Witch In The White City by Nick Wisseman

Synopsis: Thousands of exhibits. Millions of visitors. One supernatural killer.

Neva's goals at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago are simple. Enjoy the spectacle—perhaps the greatest the United States has ever put on (the world’s fair to end all world’s fairs!). Perform in the exposition’s Algerian Theatre to the best of her abilities. And don't be found out as a witch.

Easy enough … until the morning she looks up in the theatre and sees strangely marked insects swarming a severed hand in the rafters. Before she can scream, the bugs drop and swarm her. And every one of them seems to have a stinger.

They strike fast—it only takes them a moment to inject her with so much venom that the same strange marks begin to rise on her skin. She's horrified, but there's worse to come: once the insects disperse, a Columbian Guard notices her rashes and warns that five people with similar sores have been murdered and dismembered. Before they died, the victims also seem to have lost their minds.

Neva considers fleeing the exposition. But that won't stop her from going mad. So she marshals her powers and searches for the killer. Soon enough, it becomes clear he's searching for her too.

This is truly a blend of real life events, alternate history fiction, fantasy fiction with a splash of the supernatural. If this is your genre, you will love this.!

I will admit that, personally, I guess I am a bit of an old-school fantasy fiction reader (Mists of Avalon, Lord of the Rings, etc), and my only real alternate history outing was a poorly done book about Anne Boleyn and a rather good one from Colin Taber on the Viking settlement of the US. So it was with a little bit of trepidation that I agreed to give this a go when offered by the author, Nick Wisseman.

The premise certainly was intriguing - being a non-US resident, I was not familiar with the names given to these "expos" - so that alone sent me scurrying away to do some more reading. I was delighted to know that this was a real event!

In 1893, an expo (or exposition) was held in Chicago in 1893 - ostensibly to celebrate Columbus' arrival 400 years previous. Here's me thinking it was an expo on actual Columbian culture! Anyway, from my additional reading, the setting is Wisseman's novel really taps into this event, and the events that occurred slightly before and after.

The Columbian Exposition covered 690 acres, made up on nearly 200 temporary neoclassical style buildings, canals and lagoons. The facade of every building was draped in white, giving rise to it's name - the white city. Artists and musicians, and people and cultures from 46 countries were featured in exhibits and many also made depictions and works of art inspired by the exposition. The expo ran for six months - May to October.

There were many "firsts" featured at this expo - the ferris wheel, electricity (which powered the event), the edison kinetoscope, morse code, the travelator and the telegram.

So, was there really a serial killer stalking the exposition grounds. Well, yes and no. Around this time lived a rather odd fellow called HH Holmes, who, it is speculated, may have killed as many as 200 people, in his "hotel" situated about three miles away from the expo. It is said he began construction of this hotel about ten years prior and may have begun his killings in the few years leading up to the expo - he is reported to have left Chicago about a year later when questions began to be asked about not only missing persons but from supplied about unpaid bills.

It is a slow build as the storyline unfolds, with multiple protagonists, each with their own agenda, who both help and hinder Neva (our heroine) in her quest to battle this supernatural enemy before she too, becomes one of its many victims. Throughout it all are the parallel (and challenging) themes of inequality, racism, political and social change, new ideas (including spiritualism) and concepts.

However, the Columbian Exposition was a mirage, an illusion, a temporary idyll - "Chicago changed its spots for a time, but not for long"  and "when the mask comes off, everyone is laid bare" - how very apt. For after the exposition's closure and subsequent fire, the idle smokestacks were fired up once again, blanketing the city in a perpetual grey cloak of fog that hid much from view.

Obit: Terry Goodkind

From The Bookseller: 

Tributes have been paid to “amazing” fantasy author Terry Goodkind, best known for the 17-volume Sword of Truth series, after he passed away aged 72.

His first Sword of Truth book was published in 1994 with many more following in a prolific writing spell that climaxed with Warheart, released in 2015 by Head of Zeus alongside e-books of the rest of the series.

