Maxima Library

The Honorable Barbarian is a fantasy novel by American writer L. Sprague de Camp, the final book of his Novarian series. Jorian, ex-king of Xylar, has had enough adventures to last a lifetime. But when his brother Kerin, youngest son of Evor the Clockmaker, commits an indiscretion with Adeliza, a neighbor's daughter, he is packed off on a hasty quest to uncover the secret of an advanced clock escapement for the family firm. A pragmatic, cautious sort, he preps for his journey with a crash course from his experienced brother in useful skills — swordsmanship and foreign tongues, of course, but also lying and burglary. He is hampered and sometimes aided by the sprite Belinka, commissioned by the calculating Adeliza to ensure Kerin's faithfulness.

The Unbeheaded King is a fantasy novel by American writer L. Sprague de Camp. In this sequel to The Clocks of Iraz, ex-king Jorian of Xylar and Dr. Karadur flee the revolt-stricken city of Iraz in the bathtub of its lately deceased monarch Ishbahar, borne through the air by Gorax, an invisible demon in the service of Karadur.

The Clocks of Iraz is a fantasy novel by American writer L. Sprague de Camp. In this sequel to The Goblin Tower, ex-king Jorian of Xylar and Dr. Karadur renew their alliance, with the latter offering to help the former recover his favorite wife Estrildis in return for a new service. Jorian is commissioned to repair the clocks in the Tower of Kumashar, the great lighthouse of Iraz, capital city of the empire of Penembei to the south of Novaria. The timepieces had originally been installed by Jorian's father Evor the Clockmaker, a renowned practitioner of that trade.

The Goblin Tower is a fantasy novel by American writer L. Sprague de Camp. The Kingdom of Xylar, one of the twelve city-states of Novaria, has a peculiar custom for choosing its kings, each of whom serves for a five-year term. At the end of that period he is beheaded in the public square before an assembly of foreigners, and his head cast into the crowd. The man who catches the head is drafted as the next king.

The Fallible Fiend is a fantasy novel by American writer L. Sprague de Camp. On the demonic Twelfth Plane, the demon Zdim Akh's son is drafted for a year's indentured servitude on the human Prime Plane, the demon society having an agreement to provide service to human sorcerers in return for supplies of iron, a raw material it desperately needs.

"The Emperor's Fan" is a fantasy short story by American writer L. Sprague de Camp. It was first published in Astounding: The John W. Campbell Memorial Anthology, edited by Harry Harrison, in 1973. Tsotuga the Fourth, emperor of Kuromon, is a competent but dull ruler, notable only for occasional temperamental outbursts. Having poisoned his father to attain the throne, he finds his dreams haunted by his father's spirit, who prophecies a dreadful doom for him. Seeking some impregnable magical defense, Tsotuga is heartened when his crony, Reiro the Beggar, tells him that just such a weapon is said to be in the possession of the sorcerer Ajandra, from the tropical empire of Mulvan.

Smash, himself, was part ogre. Although ogres were considered so stupid they coud hardly speak, and spent their time eating young girls, seven assorted females had suddenly turned to him for guidance and saftety? In Xanth, one visit to the Good Magician Humfrey worked wonders....

Krondor: Tear of the Gods is a fantasy novel by American author Raymond E. Feist, the third book in his The Riftwar Legacy series. It is a novelization of the computer game Return to Krondor. The story opens with a closer look at the person behind the plots to force the Kingdom of the Isles into war with its neighbors. The sorcerer Sidi uses a pirate named Bear to create chaos in the Kingdom.

Krondor: The Assassins is a fantasy novel by American writer Raymond E. Feist. It is the second book in The Riftwar Legacy. Squire James of Krondor must find the cause for many unexplained murders plaguing Krondor. While a war is waged between the Mockers and agents of the Crawler a rival criminal with ties to Kesh.

Krondor: The Betrayal is a fantasy novel by American writer Raymond E. Feist. The first novel in The Riftwar Legacy, it is a novelization of the computer game Betrayal at Krondor. A moredhel (dark elf) known as Gorath has brought news of deadly forces stirring on the horizon. The Nighthawks have begun murdering again, and a group of six magicians known as The Six are at the root of it all. Tsurani gem smugglers led by The Crawler and traitors to the crown are all plotting the fall of the Kingdom of the Isles. Squires James and Locklear must fend off the reunited moredhel while Gorath and his newly gained friend Owyn seek to aid the magician Pug and the kingdom.

