Unguilded by Jane Glatt

Unguilded by Jane Glatt published by Tyche Books

Mage Guild wants to enslave her. Can Kara survive among the Unguilded?

At sixUnguilded_frontteen Kara Fonti still has no magic. But Mage Guild, the most powerful of all the Guilds in Tregella, has a use for her – they will force her to bear children for men who do have magic. Arabella Fonti, to protect her own status within the guild, pushes her daughter to do the unthinkable – run away to live outside the guild system.

But unguilded are not welcome in Tregella, especially on the magical chain of islands of the capital Rillidi. In increasing danger of being arrested or killed, Kara finds refuge on Old Rillidi, the original island that was neither created by magic nor controlled by one of the guilds.

On Old Rillidi, Kara discovers true friends, makes a home for herself, and learns more about her strange ability to “see” magic. But the Mage Guild will not let her go, and it is here where she feels safest that Kara is betrayed . . .

Sorcerer’s Heir, by M. D. Benoit

M. D. Benoit is announcing the publication of her first Urban Fantasy Novel, out on 3 November 2014.
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Is one woman enough against such powerful, timeless sorcery?

Pragmatic, cynical Jane Brockwell never gave magic a thought, so it comes as a shock when she awakes one day with magical powers and the ability to see the future through terrifying visions.

Almost immediately, Jane becomes embroiled in competing Guilds of witches and warlocks who want to recruit her. But it is soon obvious that her magic is different and immeasurably powerful, perhaps as potent as that of Demos the Great, the most revered and reviled sorcerer of all time, who lived in 300AD.

Is Jane the descendant and heir of Demos, and a sorceress herself? Garrick Ramsay, an ambitious, ruthless and powerful warlock believes so and sees her as a threat to his ambitions. He attacks her, nearly killing her and Hugh MacLean, her boss and love interest. Ramsay is relentless in his pursuit of them; a dark, hovering presence surrounds him and, with each encounter, he seems to gain strength.

Jane and Hugh begin to wonder if there may not be a more sinister force guiding Ramsay’s actions. Where did Ramsay get the Book of Secrets, a grimoire of spells from the Dark Arts? And how important is the Void, a place between worlds Jane can use to travel? Could it be the key that unlocks the mystery of the dark presence that seems to support Ramsay?

Unwillingly dragged into a world not of her choosing, Jane will stop at nothing to neutralize Ramsay and protect the allies she makes along the way…

Read an excerpt

The Leopard by K.V. Johansen Published June 2014

TheLeopard-Marakand1Released June 10, 2014

K.V. Johansen‘s latest novel, The Leopard, has been published by Pyr.

The Leopard was chosen for Kirkus Review‘s
Best Speculative Fiction Reads for June, and io9.com’s Most Astounding Must-Read Science Fiction And Fantasy Books In June.

Ahjvar, the assassin known as the Leopard, wants only to die, to end the curse that binds him to a life of horror. Although he has no reason to trust the goddess Catairanach or her messenger Deyandara, fugitive heir to a murdered tribal queen, desperation leads him to accept her bargain: if he kills the mad prophet known as the Voice of Marakand, Catairanach will free him of his curse. Accompanying him on his mission is the one person he has let close to him in a lifetime of death, a runaway slave named Ghu. Ahj knows Ghu is far from the half-wit others think him, but in Marakand, the great city where the caravan roads of east and west meet, both will need to face the deepest secrets of their souls, if either is to survive the undying enemies who hunt them and find a way through the darkness that damns the Leopard.

To Marakand, too, come a Northron wanderer and her demon verrbjarn lover, carrying the obsidian sword Lakkariss, a weapon forged by the Old Great Gods to bring their justice to the seven devils who escaped the cold hells so long before.

Review: …the work highlights Johansen’s strengths. A surprising number of characters and plot threads are deftly interwoven…Publishers Weekly

Review: “An involving and deftly written novel of escape and capture, love and loss, and battles both mental and physical…. Johansen’s writing style is assured and elegant, subtle and powerful…”ForeWord Reviews

For more about the Marakand series and the author, see K.V. Johansen’s website at www.kvj.ca

Ether Frolics reviewed in The Winnipeg Review

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The latest review of the short story collection Ether Frolics:

…what Marlowe has written is a creation well worth the read, revealing a major Canadian talent.– Chadwick Ginther, The Winnipeg Review

The full review is on-line at the Winnipeg Review link above.