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On Tuesday, the paperback version of The Adversary came out, which is very exciting and excellent news, especially for anyone who wanted a copy and couldn’t afford the hardcover price. I’m a little late with this, but here you can find the e-signing form for the paperback. (If you still want a hardcover, contact me with the form above and I’ll get you the information).  (Also, this means the ebook price dropped!)

But that isn’t all that exciting for those who already read The Adversary and are hankering for something else to read.  I, for one, have a pile of things to read and not enough time. In fact, I realized yesterday that much of my pile is made up of new and exciting things from other writers who’ve made their mark on the Realms! So whether you’re looking for something else to read (maybe while you wait for Fire in the Blood?) or for something else to add to your Amazon/bn.com order, here are some fresh reads from Realms authors playing in their own worlds.

The Mark of the Dragonfly by Jaleigh Johnson (Delacorte)
Where you know her from: You might remember Jaleigh from her excellent Mistshore, or maybe the sequel, Spider and Stone? I’ll always remember working with her as she made PC-potential shadar-kai a reality with Unbroken Chain and Unbroken Chain: The Darker Road.  (Cree and Skagi 4EVAH!)

What’s new with her: Jaleigh’s middle grade fantasy The Mark of the Dragonfly, has been getting fantastic reviews (STARRED reviews, people). While it’s meant for kids, I’ve read enough of this book to see that Jaleigh’s excellent characterization is definitely still at play here.

What the book has to say for itself: For fans of The City of Ember and The School of Good and Evil, The Mark of the Dragonfly is a fast-paced adventure story about a mysterious girl and a fearless boy, set in a magical world that is both exciting and dangerous.

   Piper has never seen the Mark of the Dragonfly until she finds the girl amid the wreckage of a caravan in the Meteor Fields.

   The girl doesn’t remember a thing about her life, but the intricate tattoo on her arm is proof that she’s from the Dragonfly Territories and that she’s protected by the king. Which means a reward for Piper if she can get the girl home.

   The one sure way to the Territories is the 401, a great old beauty of a train. But a ticket costs more coin than Piper could make in a year. And stowing away is a difficult prospect–everyone knows that getting past the peculiar green-eyed boy who stands guard is nearly impossible.

   Life for Piper just turned dangerous. A little bit magical. And very exciting, if she can manage to survive the journey.

 

Shadow of the Winter King by Erik Scott de Bie (Dragonmoon Press)
Where you know him from: That de Bie guy hit the Realms hard with his haunting debut Ghostwalker. His Shadowbane series—Downshadow, Shadowbane, and Shadowbane: Eye of Justice—brought a new complex hero to the Realms, and a bevy of interesting villains and companions. He’s also published short stories in more anthologies than I can count.

What’s new with him: Erik is one of those writers who seems to sneeze and a book comes out—lucky you! His latest tale just hit shelves: Shadow of the Winter King. If you’re missing Shadowbane, Regel might help fill that hole. And soon you’ll also get Scourge of the Realm (Broken Eye Books) and Priority: Hyperion. And a Kickstarter for a comic book. (Seriously. He’s a machine.)

What the books has to say for itself: Assassin—Armed with the voracious sword Frostburn, court slayer Regel Winter once shed the blood of countless foes in service to Orbrin the Winter King.

Oathbreaker—But even the coldest steel cannot save those Regel loves: his beloved Princess Lenalin, her daughter Semana, and the Winter King himself, felled by treachery five years ago.

Shadow—Barely an echo of the man he was, Regel forges a pact with the assassin who slew Orbrin, setting out on a deadly quest for vengeance that will change the face of the World of Ruin.

 

The Plague Knight and Other Stories and Zombies in Paradise by Richard Lee Byers (Amazon Digital)
Where you know him from: RLB is a grandmaster of Realms fiction. I first read him in the Sembia series, where he brought matriarch, Shamur Uskevren, to life in The Shattered Mask. But you might know him best for his horror-tinged Haunted Lands trilogy (or his thrilling adventures with The Brotherhood of the Griffon). He’s also the author of the fourth book of The Sundering series, The Reaver. (What was that about authors sneezing out books?)

What’s new with him: Richard has two new anthologies up for grabs, and unlike most of this list, I’ve already read one. The Plague Knight and Other Stories has a fun mix of sword and sorcery tales, from adventures with Elric to a fencing master who solves mysteries in a city ruled by rival factions. His latest, Zombies in Paradise, is the newest in my to-read pile—but judging by his skill with horror, I’m going to wait until I’m in the right mood. And the sun is bright and shiny (although that might not be enough…)

What do the books have to say for themselves:
(Plague Knight)Martin Rivers is a young knight seeking his fortune across an alternate medieval Europe where Rome fell because the magic of the Caesars failed, but sorcery and the supernatural are very much alive. Join him as he battles an undead knight returned from Hell to take revenge, enters Faerie seeking the lost sword of Richard the Lion-hearted, and slips into the harem of a mad Turkish warlord to steal the Holy Grail.

Selden is a fencing master and occasional mercenary in Balathex, the Whispering City, where duels are an everyday occurrence and intrigue is a way of life. Walk with him as he hunts a deadly creature of living fire, investigates a baffling murder, probes the riddle of a rival fencing teacher whose students never lose, and challenges the master of a sinister mirror world. 

(Zombies)Vacation at the tropical resort where a designer drug enables tourists to experience the joys of being a zombie. It’s perfectly safe, of course.

 Explore the Civil War battlefield where the walking dead prey on the soldiers from both sides.

 See what happens when Thomas Edison meets Dracula.

 

Hot Lead, Cold Iron by Ari Marmell (Titan)
Where you know him from: Ari hasn’t, to my knowledge, written a Realms story. But he is the co-author of the fabulous Neverwinter Campaign Guide. The list of books and RPG supplements Ari’s worked on is too big to get into here. But if you haven’t gotten to experience Ari’s fiction yet, get ready for tales that blend humor and darkness in a very satisfying fashion. (His last book, Lost Covenant (Pyr), shares a book birthday with The Adversary! I like to pretend Farideh and Widdershins would get along famously. Or kill each other.)

What’s new with him: Next week (May 13^th), Ari’s latest tale Hot Lead, Cold Iron hits shelves. I’m so excited about this book. Hard-boliled detective + FAIRIES. In 1932? This is urban fantasy of another stripe. The first I heard of this, I pre-ordered. You should, too.

What the book has to say for itself: Chicago, 1932. Mick Oberon may look like just another private detective, but beneath the fedora and the overcoat, he’s got pointy ears and he’s packing a wand. 

 Oberon’s used to solving supernatural crimes, but the latest one’s extra weird. A mobster’s daughter was kidnapped sixteen years ago, replaced with a changeling, and Mick’s been hired to find the real child. The trail’s gone cold, but what there is leads Sideways, to the world of the Fae, where the Seelie Court rules. And Mick’s not really welcome in the Seelie Court any more. He’ll have to wade through Fae politics and mob power struggles to find the kidnapper – and of course it’s the last person he expected.

(You already got your pre-order for The Herald set up, right?)