The Serpent Bride is the first book in the Darkglass Mountain trilogy, revisiting the tempestuous magical world of Tencendor with all it’s strange and wonderful inhabitants.

The land of Tencendor is no more. But not everyone is dead. the land of tencendor is no more.But not everyone is dead.Many Icarii survive in the courts abroad, while StarDrifter SunSoar, father to Axis, lives within the corrupt Palace of the First in Coroleas. Not even the Star Dance is as dead as the Icarii Enchanters had believed, for a strange race living in the frozen northern wastes can still hear, and use, the music of the heavens.Other ghosts from the past wait in the shadows. the Skraelings once again gather in the north. Far across the Widowmaker Sea a pyramid broods and plots revenge on those who had once thought to destroy it. to the east, at the edge of the world, an ancient serpent god uncoils, sending an unwilling woman to be the bride of the enigmatic Lord of Elcho Falling.As men, Icarii, ice wraiths and ancient gods gather for war, a legend rises from the dead - Axis SunSoar, come to regain his heritage and the Star Dance, and to battle new dangers across a vast, mysterious land.PRAISE FOR SARA DOUGLASS'breathtaking' SYDNEY MORNIG HERALD'addictively readable' tHE AGE'a superior adventure fantasy right to the last' BOOKLISt

A millennia-old prophecy was given when the Forbidden Ones were driven from Achar. And now, the Acharites witness its manifestation: Achar is under attack by an evil lord from the North, Gorgreal--his ice demons strike from the sky and kill hundreds of brave warriors in the blink of an eye. All Acharites believe the end is near. One young woman, Faraday, betrothed of Duke Borneheld, learns that all she has been told about her people's history is untrue. While fleeing to safety from the dangerous land, Faraday, rides with Axis, legendary leader of the Axe-Wielders--and hated half-brother of Borneheld--and a man Faraday secretly loves although it would be death to admit it. She embarks on a journey, which will change her life forever, in search of the true nature of her people. This grand and heroic story tells the tale of one woman's plight to learn the truth of her people and change their hearts and their minds forever. She fights against oppressive forces to share this reality and will not desist until everyone knows. . . . . The truth of the Star Gate At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

The Serpent and the Swan is a history and analysis of animal bride tales from antiquity to the present. The animal bride tale, the author argues, is an enduring expression of humankind's need to remain close to and a part of nature. Boria Sax traces the idea of the animal bride through history by drawing upon legends and literary works from throughout the world. He pays particular attention to Eurasian sources which support his thesis that the animal bride theme originated among the serpent cults of Mesopotamia and southeastern Europe. Through time, the details of the animal bride theme changed as a result of mankind's changing perceptions of the natural world. In general, this study is an account of myths and beliefs that have surrounded animals--and women--during the rise of modern humankind. The Serpent and the Swan identifies and explains images of the animal bride that pervade, enliven, and enrich our culture. The bride becomes Eve taking an apple from the serpent, Medea casting spells, Cinderella riding to the royal ball in a pumpkin coach, and the Little Mermaid rising from the waves. The Author: Boria Sax, who holds a doctorate in German and intellectual history, is the author of The Frog King and The Parliament of Animals, among other books.

As the Threshold, the massive pyramid constructed by the Magic of Ashdod to propel themselves into infinity, nears completion, a glassworker slave becomes the key in preventing an evil force from spreading its malevolence over Ashdod.

Australian author Sara Douglass, author of the beloved Wayfarer Redemption series, presents a stunning standalone prequel to the Darkglass Mountain trilogy. Like his physician father, Garth Baxtor is gifted with The Touch. By laying his hands upon a person, Garth can sense what dwells within: pain, illness, joy, or sorrow. It is through the application of The Touch that the gifted minister helps the sick of Escator by diagnosing ills and promoting healing. By decree of the royal treasury, for a period of three weeks each year, physicians of Escator - in lieu of taxes - are required to attend to the needs of the criminals who labor endlessly in the Veins, the labyrinth of mines carved deep into the earth and from which they harvest the gloam-a priceless commodity upon which the fortunes of Escator depend. It is during one such period of mandatory service that Joseph Baxtor decides his son is old enough to accompany him to the Veins as his apprentice. Garth is delighted. It's a chance to escape the dull and dreary surroundings of his quiet village for the delights of the capital city of Ruen. Joseph has been ordered to attend King Cavor himself. Garth will actually meet the king in person! As he discovers all too soon, however, the task at hand is a grim one. Descending into the mines for the first time, Garth could hardly be less prepared for what he encounters: thousands of men laboring like animals in dreadful conditions deep below the earth's surface. Applying his hands to the wound of one prisoner known only as Lot No. 859, Garth is stunned by what he discovers. This man is no common criminal. But then, who is he? Could it be? After all these years? Prince Maximillian? The answer to the riddle will involve Garth in a harrowing journey out of the Veins and into the Land of Dreams as he tries to resolve the question of the identity of Lot No 859. In the process, Garth will solve a centuries-old mystery--a mystery that will pit one king against another and shake the Kingdom of Escator to its foundations. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

