Cirsova #13: Winter 2022 – edited by P. Alexander

On a cold night, Martin is confronted by a strange aetherial being calling itself Sister Winter! There are dangerous men looking for her, and she needs Martin’s help!

The ashes in Alness still smoulder under Rhygir and his mercenaries… Mangos must go alone to the north to deliver a message to an Alnessi resistance leader!

Vran and his new companion, Grenvette, a living statue, pursue the vile Foad Misjak to yet another world! Vran finds that he has arrived too late, however, for the evil wizard has forged an unholy alliance with a race of strange plant monsters!

Though Eirlik is defeated and Strazis holds the title of Worldlord, another threat remains: the mysterious Gaebel and his Black Assassins! What sinister plans does this renegade Moon God have for the Isle of View? The fate of the world is at stake!

…and more!!

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Death Mask (Nightvale #2) – Razorfist

KARA’ZIN

Empire of perfidy.

With Menuvia little more than a funeral pyre, Xerdes flees to the Traitor’s Kingdom of Nazgan. Where larceny is legal, honor is fatal, and it pays to keep a low profile.

For the deserts of Nazgan are not empty.

A lethal legend now haunts the badlands, thirsty for sinful blood. A hooded horror none dare name.

Even as the masked wraith carves its way through the underworld of two separate countries, it has only ever uttered a single word:

“…Xerdes.”

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Dungeon Heart: Tremors – David Sanchez-Ponton

When the Earth Roars, the Heavens Will Be Shaken

Smit thought slaying a demon would be enough to buy him a moment’s peace, but the gods themselves have taken an interest in his dungeon. The new divines and their minions scour the surface, coveting the power and ability of Smit, but they’ll soon find out they should have stayed where they belong.

Drawing on the knowledge, artifacts, and alliances he’s made until now, Smit starts gathering energy beneath the ground. When he unleashes his plans, it won’t just be common adventurers in the line of fire as before.

People always aspire to reach the heavens, but they forget that heaven rests on the shoulders of mountains.

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Exile – Glynn Stewart

A shackled Earth, ruled by an unstoppable tyrant
An exiled son, and a one-way trip across the galaxy
A perfect world, their last hope for survival

Vice Admiral Isaac Gallant is the heir apparent to the First Admiral, the dictator of the Confederacy of Humanity. Unwilling to let his mother’s tyranny stand, he joins the rebellion and leads his ships into war against the might of his own nation.

Betrayal and failure, however, see Isaac Gallant and his allies captured. Rather than execute her only son, the First Admiral instead decides to exile them, flinging four million dissidents and rebels through a one-shot wormhole to the other end of the galaxy.

There, Isaac finds himself forced to keep order and peace as they seek out a new home without becoming the very dictator he fought against and when that new home turns out to be too perfect to be true, he and his fellow exiles must decide how hard they are prepared to fight for paradise…against the very people who built it.

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He Who Fights with Monsters #8 – Shirtaloon

After a much longed-for reunion, Jason Asano works on moving past old traumas as he looks to a brighter future.

Despite warnings of dangers awaiting him in the future, Jason gets back in the saddle as an adventurer, ready to tackle new challenges. Those challenges are not hard to find as enemies that have lurked in the background start moving into the light.

Jason and his friends don’t wait passively and use schemes of their own to take the fight to the enemy. Jason’s companions find themselves plunged into dangerous missions and confronted with enemies both personal and unexpected. Jason will push new boundaries, and while it comes at a cost, it will move him deeper into the realms of cosmic power.

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KTF Part II (Galaxy’s Edge #18) – Jason Anspach and Nick Cole

It all ends here.

Every decision, battle, triumph, and heartache has led the galaxy to this moment.

The Republic is spun wildly into sudden war as Gomarii slavers, in overwhelming numbers, strike on behalf of their Savage allies. The battle is fiercest on a newly rediscovered world:

Earth.

