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The Serpent Mage: The Infinity Concerto; The Serpent Mage (Songs of Earth and Power #2)
by Greg BearFrom the New York Times–bestselling and award-winning author of The Infinity Concerto, the fantasy saga continues . . . After five years trapped in the Realm of the Sidhedark, Michael Perrin has returned home. He wants nothing more than to live a normal life—but the unearthly music of Arno Waltiri continues to play on. The song of power has weakened the veil between the human and faerie worlds. The streets of Los Angeles are haunted by uncanny beings, strange bodies have been discovered in a dilapidated hotel, and an ancient creature calls to Michael from the waters of a loch in Scotland. The Sidhe have followed Michael home. To repair the rift between Earth and Realm, man and fae, he will have to wield the magic he wished he never learned—and complete an unfinished symphony linked to the ethereal melody of Waltiri&’s Opus 45, the Infinity Concerto. This follow-up to The Infinity Concerto is a work of fresh, out-of-the-ordinary fantasy by an acclaimed winner of the Nebula and Hugo Awards, the author of The Forge of God, the Forerunner Saga, and other reader favorites.
The Serpent Pool: A Lake District Mystery (Lake District Mysteries #4)
by Martin Edwards"An unusual and challenging puzzle mystery that will keep [you] guessing until the final pages. Wow!" —Library Journal STARRED reviewSeven years ago, Bethany Friend was found drowned in mere inches of water in the lonely Serpent Pool in England's Lake District. Was it suicide or murder? Now, determined to win justice for Bethany's dying mother, DCI Hannah Scarlett of the Cold Case Squad re-opens the case.But Hannah has problems of her own: a new sergeant with a reputation for causing trouble, a new house close to the Serpent Pool, and new cause to doubt her partner, second-hand bookseller Marc Amos. Worried by dwindling finances and the horrific death of one of his best customers, Marc finds himself drawn to the lovely and enigmatic Cassie Weston, who works in his shop.Then Hannah meets Louise Kind, sister of historian Daniel Kind. Louise has been living with book collector and lawyer Stuart Wagg, and has just confessed to her brother that she struck Wagg with a knife. Searching for the supposed victim, Hannah and Daniel—who is writing a book about the brilliant but opium-addicted 19th-century English writer Thomas De Quincey—encounter dark secrets and strange obsessions that oddly echo De Quincey's drug-fueled writings.
The Serpent Sea
by Martha WellsMoon, once a solitary wanderer, has become consort to Jade, sister queen of the Indigo Cloud court. Together, they travel with their people on a pair of flying ships in hopes of finding a new home for their colony. Moon finally feels like he's found a tribe where he belongs. But when the travelers reach the ancestral home of Indigo Cloud, shrouded within the trunk of a mountain-sized tree, they discover a blight infecting its core. Nearby they find the remains of the invaders who may be responsible, as well as evidence of a devastating theft. This discovery sends Moon and the hunters of Indigo Cloud on a quest for the heartstone of the tree - a quest that will lead them far away, across the Serpent Sea.In this followup to The Cloud Roads, Martha Wells returns with a world-spanning odyssey, a mystery that only provokes more questions - and the adventure of a lifetime.
The Serpent Sea
by Martha WellsMoon, once a solitary wanderer, has become consort to Jade, sister queen of the Indigo Cloud court. Together, they travel with their people on a pair of flying ships in hopes of finding a new home for their colony. Moon finally feels like he's found a tribe where he belongs. But when the travelers reach the ancestral home of Indigo Cloud, shrouded within the trunk of a mountain-sized tree, they discover a blight infecting its core. Nearby they find the remains of the invaders who may be responsible, as well as evidence of a devastating theft. This discovery sends Moon and the hunters of Indigo Cloud on a quest for the heartstone of the tree -- a quest that will lead them far away, across the Serpent Sea. In this followup to The Cloud Roads, Martha Wells returns with a world-spanning odyssey, a mystery that only provokes more questions -- and the adventure of a lifetime.
