Historical fantasy

Book SynopsisA showman’s fate is in the hands of the devil in an enthralling novel inspired by the Faust legend from the bestselling author of the Hangman’s Daughter series. Rome, 1518. The church is tarnished by greed. Peasants are rebelling. Tumultuous times demand drastic recourse—before the devil gets his due. Johann Faust is a renowned magician, astrologer, and chiromancer traveling through Germany with his successful troupe: the orphaned juggler Greta and his loyal companion Karl. The avaricious Pope Leo X now requires Johann’s services to replenish the papacy’s drained coffers through alchemy. But the devil, with whom a regretful Johann once agreed to an unholy trade for fame, wants something else. Racked with paralyzing seizures, Johann fears that his debt is nearer to being settled. In France, Johann hopes for answers from an eminent new friend who could hold the key to his torment, body, and soul. For the celebrated artist, inventor, and anatomist Leonard da Vinci is suffering from the same accursed malady. Time is not on his side either. Now they all must outrun the devil, and the more human threats of the papal henchmen, before Johann is dragged straight to hell—along with everyone he holds dear.

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Book SynopsisA world of enchanted injustice needs a disenchanting woman in an all-new fantasy series by the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Paper Magician. The orphaned Elsie Camden learned as a girl that there were two kinds of wizards in the world: those who pay for the power to cast spells and those, like her, born with the ability to break them. But as an unlicensed magic user, her gift is a crime. Commissioned by an underground group known as the Cowls, Elsie uses her spellbreaking to push back against the aristocrats and help the common man. She always did love the tale of Robin Hood. Elite magic user Bacchus Kelsey is one elusive spell away from his mastership when he catches Elsie breaking an enchantment. To protect her secret, Elsie strikes a bargain. She’ll help Bacchus fix unruly spells around his estate if he doesn’t turn her in. Working together, Elsie’s trust in—and fondness for—the handsome stranger grows. So does her trepidation about the rise in the murders of wizards and the theft of the spellbooks their bodies leave behind. For a rogue spellbreaker like Elsie, there’s so much to learn about her powers, her family, the intriguing Bacchus, and the untold dangers shadowing every step of a journey she’s destined to complete. But will she uncover the mystery before it’s too late to save everything she loves?Trade ReviewAn Amazon Best Book of the Month: Science Fiction & Fantasy “…romantic and electrifying…the fast-paced plot and fully realized world will have readers eager for the next installment. Fans of Victorian-influenced fantasy won’t want to put this down.” —Publishers Weekly “Those who enjoy gentle romance, cozy mysteries, or Victorian fantasy will love this first half of a duology. The cliffhanger ending will keep readers breathless waiting for the second half.” —Library Journal (starred review) “Powerful magic, indulgent Victoriana, and a slow-burn romance make this genre-bending romp utterly delightful.” —Kirkus Reviews “Rich and whimsical…prepare to fall in love with Charlie N. Holmberg’s dazzling Spellbreaker.” —POPSUGAR “Part historical fantasy, part cozy mystery, this one sounds delightful.” —SyFy Wire “One of the most anticipated books of the season.” —Cultured Vultures

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Book SynopsisA mage for the British royals matches wits with a power-mad old foe in a beguiling novel of enchantments and daring by Shannon Fay, author of Innate Magic. London, 1958. By crafting magical outfits for his friend, Princess Katherine, cloth mage Paul Gallagher is getting ahead. It’s not a seamless path. Not since the Virtuis Party came to power. The far-right faction is using criminals to create a protective barrier around England. The enchanted uniforms the prisoners wear may beget a demand for mages, but using luckless convicts as tools for warmongering reactionaries isn’t Paul’s dream for cloth magic. His road to success takes an even darker turn when the unexpected death of a member of the royal family plunges the country into chaos. The Virtuis Party is rising, its mysterious puppet master is gaining control, and Paul and his allies are prepared to do anything to protect the princess, the throne, and ultimately, the soul of the country. That means falling back on the innate magic Paul dreads using again. It’s illegal, dangerous, and so potent it can raise the dead. But as the fate of the entire nation hangs by a thread, dire times call for extreme magic.Trade Review“Series fans will be eager to see what Paul and his equally delightful and eccentric friends are up to, and new readers will find it easy to jump in. This is a treat.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) “Fay has written a thoroughly enjoyable magical thriller set in 1950s Britain. Readers can dip their toes into this installment without having read the first in the series, while Marrowbone fans will appreciate Paul’s new adventures.” —Library Journal “With delightful new characters and the return of many from Paul’s past, Fay winds a tale of true magical suspense...Fans and new readers alike will enjoy the intense and eccentric plot in this second installment to the Marrowbone Spells series (after Innate Forces, 2021).” —Booklist

