Best Selling Books by Sherwood Smith

“A first-rate fantasy novel” that blends military fantasy with courtly politics, vast worldbuilding, and a diverse cast of characters (Orson Scott Card, New York Times–bestselling author of Ender''s Game) The first book in the acclaimed Inda series, set within Sherwood Smith’s epic fantasy universe, Sartorias-deles Indevan-Dal is the second son of the Prince and Princess of Choraed Elgaer, destined to become his elder brother Tanrid''’ Shield Arm—his military champion. Like all second sons, he is to be privately trained at home by Tanrid, the brother whose lands he will one day protect. When the King’s Voice comes to summon Inda to the Military Academy, he might well feel foreboding, or even fear—war is imminent—yet youthful Inda feels only excitement. But there are things that Tanrid hasn’t prepared him for, and Inda will soon learn that the greatest threats to his safety will not come from foreign enemies, but from supposed allies within his own country.

To fulfill their father''s dying wish, teenage Countess Meliara and her brother Branaric organize a revolution against a greedy king.

Standalone novel of Sherwood Smith''s epic fantasy Sartorias-deles universe • follow-up to acclaimed military fantasy Inda series • courtly politics, vast worldbuilding, and diverse characters "Smith should rank high on any list of military writers.... A first-rate author boldly at play." —SF Signal Emras is the most diligent of students, and she wants nothing more than to become royal scribe for the intelligent and beautiful Princess Lasva. And Emras gets her wish. But life becomes complicated in ways she could never have foreseen. For though Emras adores the princess, she has been charged with a secret mission for the queen: to search her new home for signs of the evil magical influence of Norsunder—a kingdom once thought legendary, but now known to be real. Emras knows nothing of magic, but finds a knowledgeable and willing tutor in the barbaric land of Marloven Hesea. Was the queen right? Is there a connection between Norsunder and Marloven Hesea? And if Emras was acting on orders from her queen, why is she now on trial?

Over the course of five books, Sherwood Smith has enthralled readers with the world of Sartorias-deles. First in the military action of the Inda series and then in the magic-based cultural drama of Banner of the Damned, Smith''s books are a tour-de-force of deadly high politics, incredibly engaging worldbuilding, and nuanced examinations of power, love, and betrayal. Readers of all stripes have praised her for the master fantasist she is. Woven throughout these sagas is a dark mystery: the dangerous, shadowed threat of Norsunder. With incredible powers only hinted at and rare appearances of enigmatic characters, Norsunder has loomed as the ultimate villain, the very highest of stakes, and a foreboding battle to come: the great story readers have been eagerly awaiting. A Sword Named Truth begins that story. The first installment of a trilogy, A Sword Named Truth launches readers into the non-stop action, politics, and magical threats leading to Norsunder''s return. Our heroes span continents and cultures, ambitions and desires, but share one characteristic: they are young leaders. Many are rulers of unstable nations, growing into their power and themselves, but they are seeking ways to trust and bind themselves together - and find the strength to defend against a host that has crushed entire worlds.

Many generations ago, a mysterious cataclysm struck the world. Governments collapsed and people scattered, to rebuild where they could. A mutation, "the Change,” arose, granting some people unique powers. Though the area once called Los Angeles retains its cultural diversity, its technological marvels have faded into legend. "Las Anclas" now resembles a Wild West frontier town… where the Sheriff possesses superhuman strength, the doctor can warp time to heal his patients, and the distant ruins of an ancient city bristle with deadly crystalline trees that take their jewel-like colors from the clothes of the people they killed. Teenage prospector Ross Juarez’s best find ever – an ancient book he doesn’t know how to read – nearly costs him his life when a bounty hunter is set on him to kill him and steal the book. Ross barely makes it to Las Anclas, bringing with him a precious artifact, a power no one has ever had before, and a whole lot of trouble.