A gripping novel about history’s most infamous family—The Borgias—and an innocent girl pulled into their treacherous rise to power, from the USA Today bestselling author of The Alice Network and The Briar Club. Rome, 1492. The Holy City is drenched with blood and teeming with secrets. A pope lies dying and the throne of God is left vacant, a prize awarded only to the most virtuous—or the most ruthless. The Borgia family begins its legendary rise, chronicled by an innocent girl who finds herself drawn into their dangerous web… Vivacious Giulia Farnese has floor-length golden hair and the world at her feet: beauty, wealth, and a handsome young husband. But she is stunned to discover that her glittering marriage is a sham, and she is to be given as a concubine to the ruthless, charismatic Cardinal Borgia: Spaniard, sensualist, candidate for Pope—who is passionately in love with her. Two trusted companions will follow her into the Pope's shadowy harem: Leonello, a cynical bodyguard bent on bloody revenge against a mysterious killer, and Carmelina, a fiery cook with a past full of secrets. But as corruption thickens in the Vatican and the enemies begin to circle, Giulia and her friends will need all their wits to survive in the world of the Borgias.

In the second title of The Troy Game series, love and revenge are set against the very fabric of time itself as a warrior waits for his opportunity to finish what was started centuries before.

NOW AVAILABLE IN PAPERBACK Set in the tumultuous era when Egypt is on the brink of becoming the dominant world power, The Serpent and the Staff tells the powerful story of a Canaanite family's struggle for survival in a climate of violent change, when cherished beliefs and traditions are threatened. Ugarit, Syria, 1450 B.C.E. Eighteen-year-old Leah, the eldest daughter of a wealthy winemaker, is past the traditional age of betrothal. Vowed to wed the wealthy but cruel shipbuilder Jotham, Leah declines his offer of marriage after discovering that he and his family suffer from “the falling sickness.” Enraged by her refusal and his ruined reputation, he blackmails Leah’s father, a punishment forgiven only by offering Leah’s hand in marriage. With no more options for another suitor and no male heir for her family, Leah must seek out the cure for Jotham’s sickness or her family will face permanent ruin. During her quest Leah begins to burn with desire for Daveed, the handsome household scribe whose culture forbids their union. Daveed has been called by the gods to restore the Brotherhood, an elite fraternity of guardians at the great Library of Ugarit, rumored to contain the secret symbol of immortality within its ancient archives. If his plan succeeds, it may also save Leah’s family from disaster. But even Daveed and Leah cannot fathom the extent of Jotham’s sinister schemes to make Leah his bride once and for all. With rich historical detail, The Serpent and the Staff is a sweeping tale of love, betrayal, and how one family's faith can overcome the obstacles that life has in store for them.

The second instalment of this complex, beautiful story. Can treachery and murder offer the only path to salvation? Glass turns to flesh as DarkGlass Mountain rouses from its restless sleep to walk the land and plot the downfall of the Lord of Elcho Falling. Ishbel and Maximilian, now utterly estranged, ride for Serpent's Nest, not realising that at their backs a cadre of traitors plot their death. Axis once more takes command of the Strike Force, but it is not enough to save him from the gallows of Isaiah's generals, nor from the lover who betrays him. In Isembaard the Skraelings run amok, but they will not touch the sole survivor from the slaughter of Aqhat, who walks north with a mysterious relic of Ashdod's past. Over all hover the Lealfast, ancient creatures who hide many secrets and possess a sorcery so ancient and malignant that it threatens to curse Elcho Falling as soon as the twisted citadel rises.'a darkly sensual tale ... nothing less than you would expect from our best fantasy writer' ∗∗∗∗ BOOKSELLER+PUBLISHER 'Douglass certainly has an epic imagination ... devourers of fantasy fiction will lap it up' tHE AGE