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Book SynopsisWall Street Journal bestselling author Charlie N. Holmberg returns to the enchanting world of The Paper Magician. Alvie Brechenmacher has arrived in London to begin her training in Polymaking—the magical discipline of bespelling plastic. Polymaking is the newest form of magic, and in a field where there is so much left to learn, every Polymaker dreams of making the next big discovery. Even though she is only an apprentice, Alvie is an inventor at heart, and she is determined to make as many discoveries—in as short a time frame—as she can. Luckily for her, she’s studying under the world-renowned magician Marion Praff, who is just as dedicated as Alvie is. Alvie’s enthusiasm reinvigorates her mentor’s work, and together they create a device that could forever change Polymaking—and the world. But when a rival learns of their plans, he conspires to steal their invention and take the credit for it himself. To thwart him, Alvie will need to think one step ahead. For in the high-stakes world of magical discovery, not everyone plays fair…

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Book SynopsisNinth book in the bestselling UK time-travel series, The Chronicles of St. Mary’s This is the first book in the series that will publish at the same time as the UK edition, which should guarantee us strong co-promotion, cross-publicity, and word-of-mouth buzz Starting as a self-publishing phenomenon in the UK in 2013, the first book in the St. Mary’s series has nearly 1,000 US Amazon reviews (nearly 1,400 on Amazon UK) and the author has nearly 45,000 total Goodreads ratings. British author Jodi Taylor has an established fan base (St. Mary’s-branded mugs, clothing, and other memorabilia are now sold on her site, after reader demand) and enough strong word-of-mouth buzz to make noise far outside the fantasy genre Time travel contextual comps include the romance and adventure of Diana Gabaldon (Outlander) (and Gabaldon and Taylor have similar tear-through-the-latest-book-in-the-series followers), but the author also is inspired by the romantic screwball comedy of Connie Willis (Doomsday Book and To Say Nothing of the Dog)

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Book SynopsisAvailable for the first time in trade paperback, the third of five volumes collecting the complete fiction of William Hope Hodgson, an influential early twentieth-century author of science fiction, horror, and the fantastic. William Hope Hodgson was, like his contemporaries Algernon Blackwood and Arthur Machen, one of the most important, prolific, and influential fantasists of the early twentieth century. His dark and unsettling short stories and novels were shaped in large part by personal experience (a professional merchant mariner for much of his life, many of Hodgson’s tales are set at sea), and his work evokes a disturbing sense of the amorphous and horrific unknown. While his nautical adventure fiction was very popular during his lifetime, the supernatural and cosmic horror he is most remembered for only became well known after his death, mainly due to the efforts of writers like H. P. Lovecraft and Clark Ashton Smith, who often praised his work and cited it as an influence on their own. By the latter half of the twentieth century, it was only his weird fiction that remained in print, and his vast catalog of non-supernatural stories was extremely hard to find. Night Shade Books’s five-volume series presents all of Hodgson’s unique and timeless fiction. Each volume contains one of Hodgson's novels, along with a selection of thematically-linked short fiction, including a number of works reprinted for the first time since their original publication. The third book of the five-volume set, The Ghost Pirates and Other Revenants of the Sea, collects more of Hodgson’s nautical fiction, including his 1909 novel The Ghost Pirates. The Complete Fiction of William Hope Hodgson is published by Night Shade Books in the following volumes:The Boats of the “Glen Carrig” and Other Nautical AdventuresThe House on the Borderland and Other Mysterious PlacesThe Ghost Pirates and Other Revenants of the SeaThe Night Land and Other RomancesThe Dream of X and Other Fantastic Visions

