Books with author Robert Ryan

A realm at risk. A quest for hope. A prophecy of ruin.Grim war casts a shadow across the land. Hidden armies gather in nighted valleys. Esgallien City, ruled by a false Witch-queen, lies at the mercy of its many foes.Lanrik faces an impossible quest. Only one man has the power to overthrow the queen and ready Esgallien to fight: Aranloth, the greatest wizard of the age. But for him to do so, Lanrik must free him from the ring of sorcerers who hold him captive.He cannot do it by himself. He dreads taking Erlissa, though she has magic to help. But he has no choice. The land's needs outweigh his fears, and the impossible never stopped him before.He sets out to save all that he loves, but the words of a long-dead king haunt him. Nothing lasts forever. Not men, nor chiefs . . . nor even cities.This is the final book of the Raithlindrath series.

Bright swords. Dark sorcery. A city stalked by enemies.Brand, though descended from chieftains, wanders the land of Alithoras with no possessions save the clothes he wears and his oft-needed sword. But the blade belonged to his forefathers, and he yearns to prove himself worthy of a long line of heroes.Drawn to Red Cardoroth, he discovers that the city earned its name for good reason. Enemies without plot its downfall. Traitors within conspire toward its destruction. All about him swirls a cesspool of mistrust, betrayal and shadow-hidden sorcery.Yet he meets the wizard Aranloth and finds that loyalty, trust and courage vie against the dark forces of the world. He swears to serve the king. But the king is under constant threat, and swords and spells alone will not save him. Nothing will. But that does not stop Brand. He gives no quarter to the schemes of men, is not cowed by sorcery, and will not yield . . . even to fate.A Spell of Swords is a group of short stories that form a prequel to the Durlindrath epic fantasy series.

A queen of black sorcery. A fear-quelled city. A quest into darkness.The city of Esgallien groans beneath the Witch-queen's iron-gripped rule. Swift rumor of dark deeds fly across the land. What once was beautiful is become a shadow-realm, and the people plead for a hero. Drawn by loyalty stronger than dread, Lanrik returns. He seeks to learn the fate of the Raithlin who opposed the queen, and their leader, his father in all but name. More, he must discover how best to help the city. All deadly questions, for the Witch-queen brooks no opposition. Worse, she knows that he has come. But in the midst of danger, he is not alone. Erlissa walks by his side. She commands magic of her own, and together they risk their lives for the city they love. But their quest is more important than they know. A secret waits at its end - one they could never guess - one to make even the Witch-queen tremble.

Deep in England's green and pleasant land something evil lurks… Dr John Watson, Sherlock Holmes' stalwart companion, is back home, fresh from his time in the trenches of Flanders Fields. The horrors of war weigh heavy on his mind, and now his task is to help rehabilitate soldiers suffering from the crippling effects of shell-shock. But the war is not yet over and in one corner of England lies a secret, one that the establishment is determined to keep under wraps. For in the woodlands of the lush countryside, the government is building the secret weapon which will win the war for Britain. Here, they are developing the land ship - never-before-seen 'tanks' which the army is convinced will end the stalemate on the Western Front. But then disaster strikes. After a training exercise in one of the tanks, eight men are mysteriously struck down, seven of them dead. There is just the one survivor, and he's not talking. It is clear something is horribly wrong, and the army calls in the only man who will know how to solve the mystery: Dr John Watson.Praise for The Dead Can Wait: 'The Dead Can Waitis in no sense pastiche, but a seriously good, very readable, well-researched novel incorporating the First World War, detection and espionage' The Times'In a year when there are going to be thousands of books about WWI published, this will be one of the first, and I am prepared to bet, one of the best. It's a cracking, fulfilling, utterly satisfying read and you should get a copy now...' Manda Scott Praise for Dead Man's Land: 'A hugely powerful depiction of wartime horror, a cunning murder mystery and a brilliant re-invention of Dr John Watson. Conan Doyle would most definitely approve!' Mark Billingham

The final battle draws near, and the fate of men and gods hangs in the balance…Brand has defeated the army of Unferth, and the usurper lies dead. His magician, Horta, is also humbled. From the ruins of battle, Brand forges alliances and brings warring tribes together toward a single, all-important purpose.But time is running out. Nor does he have soldiers enough to face what comes. For the army of the Kar-ahn-hetep is on the move, and the gods of that warlike people march with it. Dread flies before them, and darkness falls over the land.What must follow is a battle Brand cannot win. But he will fight it anyway. Yet, unknown to him, a desperate hope exists. That spark is held by Horta, his enemy, and the magician might as easily snuff it out as flare it to life. But the will of the Dark God is bent upon him, whose only thought is to crush Brand forever…This is the final book of the Dark God Rises trilogy.

Dark forces stir. The Four Horsemen ride. And ancient prophecy rushes to fulfillment...Gil will be king one day - if his enemies don't kill him first. To protect himself, he learns what he must. History teaches him to understand people. The warrior arts offer protection against assassins. And the secrets of the mystic armor him against dark spells.His enemies are strong, and they have hated him since before he was born. The blood in his veins makes it so. His great ancestor defeated them in ages past, and he seeks to discover his dangerous heritage. They seek to kill him before he fulfills his destiny.Ploys unfold, armies march and traps are set. Prophecies vie with secrets hidden in the past. It is a time of battle, a time of chaos, and a time where gambles could triumph - or destroy worlds. Gil must defeat the Four Horsemen, embodiments of ultimate evil, or the sorceress who commands them will gather a vast horde and begin a bloody trail of world-spanning conquest...This omnibus contains the entire Son of Sorcery trilogy.