Shards of a Broken Crown is a fantasy novel by American writer Raymond E. Feist, the fourth and final book of his Serpentwar Saga and the twelfth book of his Riftwar cycle. Thanks to an enemy general who has a change of heart now that the enemy leaders are gone, the reclamation of the western realm of the Kingdom is made easier - but not by much - with Kesh threatening Krondor and the Eastern Armies returning to the east. On top of that, a new evil is unleashed by the enemy, with the dead rising and fighting the Kingdom forces. Pug, Tomas, Nakor and Miranda must defeat the enemy magicians and their unnatural allies for the Kingdom to survive.

Rage of a Demon King is a fantasy novel by American writer Raymond E. Feist, the third book in his Serpentwar Saga and the eleventh book of his Riftwar cycle. At the opening of the novel Erik Von Darkmoor is helping to train soldiers for The Kingdom's armies while Rupert, at the height of his trading success, is coerced into financing the war. Meanwhile the forces of the Emerald Queen are approaching Krondor, and it is discovered her target is the "Lifestone", the legendary device discovered by Pug and his cohorts in A Darkness at Sethanon.

Rise of a Merchant Prince is a fantasy novel by American writer Raymond E. Feist. It is the second book of The Serpentwar Saga. Erik von Darkmoor and Rupert Avery (Roo), have returned to Krondor after serving in Calis's special unit that was sent down to the continent of Novindus. Erik plans on staying in the army as a corporal in the coming war, and Roo states that he plans on becoming a rich trader. After being pardoned of their crimes by Borric, King of the Kingdom of the Isles, Erik and Roo begin a journey to visit their families in the town of Ravensburg. In an inn along the way, they meet one of Roo's cousins, Duncan, who decides to travel with Roo on the promise of becoming rich.

Shadow of a Dark Queen is a fantasy novel by American writer Raymond E. Feist. It is the first book in The Serpentwar Saga. A dark queen is gathering armies in remote lands and desperate men are sent on a suicidal mission to confront this evil. Among these men is Nakor the Isalani, a gambler who knows the true nature of the Queen and whom everyone must wager their lives upon.

Eleven stories from Shamus Award-winning crime novelist Ed Gorman that demonstrate both his range and his storytelling versatility.
The collection opens with “All These Condemned,” the story of two brothers and one shocking secret, and “A Girl Like You,” an almost mystical story about a young man coming to grips with the meaning of love. “The Way It Used to Be” features a small-town teenage bigot, while a famous 1920s mobster is the lead in the somewhat whimsical “The New Man.” The chiller “Judgment” is about a Catholic priest, and a very unlucky stick-up artist plies his trade in “Ghosts.”
One of Gorman’s favorite themes — lost love and its consequences — surfaces in “That Day at Eagle’s Point,” and a tabloid TV news piece provides the basis for the shocking title story.
In “Aftermath” a woman struggles to recover after being raped by a policeman, while the woman in “Eye of the Beholder” struggles with the effects of her own beauty. The final story, “Angie,” is a stunning, Hitchcockian take on a small-town good-time girl who isn’t quite what she seems.

The King's Buccaneer is a fantasy novel by American writer Raymond E. Feist. It is the second book of the Krondor's Sons series. Nicholas, third son of Prince Arutha of Krondor and his squire Harry are sent north to Crydee to learn more about life outside the palace walls. Not long after their arrival in Crydee, the town is attacked by unknown forces. The castle is ruined, many people slaughtered, and two noblewomen are among those abducted. The survivors discover that the invaders have come from the Sunset Islands, a stronghold of cut-throats, and have gathered to make war on the Kingdom of the Isles. But this is more than simple raids with the cut-throats serving a dark force threatening to end the entire world of Midkemia, something which Nicholas must confront.

Prince of the Blood is a fantasy novel by American writer Raymond E. Feist. It is the first book of the Krondor's Sons series. The novel focuses on Borric and Erland conDoin, and their personal growth as they journey to the Empire of Great Kesh and unwittingly become involved in a plot against both their own lives and the Empress herself.

This is the position taken by a dramatically growing number of men and women in America s spreading sexual underground. The arrangement that the French call a ménàge à trois is gaining in popularity all across the nation.
This fascinating phenomenon is explored in all its rich variety of possibilities by John Warren Wells, leading authority on the New Sexual Morality, and bestselling author of The Wifeswap Report. Based on actual tape-recorded interviews with four different trios who describe their sexual beliefs and practices frankly and outspokenly, this book would have been unthinkable a few years ago. Now it takes its place as an important social document in revealing the ways we live and love today.

Mistress of the Empire is a fantasy novel by American writers Raymond E. Feist and Janny Wurts. After rising to power, Mara of the Acoma must now face the power of the brotherhood of assassins, the spies of rival houses, and the might of the Assembly, who see her as a threat to their power.

