Mara of Acoma, Ruling Lady of her house, has now established herself as a force within the Empire. As an expert player of the Game of the Council., she is a master of its bloody political maneuvering. Mara has made gains for her followers, including new lands, but the war effort on the world of Midkemia is draining off manpower, and slaves are difficult to find.. So against advice, Mara buys a group of Midkemian prisoners-of-war, only to discover that one of them is a noble: Kevin, third son of...

The Assassin's Guild returns to Krondor, seemingly killing without pattern or purpose. Squire James and newly commissioned Lieutenant William conDoin are plummeted into a dark world of Murder and politics as war threatens to engulf the Kingdom, for among those murdered is a noble from a neighbouring state. Time is short and the city is gripped in terror as the two young men race to find the man responsible for this act of war, a mysterious figure known as the Crawler.

Sign of Chaos. Merle Corey, son of the great Prince Corwin of Amber, has been pursued through shadow by unknown enemies and left trapped in an Alice in Wonderland world - a bar with the Mad Hatter serving and the Cheshire Cat grinning malevolently. In a dramatic escape from a monstrous Jabberwock, Merle embarks upon a fantastic adventure, leading him back to the Court of Amber and finally to a confrontation at the Keep of four Worlds, and here he learns the strange secrets of the Courts of...

As the sun fades the leader of the witches returns. Exiled to a far distant star after the defeat of the witches, Llorio the Murthe has made her wicked way back to the Dying Earth. A dramatic warning from the past alerts the magicians of the 21st Aeon among their number: Rhialto the Marvellous magician of the highest order. Against the intrigues of the Murthe, Rhislato and his ally, Ildefonse the Preceptor, have a battle of magical power on their hands.

The pace, as always, is white hot – as are the special effects. As readers will know from Book Two, the Shining One Xanetia can melt her enemies with a touch. Fortunately, she is on the side of our hero, and so is the god Edaemus, whose (literally) volcanic rage will be useful in the continuing fight to save the Tamul Empire from the ravages of sinister King Cyrgon of the Cyrgai. Cyrgon has called forth Bhelliom’s equal in supernatural power, Klael, the very essence of evil. And while Sparhawk...