Its been a quiet summer for Tick, Paul, and Sofia, but the latest message from Master George changes everything.

Walter Hunt's debut novel The Dark Wing was favorably compared to Ender's Game, Babylon 5, Honor Harrington, and C.S. Forester. The publication of the second volume The Dark Path was heralded by Analog as "a quest that may well prove science fiction's version of The Lord of the Rings." The Dark AscentThe war with the zor is long over, and Admiral Marais, the legendary "Dark Wing" is long dead, though some of his companions on that campaign of xenocide still remain, and in the alien philosophies of the past their might exist man's hope for salvation in the very near future.The Dark Path introduced a new alien force into the delicate balance of power ... one that was the actual puppetmaster of the human-zor war and now wishes to bring both worlds under its madness inducing shadow.But the same ancient philosophy of the zor race that prophesized "the Dark Wing" has also foreseen a hero that will meet the new menace --a hero now mystically embodied in a rebellious space commodore by the name of Jackie Lappierre.As armadas clash and outposts fall, the overly confident alien menace is forced to confront a zor human alliance that has been warned, their covert and insidious plans of infiltration now exposed. ... though victory is hardly ascertained for either side in The Dark Ascent.From Publishers WeeklyWith its complexities of plot and character, Hunt’s fast-paced space adventure, the third book in his Dark Wing series (after 2003’s The Dark Path), rises above the humdrum repetitions typical of this SF subgenre. In exploring the universe in the far future, humans have fought a war with the zor race, birdlike aliens whose mental communication entails an intricate religious devotion to the legends of their hero, Qu’u, and to a lost magic sword, the gyaryu. That war is now long past. Human and zor, along with the noncombatant raskh, work together to battle a race of implacable mind-controllers, the vuhl, who can also take on other shapes and infiltrate space stations and ships as well as entire cultures, bending all to their will. Jackie Lappierre, a human who’s been connected to the hsi of her dead zor friends, finds herself appointed to retrieve their sword and use its powers to confront the vuhl. Keeping track of the players—the heroes and the villains, alive and dead—is a delightful challenge. So is distinguishing the manipulated from the manipulators. The many borrowings from Zen Buddhism and Taoist philosophy, not to mention the resemblance of the zor language to the old style of transliterated Chinese, add depth and interest.Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From BooklistThe human-zor war (see The Dark Wing, 2001) is long over, and the now-allied former foes face the shape-changing vuhl, who enjoy their share of devastating victories. Still, the zor and humans were warned and don't entirely lack resources. But something is going on that isn't quite right. The power behind the vuhl, which was also behind the human-zor conflict, has motives that are only hinted at here. Suffice it to say that the history of the zor does not match its legend. Ex-commodore Jackie Lapierre, forced into playing out a zor legend in The Dark Passage (2002), can choose among different courses this time, and the vuhl are finally thrown into confusion when roundly defeated. They react with a regime change, but the wars' mysterious backers continue playing strange games, occasionally seeming to help human forces, more often supporting the vuhl--always pursuing goals that may not coincide with those of ostensible allies. This surprisingly thoughtful space opera, lacking neither adventure nor battles, considers issues of genocide and enmity in surprising depth. Regina SchroederCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

