Showing results by publisher "Zaffre" in Science Fiction & Fantasy

For over fifty years Egypt has known nothing but war and devastation at the hands of the Hyksos, a bloodthirsty barbarian people from the distant east who continue to advance, crushing armies in their wake. Times are desperate, but throughout the conflict, a brave resistance fights on under the great Taita, a slave who has risen far beyond his ranks. Piay, entrusted into Taita's care by his parents at the age of just five, has been trained to become a great spy, unmatched by any other. Determined to prove his worth, he embarks on a dangerous mission to the lands in the north.

Germany, late summer 1945. The war is over, but the country is in ruins. Millions of refugees and holocaust survivors strive to rebuild their lives in displaced persons camps. Millions of German soldiers and SS men are held captive in primitive conditions in open-air detention centres. Everywhere, civilians are desperate for food and shelter. No one admits to having voted Nazi, yet many are unrepentant. Adolf Hitler is said to have killed himself in his Berlin bunker. But no body was found - and many people believe he is alive.

For the agents of the Fortuna Division, being lucky isn't just their blessing, it's their business. Responsible for handing out doses of good fortune to oblivious mortals, they are known for being invincible to disaster. However, when agents of luck begin to turn up dead, it is clear their own fortunes have taken a turn for the worse. Fearing what this means for the Afterlife Agency as a whole, a small team are thrown together for the sole purpose of unravelling this mystery.

Years of Hyksos rule have seen the ruin and suffering of a once-mighty Egypt. Though Pharaoh is now restored to his rightful throne, his power fragile as some seek to take advantage of the ensuing chaos following the overthrowing of the Hyksos. Desperate to unite the two divided kingdoms of Egypt under Pharaoh's rule, great mage Taita sends his protégé, Piay, to discover the answer to a millennia-old riddle which has the power to secure the fate of Egypt forever. But in the chaos of war, a dark evil has thrived.

Cayden Veles, renowned Demon Commander of Vareveth, overthrew the throne to save Elowen Atarah, the woman he searched for since childhood. Now he's determined to fulfil his quest for revenge against her father, even if it means forcing the only person he's ever wanted into a marriage of political convenience. Elowen Atarah has everything she thought she'd ever want. Finally reunited with her dragons, she now has an army to enact vengeance, but as events transpire, she begins contemplating if she wants more.

Jay Gardiner has given himself a fool's errand: to find the remains of his deceased father in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California. He knows it's a long shot, but Jay feels it's the only way for him to lift the weight of guilt he has carried since his dad's death the previous year. The dive begins well enough, but the sudden appearance of a giant squid puts Jay in very real jeopardy, made worse by the arrival of a sperm whale looking to feed. Suddenly, Jay is caught in the squid's tentacles and drawn into the whale's mouth where he is pulled into the first of its four stomachs.

Ever since art gave life to bloodthirsty shadows, creative works have been forbidden. Inana's secret storytelling nearly got her killed once, and she'll be damned if she's ever caught again. Dominic is a half-Sinless monster hunter as fearsome as his prey. Dominic delivers an ultimatum: serve him or he'll claim her bounty.

Meddy has spent her whole life as a footnote in someone else's story. Out of place next to her beautiful, immortal sisters and her parents-both gods, albeit minor ones-she dreams of leaving her family's island for a life of adventure. So when she catches the eye of the goddess Athena, who invites her to train as an esteemed priestess in her temple, Meddy leaps at the chance to see the world beyond her home.

No one in Imirath had ever seen a dragon, until five eggs long thought fossils hatched in the presence of their young princess, Elowen Atarah. Fearing the power his daughter would wield through her soul-bond with the creatures, King Garrick imprisoned her for many years, desperately trying to break the bond that united them, until a daring rescue saved Elowen from his clutches - but left her five precious dragons at his mercy. Years later, Elowen is now a woman determined to free her dragons.