Acclaimed Inda series within Sherwood Smith''s epic fantasy Sartorias-deles universe • Military fantasy woven with courtly politics, vast worldbuilding, and diverse characters After ten years of exile on the sea, Inda returned home to protect his country from attack by an ancient enemy. But he found his home utterly changed. His old classmate Evred, a formerly powerless younger prince, was now king—and made Inda his Royal Shield Arm, the leader of defense for the entire kingdom. His country''s enemy, the Venn, are planning the largest naval attack in history, and the first line of defense is in a critically strategic strait to the north. Control of this strait has been contested for generations, often with violent conflicts, and Inda will need strong allies to overcome the Venn. Even with these allies, Inda is severely disadvantaged and outnumbered. Can Inda, military genius but only one man, find a way to defeat the powerful navy of the Venn and bring peace to his battered homeland at last?

Too much imagination was tantamount to lying―that’s what my grandmother taught me. So when I first got the sense that someone was following me, I ignored it. Who’d waste time following me? Me, being Aurelia Kim Murray, a grad student from California with a passion for ballet and fencing, and a hopelessly romantic vision of the world. I had some to Europe to track down my grandparents’ families, but so far I’d had no luck. I couldn’t explain the sense of urgency that drove me, even to myself. It has begun that day four months ago when my grandmother lay restlessly in her bed, her eyes glittering with fever as she gripped my hand. “Your mother is too gentle,” she’s whispered in her aristocratic Parisian French. “I cannot send her to steal the breach.” Breach? What breach? With her family? With my grandfather’s family? Neither Mom nor I knew anything about Grandmother’s family or the handsome man in the silver-framed photo that Gran always kept on her bedside table. “She wouldn’t talk about her life before California,” my mom has said, as we waited in yet another specialist’s office, hoping to find out why, though Gran had recovered from her fever, she had not spoken since. Nothing had come of my search in Paris, or Vienna, and no matter how fast I walked along the grand boulevards, I knew I couldn’t outpace my sense of failure. And that’s when I met my first ghost. But seeing ghosts wasn’t my biggest problem. I was being followed, and I was about to find out more about my lineage than I had ever imagined possible in my wildest, most fanciful dreams…or nightmares.

Acclaimed Inda series within Sherwood Smith''s epic fantasy Sartorias-deles universe • Military fantasy woven with courtly politics, vast worldbuilding, and diverse characters As the second son of the Prince and Princess of Choraed Elgaer, Inda was fated to protect the realm his older brother would inherit. Forced to flee his homeland before his thirteenth birthday, he finds himself on the perilous decks of a pirate ship, forcing himself never to think of all he has lost. But his military skills and inborn natural leadership ability cannot be erased, and four years later, Inda has become head of his own mercenary marine company, with a reputation for protecting merchant vessels against the marauding bands of pirates that plunder the waters. Meanwhile, after the untimely death of Inda''s brother, his parents are desperately searching for their second son—for Inda is now the heir to Choraed Elgaer.

Just right for fans of Tamora Pierce and Patricia C. Wrede! When twelve-year-old Lady Lilah decides to disguise herself and sneak out of the palace one night, she has more of an adventure than she expected--for she learns very quickly that the country is on the edge of revolution. When she sneaks back in, she learns something even more surprising: her older brother Peitar is one of the forces behind it all. The revolution happens before all of his plans are in place, and brings unexpected chaos and violence. Lilah and her friends, leaving their old lives behind, are determined to help however they can. But what can four kids do? Become spies, of course!

Exiled from his kingdom, Inda returns home when he discovers that his homeland is about to be invaded and is pressed into service as the king''s "royal shield arm" to defend his country against its most powerful and ancient enemy, in the sequel to The Fox.