The Serpent Society (Marvel Avengers)
by Pat ShandWhen the Avengers assemble to defeat a horrible monster that appears in the skies over Brooklyn, they quickly learn that the creature was seemingly drawn there by a young woman with the ability to open portals to other realms. The mysterious woman escapes, but Tony Stark and the team track her down, only to find she is one of a team of unknown, super-powered individuals . . . who are decidedly not interested in answering the Avengers' questions. As the battle rages, it becomes clear these young villains are not the ones controlling their powers; but if they are not the villains, then who is? Earth's Mightiest Heroes soon discover that the puppet masters are the newly reorganized Serpent Society, headed by Black Mamba. The Society are using this new team to bring down all who stand in the way of their most nefarious plot to date, and if the Avengers can't protect their own and defeat this new threat, the Serpent Society will reign victorious. Avengers: The Serpent Society, written by veteran comic book and fantasy writer Pat Shand, will take the iconic team of Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, the Hulk, Black Widow, and Hawkeye on a heart-pounding adventure to protect not just the Earth but the very fabric of reality.
The Serpent and the Angel (The Shifters #8)
by M. D. GrimmThe Shifters: Book EightIn the year 1866, Sheriff Tobias Goldstein guards a small mining town in the Colorado territory with a cold and merciless hand. A rare rattlesnake shifter, he lives by a code and expecting others to do the same has kept the peace--until a nameless stranger wanders into town. Intrigued by the lone man, Tobias names him Angel Smith, and sensing he's trustworthy, he deputizes Angel. A guardian at heart, golden eagle shifter Angel protects the townspeople, but his dedication is to an ancient scroll capable of great destruction. For generations, Angel's family protected the artifact with their lives. Now something has returned to hunt down the scroll. Forced to leave his tribe, Angel enjoys the quiet he's found with Tobias, who hides a warm heart under his aloof exterior. Angel knows the quiet will not last and fears the battle on the horizon. But with Tobias at his back, Angel might stand a chance against his enemies.
The Serpent and the Rose: The First Book In The War Of The Rose (The War of the Rose #1)
by Kathleen BryanThe beautiful Averil is heir to the Duchy of Quitaine, in the Kingdom of Lys. She is a powerful mage, trained by the Ladies of the Isle, but when her father calls her home to take up her duties, she must leave that life behind. In her city of Fontevrai, she meets Gereint, raised as a common villager but greatly gifted in magic, a novice of the magical order of the Knights of the Rose.The Knights and their sister order, the Ladies of the Isle, defend a great secret: the means and location of the Serpent's imprisonment a thousand years ago by the Young God in whose name their order was founded.Quitaine is under subtle attack by the King of Lys, who has secretly become an adept of the hidden order of the Serpent, and he will let nothing and no one stand in the way of his quest to discover how to free his God. But the Knights of the Rose, and the Ladies of the Isle believe that if the Serpent is freed, the world will be enslaved to chaos: humanity will destroy itself, and all that man has made will be corrupted. The War of the Rose and Serpent has begun again, after a thousand years.At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
The Serpent and the Wolf
by Rebecca RobinsonPerfect for fans of Raven Kennedy and Lauren Roberts, Rebecca Robinson&’s thrilling romantasy debut combines high-stakes political intrigue and a steamy, slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers romance. Vaasa Kozár knows she isn't long for this world. She has just lost her mother – her only remaining parent – to a mysterious dark magic that has since awakened within her, a looming death sentence. Vaasa's brother, Dominik, has wasted no time in marrying her off to Reid of Mireh, a ruthless foreign leader. In one fell swoop, Dominik has both eliminated Vaasa as a threat to his crown and secured himself a second nation when her magic finally consumes her. Vaasa enters her new marriage with every intent to escape it, wielding the political prowess and combat abilities her late father instilled in her. But to her surprise, Reid of Mireh offers her a deal: help him win enough votes to rise to power, and she can walk free. He even claims to know something about the dark magic running through her veins and agrees to help her keep it at bay. Her new husband's proposal seems too good to be true – can Vaasa trust Reid, when she has learned to trust no one? And more importantly, can she fight off her own feelings for him as their perfect political marriage begins to feel like the real thing?