In 2019, he returned to the world of D’Hara with five serial novels published between April 2019 and June 2020. The Children of D’Hara, a 1,000-page omnibus edition, will publish in February 2021.

read more here @ The Bookseller

website @ Terry Goodkind

Dangerous To Know: The Chronicles of Breed: Book One by K.T. Davies

A mystical weapon. A treacherous legacy. A vengeful demon on the brink of bringing worldwide annihilation.

Fouled-mouthed thief-assassin Breed thrives on a risky life of crime. Sent by a mob boss to pilfer a priceless sapphire, the lizard-human hybrid accidentally releases an ancient imprisoned imp. Strangled within an inch of death, Breed schmoozes out of the evil creature’s deadly claws with a promise to steal a legendary magical Hammer.

As perilous obstacles sidetrack the quest, the snarky burglar ends up magically bonded to a powerful priest-magician who’s determined to fulfill an archaic prophecy. With the vicious demon on the rampage and enemies nipping at their heels, Breed must find the mighty object before they both bite the dust. But once the beast gets its hands on the Hammer, Breed fears it will smash their world to pieces…

Can Breed become the hero named in destiny and stop the entity’s bloody reign?

Dangerous to Know is the first book in the gritty Chronicles of Breed epic fantasy series. If you like endearing anti-heroes, sword and sorcery, and grimdark comedy, then you’ll love K.T. Davies’ gripping tale.

• Book 2: Tooth and Claw
• Book 3: Something Wicked

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik, a fairytale of women driving hard bargains

Review by Olivia Ho for The Straits Times:

In the tale of Rumpelstiltskin, a girl must spin straw into gold. Writer Naomi Novik pulls off this figurative sleight-of-hand, finding the magic in the prosaic - financial loans, risk investment and contract law - and spinning it into a captivating story.

While it does not quite match up to its spectacular predecessor Uprooted, an ecological fairytale set on the edge of a perilous wood, it is enthralling in its own way.

Novik has an enormous talent for writing complex, competent heroines who go beyond the archetypes of "strong" or "feisty" and are impressively good at what they do.

Novik's story is a paean to women who will not settle for less. Over and over again, her heroines are given the choice to compromise - to be content with their lot, to keep their heads down for fear of trouble, or to save themselves when they could save others. Instead, they choose to drive a hard bargain.

read an excerpt here @ Penguin Random House

Crystal Smith's Bloodleaf: 2019's hottest YA fantasy

From  Entertainment Weekly:

If the buzz surrounding it is any indication, Bloodleaf has a good chance of becoming your next YA obsession. Described as a retelling of the Grimm Brothers’ The Goose Girl, the fantasy marks the debut of author Crystal Smith, and was acquired in a lucrative deal out of a heated six-publishing-house auction.

Mixing romance with magic and paranormal intrigue, Bloodleaf centers on young Princess Aurelia. When she’s forced to switch places with her maid, stripped of her title in a devastating betrayal, she ends up powerless in an enemy city and alone for the first time in her life. But even without her crown, she can’t leave politics behind. As her city goes under attack, Aurelia must decide what price she’s willing to pay to save her enemy and reclaim her throne. With an enigmatic prince asking questions Aurelia can’t answer, the ghost of an ancient queen haunting her mind, and an unstable and primordial magic gathering in the air she knows she must fight for her crown — whatever the cost.

'The Poppy War' : A magical, brutal coming-of-age tale in a medieval Asian fantasy world

From NY Daily News:

"The Poppy War" brings to life a war orphan named Fang Runin or Rin for short, who barely makes a life in a deeply divided empire of magic, martial arts and angry gods. Author R.F. Kuang constructs a magical world reminiscent of medieval China, rather than the standard European tropes common to the genre, where monsters, both human and not, can wreak unspeakable havoc.