Once upon a time, I had known nothing about my family. But then I went to Europe and discovered who I really was. And my new life...well, it was like something right out of a fairy tale. I was a member of the royal family of Dobrenica, a tiny, obscure European country with some very unusual attributes. Like magic. And ghosts. And vampires. But for the first time in my life I was truly happy. I was engaged to be married to the heir apparent to the throne, and we were in love. So my mood was high as I walked under the triumphal arch in the center of the capital city and passed the off little painting of a door that had intrigued me ever since I first came to Dobrenica. It was rendered so realistically that on first glance it seemed three dimensional, and I always ran my fingers over the amazing painting as I passed. But this time, my fingers closed on an actual cold metal doorknob, and the door swung inward, revealing a sun-drenched landscape and a teenage girl with honey-colored braids. As I stepped over the magical threshold, she spoke. "You are called to guide the child Aurelie,"she said. "But that is only half your task: to save Dobrenica, you must bring her here." And with that, she disappeared, leaving me floating like a spirit in a strange world, two hundred years in the past.

This first of four brand-new stories based on L. Frank Baum''s classic tales brings modern-day visitors to Oz. Em and Dori are descendants of Dorothy Gale and follow in her famous footsteps to the magical land of Oz and adventure. Illustrations.

Before last summer, I was just a normal grad student from California, but then I went to Europe to track down my grandmother''s family and my life changed forever. Mistaken for Ruli, a runaway princess who, it turned out, was actually my cousin, I was drugged, abducted, and taken to Dobrenica, a tiny and very unusual little kingdom in Eastern Europe. The handsome man who kidnapped me was Alec, Ruli''s fiance, the man who was slated to rule Dobrenica. Like so many things in this odd little kingdom, their marriage would have a magical component―for when certain members of two royal lines married at a particular point in time, Dobrenica...vanished. The solution should have been simple, right? Find Ruli and bring her home. Except Ruli didn''t want to come home. Alec and Ruli disliked each other, and to complicate matters further, Alec and I...well, I''ve always been a romantic at heart. In the end we all did the "right thing." Brokenhearted yet resolute, I returned to America, but I just couldn''t seem to forget Alec or Dobrenica. But then I learned that though Ruli and Alec had married, Dobrenica was still in our world. Still in my world. The magic had failed, and no one knew why. So back I went, but my trip became even more dangerous than it was the first time. I expected personal conflict and politics, even sword fighting. I was also prepared for Dobrenica''s ever-present specters. But I was not prepared for murder, mystery, or the chillingly real presence of the undead.

Cece Robin is a simple fourth-grade schoolteacher. A chance meeting with a splinter group of the Resistance changes her life. She would never dream of getting involved in their plot to assassinate the Taelon leader Zo''or she''d never kill anyone-not even an alien Taelon! Her refusal makes her dangerous to the Resistance-and a suspect in the eyes of the Taelons. By great good luck she meets up with Augur, whom she puts in a terrible fix. He-the ultimate loner, whose credo is "I''m out for nobody but myself"--Risks his cover, his life, and worst of all, possibly, the loss of some income, to save his favorite teacher from the Taelons and the Resistance. Can Augur save Cece without crippling the Resistance and destroying humanity''s hope for the future? Maybe. But for sure, he''s really going to mess up his social life!

With the help of a prince and an apprentice wizard, Wren rescues her best friend.

When a family emergency takes Dori and Em''s mother out of town at the same time that Glinda summons them to Oz, the sisters decide that only Dori should go to Oz while Em stays home to conceal her absence.

Brad Ellis, a serious young American, and Lucy Beale, a servant at the boarding school where Brad''s father is headmaster, find themselves aboard the "Basset" on a fantastical voyage into the realms of imagination.

Rhis, princess of a small kingdom, is invited along with all the other princesses in her part of the world to the coming of age party of the Crown Prince of Vesarja, which is the central and most important kingdom. When Iardith, the prettiest and most perfect of all the princesses, is abducted, Rhis and her friends go to the rescue. What happens to Rhis and her posse has unexpected results not only for the princesses, but for the princes who chase after them. Everyone learns a lot about friendship and hate, politics and laughter, romantic ballads and sleeping in the dirt with nothing but a sword for company. But most of all they learn about the many meanings of love.

