On the surface, Chopville appears not unlike any other small town in rural Australia. However, its underbelly is more than extraordinary. Amongst its modest community reside six people from two very different families - they make up the six most powerful people in the world today. Branded as "Sorcerers," they are the only six people in the world with true magical power. Yet these two families do not cooperate together and although there is no open fighting in the year 2010, things weren't always that peaceful. John Playman knows this as well as anyone; at the age of 14, he is familiar with the concept of magic, having been raised in a family heavily involved in the magical war 30 years earlier, even though he has never met any of the Sorcerers himself. This year, however, all that is about to change; John and a group of his school friends will find themselves in an unprecedented situation and carrying a responsibility almost too great to comprehend. John and his cohorts struggle on two fronts with their hormones raging and with the discovery of whom among them is to become the Seventh Sorcerer.

When eleven-year-old Nin Redfern wakes up one rainy Wednesday morning to discover that her younger brother has ceased to exist, she must venture into a magical land called the Drift where she grapples with bogeymen, tombfolk, mudmen, and the spirits of sorcerers to try and rescue him.

A vibrant tale of ancient sorcerers, heroic kings, and looming war, Seven Princes is the epic beginning to John R. Fultz's debut fantasy series. Under the watchful eye of the Giants, the kingdoms of Men rose to power. Now, the Giant-King has slain the last of the Serpents and ushered in an era of untold peace and prosperity. Where a fire-blackened desert once stood, golden cities flourish in verdant fields. But the realms of Man face a new threat -- an ancient sorcerer slaughters the rightful King of Yaskatha before the unbelieving eyes of his son, young Prince D'zan. With the Giant-King lost to a mysterious doom, it seems that no one has the power to stop the coming storm. Now the fugitive Prince seeks allies across the realms of Men and Giants to liberate his father's stolen kingdom. Six foreign Princes are tied to his fate. Only one thing is certain: War is coming. Praise for Book of the Shapers: "Non-stop action at a blistering pace. . .Vigorous and vibrant." -- Kirkus "Flawless -- and timeless -- epic fantasy." -- BN.com

In the sequel to Seven Sorcerers, Nin and her friends must save an entire world! Simeon Dark is the most powerful sorcerer in the land of the Drift. Mysterious, cunning, and a shape-shifter, only he can stop the evil Strood and save the Drift from dying. But where is he? Nin Redstone and her friends make their way to Dark’s mansion—a strange castle built in a tree—where she finds a ribbon of shadowy light. Could this be a clue to unlocking the mystery of Simeon Dark? Meanwhile, Mr. Strood is preparing his distillation machine, gathering his pet tigers and some barrels of blood, and then he’s coming after Nin…. Caro King has created a funny, rich, thrilling adventure, interwoven with fantastical creatures, myth, and magic.

The war between Amika and Belleger has raged for generations. Its roots lie in the distant past, beyond memory. Sorcerers from both sides rain destruction down on the battlefield, wielding the six deadly Decimates of fire, earth, wind, water, lightning, and pestilence. Prince Bifalt hopes that Belleger's new weapons technology, the rifle, will provide a decisive advantage. But when Belleger's sorcerers are mysteriously deprived of their magical abilities, leaving them unable to defend against Amika, he must set aside his own deep hatred of sorcery and work to solve this new enigma. Grasping at any chance to save his beloved homeland, Prince Bifalt of Belleger sets out on a hazardous journey across the unmapped wastelands to the east. With Elgart, his last comrade, Bifalt pursues the long-hidden trail of the one object that might be able to turn the tide of the endless war - a book entitled The Seventh Decimate. The events that unfold force Prince Bifalt to weigh his stubbornness, his patriotism, and his hatred for sorcerers against his sense of loyalty and of what he knows to be right. And as he learns, Amika and Belleger may simply be pawns within an even larger struggle...

When second son Alexander Valentine loses his brother to an assassin's arrow, he discovers that his family protects an ancient secret and reluctantly finds himself at the center of the final battle of a war that was supposed to have ended two thousand years ago. Pursued by the dark minions of an ancient enemy, Alexander flees to the mountain city of Glen Morillian where he discovers that he is the heir to the throne of Ruatha, one of the Seven Isles, but before he can claim the throne he must recover the ancient Thinblade. Seven were forged by the first Sovereign of the Seven Isles and bound to the bloodline of each of the seven Island Kings in exchange for their loyalty to the Old Law. Each sword is as long as a man's arm, as wide as a man's thumb and so thin it can't be seen when viewed from the edge. Thinblade is the story of Alexander's quest to find the ancient sword, claim the throne of Ruatha and raise an army to stand against the enemy that has awoken to claim dominion over all of the Seven Isles.

"Kitchen Confidential" meets "Heat" in the first behind-the-scenes portrait of the world's best restaurant and the aspiring chefs who toil to make it so exceptional. Elected best restaurant in the world by Restaurant magazine an unprecedented five times, El Bulli is the laboratory of Ferran Adria, the maverick creator of molecular gastronomy. Behind each of the thirty or more courses that make up a meal at El Bulli is a small army of young cooks who do the work of executing Adria's vision in exchange for nothing more than the chance to learn at his hands. Granted unprecedented access to this guild system, Lisa Abend follows the thirty-five stagiaries of the 2009 season as they struggle to master the grueling hours, cutting-edge techniques, and interpersonal tensions that come with working at the most revered restaurant on earth.

Bringing magic back into the world could mean untold wonders—or unleash hell on earth.

Would you join a University just because some men told you? Would you continue just because whatever they said turned out to be real? She did and it’s a political move, unknown to her.

Twelve tales from various countries about sorcerers and spells.