Ride with the Horsemen of the Apocalypse as they seek to unearth a plot that could plunge all of Creation into chaos Ages before the events of Darksiders and Darksiders II, two of the feared Horsemen--Death and War--are tasked with stopping a group of renegades from locating the Abomination Vault: a hoard containing weapons of ultimate power and malice, capable of bringing an end to the uneasy truce between Heaven and Hell . . . but only by unleashing total destruction. Created in close collaboration with the Darksiders II teams at Vigil and THQ, Darksiders: The Abomination Vault gives an exciting look at the history and world of the Horsemen, shining a new light on the unbreakable bond between War and Death.
They called him the Terror of the East. His past shrouded in mystery, his identity hidden behind a suit of enchanted black armour and a skull-like helm, Corvis Rebaine carved a bloody path through Imphallion, aided by Davro, a savage ogre, and Seilloah, a witch with a taste for human flesh. No shield or weapon could stop his demon-forged axe. And no magic could match the spells of his demon slave, Khanda. Yet just when ultimate victory was in his grasp, Rebaine faltered. His plans of conquest, born from a desire to see Imphallion governed with firmness and honesty, shattered. Amid the chaos of a collapsing army, Rebaine vanished, taking only a single hostage - the young noblewoman Tyannon - to guarantee his escape. Seventeen years later, Rebaine and Tyannon are married, living in obscurity and raising their children, a daughter and a son. Rebaine has put his past behind him, given up his dreams of conquest. Not even news of Audriss - an upstart warlord following Rebaine's old path of conquest - can stir the retired warrior to action. Until his daughter is assaulted by Audriss' goons. Now, to rescue the country he once tried to conquer, Rebain once more dons the armour of the Terror of the East and seeks out his former allies. But Davro has become a peaceful farmer. Seilloah has no wish to leave her haunted forest home. And Khanda . . . well, to describe his feelings for his former master as undying hatred would be an understatement. But even if Rebaine can convince his onetime comrades to join him, he faces a greater challenge: does he dare to reawaken the part of him that glories in cruelty, blood and destruction? With the safety of his family at stake, can he dare not to?
Corvis Rebaine is no hero. In his trademark suit of black armour and skull-like helm, armed with a demon-forged axe and with allies that include a bloodthirsty ogre, Rebaine has twice brought death and destruction to Imphallion in pursuit of a better, more equitable and just society. If he had to kill countless innocents in order to achieve that dream, so be it. At least that was the old Rebaine. Before he slew the mad warlord Audriss. Before he banished the demon Khanda. Before he lost his wife and children, who could neither forgive nor forget his violent crimes. Now, years later, Rebaine lives in a distant city, under a false name. He's a member of one of the Guilds he despises and trying to achieve change nonviolently, from within the power structure.But just because Corvis has changed doesn't mean everyone else has. When Imphallion is invaded the bickering Guilds once again prove unable to respond . . . but someone wearing Rebaine's trademark black armour, and bearing what appears to be his axe, does. Someone who is, if anything, even less careful of human life than Rebaine was. Worse, Rebaine's old nemesis Baron Jassion is hunting him once more, aided by a mysterious sorcerer named Kaleb, and a young woman who hates Corvis Rebaine more than anyone else: his own daughter, Mellorin. Suddenly Rebaine seems to have no choice. To clear his name, to protect his country, and to reconcile with his family, must he become the Terror of the East again?