The Serpent and the Wolf
by Rebecca RobinsonPerfect for fans of Raven Kennedy and Thea Guanzon, Rebecca Robinson&’s thrilling romantasy debut combines high-stakes political intrigue and a steamy, slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers romance. All her life, Vaasa Kozár has been sharpened into a blade. After losing her mother—her only remaining parent—to a mysterious dark magic that has since awakened within her, Vaasa is certain death looms. So is her merciless brother, who aims to eliminate Vaasa as a threat to his crown. In one last political scheme, he marries her off to Reid of Mireh, a ruthless foreign ruler, in hopes that he can use her death as a rallying cry to finally invade Reid&’s nation. All Vaasa has to do is die. But she is desperate to live. Vaasa enters her new marriage with every intent to escape it, wielding the hard-won political prowess and combat abilities her late father instilled in her. But to her surprise, Reid offers her a deal: help him win the votes to rise in power, and she can walk free. In exchange, he will share his knowledge about the dark magic running through her veins—and help keep it at bay. This proposal may be too good to refuse, yet Vaasa and Reid&’s undeniable attraction threatens to break the rules of their arrangement. As her brother&’s lethal machinations take form, everything is at stake: Vaasa must learn to trust her new husband, but how can she, especially when their perfect political marriage begins to feel like the real thing?Readers love The Serpent and The Wolf:***** &‘The writing was beautiful I blew through this…preorder this book right now'***** 'Definitely one of my favorite books that&’s I&’ve read so far this year' ***** 'I can&’t breathe. I still can&’t breathe. I just…'
The Serpent and the Wolf (Dark Inheritance Trilogy #1)
by Rebecca RobinsonPerfect for fans of Raven Kennedy and Thea Guanzon, Rebecca Robinson&’s thrilling romantasy debut combines high-stakes political intrigue and a steamy, slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers romance.All her life, Vaasa Kozár has been sharpened into a blade. After losing her mother—her only remaining parent—to a mysterious dark magic that has since awakened within her, Vaasa is certain death looms. So is her merciless brother, who aims to eliminate Vaasa as a threat to his crown. In one last political scheme, he marries her off to Reid of Mireh, a ruthless foreign ruler, in hopes that he can use her death as a rallying cry to finally invade Reid&’s nation. All Vaasa has to do is die. But she is desperate to live. Vaasa enters her new marriage with every intent to escape it, wielding the hard-won political prowess and combat abilities her late father instilled in her. But to her surprise, Reid offers her a deal: help him win the votes to rise in power, and she can walk free. In exchange, he will share his knowledge about the dark magic running through her veins—and help keep it at bay.This proposal may be too good to refuse, yet Vaasa and Reid&’s undeniable attraction threatens to break the rules of their arrangement. As her brother&’s lethal machinations take form, everything is at stake: Vaasa must learn to trust her new husband, but how can she, especially when their perfect political marriage begins to feel like the real thing?
The Serpent in Heaven (Gunnie Rose #4)
by Charlaine Harris#1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Charlaine Harris returns to her &“gripping, twisty&” (Karin Slaughter, New York Times bestselling author of Pieces of Her) alternate history of the United States where magic is an acknowledged but despised power in this fourth installment of the Gunnie Rose series.Felicia, Lizbeth Rose&’s half-sister and a student at the Grigori Rasputin school in San Diego—capital of the Holy Russian Empire—is caught between her own secrets and powerful family struggles. As a granddaughter of Rasputin, she provides an essential service to the hemophiliac Tsar Alexei, providing him the blood transfusions that keep him alive. Felicia is treated like nonentity at the bedside of the tsar, and at the school she&’s seen as a charity case with no magical ability. But when Felicia is snatched outside the school, the facts of her heritage begin to surface. Felicia turns out to be far more than the Russian Mexican Lizbeth rescued. As Felicia&’s history unravels and her true abilities become known, she becomes under attack from all directions. Only her courage will keep her alive.