Kuang ambitiously begins a trilogy that doesn't shy away from the darkest sides of her characters, wrapped in a confectionery of high-fantasy pulp. Where the children's "Avatar" animated-series ultimately is about optimism in the face of unending warfare, "The Poppy War" delivers a tale more fatalistic, but still relatable. Frankly, it's also just wonderful to have more genre stories told through an Asian cultural tableau. The future of Rin in this world may appear quite dark, but that of the series seems bright indeed.

Book two is titled The Dragon Republic whilst the third is yet untitled.

read more here also @ Barnes & Noble

Review: Saxon's Bane by Geoffrey Gudgion

Fergus Sheppard’s world changes forever the day his car crashes near the remote village of Allingley. Traumatised by his near-death experience, he returns to thank the villagers who rescued him, and stays to work at the local stables as he recovers from his injuries. He will discover a gentler pace of life, fall in love ¬ and be targeted for human sacrifice.

Clare Harvey’s life will never be the same either. The young archaeologist’s dream find ¬ the peat-preserved body of a Saxon warrior ¬ is giving her nightmares. She can tell that the warrior had been ritually murdered, and that the partial skeleton lying nearby is that of a young woman. And their tragic story is unfolding in her head every time she goes to sleep.

Fergus discovers that his crash is uncannily linked to the excavation, and that the smiling and beautiful countryside harbours some very dark secrets. As the pagan festival of Beltane approaches, and Clare’s investigation reveals the full horror of a Dark Age war crime, Fergus and Clare seem destined to share the Saxon couple’s bloody fate.

This is one of those stories when the reality of the main characters collide with something all-together unreal.

At the time Fergus is involved in a car accident outside of a small English village, archaeologist Clare is making a discovery of her lifetime. Fergus' return to the village is some sort of catharsis whilst visions of a past life of the Saxon warrior unearthed from the bog plague the dreams of Clare. As Beltane approaches, are Clare and Fergus doomed to relive the fate of the Dark Age couple?

The story immediately reminded me of "The Wicker Man" and "Children of the Corn". It is rich, evocative and descriptive, gripping and harrowing, as Gudgion weaves a tale shrouded in ancient folklore, superstition, dark fantasy and horror. The village of Allingley itself, with its diverse characters, conceals a deep, long hidden animosity - the menace of impending doom hovers in the air like a pall.

The story slowly builds, you are drawn deeper and deeper, until it reaches its apogee and the true horror is revealed.

Further Reading:

The Search for Anglo-Saxon Paganism by EG Stanley

Imagining the Anglo-Saxon Past by EG Stanley

Anglo-Saxon Paganism by David Wilson

Bog Bodies Uncovered by Miranda Aldhouse-Green

Bodies in the Bog and the Archaeological Imagination by Karin Sanders

The Book of Joan by Lidia Yuknavitch review – the future is medieval

From Books | The Guardian:

Joan of Arc and Christine de Pizan are reimagined in a post-apocalyptic dystopia, in this compellingly ambitious examination of gender, semiotics and warfare.

One premise of The Book of Joan is that the 21st century, for all its technological advances, has returned us to pre-modern levels of brutality and strife. There are children fighting once again; there are religious crusades; land is seized at will. Yuknavitch takes three real people from medieval France and reimagines them in a post-apocalyptic future.

The narrative mode is to show through dramatic, often moving scenes, and then to tell, reflecting on them analytically. This disjunction can be jarring, but it’s knowingly done, because the book’s style is itself a theme.

Katherine Arden: It's a great time for female fantasy writers

From CNET:

Katherine Arden's new book, "The Girl in the Tower," is an evocative fairy tale for adults set in medieval Russia. The novel is a sequel to Arden's acclaimed debut, "The Bear and the Nightingale" and is the second part of her Winternight trilogy. 

Nicholas Tufnell spoke to Arden about folklore, her writing process and why female fantasy writers are getting recognised in a way they haven't before.

The final Winternight book. It's called "The Winter of the Witch" and should be out late 2018.

Review: Christopher Wild by Kathe Koja

..... he lives by his pen, his wit, his nerves, his temper, his ambitions, his appetites, 

his ability to manoeuvre on several fields at once, keeping free of the floods that wash others away .....