Windows into the fantastic, from crypts to cobras, swords to submarines, rubies to railroads, heaven to hell and places stranger still. Heroes, horrors, and hijinks--both original to this collection and reprinted from a variety of sources--from the mind of Ari Marmell, author of The Conqueror's Shadow, The Goblin Corps, Darksiders: the Abomination Vault, the Widdershins Adventures series, and more. In Strange New Words, let Ari Marmell guide you through over a dozen windows into the fantastic. Heroes, horrors, and hijinks await you, including: "The Cemetery Wyrm": A childish fascination with the old, pitted monument was understandable, but not the ongoing obsession-or his certainty that the effigy was something more . . . "The Purloined Ledger": In the early days of the Great Depression, a PI who is far more than he appears must outwit a gangster whose efforts may have turned to sorcery. "The Shaman's Tale": Why do the proud and warlike orcs serve always as the minions, never the master? The answer lies in the mists of the oldest orcish legends . . . A brand new story set in the world of The Goblin Corps "Railroad Spikes": He thought the train was easy pickings, treasure ripe for the taking. He was very, very wrong. Saw meets The Great Train Robbery in a steampunk Wild West. "The Rubies of Olun-Zeth": In a brutal, vicious land ruled by brutal, vicious gods, Lathaan the Heretic knows that the promise of treasure is a promise rarely kept. But what if . . . ? "Big Apple, Small Serpent": Loosed from the confines of her tiny world, this little Egyptian cobra was never going back to her exhibit. She was free, and would remain so-no matter what it took. "Reaver": Was the evil in the ship that had grounded itself on Lincaster's docks, or had it always festered in Lincaster itself? A full-length novelette. "Twenty-One-Oh": In a dystopian future of all-power corporations, missing a deadline on even a simple delivery can cost you a lot more than just your job . . . "Tithe": It is a theme common to the tales told every girl and boy of the fairy courts: Never trust a bargain made with the tricky and treacherous human race. "Than to Serve in Heaven": It was an offer even Lucifer couldn't pass up. Still, through it all, he wondered, and the angels with him. Why would God put him in charge of Heaven? "The Ogre's Pride": Unlike his bloodthirsty brethren, Davro the ogre just wanted to be left in peace. Still, some insults cannot be ignored, and some things are always worth fighting for. "In Deepest Silence": The USS San Jacinto should have been prepared for anything in the ocean's depths-but you cannot prepare for what cannot exist "One Solitary Scale": Only the sculptor himself knew he had traded his soul for his talent. Now he had found a way to break that bargain, but had he merely traded one Hell for another?
It's been over half a year, now, since the brutal murder of Archbishop William de Laurent during his pilgrimage to the Galicien city of Davillon. During that time, the Church of the Hallowed Pact has assigned a new bishop to the city - but it has also made its displeasure at the death of its clergyman quite clear. Davillon's economy has suffered beneath the weight of the Church's displeasure. Much of the populace - angry at the clergy - has turned away from the Church hierarchy, choosing private worship or small, independent shrines. And the bishop, concerned for his new position and angry at the people of Davillon, plans to do something about it. But a supernatural threat is stalking the nighttime streets - a creature of the other world has come to infiltrate the seedier streets of Davillon, to intertwine its tendrils through the lower echelons of society. Faced with both political upheaval and a supernatural threat to its citizenry, the local representatives of the Church are paral
It is a curse to be haunted by the past.It is worse to be hunted by it... In the realm of Imphallion, there once was a nightmare-a living nightmare known only as the Terror of the East. Nigh invulnerable in his magical black armor and aided by unholy minions, he laid waste to all in his path on his all-consuming quest to bring order to the land. His order. Then, at what should have been his moment of triumph, his will failed. And his army fell. Taking a young noblewoman as hostage, he escaped, vanishing into darkest memory. Years later, Corvis Rebaine is a simple man, content with his loving wife and children. The terrible deeds and glories of his past life are dead and buried along with his former name and its monstrous legacy-until his daughter is taken by fiends under a maniacal young warlord looking to complete the Terror's conquest. Now, spurred to action by a newborn fury and thirst for vengeance, Rebaine must do the unthinkable-don the dark armor once again, gather his once-loyal cadre of killers, and fight to save both the family he loves and the country he once almost destroyed. And all who stand in his way will have one final thought before death... The Terror has returned. "Action-packed...an intriguingly twisty plot, full of magic and political intrigue."-Booklist "Superior storytelling and deft dialog make this a top-notch choice . . . filled with dark humor as well as scenes of brutal battle and high magic."-Library Journal "A powerful fantasy, with well drawn heroes and delightfully wicked, yet complicated, villains. Ari Marmell has made his mark in the genre."-Paul S. Kemp, author of the Erevis Cale trilogy "A tale that begins where most stories end and features a most unlikely protagonist. Twists of humor leaven this story of desperate people in dangerous times, as a conqueror discovers that perhaps those who live by the sword are sometimes doomed to face the business end of one. A great mix of character and action."-Robin Hobb, author of Dragon Keeper The text of this edition is unchanged from that of the Del Rey edition.