In this romantic fantasy set in the same world as Crown Duel, Flian is an ordinary princess who would rather be left with her music, but gets abducted not once, not twice, but three times. What is a civilized princess to do? Especially when she can''t tell which prince is the hero and which the villain!

At long last! The finale to Sherwood Smith''s Oz trilogy is here! Journey back to Oz with Dori and Emma, along with old favorites like Scraps and Polychrome, as they travel through the skies over Oz. There''s a plot afoot with a dastardly villain who kidnapped Princess Dorothy in Smith''s first book, The Emerald Wand of Oz. It''ll take Glinda, Rikki the Nome, met in Trouble Under Oz, Dori, Emma, Scraps, and many more to contend with this threat... Even a shaggy dog named "Dad!" Sky Pyrates Over Oz is illustrated by Kim McFarland. This book completes the trilogy began with The Emerald Wand of Oz and Trouble Under Oz, but can be read separately. Each book stands alone.

Courtly Vidanric--sent for his own protection to train as a warrior in a foreign land--considers himself alien, sensitive, weak, and ignorant among his fellow cadets. Remaining a study in courage and integrity, despite the grinding discipline that takes away even his name, Vidanric''s skills grow swordblade sharp even as he also learns lessons of the heart.

Having revitalized the classic Solar Queen series to critical acclaim, Andre Norton and Sherwood Smith now turn their storytelling talents to Norton''s popular Time Traders series. Time agents Ross Murdock and Eveleen Riorden are recalled from their honeymoon to take part in a dangerous assignment: find a team of Russian scientists who have vanished without a trace from a research mission in the past of a far-off planet. Along with a team of Russian time Agents with their own mysterious agenda and Saba, a new agent teamed with Gordon Ashe, they leap into the alien world''s distant history. There they encounter several alien races, whose appearance, language, and customs are almost incomprehensibly strange. Something changed this world, and music seems the only tool that might prove a key to unlocking the planet''s secrets. But as they try to decipher a digital alien Rosetta stone, time is running out for their mission. Ross now knows what happened to the missing scientists--but can he save his team before they too vanish forever? This thrilling adventure of a desperate race against treacherous time itself is a tale filled with excitement and wonder in the grand Time Traders tradition.

Publisher Description

Miniature people who live in an old country house by borrowing things from the humans are forced to emigrate from their home under the clock.

There are secret powers that might get you locked up or spirited away. And then there are the secrets that get you shunned. The first kind are surprisingly un-useful at helping with the second. At the Publisher''s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Noblebright fantasy is fantasy with a thread of hope even in the darkest hour, with characters who strive to do the right thing, even when it costs them everything. In this exciting collection of noblebright fantasy, fresh new fantasy voices and award-winning authors explore grief and hope, sacrifice and heroism. Rediscover the best aspect of classic fantasy - the noblebright ideals that made heroes heroic, even when the world grew dark around them. Wizards, princesses, peasants, schoolchildren, griffins, and the song of the stars shine brightly in these wide-ranging tales of possibility, courage, and hope. This anthology features stories from: JA Andrews, Gustavo Bondoni, Christopher Bunn, M.C. Dwyer, Yvonne Eliot, Francesca Forrest, Chloe Garner, Corrie Garrett, Joanna Hoyt, Cate Isert, Glenn James, Jim Johnson, Ville Meriläinen, A. K. R. Scott, Sherwood Smith, and John Taloni.

The adventures in space of the Solar Queen, a trading ship and its crew with telepathetic powers. They are sent to mine a planet with dangerous weather and equally dangerous pirates in the vicinity. By the author of Derelict for Trade.

For the first time in paperback--a new Time Traders adventure in which Time Patrol stalwart Ross Murdock journeys back in time to find out what happened to the fabled civilization of Atlantis.

