Jaida Jones Books

A major new investigation into the Bhutto family, examining their influence in Pakistan from the colonial era to the present day

In the land of Volstov, Owen Adamo, the hard-as-nails ex–Chief Sergeant of the Dragon Corps, learns that Volstov’s ruler, the Esar, is secretly pursuing plans to resurrect magically powered sentient robot dragons—even at the risk of igniting another war. Though Adamo is not without friends—the magician Royston and former corpsman Balfour—there is only so much he and his allies can do. Adamo has been put out to pasture, given a professorship at the University. Royston, already exiled once, dares not risk the Esar’s wrath again. And Balfour, who lost both his hands in the war, is now a diplomat—and still trying to master the metal replacements that have earned him various nicknames . . . of which “Steelhands” is the least offensive. But sometimes help comes where it’s least expected. In this case, from two students: Laurence, a feisty young woman raised by her father to be the son he never had, and Toverre, her brilliant if neurotic fiancé. When a mysterious illness strikes the university, Laurence takes her suspicions to Adamo—and unwittingly sets in motion events that will change Volstov forever.

Led to victory by its magic-fueled Dragon Corps, Volstov has sent a delegation to its conquered neighbors to work out the long-awaited terms of peace. Among those in the party are the decorated war hero General Alcibiades and the formerly exiled magician Caius Greylace. But even this mismatched pair can’t help but notice that their defeated enemies aren’t being very cooperative. The hidden truth is that the new emperor is harboring a treacherous secret—and once it is revealed, Alcibiades and Caius may be powerless to stop it. With their only ally an exiled prince now fleeing his brother’s assassins, the countryside rife with terror, and Alcibiades and Caius all but prisoners, it will take the most powerful kind of magic to heal the rift between two strife-worn lands and unite two peoples against a common enemy: shadow magic.

This stunning epic fantasy debut introduces two exciting new authors—and a world brimming with natural and man-made wonders, extraordinary events, and a crisis that will test the mettle of men, the boundaries of magic, and the heart and soul of a kingdom. Thanks to its elite Dragon Corps, the capital city of Volstov has all but won the hundred years’ war with its neighboring enemy, the Ke-Han. The renegade airmen who fly the corps’s mechanical, magic-fueled dragons are Volstov’s greatest weapon. But now one of its members is at the center of a scandal that may turn the tide of victory. To counter the threat, four ill-assorted heroes must converge to save their kingdom: an exiled magician, a naive country boy, a young student—and the unpredictable ace who flies the city’s fiercest dragon, Havemercy. But on the eve of battle, these courageous men will face something that could make the most formidable of warriors hesitate, the most powerful of magicians weak, and the most unlikely of men allies in their quest to rise against it.

During the war between the kingdoms of Volstov and Ke-Han, no fighter could match Rook for sheer arrogance and skill. Only Rook could ride the great dragon Havemercy, whose savagery and bloodlust matched his own. His brother, Thom, is bookish, diffident, and reserved, yet he yearns for Rook’s approval—and fears he can never earn it. With the war over, and an uneasy truce between the two nations, Thom hopes the long-lost brothers can bond on a trip together. But Rook cares only that Havemercy lies scattered in pieces across Ke-Han—and someone is buying up her parts, and those of other fallen dragons. The beasts are dead, but the magic that powered them is not. And now a Ke-Han agent, a Volstov sorceress, and a group of desert tribesmen are vying to possess that magic and control the future.

Sinister sorcery. Gallows humor. A queer romance so glorious it could be right out of fae legend itself. Master of One is a fantasy unlike any other. Rags is a thief--an excellent one. He's stolen into nobles' coffers, picked soldiers' pockets, and even liberated a ring or two off the fingers of passersby. Until he's caught by the Queensguard and forced to find an ancient fae relic for a sadistic royal sorcerer. But Rags could never have guessed this "relic" would actually be a fae himself--a distractingly handsome, annoyingly perfect, ancient fae prince called Shining Talon. Good thing Rags can think on his toes, because things just get stranger from there... With the heist and intrigue of Six of Crows and the dark fairy tale feel of The Cruel Prince, this young adult fantasy debut will have readers rooting for a pair of reluctant heroes as they take on a world-ending fae prophecy, a malicious royal plot, and, most dangerously of all, their feelings for each other. --Peter S. Beagle, author of The Last Unicorn

Dračí sbor a magie přinesly Volstovi vítězství ve vleklé válce. Ovšem i dojednání mírových podmínek může být smrtelně nebezpečnou záležitostí. Zvláště když nový císař plánuje odvetu a v každém stínu tuší zradu. Volstovská delegace, v níž se setkávají i válečný hrdina generál Alcibiades a možná floutkovský, možná prostě šílený mág Caius Greylace, se však nehodlá vzdát bez boje ani v srdci nepřátelského území. Ve stejnou dobu bojuje o život i Mamoru, císařův mladší bratr. Nespravedlivě obviněn z velezrady se skrývá jen s věrným služebníkem před vrahy a udavači. Tváří v tvář nebezpečí a té nejzáludnější magii musí hrdinové obou říší odhalit tajemství magie stínů, které navždy změní je samé i jejich svět. -- zdroj: wwww.legie.info --

Volstov a Ke-Han spolu vedou už víc než sto let válku. Volstov však má jednu obrovskou výhodu - dračí sbor, nesourodou bandu mladých mužů, kteří nikam jinam nezapadnou, ale kteří se zalíbili drakům. Volstovští draci jsou výtvorem lidských rukou, avšak pohání je magie. Jejich noční nálety zřejmě pomáhají vleklou válku vyhrát a konečné vítězství se blíží. Jenomže Ke-Hanové nezahálejí a volstovští mágové začnou najednou hromadně podléhat jakési neznámé nemoci a draci se chovají podivně. Co přesně způsobilo tuto změnu ve válce? A lze ještě Volstov zachránit před konečnou porážkou? Hlavní hrdinové - markrabě-mág, jeho učedník, letec dračího sboru a student z Verzity - budou muset spojit síly, aby jejich milovaná vlast neskončila v rukou ke-hanských nepřátel.