Fierce and proud, the Rigante dwell deep in the green mountain lands, worshiping the gods of air and water, and the spirits of the earth.  Among them lives a warrior who bears the mark of fate. Born of the storm that slew his father, he is Connavar, and tales of his courage spread like wildfire. The Seidh--a magical race as old as time--take note of the young warrior and cast a malignant shadow across his life. For soon a merciless army will cross the water, destroying forever the timeless rhythms of life among the Rigante. Swearing to protect his people, Connavar embarks on a quest that will take him into the heart of the enemy. Along the way, he receives a gift: a sword as powerful and deadly as the Seidh who forged it. Thus he receives a name that will strike fear into the hearts of friend and foe alike--a name proclaiming a glorious and bitter destiny . . . Demonblade.

Zack and his friend Uta discover a raptor's egg and when the egg hatches they befriend the baby raptor. The mother attacks them and retrieves the hatchling. Zack and Uta decide to venture back to the caves, find the baby raptor, and attempt to escape from the raptor lair with their lives.

The Talisman takes place at the end of the Third Crusade, mostly in the camp of the Crusaders in Palestine. Scheming and partisan politics, as well as the illness of King Richard the Lionheart, are placing the Crusade in danger. The main characters are the Scottish knight Kenneth, who is the fictional character of David Earl of Huntingdon, who did in fact return from the third Crusade in 1190, Richard the Lionheart, Saladin, and Edith Plantagenet, a relative of Richard.

You met the powerful and mysterious Jacob Black, of Black, Inc., in the celebrated Women of Midnight series. Now it's time for Jacob to step to the fore, in the first installment of a scorching, heart-pounding all-new series from Lisa Marie Rice—Black Inc.Years ago, he abandoned her, shattering her heart...Alexandra Hethering lost her best friend, the boy she loved, at the lowest point in her life. Since then she's forged a new life for herself as a top-tier scientist at the CDC. Yet her lost love haunts her dreams.Now, eighteen years later, she's facing down a world-wide threat that could kill billions. She needs help—expert, fearless, powerful help.He'll never leave her side again...Jacob Black was a decorated soldier, then created a world famous security company. He is powerful and feared, but he has a single weak spot—the beautiful, brilliant girl he had to leave behind. Now Alex is in danger—the kind that could get her...

Some traditions are meant to be broken. Lailani has always known that being a woman means that she will never be a dragon rider, but when a messenger shows up demanding that all dragon riders must prepare for war, Lailani knows that her father's crippling illness will get him killed. She must choose between two paths: let him go and die or put on his armor and go in his place. Disguising herself as a boy, she joins the dragon riders and finds herself facing danger at every turn. With her father's dragon the only friend she can trust, Lailani must learn to be a warrior and fight to save her homeland ... if she can keep her secret that long. Mulan meets Eragon in this epic tale!

Karen promised her brother Andrew that they'd never be separated. When Karen's mom and stepdad announce they'll be moving to Chicago for six months -- with Andrew -- Karen's promise is put to the test.

Wounded by her past, can Keziah recognize the workings of Adonai, who was the God of Israel, and experience the healing touch of love? Set against the backdrop of David and Bathsheba's story, Keziah and Isaac learn that trusting God-and each other-will give them the life they desire.The Desires of the Heart is part of Kathy Hawkins' historical fiction series, The Heart of Zion, which takes you on a journey through the lives of fictional characters in the biblical stories of David and Solomon.

Stoneybrook is preparing for a special lighting ceremony at the winter carnival, and Karen has a plan to be the one chosen to throw the master switch. (Digest) .