Ancient evil wakes from eons old sleep, and pits its strength against the world of man…Brand, exiled since his youth from the land he should rightfully rule, returns home. But nothing is as it seems, and the usurper who murdered his parents and sent countless assassins to kill him is not his greatest threat.A magician serves the usurper, and his power is of a kind both deadly and rare. Brand does not know of his existence, but the magician divines his coming and his purpose. He cannot let Brand live, for he is the sort of man who can tumble thrones and challenge fate itself.Brand, intent on righting past wrongs, gathers an army as he journeys. But enemies beset him. Beasts of magic hunt him. And the pale swordsman who is not a man stalks him across the land. Brand enters a world of magic, a time of chaos and a crossroads of destiny. For a dark shadow of evil reaches forth to conquer, and one man will not stop it, nor will one kingdom sate its lust for dominion…

The final battle approaches, and the threads of prophecy tighten… Gil has not discovered how to defeat the sorceress who threatens the realm. And time has run out. Ginsar commands not only blood magic, nor just the terrifying Horsemen, but also a vast army – and it is massed mere days away. But Gil’s people will not cower behind walls of stone. No enemy has ever breached the city defenses, but aided by sorcery this one will. So, Gil leads the army on a sudden march to take the fight to Ginsar before she is ready. It is a desperate gamble, and one that could turn to ruin and despair. Strategies come to fruition, ploys unfold and traps are set. Prophecies for the future vie with secrets hidden in the past. It is a time of turmoil, a time of chaos, and a time where gambles could triumph – or destroy worlds. Gil is at its heart, ready to be king, but perhaps fated to see all that he loves burn to ash and smoke… This is the final book of the Son of Sorcery trilogy.

War strides across the land, and ancient gods pull the threads of destiny…Brand has passed through sorcery and battle, surviving everything his enemies sent against him. So far. But each time he discovers an enemy, he finds only another, and a greater, behind them.Now, his enemies number not just Unferth the Usurper nor Horta the Magician, but also ancient gods that once walked the world. And they dream of bending it to their will again.He learns that the Trickster, one of the greatest of the old gods, has set a trap for him. But he can spare little time to think on that, for a more obvious danger is coming. War. And the outcome will decide not just his own destiny but that of the realm. Unless the Trickster kills him first…

War marches across the land, and the fate of men and gods hangs in the balance…Brand, long exiled from the land he should rule, at last returns home. But nothing is as it seems, and the usurper who murdered his parents and sent assassins to kill him as a child is not his greatest threat.A magician of deadly skill serves the usurper. He plots against Brand, for his coming puts not only the usurper at risk, but also the magician’s own dark plans.Brand is intent on righting past wrongs. He gathers an army, but warlords beset him, beasts of magic hunt him and ancient gods, steeped in evil, wake from slumber and pull the threads of destiny to destroy him.He risks all for the land he loves and throws himself into a conflict of magic, a time of chaos and a crossroads of fate. For the gods desire more than to destroy him. They seek to rise and rule as once they did. And one kingdom alone will not sate their lust for dominion…This box set contains all three books of the Dark God Rises trilogy.

Against the many, the king sends one.Brand is the youngest bodyguard to ever protect the king, but he may never grow any older. A horde of mankind's ancient enemies lays siege to Cardoroth city. During the day, the clang of blades, the mad shrieks of the foe and the hiss of swift-flighted arrows cuts the air. At night, the sorcerous chanting begins.Brand ignores it all. His one duty is to guard the king. But the realm teeters on the brink of destruction and the king knows that his bodyguard, touched by fate in ways that neither of them understand, is the only man with the skills to save it. He asks Brand to undertake a last-chance quest to save all that they love.Brand accepts the mission. Soon, enemies track him across strange lands, beasts of foul magic stalk him and an emissary of evil hunts him. Amid it all, he meets a beautiful but deadly girl who aids him - for reasons of her own. She knows secrets that she will not tell, but she does reveal that more is at play than just the fate of kings and realms. Ancient forces, drenched in long-forgotten blood, seek to plunge the world into the dark. The odds pile against him, but not for nothing was he the king's last hope.This boxed set contains the entire Durlindrath trilogy.

Bright swords. Dark sorcery. A city stalked by enemies. Brand, though descended from chieftains, wanders the land of Alithoras with no possessions save the clothes he wears and his oft-needed sword. But the blade belonged to his forefathers, and he yearns to prove himself worthy of a long line of heroes. Drawn to Red Cardoroth, he discovers that the city earned its name for good reason. Enemies without plot its downfall. Traitors within conspire toward its destruction. All about him swirls a cesspool of mistrust, betrayal and shadow-hidden sorcery. Yet he meets the wizard Aranloth and finds that loyalty, trust and courage vie against the dark forces of the world. He swears to serve the king. But the king is under constant threat, and swords and spells alone will not save him. Nothing will. But that does not stop Brand. He gives no quarter to the schemes of men, is not cowed by sorcery, and will not yield . . . even to fate. A Spell of Swords is a group of short stories that form a prequel to the Durlindrath epic fantasy series.