Synopsis: Three lives. One man. 

Marlowe lives three different lives in this story, each time awakening in an dark alley, living a new life. I am afraid that for me, the narrative did not work; it was incoherent and disjointed (each paragraph begins with a dash symbol). I could barely follow the dialogue - was it all in his head or was he actually speaking the words aloud (hint: all dialogue is in italics), and thus I struggled at times to work out who was actually narrating the stories.

For me personally, the character portrayal, the editing and punctuation (or lack thereof), writing style and storytelling put the author firmly on the back foot with me. Marlowe was a complex character - poet, spy, heretic - there is so much that you could do with him in a fictional context.

And as much as I love Marlowe, I was not a fan of this, and sadly, I would not recommend it.

Review: Hook's Tale

I love it when the villain gets to tell their side of the story .... and in this instance, it is the tale of Captain James Cook - of Captain Hook as he became known, as re-imagined by John Leonard Pielmeier.

Yes, this is the story one that famous piratical character that has terrified children worldwide - Captain Hook! Here, the story is told through the eyes of young James Cook, who following misfortune, finds himself pressed into service with the Royal Navy. A treasure maps leads the mutinous crew to Neverland where ".. the rules - the laws of astronomy and geography and physics - even Time - all broken.."

Suffered to perish for abandoning his post and allowing the enemy (pirates) to attack, young James is rescued by none other than one Peter Pan. From this point on, James meets the characters of the traditional story - the crocodile, Tiger-Lily, Tinkerbell, the Darling family. The story behind James' loss of this hand, his revenge, and the tales of the lost boys is revealed.

It is a charming story of Pan's nemesis Captain Hook as told by Hook himself, or rather James Cook. It is quite captivating in its narration, keeping the story peppered with elements of JM Barrie's original work.

read reviews here:

Simon & Schuster: A rollicking debut novel from award-winning playwright and screenwriter John Pielmeier reimagines the childhood of the much maligned Captain Hook: his quest for buried treasure, his friendship with Peter Pan, and the story behind the swashbuckling world of Neverland.

Kirkus Review: The author's thorough, affectionate knowledge of both the original book and the historical period grounds this fantasy in rich detail.

More September Additions

With the latest round of additions to the Library, anyone would think I might have an addiction - to books that is.  I make no secret of the fact that I might have a "small" foible when it comes to books - I do tend to collect them on not such a small scale.  But to each their own!

Adding to my collection of George RR Martin's Game of Thrones series:

• A Dance With Dragons: Part 1 Dreams and Dust
• A Dance With Dragons: Part 2 After the Feast
• A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

As for the rest:

• A History of Wales by John Davies
• Daughter of Venice - Caterina Corner, Queen of Cyprus and Woman of the Renaissance by Holly Hurlburt
• The Rival Queens - Catherine de' Medici, Her Daughter Marguerite de Valois, and the Betrayal That Ignited a Kingdom by Nancy Goldstone
• Bess of Hardwick - First Lady of Chatsworth by Mary Lovell
• Harold - Tha Last Anglo Saxon King by Ian Walker
• Red Roses - Blanche of Gaunt to Margaret Beaufort by Amy Licence
• Bosworth - The Birth of the Tudors by Chris Skidmore
• The Life and Afterlife of Isabeau of Bavaria by Tracy Adams
• Margaret, Queen of Sicily by Jacqueline Alio
• Kingdom of Sicily 1130-1860 by Louis Mendola
• Kingmakers - How Power in England Was Won and Lost on the Welsh Frontier by Timothy Venning
• The Family of Richard III by Michael Hicks
• The Warrior Queen - The Life and Legend of Aethelflaed, Daughter of Alfred the Greatby Joanna Arman
• King John - England, Magna Carta and the Making of a Tyrantby Stephen Church

      

'All Souls' Trilogy by Deborah Harkness

What do you get when a veteran academic with specializations in Renaissance history, alchemy and medieval science turns her hand to fiction? The "All Souls Trilogy" by Deborah Harkness is a work of romantic fantasy fiction for those whose tastes turn more toward the intellectual. Harkness is a professor of European and science history at University of Southern California in Los Angeles but has taught various subjects at multiple prestigious universities.