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Book SynopsisThe second book in the Elemental Logic series, Earth Logic continues the story from the perspective of Karis, a complex character born of magic and now ruler for the country of Shaftal. Karis is a woman who can heal the war-torn land and expel the invaders, but she lives in obscurity with her fractious found family. With war and disease spreading, Karis must act quickly. And when Karis acts, the very stones of the earth sit up and take notice. “Another stunner of a book. The powerful but subtle writing glows with intelligence.” —BooklistTrade Review“With this follow-up to Fire Logic, Marks produces another stunner of a book. The powerful but subtle writing glows with intelligence, and the passionate, fierce, articulate, strong, and vital characters are among the most memorable in contemporary fantasy, though not for the faint of heart. Definitely for the thinking reader.”— Booklist (starred review) “The sequel to Fire Logic continues the tale of a woman born to magic and destined to rule. Vivid descriptions and a well-thought-out system of magic.”— Library Journal “Twenty years after the invading Sainnites won the Battle of Lilterwess, the struggle for the world of Shaftal is far from finished in Marks’s stirring, intricately detailed sequel to Fire Logic. . . . Full of love and humor as well as war and intrigue, this well-crafted epic fantasy will delight existing fans as surely as it will win new ones.”— Publishers Weekly “Rich and affecting. . . . A thought-provoking and sometimes heartbreaking political novel.”— BookPage “Intelligent, splendidly visualized, and beautifully written. Laurie Marks’s use of language is really tremendous.”— Paula Volsky “A dense and layered book filled with complex people facing impossible choices. Crammed with unconventional families, conflicted soldiers, amnesiac storytellers, and practical gods, the story also finds time for magical myths of origin and moments of warm, quiet humor. Against a bitter backdrop of war and winter, Marks offers hope in the form of various triumphs: of fellowship over chaos, the future over the past, and love over death.”— Sharon Shinn “A powerful and hopeful story where the peacemakers are as heroic as the warriors; where there is magic in good food and flower bulbs; and where the most powerful weapon of all is a printing press.”— Naomi Kritzer “Earth Logic is not a book of large battles and heart-stopping chases; rather, it’s more gradual and contemplative and inexorable, like the earth bloods who people it. It’s a novel of the everyday folk who are often ignored in fantasy novels, the farmers and cooks and healers. In this novel, the everyday lives side by side with the extraordinary, and sometimes within it; Karis herself embodies the power of ordinary, mundane methods to change the world.”— SF Revu “It is an ambitious thing to do, in this time of enemies and hatreds, to suggest that a conflict can be resolved by peaceable means. Laurie Marks believes that it can be done, and she relies relatively little on magic to make it work.”— Cheryl Morgan, Emerald City Fire Logic and Earth Logic both received the Gaylactic Spectrum Award.Table of ContentsContents Part One: Raven’s Joke Part Two: How Raven Became A God Part Three: The Walk Around Part Four: What’s Inside the Buffalo Part Five: How Tortoise Woman Saved the World

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Book SynopsisAt once a love story and a lush comic masterpiece, Martha Moody is a speculative western which embraces the ordinary and gritty details — as well as the magic — of women's lives in the old west.

