A place of great beauty, Thuringland and its tributary states exist on the edge of perilous balance of power, resources, and control. Every aspect of life on Thuringland is connected, but there are those who will risk that precious equilibrium for their own needs. The Dragonlord Seldric, bearer of the all-powerful Dragoncrown, controls the dragons upon which so much of life depends. Their fiery breath produces magical coins, used for both commerce and energy. The dragons protect the realm and enforce control of the tributary lands; all are dependent on them. Life in Thuringland could not exist without the odious burden of slavery, and too many races are considered to be little more than commodities by those in power. In the jungle of Sinjer, a race of proud warriors fights for survival, freedom, and dignity. The Sinjeryan all-female raceleft the world of men behind to free themselves from oppression, but Seldrics demands for tribute women as his protectors and concubines challenges that. As one of the proud Sinjery Dragonflyers, Seldrics present concubine Trallalair will do anything to end her races odious tribute. At Hells Breach, an open portal to the underworld from which demons and zombies threaten all life, poets wielding magical words fight to save their world. When a seemingly unconnected string of events frees the dragons, no one is safe from their wrath. Can brave champions of many races come together to restore the realms balance of power before it is too late?

Stackpole's saga of the DragonCrown War Cycle continues in this second book in the epic fantasy trilogy, which finds the rebels in a desperate race against Chytrine to recover the shattered pieces of the DragonCrown.

Swords, dungeons, sorcery, and dragons... Dragon's Crown is the ultimate side-scrolling action role-playing game! DRAGON'S CROWN: OFFICIAL ARTWORKS spotlights the fantastic artwork from the fan-favorite fantasy epic. Included is character & enemy artwork, story cutscenes, location illustrations, and tribute pieces from some of Japan's top video game concept artists.

Set in an alternate Europe where bloody conflicts rage, the first book of the Crown of Stars epic fantasy series chronicles a world-shaking conflict for the survival of humanity It begins with civil war.... For though King Henry still holds the crown of Wendar, his reign has long been contested by his sister Sabella. There are many eager to flock to her banner, and there are ways to make even the most unwilling lord into a weapon pointed at the heart of Henry’s realm. Torn by internal strife, Wendar also faces deadly raids from the north by an inhuman race, the Eika. And now terrifying portents are being seen; old ruins restored to life under the light of the full moon and peopled by the long-vanished Lost Ones; dark spirits walking the land in broad daylight. And suddenly two innocents are about to be thrust into the middle of the conflict. Liath, who has spent her early years fleeing from unknown enemies, is a young woman with the power to change the course of history if she can only learn to master her fear and seize what is rightfully hers. While Alain, a young man who may find his future in a vision granted by the Lady of Battles, must first unravel the mystery of who he is—whether the bastard son of a noble father, the half-breed child of an elfin lord, the unwanted get of a whore, or the heir to a proud and ancient lineage. For only when he discovers the truth can he accept the destiny for which he was born. Liath and Alain, each trapped in a personal struggle for survival, both helplessly being drawn into a far greater battle, a war in which sorcery not swords will determine the final outcome, and the land itself may be irrevocably reshaped by the forces unleashed....

The news of Will's death in a volcano throws the fragile alliances into chaos and gives Chytrine the opening neede to seize control.

Two crowns, one reign. . . . Sarah Lind is now the Queen of Ice. With the help she gave the dragon-shifter dramá as the Moondaughter of prophecy, the man she loves and the Six Realms he protects have survived the Devourer's second invasion. Yet all is still far from well. In the battle's devastating aftermath, she and her family are now in exile in the Seventh Realm, with Earth cut off from them, perhaps forever . . . and the newly invested King of the Six Realms has shut them out. Koriben Sunfilled is now the King of Flame. Broken beyond measure by his father's ultimate sacrifice to save him, he will not risk the one he loves most, Sarah, doing the same. Yet his self-imposed hell is slowly killing him, even as troubles and dangers mount, proving that he and his people need Sarah and her own, now more than ever. At both their Trees' commands, Ben and Sarah will have to mourn, forgive, and heal while learning to be the Monarchs their peoples need—and soon. For as history has taught them all too well, it is one thing to repel a Devourer's invasion . . . . . . and it is quite another to survive the after.

iteriach. Its customers? A pair of slacker soldiers, a spoiled heiress, an uptight tax collector, and more... When the citizens of this strange world sit down to enjoy some unfamiliar Japanese cuisine, their troubles simply melt away. The curtain rises on this otherworldly eatery and the gourmet fantasy about to unfold within!

In The Witching Hours, Anna and Max travel the world with their father, the Professor – but their real adventures take place in the dangerous underworld of dark fairies, where the children face sinister creatures and battle for their lives. Something wicked is stirring beneath the icy mountains of China – and Anna and Max, who have just arrived with the Professor, are determined to discover what it is. Earthquakes are shaking the foundations of an ancient village, while bone-chilling roars and flashes of fire burst across the sky. The siblings are sure another fairy monster has awoken – but this time, they’re not the only ones who know. A strange man has been stirring trouble in the village – a man Anna and Max have met before. But with rumours of the monster’s vast treasure cave spreading fast, the children will have to decide whether to side with their old foe, or else seek out the monster on their own … Fight fire with fire.

In order to embrace her true nature, a young Dragon Rider must accept who she is—and where she came from. Lila knows her people’s way of life is dying, but trying to get Raiders to become Dragon Mercenaries is no easy task. Although the world around them is changing, many among the Raiders still cling to the old ways of piracy. When a desperate message arrives from the West Witches, Lila and her new friend, the eccentric, unseasoned magician Danu, must risk a mission to the island of Sebol to learn what they can of the new danger they face, a threat that menaces all the Western Isles. To face it, Lila must leave her Raider past behind and become the leader Danu knows she was born to be. Knowing the crown of Roskilde holds the key to her destiny, and perhaps the key to defeating the deadly threat that is upon them, Lila must seize it. But to do so, Raiders and dragons will have to learn to trust each other—and Lila—as she leads the charge. Can Lila let go of fear and doubt and face the future, or will the only life she’s known be destroyed?

In his autobiography Stanley S.K. Kwan discusses his roots, Hong Kong after the War, Hang Seng Bank, the new China and home and country.