The Serpent in Heaven (Gunnie Rose)
by Charlaine Harris'Immersive, involving, suspenseful, and intriguing, with a main character you'll love' LEE CHILDNo.1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Charlaine Harris returns to her alternate history of the United States where magic is an acknowledged but despised power in this fourth installment of the Gunnie Rose series.Felicia, Lizbeth Rose's younger half-sister and student at the Grigori school within the capital of the New Holy Russian Empire in San Diego, is caught between secrets and powerful family struggles. As a distant relative to the Tsar, she provides an essential service to him by providing blood transfusions for his hemophilia, and she is thus given rare access and dismissed as if cattle. At the Grigori school she is seen as a charity case, a poor orphan with no prospects and no sign of magical prowess-the latter which Felicia keeps purposefully hidden. And yet, when a kidnapping attempt is made upon Felicia her past and her future crash together in violent ways.Continuing immediately after The Russian Cage, this fantastical fourth book takes a side step, exploring the Holy Russian Empire while also showcasing the dynamic depths of magic within Harris's alternate North America in curious mysteries. Felicia, it turns out, is far more than the Russian-Mexican waif Lizbeth rescued, and the journey of discovery she is on is filled with magical assassins and desperation, but above it all is her courage to never give in to the limitations imposed upon her.Love The Walking Dead, Westworld or True Blood? You will ADORE this gritty and wildly entertaining tale, set in a parallel reality of the United States where magic is an outlawed power.__________Praise for Charlaine Harris'A gripping, twisty-turny, thrill-ride of a read' Karin Slaughter, New York Times bestselling author'Harris has a remarkable talent for world building' Booklist'Will leave readers enthralled. [A] fascinating setting and a heroine who's sure to be a new fan favourite' Publishers Weekly (starred review)'A master of her craft . . . dazzling' Seanan McGuire, NYT Bestselling author'A gritty, action-filled story with a touch of magic' Anne Bishop
The Serpent in Heaven (Gunnie Rose)
by Charlaine Harris'Immersive, involving, suspenseful, and intriguing, with a main character you'll love' LEE CHILDNo.1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Charlaine Harris returns to her alternate history of the United States where magic is an acknowledged but despised power in this fourth installment of the Gunnie Rose series.Felicia, Lizbeth Rose's younger half-sister and student at the Grigori school within the capital of the New Holy Russian Empire in San Diego, is caught between secrets and powerful family struggles. As a distant relative to the Tsar, she provides an essential service to him by providing blood transfusions for his hemophilia, and she is thus given rare access and dismissed as if cattle. At the Grigori school she is seen as a charity case, a poor orphan with no prospects and no sign of magical prowess-the latter which Felicia keeps purposefully hidden. And yet, when a kidnapping attempt is made upon Felicia her past and her future crash together in violent ways.Continuing immediately after The Russian Cage, this fantastical fourth book takes a side step, exploring the Holy Russian Empire while also showcasing the dynamic depths of magic within Harris's alternate North America in curious mysteries. Felicia, it turns out, is far more than the Russian-Mexican waif Lizbeth rescued, and the journey of discovery she is on is filled with magical assassins and desperation, but above it all is her courage to never give in to the limitations imposed upon her.Love The Walking Dead, Westworld or True Blood? You will ADORE this gritty and wildly entertaining tale, set in a parallel reality of the United States where magic is an outlawed power.__________Praise for Charlaine Harris'A gripping, twisty-turny, thrill-ride of a read' Karin Slaughter, New York Times bestselling author'Harris has a remarkable talent for world building' Booklist'Will leave readers enthralled. [A] fascinating setting and a heroine who's sure to be a new fan favourite' Publishers Weekly (starred review)'A master of her craft . . . dazzling' Seanan McGuire, NYT Bestselling author'A gritty, action-filled story with a touch of magic' Anne Bishop
The Serpent in the Garden: Ed Grey and the Last Battle for England (The Serpent in the Garden: Ed Grey and the Last Battle for England)
by Mike MignolaHellboy is dead and the world as we know it is gone…but the Witchfinder is called upon to defend Avalon one last time.Witchfinder Ed Grey is summoned by Alice, queen of the last standing realm on earth, to defend her and England against Morgan Le Fay and her champion in a final standoff. Grey must transform into the defender he was destined to be if England has a chance of surviving, while Le Fay has her own intentions for her.Hellboy creator Mike Mignola and fan-favorite artist Ben Stenbeck team up for a final story after the end of the world, continuing the fantasy epic from Koshchei the Deathless and Koshchei in Hell.This hardcover volume contains issues #1-3 and includes a bonus sketchbook section and cover gallery.