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Book SynopsisLong defined by film adaptations that have portrayed Aladdin as a simplistic rags-to-riches story for children, this work of dazzling imagination—and occasionally dark themes—now comes to vibrant new life. “In the capital of one of China’s vast and wealthy kingdoms”, begins Shahrazad, there lived Aladdin, a rebellious fifteen-year-old who falls prey to a double-crossing sorcerer and is ultimately saved by a princess. One of the best-loved folktales of all time, Aladdin has been capturing the imagination of readers, illustrators and filmmakers since an eighteenth-century French publication first added the tale to The Arabian Nights. Here is an elegant, eminently readable rendition of Aladdin in what is destined to be a classic for decades to come.Trade Review"It’s not every day you come across a new translation of The Arabian Nights, but the French Syrian writer, Yasmine Seale, has rendered afresh the 18th-century version of Aladdin by Antoine Galland, and has done a cracking job..." -- Family favourites: children’s books for Christmas reviewed - The Spectator"... an elegant new version of Aladdin..." -- Times Literary Supplement"... a charming rendition of Aladdin..." -- The National

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Book SynopsisThe first adventure in the Mirror Realm Cycle, a Spanish Inquisition-era fantasy trilogy inspired by Jewish folklore, with echoes of Naomi Novik and Katherine Arden. Toba Peres can speak, but not shout; sleep, but not dream. She can write with both hands at once, in different languages, but she keeps her talents hidden at her grandparents’ behest. Naftaly Cresques sees things that aren’t real, and dreams things that are. Always the family disappointment, Naftaly would still risk his life to honor his father’s last wishes. After the Queen demands every Jew convert or face banishment, Toba and Naftaly are among thousands of Jews who flee their homes. Defying royal orders to abandon all possessions, Toba keeps an amulet she must never take off; Naftaly smuggles a centuries-old book he’s forbidden to read. But the Inquisition is hunting these particular treasures–and they’re not hunting alone.Toba stumbles through a pomegranate grove into the mirror realm of the Mazik: mythical, terrible immortals with an Inquisition of their own, equally cruel and even more powerful. With the Mazik kingdoms in political turmoil, this Inquisition readies its bid to control both realms.In each world, Toba and Naftaly must evade both Inquisitions long enough to unravel the connection between their family heirlooms and the realm of the Mazik. Their fates are tied to this strange place, and it’s up to them to save it. Brimming with folkloric wonder, The Pomegranate Gate weaves history and magic into a spellbindingly intricate tale suffused with humor and heart.Trade Review“YA author Kaplan (We Are the Perfect Girl) draws readers into a bewitching folkloric world in her enthralling adult debut . . . The worldbuilding is lush and exciting, and the dynamics between the leads charm. . . . This spells good things for the series to come.” —Publishers Weekly “[A] strong novel with brilliant, lyrical writing, appealing to readers across the fantasy genre. And personally, I need the follow-up desperately.” —Grimdark Magazine“Refreshing . . . A unique take on Jewish history and legend.” —Kirkus Reviews“Fans of Naomi Novik will love this novel rich in history and magic.” —BookBub“The Pomegranate Gate is suffused with a sense of the numinous, with the marvelous and the strange. . . . Gorgeous and fascinating.” —Tor.com “The world of The Pomegranate Gate is unmistakably Jewish, and the characters are unmistakably Jewish. In action, in language, in their beliefs. . . . A refreshing, promising opening to an interesting new series.” —Locus Magazine “Wow, I loved it. It’s mythic and human, breathtaking and special. I want to read everything Ariel Kaplan does. You’ll break the rules and eat the fruit just so you can stay in this magical world for a little while longer.” —C.L. Polk, Nebula Award-winning author of Even Though I Knew the End“The Pomegranate Gate is a spellbinding work of storytelling, teeming with rich mythology and intricate mirror worlds, court politics and adventure, warmth and wit and darkness and profoundly real characters who will stay with you long after you turn the last page. I loved everything about this book.” —H.G. Parry, author of The Magician’s Daughter“An amazing, exciting book, full of Jewish lore, history, and enchantment!” —Veronica Schanoes, author of Burning Girls and Other Stories “The Pomegranate Gate is an unforgettable journey to a world lush with magic and imagination. Every page is unearthly and delightful in equal measure—I couldn’t put it down.” —Natasha Siegel, author of Solomon’s Crown “The sweeping Jewish epic fantasy I’ve been waiting for all my life.” —Rebecca Fraimow, author of The Iron Children “Captivating. A humane, and sometimes harrowing, mythohistory that unfolds effortlessly into convincing dream logic. Kaplan's attention to the laws, consequences, and loopholes of magic can only be described as Talmudic” —Elijah Kinch Spector, author of Kalyna the Soothsayer