First Firebirds. Then Firebirds Rising. Now there is Firebirds Soaring, the third anthology of original stories by some of today?s finest writers of fantasy and science fiction. These authors, including Nancy Farmer (The Sea of Trolls), Ellen Klages (The Green Glass Sea), Margo Lanagan (Black Juice), and Jane Yolen (The Devil?s Arithmetic), have brought new worlds and Old Magic to life in nineteen remarkable pieces of short fiction. Mike Dringenberg, co-creator of Sandman, contributes decorative vignettes. Firebirds Soaring?like Firebirds and Firebirds Rising?sets the standard for short fiction for teenagers and adult fans of the genre.

Magic—danger—and the thrill of the chase! Experience the rush of racing across rooftops with thieves—or the desperation of fleeing an assassin who knows you a little too well. From the fish market of a tropical island sultanate, to the monster-filled alleys of a steampunk London, to a land where souls take different forms as they rise or fall through the layers of the world, this collection of chase scenes and vignettes set in nine distinctive worlds will leave you spellbound. Find unexpected allies, unshakeable enemies, sudden twists and turns, and always the swiftness of the chase—whether you’re on the hunt, or racing for your life. This sampler includes an exclusive bonus scene set during the events of Tea Set and Match by Casey Blair, available for free online, and a scene from an unpublished novel by Rachel Neumeier not available anywhere else. The excerpts by Intisar Khanani, Raf Morgan, P. Djèlí Clark, Sherwood Smith, Joyce Chng, Melissa McShane, and Andrea K. Höst are from longer works that are available for sale at all major retailers.

A piracy consortium is formed for hijacking trading ships in space. Captain Jellico of the trading ship, Solar Queen, discovers its existence in the course of a journey and mounts an operation to destroy it. By the author of Redline the Stars.

The greatly anticipated final book in the Change series. In a world of mutant powers and deadly creatures, one small town faces its worst nightmare... In a single shocking night, Las Anclas is conquered. Voske rules the town, remaking it in his image. He brings Opportunity Day to Las Anclas, with its terrifying lottery of "Change or die." He forces Paco into the role of his son and prince, always watching him for signs of rebellion. And for those who escaped his net, he sends elite Changed soldiers to drag them back to be executed. Inside Las Anclas, Paco and Becky play a nerve-shattering game of cat and mouse, plotting a resistance under Voske''s eye. Outside the walls, Ross, Mia, Jennie, and Kerry desperately evade pursuit and try to free their town. And Felicite, alone, must face the choice she''s given up everything to avoid. In the darkness of defeat, can hope catch fire?

R and R Between a Rock and a Hard Place Dylan Hunt and the Crew of the Andromeda Ascendant have been fighting the good fight to re-establish the Systems Commonwealth. They need some serious rest and relaxation. Fortunately, they arrive at Paradise Drift, an ideal spot for a quick vacation. In the drift, the crew can play at pirates, medieval knights, gladiators--almost anything imaginable--in the virtual gaming scenarios concocted for visitors'' pleasure. Since the drift wishes to join the New Systems Commonwealth, the crew is given carte blanche to enjoy all of the drift''s facilities for free. This is a welcome gift for the weary crew, but it doesn''t take long for complications to arise. First, Trance Gemini vanishes without a trace. Then their tech-wizard Seamus Harper visits a harem, only to be confronted by a woman from his past who has a knife and a score to settle. Even worse, Pilot Beka Valentine is relentlessly pursued by a bounty hunter who desperately wants to claim the price on her head. And Captain Dylan Hunt hasn''t been worrying about his losing streak at a glamorous gambling parlor, until he discovers that gambling debts on the drift are anything but virtual. Little does Dylan know, he could end up paying for his debts with his head! Meanwhile, back on the ship, warrior Tyr Anasazi and ship''s AI Rommie are forced to defend the Andromeda Ascendant against aggression from an unlikely source. What follows is an exciting, suspenseful deep-space adventure that will surely satisfy viewers of the TV series and readers with a taste for space opera. At the Publisher''s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.