But galactic war is only the symptom of an older, deeper, and far more dangerous conflict. Now Keel and Ravi must work frantically to assemble the warriors needed to withstand an ancient threat, and Prisma must wrestle to control her own inner darkness. While on the front lines, Death’s grim specter comes for Chhun and Victory Company.

For once again, a Legion stands steadfast before the void.

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Spice and Wolf #23 – Isuna Hasekura

Holo and Lawrence earn themselves another spot in the history books after they save Saronia from being swallowed in debt. In return for their help, the two receive an enviable reward—a noble title.

While Lawrence is beyond delighted, Holo and Elsa are wary of the generous gift. Perhaps their fears are warranted, because it seems the title comes with a shady plot of land tied to the legend of a giant serpent!

Between more stories of summer adventure and moments of parting with friends new and old, Holo and Lawrence have at least a few more journeys in them.

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To Have and to Hold (Four Horsemen Sagas # 9) – Zane Voss

The Caroons of Efmaht just wanted two things: to make billions of credits off their lucrative red diamond mines and to be left alone to spend their profits in peace. But the Galactic Union doesn’t work that way. You can’t sit on a treasure for long without someone trying to take it from you. And the Caroons, well, violence isn’t their strong suit.

Veetanho mercenary commander Treeta wants to be the one to capture the Caroons’ nearly unlimited wealth, and she’s put together a deadly combination of Besquith and Zuul mercenaries, two of the most dangerous mercenary races in the galaxy.

But then the Caroons enlist an unlikely group of allies to help them: Rawlins’ Raiders, a Human mercenary company.

These are dangerous days for Humans to be mercenaries, though, as they’re soft, squishy, and nearly defenseless without their armored CASPer mechs. And even with the CASPers’ massive firepower, more Human mercenary units vanish on contract than successfully return.

Will the Raiders be able to withstand the combined might of two of the most dangerous merc species in the galaxy and help the Caroons hold what they have, or will Rawlins’ Raiders be the next Human merc company to not return from a contract?

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Twelfth Cataclysm: What the Shell!? – Valerios

Phac wakes up in a nest of giant killer crabs in a new world. Good fricking morning!

When Phac finds himself in a world of magic, monsters, and blue screens, he must fight tooth and nail to survive. Unfortunately, falling into an overpowered crab nest doesn’t help. Neither does homemade quicksand under his boots. Worst of all, a snarky blue screen insists on calling him “Phac.”

Armed with wit, brawn, dynamite temper, and crab-themed powers, Phac will carve his own, adventurous path through the vibrant world of Peras. He will befriend sharp-tongued orcs, clash against manipulative masterminds, and stand up for what he believes in.

In the end, he will either become a greater hero than the world deserves…or crustacean fast-food on day one.

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Vortex Stingray (The Guardian Covenant #2) – Kevin Ikenberry

Go big or go home!

After the cataclysm known as The Last Stand, humanity fled to the stars. Earth has now been lost to the Gimfa, giant alien creatures bent on destruction and chaos. The benevolent Galactic Alliance gave humanity a colony world—Lewa—to call our own, but they have given humanity one condition: our Guardians must remain unarmed as they aren’t allowed to join the elite Alliance Corps military force.

Still, the Guardians remain, and it takes outstanding pilots to operate them. After a childhood tragedy, though, Zaniah Mott no longer wants to follow in her famous ancestor’s footsteps and fight the Gimfa. Enjoying a quiet life on the beaches of Lewa, she’s as far removed from the Guardian Covenant as possible… until the Gimfa arrive there.

Even after fifty years of progress, though, the Guardians are still outmatched and ungainly in the face of the aliens, but scientist Duncan Black believes he’s found an answer to the Guardian’s problems. He just needs the right pilot for his customized creation, Vortex Stingray, and he’s sure that Zaniah is the one. With Zaniah in the cockpit, Vortex Stingray joins the other Guardians in the defense of Lewa, but is she setting humanity on the path to membership in the Galactic Alliance, or will she see humanity eliminated by the Gimfa for all time?