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Book SynopsisLIFE AND DEATH LIE IN HER HANDSIris overcame the threat of excommunication, but now she faces something far worse. The bells of war are tolling, and an enemy nation stands poised to strike. Why, then, is there talk of dismantling the kingdom’s armed forces? As Iris desperately shores up her duchy’s own defenses, she must answer a question from one of her closest companions, Dida: “If it comes to war, are you prepared to order us to kill?”

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Book SynopsisSACRIFICE YOUR HEARTHaving rescued her people in the eastern territories and thwarted another plot to undermine Armelia, Iris throws herself back into the work of governing her duchy. It’s only through work that she can make herself forget her growing feelings for Dean, but she can’t avoid thoughts of marriage forever. A foreign prince has come to the duchy seeking an alliance—and Iris’s hand to cement the deal. If Iris gives herself to the prince, she secures Armelia’s future…and gives up her heart forever.

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Book SynopsisFleeing Victorian London, a witch finds her newfound independence comes with all-new perils—both mortal and immortal. Forever untangling the branches of her strange family tree, Edwina Blackwood is at a turning point. Her parents’ disappearances still strike her as unaccountably odd. Her sister’s questionable life and untimely death have left her shaken. Spellfire has transformed her home and livelihood to ash. And now a devious stalker is on her trail. With supernatural detective Ian Cameron by her side, Edwina can’t get out of London fast enough. Gaining safe passage, she finds refuge with Sir Henry Elvanfoot, famed wizard of the north, and is promised protection from ill-aimed curses. But in this unfamiliar city of fair folk and witches, where the veil between Earth and the Otherworld is about to be lifted, something is amiss. How else to explain Edwina’s sudden prophetic visions? Or the fear that surviving whoever pursues her will require the powers of an ancient bloodline she’s only beginning to comprehend? Whatever destiny awaits, it’s Edwina’s to finally control. Where will it lead? Only time, cunning, and magic—in this world or the Other—will tell.Trade Review“The surprises about both characters and the setting throughout this story will delight readers as Smith continues to skillfully play with folklore in this charming series.” —Booklist “Readers will enjoy an imaginative, skillfully written dive into Victorian fantasy.” —Historical Novels Review

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Book SynopsisOne man is on a journey to unravel his magical lineage in the next spellbinding novel of the Whimbrel House series by Amazon Charts and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Charlie N. Holmberg. Thanks to house tamer Hulda Larkin, the mischief infesting Whimbrel House has calmed. But if Hulda’s job is done, what does that mean for Merritt Fernsby, inheritor of the remote Narragansett Bay estate, who’s only now coming to terms with his enchanted place in the world? Merritt has realized his own burgeoning powers, which draw the thoughts of every plant, insect, and dog. His nights are sleepless, with an uncontrollable cacophony of voices that compel a long-overdue search into his uncanny bloodline. It’s not the only puzzle uniting Merritt and his ex-housekeeper, Hulda. Her friend and former employer at the Boston Institute for the Keeping of Enchanted Rooms has disappeared. Hulda herself is up for the now-vacant position of institute director, and her rival for the role is a stranger who’s suspiciously curious about Whimbrel House—and could have connections to an old foe. As Merritt struggles to face his estranged family and Hulda dives into the institute’s secrets, the two are brought intimately closer than ever into the mysteries of wizardry, chaos, and love.Trade Review“Marrying a delicate love story with an addictive mystery, this cozy fantasy is sure to please.” —Publishers Weekly “The quirky characters, period detail, and personal journeys…are well wrought.” —Library Journal “Hulda Larkin and Merritt Fernsby are back…Their tension is captivating and enjoyable, and readers won’t be able to wait to see where the series and the romance go.” —Booklist “Holmberg charmingly keeps the reader engaged with another twisty plot and characters who are both funny and endearing.” —Historical Novels Review

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