Psionic mechs face down werewolves, Gawain fights besides Arthur, and the Marx Brothers enjoy a time-traveling disaster in this week’s roundup of the newest releases in fantasy and adventure.

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Equal and Opposite Reactions (Look to the West #3) – Tom Anderson

The Jacobin Wars have devastated Europe. With the defeat of Lisieux’s Republic, the reactionary powers of the postwar order seek to return the spirit of revolution to the Pandora’s Box from which it came and stamp down hard on the lid. Britain, ravaged by French invasion during the war, groans under the increasingly authoritarian rule of the Duke of Marlborough, while across the divided kingdoms of Germany, men of new ideals seek to create a single nation. Slavery is debated in the Empire of North America, the Spanish royal family plots a return from exile in Mexico, and the United Provinces of South America emerges from defeat to build a new place for itself in the world. In China, two rival dynasties struggle for supremacy, while Japan falls increasingly under the Russian bootheel.

But know this: as Sir Isaac Newton wrote, every action must come with an equal and opposite reaction. As nostalgics try to dial back the clock to the ancien régime as though the French Revolution never happened, pressure is building from below. The fires of revolution are rising once again, and this time it will truly be a people’s battle, a global struggle: The Popular Wars shall begin. As men fight beneath flags not for the legitimacy of their rulers, but for the spirit of their nation and the welfare of their people, the world will never be the same again…

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Fade (Paxton Locke #1) – Daniel Humphreys

Family drama is bad enough without adding magic and human sacrifice. Ten years ago, Paxton Locke’s mother killed his father in a mysterious ritual that – thankfully – went incomplete. Now, Paxton makes his living as a roving paranormal investigator, banishing spirits while Mother languishes in jail.

When a terrified ghost warns him of a dangerous, newly-freed entity, Paxton faces a fight far beyond simple exorcism. In a battle for his very soul, will he be able to endure – or simply fade away

Harry Dresden’s sorcery goes on a Supernatural-style road trip. Cool car sold separately.

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Ghostwater (Cradle #5) – Will Wight

Sacred artists follow a thousand Paths to power, using their souls to control the forces of the natural world. Lindon is Unsouled, forbidden to learn the sacred arts of his clan. When faced with a looming fate he cannot ignore, he must rise beyond anything he’s ever known…and forge his own Path.

Long ago, the Monarch Northstrider created a world of his own.

This world, known as Ghostwater, housed some of his most valuable experiments. Now, it has been damaged by the attack of the Bleeding Phoenix, and a team of Skysworn have been sent to recover whatever they can from the dying world.

Now, Lindon must brave the depths of this new dimension, scavenging treasures and pushing his skills to new heights to compete with new enemies.

Because Ghostwater is not as empty as it seems.

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Psi-Mechs, Inc. (The Darkness War #1) – Eric S. Brown

When things go bump in the night, the government calls Psi-Mechs, Inc. With a combination of technology and psi powers, they alone have the tools and training required to bump back.

Geoff Ringer was a police detective, who never wanted to be more than that. Although he knew he had a telekinetic talent, it wasn’t something he wanted anyone to know about. Even though his reticence made him a loner, he hid his power from his friends and colleagues. Using it also reminded him of that night, which he never wanted to think about again.

When a werewolf attack in the police station forces him to expose his talent to save the lives of his colleagues, Ringer is forced to flee to Psi-Mechs to hide. The company is at war, though, and Ringer finds himself on the losing side of a battle to the death.

Will Ringer and the Psi-Mechs team be able to defeat the ancient evil, or will it claim the Earth for all time? One thing is certain for Ringer—the time to hide is past. As Ringer learns to embrace his powers, only one question remains—will they be enough to turn the tide?

Psi-Mech, Inc. Because things do go bump in the night.

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Relic of the Gods (Echoes of Fate #3) – Philip C. Quaintrell

The final days of hope have come and gone. The kingdoms of Illian stand on the edge of ruin, threatened by the armies of Valanis. As evil spreads across the land, too few are left to hold the line.

A world away, the children of fire and flame may be the only hope for the realm. But the dragons have been defeated before, and Verda’s future now hangs in the balance.

Reeling from their losses, Asher and his companions journey north, trying to outrun the savage Darkakin. A confrontation awaits the ranger, but even with Paldora’s gem, he dare not challenge Valanis yet.

The days of the Dragorn have come again, and with them, a relic of the gods has been brought into the light. The knowledge of Verda’s true history weighs on Gideon Thorn, and he would see the world rid of the evil that has cursed it for so long.

Amid such calamity, even the gods can feel a great change coming, and a new age dawning. Whether it be light or the dark that finds victory, one soul will suffer the burden of destiny for all…

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The Retreat to Avalon (The Arthurian Age #1) – Sean Poage

Frustrated with living in the shadow of the elder warriors, Gawain dreams of glory in a time of peace. After three generations of struggle against a flood of ruthless invaders, Britain has finally clawed its way back within reach of security and prosperity.

Across the sea, Rome is crumbling under an onslaught of barbarian attacks, internal corruption and civil war. Desperate for allies, Rome’s last great emperor looks to Britain and the rising fame of her High King, Arthur.

Events sweep Gawain along in a tide that takes him far from his home in Britain to a terrible war in Gaul. Intrigue and betrayal vie with loyalty and valour in an epic adventure at the last, bright flash of light before “The Dark Ages”.

Sandfire (Cain: Rapid Fire #3) – Andrew Warren and Aiden L. Bailey

Thomas Caine is back in action…

As the CIA’s deadliest operative, Caine is tasked with eliminating America’s most dangerous enemies. But Caine is a professional. His missions of death have rarely been personal. Until now.

A fellow operative is killed on an icy New Zealand mountain. A shipment of vital medicine disappears from a UN cargo container. And a CIA cargo plane is shot down in the vast Empty Quarter desert. These seemingly unrelated events are all linked to a shadowy operation, known only as SANDFIRE… and if exposed, the fallout could compromise the U.S.-Saudi alliance, and engulf the Arabian Peninsula in war.

Caine travels to Yemen to locate the missing plane, and track down his friend’s killers. But his investigation reveals other secrets lost in the wreckage. Secrets powerful men will go to any lengths to keep buried in the endless sands…

Sky Hammer (Cloak Games #11) – Johnathan Moeller

The powerful Elven lord Morvilind has a hold over me. If I don’t follow his commands, my brother is going to die.

All my life I’ve carried out the Elven archmage Morvilind’s dangerous missions.

But now the game has spun out of Morvilind’s control.

Because the Rebel warlord Nicholas Connor has seized the Sky Hammer nuclear doomsday weapon, and he’s going to burn Earth and rebuild human civilization in his own twisted image.

And unless I stop Nicholas, my brother and billions of other people are going to die.

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The Wicked (Black Force Shorts #7) – Matt Rogers

Will Slater — one of the most violent and effective operatives in Black Force history — finds himself in California, drinking and partying and trying to forget about the horrific deeds he’s performed for his country. Then one morning a stranger kicks his motel door in. Sent by the organisation Slater works for, the man reveals his newest assignment — head to San Francisco, locate a private VIP club reserved for Silicon Valley’s tech billionaires and other uber-rich types, and befriend the Sinaloa cartel’s chief interrogator, in-country on one of his routine benders.

The cartel fiend is known only by his nickname: The Wicked.

What starts as a simple plan to extract information descends into anarchy as Slater struggles to maintain his cover under the influence of enough drink and drugs to kill a lesser man…

Sometimes, it pays to have a tolerance.

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