The Serpent's Curse (The Last Magician #3)
by Lisa MaxwellLeigh Bardugo&’s Six of Crows meets Alexandra Bracken&’s Passenger in this spellbinding third book in the &“vivid and compelling&” (BCCB), New York Times bestselling Last Magician series.Evade the Serpent. Heed the Curse. Rewrite the Present. Esta isn&’t a stranger to high-stakes heists. She&’s a seasoned thief who has no reservations about using her affinity for time to give her an edge, and she&’s trained her whole life for one mission: travel back to 1902 New York, steal the ancient Book of Mysteries, and use its power to destroy the Brink and free the Mageus from the Order&’s control. But the Book held a danger that no one anticipated—Seshat, an angry goddess was trapped within its pages. Now that terrible power lives within Harte, and if given the chance, Seshat will use Esta to destroy the world and take her revenge. Only Esta and Harte stand in her way. Yet in their search to recover the elemental stones needed to bind Seshat&’s power, Esta and Harte have found themselves stranded in time with a continent between them. As Esta fights to get back to Harte, the Order is no longer the only obstacle standing in her way. Saving Harte—and magic itself—will put even Esta&’s skills to the test. And all the while, another danger grows, one more terrible than both Seshat and the Order combined...
The Serpent's Egg
by Caroline Stevermer&“A rousing tale of courtly intrigues and chivalrous honor&” from the author of The Glass Magician (Charles de Lint, award-winning writer). Just as hard-fought peace has come to the land of Staunton, war hero Sir Anthony Folville lies dead—but not due to his battle wounds. He has been poisoned by the medic treating him, a man supposedly paid by Queen Andred&’s heir to perform this dastardly act. Now, with the prince imprisoned and accused of murder, his allies join forces to prove his innocence, including the fiancée of Sir Anthony and the royal scholar Chrysafer. They have reason to suspect the Duke of Tilbury is behind the plot—and that the queen is his next target. As spies listen in the shadows and swords clash, there is one weapon that will sway events in the traitorous duke&’s favor: a legendary serpent&’s egg with clairvoyant powers. And only Chrysafer is able to sense its magic—and stop the carnage to come . . . &“To know this book is to love it passionately. I want to live in it. I want to exchange banter with witty ne&’er do wells, be boon companion to noble-hearted yet practical ladies, aid a nerdy librarian with her magic, and incidentally save the kingdom. Here is true magic.&” —Ellen Kushner, World Fantasy Award–winning author &“I really enjoyed reading The Serpent&’s Egg, and delighted in the unusual characterizations and plot.&” —Anne McCaffrey, New York Times–bestselling author of the Dragonriders of Pern series &“Sparkling characters, humor, and lots of action . . . A very talented writer!&” —R.A. MacAvoy, John W. Campbell Award–winning author of Lens of the World
The Serpent's Fury: Royal Guide to Monster Slaying, Book 3 (A Royal Guide to Monster Slaying #3)
by Kelley ArmstrongRowan faces her most dangerous monster-slaying challenge yet, confronting what could be the most infamous monster of all, in the third book in this fantastical series by New York Times bestselling author, Kelley Armstrong.Rowan is Tamarel's Royal Monster Hunter, and her twin brother, Rhydd, will be its king. After the events of The Gryphon's Lair, Rowan, along with her friends, her brother and an entourage of monstrous companions, makes her way back to the Dunnian Woods to deal with the pack of dropbears the group trapped in an abandoned cabin after a vicious attack. The dropbears are just one of a number of rare monster species acting erratically in Tamarel. After a swarm of colocolos nearly tramples the group, Rowan becomes convinced that someone (or something) is driving these monsters out of their natural habitats. But nothing can prepare the Royal Monster Hunter for the truth of the matter: monsters even bigger and deadlier than gryphons have returned to the world, and their nest-building, as well as the actions of the humans trying to drive them out, has upset the balance of nature in Tamarel. Do Rowan's "monster magnet" skills work against the most fearsome monsters imaginable? Find out in this exciting third book in the Royal Guide to Monster Slaying series!
The Serpent's Head: A Science Fiction Western Adventure
by Bryan YoungA hired gun delivers frontier justice on a colony world in this exciting novel from &“an imaginative writer with a director&’s eye&” (Aaron Allston, New York Times–bestselling author of Mercy Kill: Star Wars Legends). The man called Twelve is a hired gun, taking his laser pistol from planet to planet, renting his services out to the highest bidder. He finds himself on Glycon-Prime, a new colony at the edge of space. On the hunt for work, Twelve blows into a small frontier town—only to find a massacre. The survivors? A trio of young children, devastated by the murder of their families. They are hellbent on hiring the gunslinger to get revenge on the leader of the vicious mutants responsible—the man known only as The Serpent&’s Head . . .
