s atmospheric Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell was an eerie, old-fashioned take on the fairy genre, delicate and complex at once. She returns with a haunted house tale (!) featuring endless rooms, mysterious characters, and “A Great and Secret Knowledge.” Publisher’s summary: Piranesi’s house is no ordinary building: its rooms are infinite, its corridors endless, its walls are lined with thousands upon thousands of statues, each one different from all the others. Within the labyrinth of halls an ocean is imprisoned; waves thunder up staircases, rooms are flooded in an instant. But Piranesi is not afraid; he understands the tides as he understands the pattern of the labyrinth itself. He lives to explore the house.

There is one other person in the house-a man called The Other, who visits Piranesi twice a week and asks for help with research into A Great and Secret Knowledge. But as Piranesi explores, evidence emerges of another person, and a terrible truth begins to unravel, revealing a world beyond the one Piranesi has always known.

For readers of Neil Gaiman’s The Ocean at the End of the Lane and fans of Madeline Miller’s Circe, Piranesi introduces an astonishing new world, an infinite labyrinth, full of startling images and surreal beauty, haunted by the tides and the clouds.

Buy Piranesi by Susanna Clarke on Amazon.

Master of Poisons by Andrea Hairston 

Type: Novel Publisher: Tor.com Release date: Sept. 8

Den of Geek says: A lyrical, apocalyptic fantasy epic, Master of Poisons sends two very different characters into an unforgiving world in a creative new alternate empire. Publisher’s summary: The world is changing. Poison desert eats good farmland. Once-sweet water turns foul. The wind blows sand and sadness across the Empire. To get caught in a storm is death. To live and do nothing is death. There is magic in the world, but good conjure is hard to find.

Djola, righthand man and spymaster of the lord of the Arkhysian Empire, is desperately trying to save his adopted homeland, even in exile.

Awa, a young woman training to be a powerful griot, tests the limits of her knowledge and comes into her own in a world of sorcery, floating cities, kindly beasts, and uncertain men.

Awash in the rhythms of folklore and storytelling and rich with Hairston’s characteristic lush prose, Master of Poisons is epic fantasy that will bleed your mind with its turns of phrase and leave you aching for the world it burns into being.

Buy Master of Poisons by Andrea Hairston on Amazon.

 The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart 

Type: Novel Publisher: Hachette Books  Release date: Sept. 8

Den of Geek says: The magic system in this debut has a pleasantly video game-like system of magic talismans and animal automatons. Publisher’s summary: The emperor’s reign has lasted for decades, his mastery of bone shard magic powering the animal-like constructs that maintain law and order. But now his rule is failing, and revolution is sweeping across the Empire’s many islands.

Lin is the emperor’s daughter and spends her days trapped in a palace of locked doors and dark secrets. When her father refuses to recognise her as heir to the throne, she vows to prove her worth by mastering the forbidden art of bone shard magic.

Yet such power carries a great cost, and when the revolution reaches the gates of the palace, Lin must decide how far she is willing to go to claim her birthright – and save her people.

Buy The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart on Amazon.

Top New Fantasy Books August 2020

The Tyrant Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson 

Type: Novel  Publisher: Tor Release date: Aug. 11 

Den of Geek says: The Baru Cormorant series features as its hero a mentally ill accountant with the fate of an empire at her fingers. The third book in the series promises more dark, twisty introspection and grim, creative world-building. 

Publisher’s summary: The hunt is over. After fifteen years of lies and sacrifice, Baru Cormorant has the power to destroy the Imperial Republic of Falcrest that she pretends to serve. The secret society called the Cancrioth is real, and Baru is among them.

But the Cancrioth’s weapon cannot distinguish the guilty from the innocent. If it escapes quarantine, the ancient hemorrhagic plague called the Kettling will kill hundreds of millions…not just in Falcrest, but all across the world. History will end in a black bloodstain.

Is that justice? Is this really what Tain Hu hoped for when she sacrificed herself?

Baru’s enemies close in from all sides. Baru’s own mind teeters on the edge of madness or shattering revelation. Now she must choose between genocidal revenge and a far more difficult path―a conspiracy of judges, kings, spies and immortals, puppeteering the world’s riches and two great wars in a gambit for the ultimate prize. 

If Baru had absolute power over the Imperial Republic, she could force Falcrest to abandon its colonies and make right its crimes.

Buy The Tyrant Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson on Amazon.

Beowulf: A New Translation by Maria Dahvana Headley

Type: Epic Poem  Publisher: MCD x FSG Originals Release date: Aug. 25 

Den of Geek says: Headley got an intimate look at Beowulf in the modern interpretation The Mere Wife. She turns the intellect behind that inventive, scathing novel about complex and furious women to a translation of the poem featuring new research. 

Publisher’s summary: Nearly twenty years after Seamus Heaney’s translation of Beowulf―and fifty years after the translation that continues to torment high-school students around the world―there is a radical new verse translation of the epic poem by Maria Dahvana Headley, which brings to light elements that have never before been translated into English, recontextualizing the binary narrative of monsters and heroes into a tale in which the two categories often entwine, justice is rarely served, and dragons live among us. 

A man seeks to prove himself as a hero. A monster seeks silence in his territory. A warrior seeks to avenge her murdered son. A dragon ends it all. The familiar elements of the epic poem are seen with a novelist’s eye toward gender, genre, and history―Beowulf has always been a tale of entitlement and encroachment, powerful men seeking to become more powerful, and one woman seeking justice for her child, but this version brings new context to an old story. While crafting her contemporary adaptation of Beowulf, Headley unearthed significant shifts lost over centuries of translation.

Buy Beowulf: A New Translation by Maria Dahvana Headley on Amazon.