From Publishers WeeklySister Fidelma and Brother Eadulf, her Saxon monk sidekick, are on their way to Gleann Geis, a remote pagan community in southwest Ireland, when they run across a horrible massacre: 33 young men have been ritually killed, their bodies laid out in a pattern peculiar to the ancient Druid faith. (As her fans know from the five novels in this well-researched series, most recently The Spider's Web, religious and political tensions simmer in seventh-century Ireland, though with its sophisticated legal system and fair treatment of women, it is one of Dark Age Europe's more civilized societies.) At Gleann Geis, the pair stumble on another murder, for which Sister Fidelma is arrested. The meek Eadulf has an easier time mounting a clever defense of his mentor than he does fending off the advances of the local chieftain's precocious 14-year-old niece. Released from confinement, Sister Fidelma is free to make full use of her sharp analytical powers to figure out who is behind the massacre and the seemingly unrelated murder of which she was unjustly accused. She does not disappoint. At the climax, the religieuse explains all, untangling a complex web of intrigue that moves from one surprising revelation to the next. While adept at plotting, Tremayne has an annoying habit of overusing adverbs. A door opens "boisterously," a mouth droops "pessimistically," while characters smile "thinly," "wanly," "warmly," "gravely," "grimly," "apologetically" and "maliciously." In the future one hopes that the author--or his editor--will put as much faith in plain verbs as Sister Fidelma does in her God. (Mar.) Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Library JournalSeventh-centruy Irish princess Fidelma (The Spider's Web), late of the sisterhood at Kldare, negotiates witha pagan worrror-chieftain on the behalf of her king/brother. Hidden Valley, however, she and companion Brother Eadulf discover 33 ritually slaughtered young men laid out in a circle. Since her object is to establish a Christian church and school in the area, Fidelma vows to investigate the crime. Firmly set in a wild, dangerous time but featuring well bred and educated protagonists, this historical teaches as it entertains. Recommended.Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Behind the men who shaped history are the heroes who forever changed it. In The Warrior, * beloved author Francine Rivers illuminates the life of Caleb, a man whose faith and zeal for God helped lead God's people into the Promised Land. Discover a man full of passion, humility, and faith; a man who encouraged Joshua and stood strong in the face of sin. The Warrior* also includes a Bible study on the life of Caleb, suitable for individual use or group discussion.

A New York Times Notable Book of the Year Winner of the Mountains and Plains Book Seller's Association Award "Sprawling in scope. . . . Mr. Egan uses the past powerfully to explain and give dimension to the present." --The New York Times "Fine reportage . . . honed and polished until it reads more like literature than journalism." --Los Angeles Times "They have tried to tame it, shave it, fence it, cut it, dam it, drain it, nuke it, poison it, pave it, and subdivide it," writes Timothy Egan of the West; still, "this region's hold on the American character has never seemed stronger." In this colorful and revealing journey through the eleven states west of the 100th meridian, Egan, a third-generation westerner, evokes a lovely and troubled country where land is religion and the holy war between preservers and possessors never ends. Egan leads us on an unconventional, freewheeling tour: from America's oldest continuously inhabited community, the Ancoma Pueblo in New Mexico, to the high kitsch of Lake Havasu City, Arizona, where London Bridge has been painstakingly rebuilt stone by stone; from the fragile beauty of Idaho's Bitterroot Range to the gross excess of Las Vegas, a city built as though in defiance of its arid environment. In a unique blend of travel writing, historical reflection, and passionate polemic, Egan has produced a moving study of the West: how it became what it is, and where it is going. "The writing is simply wonderful. From the opening paragraph, Egan seduces the reader. . . . Entertaining, thought provoking." --The Arizona Daily Star Weekly "A western breeziness and love of open spaces shines through Lasso the Wind. . . . The writing is simple and evocative." --The Economist From the Trade Paperback edition.

The Malefactor

The second volume of the Exiles series pits sister against sister in a battle of magic, power, and long-held family secretsFor generations, the Mage Guardians and the Lords of Malerris have waged a secret war against one another—and the world of Lenfell has paid the price. And though the Mage Guardians came close to being destroyed in the last confrontation, the Malerrisi were ultimately forced to withdraw, relinquishing much of the control they had gained. But their retreat has not been as complete as it seems. Glenin, former First Daughter of Ambrai, is determined to have her revenge and regain her power, plotting the ruin of her sisters, Sarra, Councillor of Sheve, and Cailet, the new Mage Captal, while the Malerissi—under Glenin's leadership—once again begin weaving a web with which to entangle their entire world. And even as Cailet's dream of a restored Mage Hall becomes a reality, and Sarra's legal reforms offer the hope of greater...