This week’s roundup of the newest releases in fantasy and adventure features the sole male wizard in his world pressed into an international magical tournament, an American soldier inheriting his family’s Welsh holdings, even more litRPG adventures, and a young Chinese officer facing down a supernatural rebellion.

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Exiled: The Odyssey of Nath Dragon (Lost Dragon Chronicles #1) – Craig Halloran

Born into a world of intrigue and mystery…
Nath Dragon knows his place in life. Born a man and destined to protect Dragon Home, Nath must carry the burden of his legacy, despite his own desires.

Threatened by a perilous enemy…
With cunning dark elves out to destroy Nath, his life takes a turn that threatens to ruin his family. With nobody to trust and nowhere to go, the young warrior sets out to uncover answers that his rivals will kill to protect.

Unleashing the truth changes everything…
The closer he gets to the truth, the more dangerous Nath’s quest becomes. Battling ruthless enemies, wizards, dragons, and thieves, Nath uncovers the one thing he thought he always knew: who he really is.

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Fight to Live (After the Outbreak #2) – Dave Bowman

Two weeks after the virus outbreak, the trouble is just beginning. Nick, Jessa, and the rest of the group defended their home against a vicious attack. But the worst is yet to come. When Nick is forced to venture into new territory, he discovers just how deadly the world is now. With modern society in ruins, criminal elements are organizing and trying to take control.

Matt Redmond is the only survivor in his town. He needs to get out if he wants to stay alive. A glimmer of hope lies in New Mexico, 800 miles away. It’s a dangerous journey that would test anyone’s bravery. And Matt just turned thirteen.

An alliance brings hope, but not even new friends can help Nick and the others when disaster strikes. With members of the group scattered, can they find their way back to each other? In this dangerous new world, how far will they go for their makeshift family?

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Invincible – Kit Sun Cheah

In an Empire beset by internal rebellion and ferocious yaomo, the elite Shenwujun stand ready to defend human civilization. Among the Shenwujun there is none finer than Ensign Zhang Tianyou, who earned the nickname Zhang the Invincible. During a mission to quash a nascent rebellion, a Shenwujun detachment discovers evidence that the Grand Union is supporting the rebels. Zhang is tasked to investigate and destroy this new threat.

But will Zhang the Invincible meet his match at the hands of the rebel called Han the Demon Sword?

“Invincible serves as an excellent and accessible introduction to the genre of xianxia, delivering on the action with generous helpings of the exotic, mortal peril, and moral peril. Zhang is a worthy addition to the pantheon of heroes.”

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The Four Nations Tournament (The Aegis of Merlin #6) – James E. Wisher

Four Nations. One Champion.

After a long Autumn, Conryu Koda is ready for a rest.

His hopes are dashed when Chief Kane asks for another favor. Ratings are down for the Four Nations Tournament and having the world’s only male wizard participate is just the thing to give them a boost.

An exhausted Conryu has no interest in playing in an event broadcast world wide. Unfortunately for him, everyone else thinks it’s a great idea. Before he knows it he’s off to London for the games.

But Conryu isn’t the only one visiting the city. The sinister Lady Tiger is in town and she’s got her eye on the other half of the broken elf artifact.

Throw the stunning Heather James, scheming Malice Kincade, and an army of fanatics into the mix and ratings will be the least of Conryu’s worries.

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The Jack of Ruin (Unseen Moon #2) – Stephen Merlino

Harric’s immortal enemy, Sir Bannus, lies defeated in the valley, his army buried under tons of mountain rubble—a rock fall that Harric brought down with the magic of the Unseen Moon. For now, the quest to deliver the Queen’s peace treaty to the mysterious Kwendi is safe.

But Sir Bannus rises from defeat with Harric’s name on his lips, vengeance in his fist, and a vow to capture the treaty-bearers and spark war to bring ruin upon the Queen. To Harric, death would be preferable, for if she falls, Sir Bannus or another of the Old Ones will reclaim the throne and cast women and bastards like Harric back into slavery.

Yet Harric’s companions condemn his use of trickery and magic to fight Sir Bannus—tools that saved them once before, and which he believes are as vital as swords for the Queen’s protection.

When treachery, discord, and death doom the quest, Harric must choose between the love and regard of his friends and his self-chosen destiny as Her Majesty’s Unseen protector.

It is a choice that will forever bind him to one…and bring ruin to the other.

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Lyonesse Volume 2 – edited by Russel Newquist

Space battles, ghosts of dead politicians, German demon hunters, and interplanetary detectives.

Space warriors battle for a lost cause. Strange things are afoot on the subway. A PR stunt gone wrong brings back the ghost of a dead politician. Children learn to summon demons in school. A major corporation offers hope in the midst of a horrible outbreak… or do they? Interplanetary detectives, alien visitors, and time travel.

Read all these and more in this wondrous second volume, collecting works from the paradigm shifting short fiction service Lyonesse

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The Red Plague (Last Warrior of Unigaea #3) – Harmon Cooper

A warrior with nothing left to lose, Oric Rune wants nothing more than to avenge the villagers of Ducat, who were butchered before his very eyes by the Drachma Killers.

But with the people of the Rune Lands encroaching on the southern cities of Unigaea, and something sinister brewing in the sky that could prove fatal to the entire online world, Oric must make the choice between personal vengeance and becoming the hero he is destined to be.

Battered and bruised, but not yet ready to give up on his quest to save Unigaea, Oric and company set off for Tagvornin to address the Red Plague. With a newfound mission, and time running out as the Red Plague continues to spread, the moment for Oric to make his mark on Unigaea is now. But will he be able to? And is it even possible?

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Shadow Trapped (Collector Chronicles #3) – D. K. Holmberg

Born of shadow magic. Gifted with the power to control the flame that burns within her. A master strategist. All will be tested by the mysterious Collector.

Carth won the last round, but the game is only beginning.

When the Collector escapes from the prison on Keyall, Carth prepares a daring plan to recapture her, but knows the Collector has already planned for any move she might make.

Discovering what she’s truly after will require an uneasy alliance and leads to a discovery that sends Carth looking into her past to learn how to survive the present.

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We, the Two (I, the One #2) – Dominika Lein

In a rush, Hanhoka must reach her long-time colleague before the practice of trading Souls is banned. With her brother, Hinom, at her side, they make their way to the meeting place. Souls are in short supply, things seem desperate, but a rare sighting of the last Soul Hunter offers hope.

Hanhoka schemes and takes advantage of her ability to weave fate —as well as some unlikely connections— to trap the Hunter. Even in these ethereal realms, however, her omniscience is limited and the presence of an ancient, ghastly shadow prevents her plan from being fulfilled without a sorrowful consequence.

“We, the Two” is a short story in an etheric reality where willpower distinguishes the strong from the weak and souls are hunted, captured, even consumed.

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Yankee Heir – Patrick A. Nielsen

The year is 1796, and like the fledgling United States Army he serves, Bran Gruffudd is young, reckless, and full of potential; but when victory on the battlefield gives way to tragedy at home, Bran is left with nothing.

Then Bran’s uncle dies, and an unanticipated inheritance and title give the young American the opportunity to begin anew. To secure his ancestral birthright, Bran must first journey across the Atlantic to the Gruffudd family’s four hundred-year-old holdings in southern Wales.

Arriving in Great Britain, Bran’s future is far less bright than he might have hoped. A missing fortune, attempts on his life, unlikely alliances, and a young ward are just some of the surprises that lay ahead. In the end, Bran discovers that true peace will only come through victory, as he once again is forced to take up arms to defend all that he holds dear.