Fighter jocks, secret conspiracies, elemental academies and Cleopatra’s tomb all feature in this week’s roundup of the newest releases in fantasy and adventure.
Alt-Hero: Q #1: Where We Go One – Chuck Dixon and Helix Haze
When federal agent Roland Dane is sent to Peru to escort a U.S. Cabinet member, he has no reason to believe his assignment is connected in any way to his Treasury team’s recent bust of a ring of amateur counterfeiters. But when the Secretary of State and his entourage is unexpectedly attacked and the subsequent news reports of the attack bear no resemblance to the events he witnessed, Dane is forced to confront the shocking discovery that nothing in his world is quite what it appears to be.
Alt★Hero: Q is an incendiary comic series that explores the mysterious phenomenon of QAnon. Set in the Alt★Hero universe, the story is written by The Legend Chuck Dixon, the co-creator of Bane and the most prolific author in the history of comic books.
The Earth Awakens (Elemental Academy #2) – D. K. Holmberg
Having passed his first test at the Academy, most believe Tolan has proved he belongs. Only Tolan knows the truth: that his shaping required power from the borrowed bondar—and possibly from the elementals themselves. If he can’t find a way to shape without one, he’ll be expelled from the Academy.
When he intervenes to stop another attack on the city, he once again finds himself in the middle of the battle between Terndahl and the Draasin Lord. Worse, because of his continued reliance on the bondars, he begins to fear he might be responsible for releasing elementals.
Another test approaches. For him to remain at the Academy, he must find real power within himself, but a greater challenge distracts him. With increased attacks on the city, Tolan might be the only one to know what they’re after—and how to stop them.
Lions of the Sky – Paco Chierici
Sam Richardson is a fighter pilot’s pilot,i a reluctant legend with a gut-eating secret. He is in the last span of his tour as an instructor, yearning to get back to the real action of the Fleet, when he is ordered to take on one last class—a class that will force him to confront his carefully quarantined demons.
Brash, carefree, and naturally gifted, Keely Silvers is the embodiment of all that grates on him. After years of single-minded dedication, she and her classmates can see the finish line. They are months away from achieving their life-long dream, flying Navy F/A-18 fighters. They are smart and hard-working, but they’re just kids with expensive new toys. They’re eager to rush through training and escape to the freedom of the world beyond, a world they view as a playground full of fast jets and exotic locales.
But Sam knows there is a darker side to the profession he loves. There is trouble brewing in the East with global implications. If they make it past him they will be cast into a dangerous world where enemy planes cruise the skies over the South China Sea like sharks, loaded with real weapons and hidden intentions.
The Lost War – Karl Gallagher
It was supposed to be a weekend of costumed fun. Instead these medieval historical reenactors are flung into a wilderness by magic they don’t understand. They must struggle to survive and deal with monsters who consider them prey . . . or worse.
“Karl Gallagher’s first production, the Torchship Trilogy, was good enough so that I read and reread it. He has now turned his hand from science fiction to fantasy.” – Professor David D. Friedman, Professor, Santa Clara University, also known as Duke Cariadoc of the Bow, KSCA, OL, OP, founder of the Pennsic War.
“Highly recommended for those who enjoy watching a group fighting for their own survival on a sticks-and-stones level of technology in a brand-new world which has magic (and to make it more interesting some in the group are becoming magic users themselves)!”–Amazon Reader Review
The King’s Enemies (The Henchmen Chronicles #5) – Craig Halloran
In the final inning Abraham must shut the enemy out or die.
The invasion begins with an enemy the likes the people of Titanuus have never imagined. Armed modern weaponry, diabolical forces muster at the Kingsland border wall, while savage barbarian forces called the Gond, secretly lay siege upon the House of Steel.
With the Crown of Stones incomplete and the king slipping into madness more treachery bears fruit as former alliances are broken and old enemies rise again.
Outgunned and overmatched, Abraham Jenkins, must use his wits and sword to bring the enemy down before the curtain closes and he is trapped dead or alive in Titanuus forever.
Savage Sword of Conan: The Original Marvel Years Omnibus Vol. 1 – presented by Marvel Comics
Crom! This inaugural volume ushers in Marvel’s line of definitive Savage Sword of Conan collections. Full-color covers, letters pages, pinups, extensive articles and reviews on Conan, his world and his creator -everything’s included just as no one is spared the vengeance of Conan! After the breakout success of Conan’s color comic, Marvel brought the legendary sword-and-sorcery saga of Robert E. Howard’s hero to its black-and-white magazine line. In lushly illustrated novel-length adventures with all the drama, violence and allure the comic book medium can off er, writer Roy Thomas and Marvel’s greatest artists craft a host of Conan classics like Barry Windsor-Smith’s “Red Nails” and John Buscema’s “Black Colossus” and “A Witch Shall Be Born” featuring the infamous Tree of Death are just the beginning!
COLLECTING: SAVAGE TALES (1971) 1-5; SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN (1974) 1-12, SPECIAL (1975) 1
Tomb of the Queen (Jo Bennett Archaeological Mysteries #2) – Kristi Belcamino and Nick Thacker
Jo Bennett, fresh off her incredible discovery of a temple full of snakes hidden in an Arizona desert cave, wants to answer the question that’s been plaguing her for her entire life:
Where is Cleopatra’s tomb?
She’s idolized Cleopatra since she was a girl, following in her mother’s footsteps. Now she has the career and education to back her up, as well as her small team of close friends.
But she’s not the only one looking for Cleopatra…
And whoever finds her first will control a fortune, as well as something even more sinister…
Uncanny Collateral (Valkyrie Collections #1) – Brian McClellan
Alek Fitz is a reaper, a collection agent who works for the supernatural elements of the world, tracking down debtors and solving problems for clients as diverse as the Lords of Hell, vampires, Haitian loa, and goblins. He’s even worked for the Tooth Fairy on occasion. Based out of Cleveland, Ohio, Alek is the best in the game. As a literal slave to his job, he doesn’t have a choice.
When Death comes looking for someone to track down a thief, Alek is flung into a mess of vengeful undead, supernatural bureaucracy, and a fledgling imp war. As the consequences of failure become dire, he has few leads, and the clock is ticking. Only with the help of his friend Maggie—an ancient djinn with a complex past—can he hope to recover the stolen property, save the world, and just maybe wring a favor out of the Great Constant himself.
It’s a hell of a job, but somebody’s got to do it . . .
A Witch in Time (The Halflife Chronicles #5) – Wm. Mark Simmons
Years back, a blood transfusion with a member of the undead left Christopher Cséjthe a half-vampire. Since that time, he’s gone mano y monster with zombies, werewolves, master vampires, and creatures from the Cthulhu Lagoon—not to mention an immortal Nazi, an ancient Babylonian demon, a six-thousand-year-old necromancer, voodoo queen Marie Laveau, the mad monk Rasputin, and a couple of the Great Old Ones.
As founder of After Dark Investigations, he’s seen his fair share of the seedy side of the supernatural world. He’s saved New Orleans from total destruction in the past. And lost his family to another temporal realm. To add insult to injury, someone cut the gas line of his SUV and then ran over him with a semi-truck while he tried to get a tow. But this is the third time Chris has died.
It’s old hat at this point for him. Now, awakened in a world he doesn’t quite recognize, he’ll have to use his wits to once again keep the supernatural world at bay. INTERPOL is interested in some of his associations with Vlad Drakul’s grandson—better known as Dracula—and a trio of witches from Greek myth want him dead—and for good this time.
Bad enough. But what’s worse is that the IRS is looking into his tax returns and not at all liking what they find. Now that’s really terrifying.
Well, those look interesting.