The zor is just one of the alien races that humanity encounters when it travels to the stars, and from the very first meeting it has been all-out war. For many years the conflicts have been sporadic, usually ending with an Earth concession and a treaty. But the zor does not respect mankind and has no any intention of honoring the agreements. When the zor decide to mount a surprise attack against human colonies, the normally self-absorbed government of Earth realizes that something must be done before it is too late.A controversial scholar by the name of Marais is brought in. A nonmilitary man, he has spent his entire life studying the zor and claims to have a plan to deal with them once and for all. With so few options remaining, Marais is put in charge of the battlefleet.Earth just wants the threat neutralized and would be happy with a stalemate, but Marais has other ideas. He believes himself to be the mythic Dark Wing, destined to exterminate the zor. . . . From Publishers WeeklyThis entertaining first novel plays some welcome variations on formulaic military SF. Tired of a decades-long war with the zor, a race of birdlike aliens, the Solar Empire puts a new admiral, a former scholar who claims to understand the zor point of view, in charge of the space fleet. Admiral Marais believes that the aliens can't imagine coexisting with humans, and declares that the only way to overcome them is to shatter their worldview while pressing them to the brink of extinction. But the Solar Empire doesn't anticipate Marais's personal stake in the war: he believes himself to be a threatening, implacable power called the Dark Wing, part of the pantheon of zor religion. The zor, convinced of Marais's alleged secret identity, see him as their likely destroyer. Up to this point, the novel seems to prepare for a standard, detailed presentation of space battle tactics, but instead the story veers off into a discussion of the morality of exterminating another race, however hostile. As the story progresses, Hunt adds depth to the characters, who start behaving oddly. Although they're comfortably flat, as in most military SF, some of them obviously harbor hidden schemes. By the end, one war is over, but larger and much stranger conflicts are just coming into focus. Hunt delivers a bravura performance, especially for a new writer. It's unclear whether he can keep up this level of razzle-dazzle whether he's juggling chainsaws or just Nerf balls but he's a showman to watch. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.From Library JournalTo bring an end to the continual state of war between humanity and the alien, birdlike zor, the Solar Empire places its military command in the hands of Lord Marais, a scholar versed in the culture of the zor. Marais's knowledge, together with his belief that he is the legendary "Dark Wing" of zor mythology, puts him and the human race in the difficult position of having to choose whether or not to annihilate the enemy in order to achieve victory. Hunt's first novel, set in the far future, deals with the problematic issues of xenophobia and genocide while presenting a fast-paced story that should appeal to fans of space opera and military sf. Reminiscent of Orson Scott Card's military classic Ender's Game, this work belongs in most sf collections. Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The Dark Path introduced a new alien force into the delicate balance of power. This force was the actual puppetmaster of the human-zor war and now wishes to bring both worlds under its madness inducing shadow. The Dark Ascent brought into focus a secret conspiracy that is disrupting the balance of power on both a military and metaphysical level.But the same ancient philosophy of the zor race that prophesized "the Dark Wing" has also foreseen a hero that will meet the new menace--a hero now mystically embodied in a rebellious space commodore by the name of Jackie Lappierre.Now in The Dark Crusade as armadas clash and outposts fall, the overly confident alien menace is forced to confront a zor human alliance that has been warned, their covert and insidious plans of infiltration now exposed...but all is not as it seems to be. The "vuhl menace" may not be the ultimate enemy, and the all-powerful puppetmasters that have lurked in the shadows have entered the endgame where the mysteries of alien prophecies may have already determined the outcome.Though victory is hardly attained by either side in The Dark Crusade, the page turning and thought provoking climax will forever alter the fate of sentient life in the galaxy.From Publishers WeeklyLike its predecessors, this latest entry in the Dark Wing series (The Dark Wing, etc.) expands the bounds of military SF to touch on the philosophy and morality of war. Weaving between the sailors and marines of the Solar Empire, the cultists of the Blazing Star movement and the monklike imperial bodyguards of the Guardian Order, Hunt examines the motivations that lead to success and failure in a 25-year campaign against a series of alien foes. Honorable folks like Adm. Barbara MacEwan and glory hounds like Adm. Sir Erich Anderson must both deal with a new psychic weapon in the war against the insectoid vuhl. Hunt continues numerous plot lines from earlier volumes, but he never tangles them. His prose stays transparent, even as it shifts to metaphysical planes where the war against the true enemy is being waged. The work shows a strong affection for the military profession, while still being aware of its tendency to slip from honorable combat to heedless slaughter. In places, new readers may find the complicated mythology a bit hard to follow, but all should look forward to new entries in this thoughtful series. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From BooklistIn the world of Hunt's well-received saga of alien contact and future interstellar conflict, of which this is the fourth volume, it is now long after the events of The Dark Wing (2001). Admiral Marais is long dead, and at the forefront of the human-zek alliance is Commodore Jackie Lapierre. It is just as well that she is fashioned somewhat in the mold of David Weber's Honor Harrington, because the alien opponent of the alliance is threatening not only military destruction by conquest and sabotage but also the total corruption of both human and zek cultures, which would make the alliance's continuation impossible. Hunt has lost none of his knack for fast action, and his skill in characterization is growing as he highlights the ethical dilemmas that large-scale conflict generates. The saga now seems to be influenced by Weber, Herbert, and even Tolkien, which is to say by three of the most proven crowd--pleasers in speculative fiction of the last half century. Librarians, stock up. Roland GreenCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Walter Hunt's debut novel, The Dark Wing was favorably compared to Ender's Game, Babylon 5, Honor Harrington, and C. S. Forester . . . and the story isn't over yet! Man and zor, once sworn enemies engaged in a mutual campaign of xenocide, now live side by side. The war is over, and Admiral Marais, the legendary "Dark Wing"--both Angel of Death and Species Savior--is long dead, though some of his companions and participants in that great war still survive and have even chosen to live among the zor.Now a mystery from the past has become a threat to the present when an unholy menace jeopardizes both humans and zor alike.Whole space fleets have disappeared, with survivors stricken mad.And now man and zor alike must join forces to meet this adversary head on. . . .From Publishers WeeklyIn this gripping sequel to The Dark Wing (2001), Hunt does a better job of depicting character and handling zor mythology and interspecies relations than in his debut novel. Humanity and the winged zor are now staunch allies, but the lurking alien menace hinted at in The Dark Wing, the shape-changing, mind-controlling vulh, now roars on stage red in tooth and claw. In the best tradition of Honor Harrington, Commodore Jacqueline Laperriere, commander of an outpost on the planet Cicero, breaks the rules to save some of her troops and warn others. Later Jackie must re-enact the quest of Qu'u, the legendary zor hero, on the Plain of Despite, seeking an ancient weapon that holds the key to defeating the vulh. While the ending may be a trifle rushed, it offers plenty of surprises.Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. From BooklistThis fine sequel to Hunt's Dark Wing (2001) reads somewhat like a collaboration of David Weber and Orson Scott Card. It sports a valiant space navy, represented by Commodore Jacqueline Lapierre, an officer well suited to sit at the same table as Weber's Honor Harrington. And it includes the implacable vuhl, a shape-changing, mind-controlling, insectoid enemy race that recalls the original foes of Card's Ender Wiggin. The alien zor, formerly implacable enemies of humanity, are now staunch allies against the vuhl. Lapierre and her zor exec, Ch'ke'te, elude an early vuhl attack, after which they must play roles out of zor legend to retrieve a legendary talisman that holds the key to their common survival. Imaginative twists include the facts that the human and zor quest team employs the telepathic assistance of Ch'ke'te's dead mate, Th'an'ya, and that some human POWs are finding out how to penetrate vuhl disguises. Gripping stuff that, fortunately, presages a further book. Roland GreenCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