If death is the only true peace, then there can be only one true peacemaker...the Terror. In the land of Imphallion, one legend is remembered with horror-the Terror of the East. Twice his shadow has fallen across the land. First to conquer it. Then to save it. Both times he brought blood and death as his companions. And both times, he faded into bleak memory... Years later, memories are all Corvis Rebaine has left. The most painful of which is the memory of his beloved wife and children fleeing from him in horror after they learned of his terrible legacy. War has cost him more than his life, and he wants no more of it. But what Rebaine no longer matters. Because the Terror has returned. A merciless killer seemingly clad in the Terror's old battle dress and wielding his demon-forged axe is sweeping across the land, slaughtering all in his path. And worse, an old enemy has returned to claim revenge, aided by a woman whose very soul is consumed with rage and hatred towards Rebaine-his own daughter. Now Rebaine must again wear the dreaded dark armor if he is going to save Imphallion as well as all he holds dear. But after so much war, so much blood, and so much pain, can he summon the strength to truly become the Terror once more? "The sequel to The Conqueror's Shadow fills a vital niche in the fantasy adventurer genre, one occupied by the heroes of Michael Moorcock's Elric Melnibon novels and C.S. Friedman's Coldfire Trilogy."-Library Journal "All a reader could ever ask for in a bloody, hack and slash sword and sorcery."-Grasping for the Wind "Another thoroughly entertaining offering from Ari Marmell and one that any fantasy fan will have a lot of fun with."-Graeme's Fantasy Book Review The text of this edition is unchanged from that of the Del Rey edition.
Born into the horrors of a post-Pacification world, Magdalena Suarez never expected much of a life. A few decades, at best, in the slave camps, until some injury or illness rendered her upkeep "no longer efficient" for her machine overseers and their rulers, the all-seeing Eyes. Day after day of drudgery and servitude and, on occasion, danger, as she and her fellow survivors went about their assigned tasks. Except now, something has changed. Something anomalous has arisen from a lengthy slumber, something even the machines cannot comprehend. Something they, with their artificial cameras and sensors, cannot even see. Something with impossible powers, impossible strength. Something ancient that hunts only in the dark of night. Magdalena is about to discover a truth she never dared dream possible: Things yet exist in the world that may be more powerful even than the machines. For the first time in her life, she might have reason to hope for something more. But is this "anomaly" truly a potential escape, or does it promise merely a new and even more horrific sort of servitude? In the ruins of the world that was, Magdalena and the last remnants of humanity will find themselves caught in an impossible war between the mechanical and the mystical-between the unliving and the undead.
Trapped by Magic. Trapped by Politics. Trapped by Destiny.Trapped in the form of the knight who supposedly slew him, the dragon Tzavalantsaval--with a loathsome goblin steward as his only true ally--struggles to navigate the Kirresci royal court and humanity itself, even as politics and intrigues he scarcely understands push the southern kingdoms ever nearer to open war.
Mick Oberon may look like just another 1930s private detective, but beneath the fedora and the overcoat, he's got pointy ears and he's packing a wand. A series of brutal murders is sweeping Chicago, baffling both the local police and the Seelie Court, who sense that an aura of corruption and death has touched Mick himself. When Mick's associates become targets, and a vampire appears in his office, Mick is drawn into his most dangerous hunt yet. A hunt that will lead him to seek answers about his mysterious past and what it could mean for those in his present.
Dark incantations expose the minds of Miskatonic University students to supernatural horrors, in this chilling mystery novel of Arkham HorrorThe mysterious disappearance of a gifted student at Miskatonic University spurs his troubled roommate, Elliot Raslo, into an investigation of his own. But Elliot already struggles against the maddening allure of a ceaseless chant that only he can hear… When Elliot’s search converges with that of a Greenland Inuk’s hunt for a stolen relic, they are left with yet more questions. Could there be a connection between Elliot’s litany and the broken stone stele covered in antediluvian writings that had obsessed his friend? Learning the answers will draw them into the heart of a devilish plot to rebirth an ancient horror.