Each book in the series is lengthy, with plenty of plot twists and turns. Tidbits and factoids spanning the breadths of Harkness' learning are liberally injected into the story. At times, these additions make the plot seem convoluted, but if one has a bent toward historical trivia as this reviewer does, it will send the reader running to the library stacks in search of corroborative nonfiction titles. Each book builds on the previous, with the plot becoming denser and more satisfying with each addition. All in all, the series was an excellent read, at once dark and humorous, romantic yet mentally stimulating.

read entire review by Crystal Kendrick here @ Herald Dispatch

More May Additions

Here are the last few additions to the Library for May 2017:

I, Claudius by Robert Graves

Bringing to life the subterfuge and double-dealing of Roman nobility, Robert Graves's I, Claudius brings the ancient world to life with startling clarity and meticulous realism. 

- read it, loved it; watched it, loved it; own it, love it!

The Ashes of London by Andrew Taylor

A CITY IN FLAMES London, 1666. As the Great Fire consumes everything in its path, the body of a man is found in the ruins of St Paul's Cathedral - stabbed in the neck, thumbs tied behind his back. A WOMAN ON THE RUN The son of a traitor, James Marwood is forced to hunt the killer through the city's devastated streets. There he encounters a determined young woman who will stop at nothing to secure her freedom. A KILLER SEEKING REVENGE When a second murder victim is discovered in the Fleet Ditch, Marwood is drawn into the political and religious intrigue of Westminster - and across the path of a killer with nothing to lose...

Lucrezia Borgia: A Study by Joan Haslip (Women Who Made History series)

Read all about it here! The last generation of the powerful Borgia family comes to life in these pages.

Blood Trillium by Julian May

This sequel to "Black Trillium" features the three princesses - Haramis, the intellectual and spiritual one, Kadiya, the wild and courageous one, and Anigel, the youngest and sweetest princess. Each of the princesses hold a powerful talisman - a bud of the long-extinct black trillium.

I have the first - Black Trillium - so, when I came across the sequel, it was a no-brainer. Now I realise that there is three more in the series - Golden Trillium, Lady of the Trillium, Sky Trillium.

Novels of Outremer

who controls the past controls the future

I was intrigued to say the least when I cam across this new (to me anyway) series of fictional books based in the Crusader Kingdom of Outremer (outre-mer meaning "overseas" - thus the kingdom over the seas).  So a brief recap before proceeding.

The Books of Outremer by Chaz Brenchley

His fantasy series The Books of Outremer tells the story of the struggle to control the land of Outremer - not only the war between the invaders and the native peoples, but also the factional struggles within each side, not to mention the magical beings who have their own mysterious reasons for intervening. And most of all, it is the story of a group of individuals, brought together by these public events, but trying to live their own private lives regardless.

See also: Melisende's Library - Book of Outremer

Hawks of Outremer by Robert E. Howard

A collection of historical short stories featuring Cormac Fitzgeoffrey, a participant in the Third Crusade.

• "Hawks of Outremer"
• "The Blood of Belshazzar"
• "The Slave-Princess" (completed by Richard L. Tierney)

read more here @ CBR dot com or @ Project Gutenberg Australia

Outremer by Nabil Saleh

Outremer is a novel of faith and heresy, loyalty and intrigue, set in the 13th century Levant. Aimeric and his young family seek peace in the Maronite community of Gibelet under Mount Lebanon, but there too he is entangled in conflicts. Oriental and Western Christians, Mamelukes and other Muslims, Jews and Druzes spend their lives in war and peace, compromise and confrontation, as their heirs do today as if nothing has changed and no lessons learned.

Though advertised as a "series" I know nothing more.