After saving the prince from certain death and convincing the sun priests that he’s not dead but in magical stasis, a high priest of the Lord of Night should have time to relax and enjoy his tryst with the captain of the palace guard. Between the nobles blackmailing him over his past and the sun priests intent on staking and beheading the prince (to save his soul), Rak’s in deeper trouble than ever. And to make matters worse, the captain doesn’t even remember their tryst.

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina meets Stranger Things in award-winning author S. A. Hunt's Burn the Dark, first in the Malus Domestica horror action-adventure series about a punk YouTuber on a mission to bring down witches, one vid at a time. Robin is a YouTube celebrity gone-viral with her intensely-realistic witch hunter series. But even her millions of followers don't know the truth: her series isn't fiction.Her ultimate goal is to seek revenge against the coven of witches who wronged her mother long ago. Returning home to the rural town of Blackfield, Robin meets friends new and old on her quest for justice. But then, a mysterious threat known as the Red Lord interferes with her plans...."Brilliant!" —Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

"Wields such a subtle and alien power . . . Wonderfully spooky." —Jia Tolentino, The New Yorker"A feminist manifesto threaded through imaginative fiction; it's the most evocative, impressive collection I've read this year." —Daniel Johnson, The Paris ReviewFrom the acclaimed author of Mr. Splitfoot, Samantha Hunt's first collection of stories, The Dark Dark, blends the literary and the fantastic and brings us characters on the verge—girls turning into women, women turning into deer, people doubling or becoming ghosts, and moreStep into The Dark Dark, where an award-winning, acclaimed novelist debuts her first collection of short stories and conjures entire universes in just a few pages—conjures, splits in half, mines for humor, destroys with absurdity, and regenerates. In prose that sparkles and haunts, Samantha Hunt playfully pushes the bounds of the expected and...

“Wonderful . . . Dashner shares with Rowling a nimble use of fancy, delayed revelation, and charm.” — Chicago Sun Times It’s been a quiet summer for Tick, Paul, and Sofia, but the latest message from Master George changes everything. The Realities are in danger — and from something more terrible than Mistress Jane and the mutated Chi’karda of the Thirteenth Reality. People from all Realities are unexplainably going insane. Worse, some Realities are fragmenting, disintegrating into nothingness. Master George has learned that Mr. Chu from the Fourth Reality is working on a mysterious new weapon called Dark Infinity. But no one has any idea how to stop the weapon — or even if it can be stopped. To make matters worse, Tick and his friends have been kidnapped, forced to wink from Reality to Reality, solving impossible riddles in order to survive the deadly traps surrounding them. Mistress Jane and Tick find themselves in a race to reach the weapon first — but who will destroy it and who will become its master?

The eerie, disturbing story of one of our perennial fascinations—witchcraft in colonial America—wrapped up in a lyrical novel of psychological suspense."Once upon a time there was and there wasn't a woman who went to the woods." In this horror story set in colonial New England, a law-abiding Puritan woman goes missing. Or perhaps she has fled or abandoned her family. Or perhaps she's been kidnapped, and set loose to wander in the dense woods of the north. Alone and possibly lost, she meets another woman in the forest. Then everything changes.On a journey that will take her through dark woods full of almost-human wolves, through a deep well wet with the screams of men, and on a living ship made of human bones, our heroine may find that the evil she flees has been inside her all along. In the House in the Dark of the Woods is a novel of psychological horror and suspense told in Laird Hunt's characteristically...