The Wizard Knight by Gene Wolfe

Type: Novel (Reprint)  Publisher: Tor Books Release date: Aug. 11 

Den of Geek says: Gene Wolfe is a modern master of fantasy. This reprint of a 2004 duology provides both original stories in one paperback package. 

Publisher’s summary: A young man in his teens is transported from our world to a magical realm consisting of seven levels of reality. Transformed by magic into a grown man of heroic proportions, he takes the name Sir Able of the High Heart and sets out on a quest to find the sword that has been promised to him, the blade that will help him fulfill his ambition to become a true hero―a true knight. 

Inside, however, Sir Able remains a boy, and he must grow in every sense to survive what lies ahead…

Buy The Wizard Knight by Gene Wolfe on Amazon.

Top New Fantasy Books July 2020 

The Book of Dragons: An Anthology by Jonathan Strahan

Type: Anthology  Publisher: Harper Voyager  Release date: July 7 

Den of Geek says: I’m always looking for a good book about dragons, and this incredible list of authors promises adventurous and unique stories. Anne Leckie, Zen Cho, Seanan Maguire, J.Y. Yang, Patricia A McKillip, Brooke Bolander … it’s an astounding, literary-flavored list of people qualified to write cool creatures.

Publisher’s summary: Here there be dragons . . . 

From China to Europe, Africa to North America, dragons have long captured our imagination in myth and legend. Whether they are rampaging beasts awaiting a brave hero to slay or benevolent sages who have much to teach humanity, dragons are intrinsically connected to stories of creation, adventure, and struggle beloved for generations. 

Bringing together nearly thirty stories and poems from some of the greatest science fiction and fantasy writers working today— Garth Nix, Scott Lynch, R.F. Kuang, Ann Leckie & Rachel Swirsky, Daniel Abraham, Peter S. Beagle, Beth Cato, Zen Cho, C. S. E Cooney, Aliette de Bodard, Amal El-Mohtar, Kate Elliott, Theodora Goss, Ellen Klages, Ken Liu, Seanan Maguire, Patricia A McKillip, K. J. Parker, Kelly Robson, Michael Swanwick, Jo Walton, Elle Katharine White, Jane Yolen, Kelly Barnhill, Brooke Bolander, Sarah Gailey, and J. Y. Yang—and illustrated by award-nominated artist Rovina Cai with black-and-white line drawings specific to each entry throughout, this extraordinary collection vividly breathes fire and life into one of our most captivating and feared magical creatures as never before and is sure to become a treasured keepsake for fans of fantasy, science fiction, and fairy tales.

Buy The Book of Dragons by Jonathan Strahan on Amazon.

Or What You Will by Joe Walton 

Type: Novel  Publisher: Tor Books Release date: July 7 

Den of Geek says: Jo Walton is a writer’s writer, highly praised but still generally skating under the radar. I found her 2014 My Real Children to not nearly live up to its very high concept, but she’s one of those authors with technical prowess who is at least worth checking out for context for women’s science fiction. The metafiction plot sounds fun. 

Publisher’s summary: He has been too many things to count. He has been a dragon with a boy on his back. He has been a scholar, a warrior, a lover, and a thief. He has been dream and dreamer. He has been a god. 

But “he” is in fact nothing more than a spark of idea, a character in the mind of Sylvia Harrison, 73, award-winning author of thirty novels over forty years. He has played a part in most of those novels, and in the recesses of her mind, Sylvia has conversed with him for years. 

But Sylvia won’t live forever, any more than any human does. And he’s trapped inside her cave of bone, her hollow of skull. When she dies, so will he.

Now Sylvia is starting a new novel, a fantasy for adult readers, set in Thalia, the Florence-resembling imaginary city that was the setting for a successful YA trilogy she published decades before. Of course he’s got a part in it. But he also has a notion. He thinks he knows how he and Sylvia can step off the wheel of mortality altogether. All he has to do is convince her.

Buy Or What You Will by Jo Walton on Amazon.

The Adventure Zone: Petals to the Metal

Type: Graphic Novel  Publisher: First Second  Release date: July 14 

Den of Geek says: The Adventure Zone is a wildly popular humorous fantasy podcast. It’s part of the big 2010s wave of Dungeons & Dragons coming back into the geek space. Especially for someone who might not want to listen to hundreds of episodes of a podcast, the illustrated version does a good job of smoothing out the story into a graphic novel format without removing the goofy chaos of the original podcast. 

Publisher’s summary: START YOUR ENGINES, friends, Clint McElroy and sons Griffin, Justin, and Travis hit the road again with Taako, Magnus and Merle, the beloved agents of chaos from the #1 New York Times bestselling graphic novels illustrated by Carey Pietsch, The Adventure Zone: Here There Be Gerblins and The Adventure Zone: Murder on the Rockport Limited.

Our boys have gone full-time at the Bureau of Balance, and their next assignment is a real thorny one: apprehending The Raven, a master thief who’s tapped into the power of a Grand Relic to ransack the city of Goldcliff. Local life-saver Lieutenant Hurley pulls them out of the woods, only to throw them headlong into the world of battle wagon racing, Goldcliff’s favorite high-stakes low-legality sport and The Raven’s chosen battlefield. Will the boys and Hurley be able to reclaim the Relic and pull The Raven back from the brink, or will they get lost in the weeds?

Based on the beloved blockbuster podcast where three brothers and their dad play a tabletop RPG in real time, The Adventure Zone: Petals to the Metal has it all: blossoming new friendships, pining for outlaw lovers, and a rollicking race you can root for!

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Buy The Adventure Zone: Petals to the Metal on Amazon.

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