Outremer by D.N. Carter

Outremer is a powerful love story set during the Crusades of the 12th Century based upon real people; of love, loyalty, sacrifice and honour, but also unrequited love, jealousy, treachery and betrayals with consequences that echo out across the centuries to the present!

The reviews have been generous (see Goodreads, Amazon UK & Amazon) and so I was intrigued - anything set in this period of history - whether fact, fiction. fantasy - has always piqued my interest. I guess this may be another series that will be seeking a place on the Library shelves some time very soon.

read the article here that first drew my attention @ Female First

New Fiction: The City Of Brass

Nahri has never believed in magic. Certainly, she has power; on the streets of 18th century Cairo, she’s a con woman of unsurpassed talent. But she knows better than anyone that the trade she uses to get by—palm readings, zars, healings—are all tricks, sleights of hand, learned skills; a means to the delightful end of swindling Ottoman nobles. 

S.A. Chakraborty's debut novel, The City of Brass, is an epic historical fantasy about con-artist, Nahri, who strikes up a friendship with “a fiery djinn prince who dreams of revolutionizing his father’s corrupt regime. But, in a world where loyalty is a magical bond and grievances last for millennia, she soon learns that working with the enemy – even to make peace – can have deadly consequences.”

read an excerpt here @ Gizmondo Australia or visit S.A Chakraborty's website

5 fantasy novels to read while you wait for next Game of Thrones book

5 fantasy novels to read while you wait for next Game of Thrones book | books$ht-picks | Hindustan Times

With George RR Martin’s The Winds of Winter experiencing further delays, what other great new fantasy books can we sink our teeth into?

The Winds of Winter may have originally been scheduled for publication before the sixth season of Game of Thrones aired, but fans of the fantasy series are still waiting for author George RR Martin to put his pen down, despite the TV season having already finished. Some have even speculated that the book will not be released until early 2017.

All that book readers have to go on for the moment are the potential spoilers given away by the TV show, although the two do not share all the same plot lines, and an excerpt of a chapter entitled Ariane published by the author on his website.

To keep our fantastic imaginations whirring, there are thankfully several new fantasy novels that have just been, or are about to be, released: Behind the Throne by KB Wagers, The Obelisk Gate by NK Jemisin, Age of Myth by Michael J Sullivan, The Wheel of Osheim by Mark Lawrence and Summerlong by Peter S Beagle.

See these books here at Hindustan Times

May & June Additions To The Library

I have been a little lax in updating the new additions to my Library, so here are the additions for May & June 2016 - quite an eclectic collection.

(1) The Accursed Kings series by Maurice Duron.     

This French series is set in the reign of Philip IV 'the Fair" of France and his counterpart, Edward II of England.  It begins with a curse, and is followed closely by political intrigue, murder, and adultery.  I have this series on DVD and have wanted to own the books for some time.

(2) Eclectic Europe: A rather wide-ranging subject matter from Scotland & Wales, to the Normans & Norsemen, and back to the Renaissance Italy with Sam Black's "The Ground is Burning".

(3) Secondhand Gold: A few favourites discovered at the local secondhand shop - Breaker Morant is an Aussie legend, so a must have for this Aussie girl. Eoin Colfer's "Artemis Fowl" series has a place alongside "Harry Potter". And who doesn't love a good medieval murder mystery?

(4) The Witcher series by Andrzej Sapkowski (The Last Wish, Blood of Elves, Time of Contempt, Baptism of Fire, Tower of Swallows, Sword of Destiny) - all wrapped up for a forthcoming birthday present - though the seventh book is on pre-order.

Book of Outremer

Anyone who is familiar with the history of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem cannot but be struck by the similarities in the Book of Outremer trilogy by Chaz Brenchley.

Book One - Tower of the King's Daughter
"The Kingdom of Outremer was born of blood and pain and passion; forty years on, enemies still threaten its borders and heresy still threatens its peace."

The First Book of Outremer is loosely based upon the first years of European settlement in the Holy Land after the First Crusade. It mixes a combination of magic and fantasy with the right amount of near history.