The Serpent's Nest: Young Captain Nemo (Young Captain Nemo #3)
by Jason HendersonIn Jason Henderson's The Serpent's Nest, the third and final installment of the action-packed middle grade series Young Captain Nemo, a twelve-year-old descendant of Jules Verne’s famous antihero must face down giant sea serpents and solve a centuries old mystery, armed only with his wits, his friends, and his Nemotech submarine.Gabriel Nemo has never been your normal, everyday twelve-year-old. As a descendant of the famous Captain Nemo, he’s determined to use his Nemotech legacy for good. He and his best friends, Peter and Misty, spend their days studying at the elite Nemo Institute and their spare time trying to solve the mystery of what happened to the original Captain Nemo and his crew. An engraved anchor pin from the abandoned Nautilus leads the trio to Cardiff Bay in Wales, where they find signs of mysterious underwater rescues. But before long, their search is interrupted when they cross paths with a new kind of sea serpent. Can Gabriel and his friends solve the mystery of the Serpent's Nest before things turn deadly?
The Serpent's Secret: The Serpent's Secret (Kiranmala and the Kingdom Beyond #1)
by Sayantani DasGuptaFrom New York Times bestselling author comes a world packed with action and adventure, perfect for fans of Rick Riordan and Soman Chainani.MEET KIRANMALA:INTERDIMENSIONAL DEMON SLAYER(Only she doesn't know it yet.)On the morning of her twelfth birthday, Kiranmala is just a regular sixth grader living in Parsippany, New Jersey . . . until her parents mysteriously vanish and a drooling rakkhosh demon slams through her kitchen, determined to eat her alive. Turns out there might be some truth to her parents' fantastical stories-like how Kiranmala is a real Indian princess and how she comes from a secret place not of this world.To complicate matters, two crush-worthy princes ring her doorbell, insisting they've come to rescue her. Suddenly, Kiran is swept into another dimension full of magic, winged horses, moving maps, and annoying, talking birds. There she must solve riddles and battle demons all while avoiding the Serpent King of the underworld and the Rakkhoshi Queen in order to find her parents and basically save New Jersey, her entire world, and everything beyond it . . .
The Serpent's Shadow (Elemental Masters #1)
by Mercedes LackeyMaya Witherspoon had lived most of the first twenty-five years of her life in her native India. As the daughter of a prominent British physician and a Brahmin woman of the highest caste, she had known only luxury. Trained by her father in the medical arts since she was old enough to read, she graduated from the University of Delhi as a Doctor of Medicine by the age of twenty-two. Welcomed into her father's lucrative practice, she treated many of the wives and daughters of the British military personnel who made up a large percentage of their patients in the colonial India of 1909.<P> But the science of medicine was not Maya's only heritage. For Maya's aristocratic mother Surya, had not just defied her family, friends and religion to marry Maya's father, she had turned her back on her family's powerful magical traditions as well. For her mother was a sorceress--a former priestess of the mystical magics fueled by the powerful and fearsome pantheon of Indian gods.<P> Though Maya felt the stirring of magic in her blood, her mother had repeatedly refused to train her. "I cannot," she had said, her eyes dark with distress, whenever Maya asked. "Yours is the magic of your father's blood, not mine...." Surya had never had the chance to explain this enigmatic statement to her daughter, before cholera claimed her life. Yet Maya suspected that something far more sinister than the virulent disease had overcome her powerful mother.<P> But it was Maya's father's death shortly thereafter which confirmed her darkest suspicions. For her father was killed by the bite of a krait, a tiny venomous snake, and in the last hours of her mother's life, in the seeming delirium of her fever, Surya had repeatedly warned Maya to beware "the serpent's shadow." With the sudden loss of her father, Maya knew she must flee the land of her birth or face the same fate as her parents.<P> In self-imposed exile in London, Maya surrounded herself with every protection possible. All the magic Maya knew had been learned by covertly observing her mother, and by cobbling this knowledge together with the street-magic gleaned from a few genuine fakirs. Her workings were a mixture of instinct, extrapolation, and trial-and-error. Crude, but somewhat effective, her spells let Maya hide her household behind a wall of secrecy in a poorer section of the city. Here, in a small but adequate house she lived with only the most loyal of her mother's servants, and her mother's seven unusual "pets"--if you could use such a word for creatures who seemed far more like friends. For Charan, the little monkey, Rajah, the peacock, Mala, the falcon, Sia and Singhe, the mongooses, Rhadi, the parrot, and Nisha, the owl seemed far too sentient to be ordinary animals. Maya knew that these seven unusual and loving companions had been in some way special to her mother, but their secrets were hidden to her, perhaps forever.<P> In her new home she fought the dual prejudices against her sex and her race to continue in her medical profession. Only her high scholastic abilities and her extreme determination enabled her to meet with any success. She managed to place herself in a minor position at a prestigious hospital while she pursued her own medical passions: helping the poor at a tiny clinic where they welcomed any doctor, and setting up a small, controversial practice which specialized in "female complaints" and offered "absolute discretion."<P> But Maya knew that she could not hide forever from the vindictive power which had murdered her parents. She knew in her heart that even a vast ocean couldn't protect her from "the serpent's shadow" which had so terrified her mother. Her only hope was to find a way to master her own magic: the magic of her father's blood. But who...