Louella Twig is the only witch of her kind, much to the disappointment of her former mentor and her previous academic ambitions. While others connect to nature as their source of magic, Louella has an affinity with books. She lives a cosy, stable life, until she collides - quite literally - with a mysterious man between the Romance and Adventure aisles. Everett Sharp is handsome, charming... and a rogue on the run.

Not everything is down to Fate but, when it comes to love, the right people must collide to keep the world running to plan. Immortal cupids, known as Apollo agents, spend their afterlife matching up pre-destined couples to sign off their daily quota. Love cynic, Erron Grover, and hopeless romantic, Casey Hart, are two such agents based in London. They live an afterlife of luxury until several of their assignments result in a bizarre series of deaths.

Following the untimely death of their parents, Anne, Beatrix, and Violet Quigley have made a business of threading together the stories that lie at the bottom of their customers' teacups. Days at their teashop are filled with fortune-telling intertwined with the sound of clinking china and the scent of cinnamon shortbread. When the Council of Witches comes calling with news that the city Diviner has lost her powers, the sisters suddenly find themselves being pulled in different directions.

Elowen and Cayden's story continues. While the war of the Four Kingdoms carries on, elsewhere, a battle for love rages . . .

New York City, 2075. Filipino-American Nick Carraway has just moved to the heart of the fractured New Americas, where he's struck by the city's contradictions - shining corporate towers casting bleak shadows over the slums of a crumbling middle class. When Nick meets alluring new-money Jay Gatsby, he falls for Gatsby's frank charm and confident aura. But in a city where the wealthy flaunt tech-enhanced bodies to cheat death, surfaces aren't all they seem - and as a corporate-sanctioned cyberspace hacker, Nick knows that no secret can stay buried forever.

Inana and Dominic's sinful story continues in this tantalising sequel to The Lies That Summon the Night.

Professional underachiever Dan Foster is finally taking a break. Sure, his life has been average at best and, yes, he has never has quite lived up to his potential. But after a few Bud Lites in paradise with his girlfriend Mara, things are starting to look up. Then the sun explodes. With the island suddenly plunged in darkness, the ultra-rich guests hijack the remaining supplies and declare themselves as the new ruling class.

Lightning-Hunter, Ash, chases living lightning over the dark rooftops. This energy the jet- black city depends upon, is all that stands between him and starvation. When a monstrous nightmare attacks his gang, death is all but certain - until Ash manages to dream a shadow creature to protect him. But this new power comes with a price and will see him either sent to the harrowing Academy to weaponise his gift or under the thumb of an Archdreamer patron who will use him to their own ends.

At the Crescent Moon tearoom, the ladies who step over its threshold continue to seek comfort in the glimpses of their futures found in the swirls at the bottom of their cups. The shop is thriving after a much-needed expansion, Anne is leading the city's witches as Chicago's Diviner, Beatrix is being swept away on tour across the country, and Violet has found her place with her feet swinging through the air. That is, until the Quigley sisters find themselves stumbling on the paths they have chosen, and they are drawn back home in search of refuge in each other's company.

When an anonymous request for an unknown flower lands at the door of Felicity 'Fliss' Farrow, a magical florist cursed to tell the truth, she is intrigued—an expert in local flora, how is it possible she has not heard of this species before? Determined to unravel the mystery, she leaves the safety of the duchy to fulfil the request. On her quest, she encounters Willoh Vane, a handsome sorcerer outcast from the duchy for his part in a disaster five years previous.

Not even in her wildest imaginings did Kumari ever think she'd become a princess. But having fallen for Ben - or rather Prince Benedict, sixth in line to the throne - it looks like nothing will ever go as planned again. And as Christmas rapidly approaches, the distinction between family festivities and Royalty becomes ever more apparent. With the paparazzi hounding her, her job on the line and some rather frustrating royal training, Kumari feels panic set in. Does loving Prince Charming mean she'll get her fairy tale ending - and on her own terms?