Feast of the King's Shadow
"The Kingdom of Outremer was raised on sands steeped in the blood of war, and to war it is returning. The Sharai tribes, bitter and divided in defeat, have regrouped in their stronghold of Rhabat. Observing an uneasy truce under the banner of the charismatic Hasan, they await the coming of the Ghost Walker, the long-promised deliverer of their people."


Hand of the King's Evil
"The Kingdom of Outremer was forged from the hot blood and cold steel of battle but a fragile peace has come at last. Still the threat of war stalks its borders and heresy lurks from within, the poison seeping from its own renegade state ... An army of poor is also marching to an uncertain end, following a preacher with a blessed relic and a gift for miracles."


Chaz on the Web:

• Official Website
• The Books of Outremer
• Murder Squad
• The Idle Solitary

Jason Who?

Welcome to my page on author extraordinare Dan McGirt. Never heard of him?? Well that's your loss. Dan McGirt is a force to be recknoned with when it comes to fantasy adventure novels. He is the author of the "Jason Cosmo Trilogy" (Jason Cosmo, Royal Chaos, and Dirty Work). These are not your typical fantasy novels, but then, Dan McGirt is not your typical fantasy author ... or is he??. So, to the books:

Jason Cosmo
Who is this Jason Cosmo? Well he is a woodcutter turned reluctant Superhero. Follow Jason as he does battle with nefarious villains, assorted monsters, wizards of the highest (and darkest) order; gasp as Jason is pursued by the cream of the Bounty Hunters; marvel as Jason is seduced by beautiful damsels in obvious distress (this is a fantasy book after all); be amazed as Jason comes to the attention of the Gods (and one scatterbrained Goddess in particular). All this is just a typical day in the life of a Superhero. Will Jason and his good friend the wizard Mercury Boltblaster save the Eleven Kingdoms from the Dark Magic Society or will Jason end up on the Superhero scrapheap. Jason soon learns that this Superhero business is not always what it is cracked up to be.


Royal Chaos
Terrorists have taken over the Tower!!! --- and once again Jason Cosmo must wear his underpants on the outside (hardly a fashion statement for today's aspiring Superhero). Just who is responsible for this dark and darstedly deed?? The Dark Magic Society have re-opened for business (Under New Management of course); the maniacal nobles are on the chilvalric warpath (well some of them are, the others are just on the warpath); every man and his monster wants a piece of our Superhero, and the good wizard Mercury just wants a piece of whoever is responsible. But who is this new kid on the block, putting forward his bid for Number One spot on the Charts of Evil, and just what has he done to upset our Superhero and his pal?? But wait, there is a late challenger breaking loose from the back of the pack??? This doesn't look good for our Jason and Mercury.


Dirty Work
...""Retirement just wasn't what it was cracked up to be - especially when no one would take your retirement seriously. SDtill, Jason Cosmo, the ex-woodcutter now known as the Mighty Champion, was sick of being an invincilbe hero. All he wanted to do was turn in his magic armour and his loyal, demon-slaying sword, his sun-goddess medallion and his secret decoder ring - and, of course, his Heroes Club charge card - and settle down someplace quiet to raise turnips. But rumour had it that the Superwand, the "ultimate implement of power" had just come back into the world, and no one but Jason stood a chance of finding it and pitching it out of the universe again before the arch Demon Lord got hold of it. So, depsite the ongoing distractions of persistent assassins, lesser demons, and murderous magicians, Jason and his soon-to-be sorceress love set out on an impossible quest that would take them from noble courts to pirate dens to the very gateway of Hell."


About the Author
Dan McGirt is the author of the Jason Cosmo fantasy adventure series, including the all new Hero Wanted and the original Non-Trilogy: Jason Cosmo, Royal Chaos and Dirty Work. He was recently named one of the 100+ Best Authors on Twitter.

Read more about Jason Cosmo at:

• Jason Cosmo
• SFF.net - Dan McGirt
• Jason Cosmo Update
• Cosmopedia
• Trove Books
• Smashwords - Interview with Dan McGirt