Servant of the Empire is a fantasy novel by American writers Raymond E. Feist and Janny Wurts. In the world of Kelewan, Mara of the Acoma has now become an expert player in the Game of the Council through bloody political maneuvering. After buying a group of Midkemian prisoners-of-war, she finds one of them—Kevin of Zūn—to be a great asset in her ongoing struggle for survival and power.

Daughter of the Empire is a political fantasy novel by American writers Raymond E. Feist and Janny Wurts. In the world of Kelewan, Mara of the Acoma must lead her followers through terror and peril while surviving the ruthless Game of the Council. Mara must plot, bend tradition, avoid assassination attempts and trade her heart for power in order to save the Acoma from destruction.

On a concert tour in the United States, Irish singer Fionna Kenmare finds herself stalked by an unknown enemy that has followed her across the ocean, and only two unusual government agents — Liz Mayfield, special agent for the British Government Office of Occult & Paranormal Sightings Investigation, and FBI agent Beauray «Boo-Boo» Boudreau — can save her from invisible attackers. Original.

Lukas adores his kitten, named Night. So when Night disappears Lukas is devastated and spends days searching for his pet. Eventually, with the help of friends and family, he begins to learn that sometimes we have to let go of the ones we love.

Самое обширное в мировом эпосоведении трехтомное собрание А. Д. Григорьева «Архангельские былины и исторические песни» выходило с перерывами в 1904—1939 гг. в Москве, Петербурге, Праге. Впервые переиздаваемые уникальные книги открывают новым поколениям читателей наше великое поэтическое и музыкальное культурное наследие, сохранявшееся в конце XIX — начале XX вв. в устах народа на заповедных территориях Русского Севера. Во II томе впервые публикуется портрет собирателя.

Hartraft's Marauders are heading for a frontier garrison. But a Tsurani patrol is sent to support an assault on the same garrison. Both enemies arrive at the same time to discover the garrison has been overrun by a horde of moredhel (dark elves). Can they band together to survive?

A Darkness at Sethanon is a fantasy novel by American writer Raymond E. Feist, the third and final book in The Riftwar Saga, the first series of novels in The Riftwar Cycle . It describes how Murmandamus, a new prince of the Dark Brotherhood, marshals the forces of the Moredhel and invades the kingdom, with the intent of finding the Lifestone, a powerful relic with which he will be able to destroy every living thing in the world, so as to resurrect the Valheru Lords of old. Only Pug and Tomas can stop this new evil, thereby ending the Riftwar.

Silverthorn is a fantasy novel by American writer Raymond E. Feist, the sequel to Magician. Released in 1985, it was followed by A Darkness at Sethanon, the final book in The Riftwar Saga.

Magician is a fantasy novel by American writer Raymond E. Feist. It is the first book of the Riftwar Saga and of the wider Riftwar Cycle. Magician was originally published in 1982. The book is set in a Dungeons & Dragons–style fantasy world called Midkemia, originally invented by Feist and his friends during college. The story follows the early life of friends Pug and Tomas as their world is overtaken by war against alien invaders who appear via portals. Magician was separated into two volumes for the United States market and published as: Magician: Apprentice and Magician: Master.

Magician is a fantasy novel by American writer Raymond E. Feist. It is the first book of the Riftwar Saga and of the wider Riftwar Cycle. Magician was originally published in 1982. The book is set in a Dungeons & Dragons–style fantasy world called Midkemia, originally invented by Feist and his friends during college. The story follows the early life of friends Pug and Tomas as their world is overtaken by war against alien invaders who appear via portals. Magician was separated into two volumes for the United States market and published as: Magician: Apprentice and Magician: Master.

Deep in the Hausruck Mountains of Austria, there is a remote hideaway—the fortress-like nerve center of an ominous movement, the Brotherhood of the Watch. American agent Harry Latham has penetrated the movement, a neo-Nazi organization that was born in the days after the Third Reich's defeat and whose deadly tentacles have spread to the United States and beyond. Now, after three years in deep cover, and on the eve of his most spectacular success, Harry Latham has disappeared. Drew Latham, Special Officer for Consular Operations in Paris, is frantic to discover his older brother's fate. But when he receives the sudden good news that Harry has surfaced, gut-twisting doubts arise. Has Harry's cover been blown? And if so, why has the Brotherhood of the Watch let him live? For Harry Latham has emerged with an explosive list: the secret supporters of the movement, among them some of the highest-ranking officials in the United States and its allies…

In the clammy recesses of the cement stairwell, she discovered the terrifying truth: she was the patsy, and her role was to die — screaming!

With a little work I could take care of Barrow’s boat — or his wife...