The Serpent's Shadow (Kane Chronicles #3)
by Rick RiordanHe's b-a-a-ack! Despite their best efforts, Carter and Sade Kane can't seem to keep Apophis, the chaos snake, down. Now Apophis is threatening to plunge the world into eternal darkness, and the Kanes are faced with the impossible task of having to destroy him once and for all. Unfortunately, the magicians of the House of Life are on the brink of civil war, the gods are divided, and the young initiates of Brooklyn House stand almost alone against the forces of chaos. The Kanes' only hope is an ancient spell that might turn the serpent's own shadow into a weapon, but the magic has been lost for a millennia. To find the answer they need, the Kanes must rely on the murderous ghost of a powerful magician who might be able to lead them to the serpent's shadow . . . or might lead them to their deaths in the depths of the underworld. Nothing less than the mortal world is at stake when the Kane family fulfills its destiny in this thrilling conclusion to the Kane Chronicles.
The Serpent's Tooth (Empire of the Moghul #5)
by Alex RutherfordAs the seventeenth century dawns, the vast Moghul Empire finally encompasses the entire Indian subcontinent. But despite controlling unimaginable wealth and ruling over a quarter of the world's population, the Moghul dynasty finds itself in increasing peril. Devastated by the death of his beloved wife, the once ruthless Shah Jahan has all but abandoned his throne. Where he should be protecting his power, he has instead devoted himself to constructing the elaborate Taj Mahal, a tribute to his wife's memory. Aging, ill and blinded by grief, the Shah cannot see the enmity building between his own sons—ambitious hatred so strong it could bring down the entire empire. Accurate and compelling, Alex Rutherford's The Serpent's Tooth is filled with strikingly human characters and heart pounding action, bringing India's bloody history to life.
The Serpent: Gameshouse Novella 1 (Gameshouse #1)
by Claire NorthIn 17th Century Venice exists a mysterious establishment known only as the Gameshouse. There, fortunes are made and fortunes are broken over games of chess, backgammon and every other game under the sun. But those whom fortune favours may be invited to compete in the higher league . . . a league where the games played are of politics and empires, of economics and kings. It is a league where Capture the Castle involves real castles, where hide and seek takes place on a scale as big as the British Isles. Not everyone proves worthy of competing in the higher league. But one woman, who is about to play, may just exceed everyone's expectations. Though she must always remember: the higher the stakes, the more deadly the rules . . .
The Serpents of Eden
by Rw GoldsmithClay Middleton has made a career as a wilderness artist with his paintings of the American southwest. His remote desert journeys have also earned him the reputation of a deranged man who is best avoided. The reputation suits him, however, as other than for his immediate family, he prefers the company of cacti, coyotes, and sidewinders to the company of man. His idyllic life comes to an end when his wife dies, and his daughter abandons her son to his care. He believes things cannot get worse. He is wrong. His grandson is kidnapped by three supernatural beings, and Clay alone possesses the means to rescue the boy. But to do so, he must endure the incessant chatter of a young paranormal investigator as they pursue the kidnappers across alternate post-apocalyptic Earths in a race against the countdown to universal destruction. ,