In a fantastic world of magic and mythical creatures, fifteen-year-old Ashira desperately seeks to add some excitement and romance to her dull destiny. Fans of fairy tales and Greek mythology will love Jacque Stevens’s The Stone Bearers.

Sixteen years ago a war that humans had been slowly losing for more than two thousand years ended in a place called Iowa. The victors unknowingly overcame seemingly insurmountable odds at the last possible moments and the losers in this titanic battle fled into the unassailable shadows from whence they had come, hiding behind mathematical equations so complex even they were unable to solve all of them. Sixteen years later humans struggle to rebuild from the ashes, plucking discovery upon discovery from the rubble, waiting fearfully in the darkness of space for the return of that which had almost consumed them utterly. One day, sixteen years later, a confluence of events brings humanity both to the brink of a destiny they were completely unaware of being possible and to annihilation. One day, a term almost without meaning to the seemingly vanquished enemy, fate would rise out of the blackness of space, out of a dimension where fate was as predictable as a linear equation, into another where almost nothing could be reliably predicted even with the most fastidious attention to mathematical detail. One day can be as short as a heartbeat or last forever.

Four gifted children from the Land of Four Stones are all that stand between life on Earth and oblivion. Colt and his minions have entered our realm, Earth, to find the lost Amulet – the key to ultimate power and destruction. In an effort to save both worlds, the leaders of the Land of Four Stones have hidden the children on Earth since infancy until they are ready to fulfill their purpose. Known as the Stone Bearers, the children are raised as humans until the day they are told of their true identities, their responsibility and their destiny as champions of Earth. Bestowed with their magical wands, the Stone Bearers learn of their latent powers; and as they train to gain the confidence they need to wield their magic against their adversaries, the Stone Bearers search for the lost Amulet. The Stone Bearers must find the Amulet to save the world from Colt. The race is on. Who will find the precious Amulet first?

Constructed in 1297−1300 for King Edward I, the Coronation Chair ranks amongst the most remarkable and precious treasures to have survived from the Middle Ages. It incorporated in its seat a block of sandstone, which the king seized at Scone, following his victory over the Scots in 1296. For centuries, Scottish kings had been inaugurated on this symbolic ‘Stone of Scone’, to which a copious mythology had also become attached. Edward I presented the Chair, as a holy relic, to the Shrine of St Edward the Confessor in Westminster Abbey, and most English monarchs since the fourteenth century have been crowned in it, the last being HM Queen Elizabeth II, in 1953. The Chair and the Stone have had eventful histories: in addition to physical alterations, they suffered abuse in the eighteenth century, suffragettes attached a bomb to them in 1914, they were hidden underground during the Second World War, and both were damaged by the gang that sacrilegiously broke into Westminster Abbey and stole the Stone in 1950. It was recovered and restored to the Chair, but since 1996 the Stone has been exhibited on loan in Edinburgh Castle. Now somewhat battered through age, the Chair was once highly ornate, being embellished with gilding, painting and colored glass. Yet, despite its profound historical significance, until now it has never been the subject of detailed archaeological recording. Moreover, the remaining fragile decoration was in need of urgent conservation, which was carried out in 2010−12, accompanied by the first holistic study of the Chair and Stone. In 2013 the Chair was redisplayed to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of the Coronation of HM The Queen. The latest investigations have revealed and documented the complex history of the Chair: it has been modified on several occasions, and the Stone has been reshaped and much altered since it left Scone. This volume assembles, for the first time, the complementary evidence derived from history, archaeology and conservation, and presents a factual account of the Coronation Chair and the Stone of Scone, not as separate artifacts, but as the entity that they have been for seven centuries. Their combined significance to the British Monarchy and State – and to the history and archaeology of the English and Scottish nations – is greater than the sum of their parts. Also published here for the first time is the second Coronation Chair, made for Queen Mary II in 1689. Finally, accounts are given of the various full-size replica chairs in Britain and Canada, along with a selection of the many models in metal and ceramic which have been made during the last two centuries.

A talisman that unmasks thoughts, desires, deepest secrets. The fate of kingdoms depends on mastering its power and protecting it... The untroubled world of young Thomas Stablehand is changed forever when he stumbles upon an unusual stone. With the thoughts and intents of others laid bare to him, he eagerly indulges his curiosity. But seeing into other minds isn’t like Thomas expected. And troubles are only beginning. Invaders attack the kingdom of Arvenon, and Thomas has nowhere to turn except to his friend Will Prentis, a gifted and ambitious leader who has risen rapidly in the ranks of the king’s army. Will is fearless, and where he leads men follow. With the kingdom on the brink, Will leads a small band on a perilous quest to thwart the invaders. Fearing his secret will be exposed, and hoping to help prevent catastrophe, Thomas flees with them. But dangerous enemies seek the stone for their own ends. As Will faces a relentless opponent whose true purpose remains hidden, Thomas must decide what price he's willing to pay to protect the stone and preserve the kingdom. If you enjoy epic fantasy with gripping action, relatable characters, and clean romance in a sweeping coming of age saga, then try the novels of The Stone Cycle now! Note:The Stone of Knowing is Book 1 of The Stone Cycle, a multi-part saga. The first part of the ongoing tale concludes in Book 2, The Cost of Knowing. The Stone Cycle reading order: - The Stone of Knowing (Book One) - The Cost of Knowing (Book Two) - The Stone of Authority (Book Three) - The Struggle for Authority (Book Four) - The Stone of Vitality (Book Five) - The Hope of Vitality (Book Six) Additional reading for The Stone Cycle: - The Seer: A Prequel to The Stone of Knowing is a complete story of novelette length that can be read independently of other books in the series. The recommended reading order is after The Cost of Knowing( Book 2) and before The Struggle for Authority (Book Four). - The Rending: A Prequel to The Cost of Knowing is a complete story of novelette length that can be read independently of other books in the series. The recommended reading order is after The Cost of Knowing (Book 2). Subscribe to my mailing list at allanpacker.com for a free copy of the ebook. Print and audiobook editions are available from a wide range of online stores.

Multiple Hugo and Nebula award-winning author, Greg Bear is one of science fiction’s most accomplished writers. Bold scientific speculation, riveting plots, and a fierce humanism reflected in characters who dare to dream of better worlds distinguish his work. Now Bear has written a mind-bendingly epic novel that may well be his masterpiece. Do you dream of a city at the end of time? In a time like the present, in a world that may or may not be our own, three young people–Ginny, Jack, and Daniel–dream of a doomed, decadent city of the distant future: the Kalpa. Ginny’s and Jack’s dreams overtake them without warning, leaving their bodies behind while carrying their consciousnesses forward, into the minds of two inhabitants of the Kalpa–a would-be warrior, Jebrassy, and an inquisitive explorer, Tiadba–who have been genetically retro-engineered to possess qualities of ancient humanity. As for Daniel: He dreams of an empty darkness–all that his future holds. But more than dreams link Ginny, Jack, and Daniel. They are fate-shifters, born with the ability to skip like stones across the surface of the fifth dimension, inhabiting alternate versions of themselves. And each guards an object whose origin and purpose are unknown: gnarled, stony artifacts called sum-runners that persist unchanged through all versions of time. Hunted by others with similar powers who seek the sum-runners on behalf of a terrifying, goddess-like entity known as the Chalk Princess, Ginny, Jack, and Daniel are drawn, despite themselves, into an all but hopeless mission to rescue the future–and complete the greatest achievement in human history.