Seventeen rapier-sharp stories of swordplay, magic, and adventure... From a samurai's sword to an assassin's blade, from Custer's cavalry sword to D'Artagnan's deadly weapon, from the sword of Damocles to the legendary Excalibur, these all-new spellbinding tales get straight to the point. Whether it's a sword bespelled to crave blood, cold steel that magicks its wielder into a video game, or a dwarf-crafted blade meant to slay a dragon, these weapons each come sheathed in their own fascinating story that cuts right to the heart of fantasy adventure.

In The Idea Miners: The Lost Lake Dig, two young boys stumble into a parallel world called the Land of Lights and join an expedition with a mysterious girl, two dwarfs, and two donkeys on a quest to find a “gusher”―a buoyant, glowing sphere that holds an as-yet unthought-of brilliant idea. This exciting fantasy adventure book for middle readers is unlike anything else you will find. The unique and imaginative story―full of danger and magic; seers, dwarfs and elves; bloodthirsty trolls and crazy miners―keeps the reader glued to the book, while interwoven historical facts remind the reader of great gifts to the world by the likes of Sir Isaac Newton, Wilber and Orville Wright, Charles Babbage, and others. In this fantasy story all ideas originate in the Land of Lights. These ideas are released for discovery into our world, which is called the Land of Harvesters. The ideas are contained in glowing spheres call squirts and gushers. Squirts are the everyday types of ideas: “I’ll walk the dog,” or “I’ll wash the car.” Gushers are world-changing: the printing press, flight, computers. The squirts and gushers encountered by the two young boys on their journey, and while camping on top of a mountain playing a game called “Catch the Squirt,” provide a glimpse into their past and future, creating an excitement for ideas. For children today, preparing to embark on their journey through ideas which we call high school and college, the most important thing they can take with them is a passion for education and discovery. This book, with hidden worlds, crazy characters, and danger, plants these seeds of passion. As one of the reviewers of the book wrote: “With elements reminiscent of The Hobbit and Harry Potter, the pace and variety of challenges carry the reader along to a surprising and satisfying conclusion.” A part of this satisfying conclusion is captured in the very last line of the book: “Ideas define us, our past, our present, and, most importantly, our future.” It’s for the future that this book may have the most impact, by sending kids forward with a budding thirst for knowledge and an excitement for the world’s undiscovered potential.

Twig is a talented Dreamer. Sometimes she has spirit dreams―dreams that come true. But her mother has always discouraged Twig from exploring her powers for fear that they would turn her strange, like the reclusive witch-woman Cobia. When Twig begins to have nightmares about a green light exploding from the sky and causing widespread destruction, she must find the courage to defy her mother and learn to become a Spirit Dreamer. Helping Twig on her quest are her best friend, Greyhawk, and Screech Owl, a shaman who has been banished from the village. Together, they must persuade their people to leave the land of their ancestors and journey to the mysterious Duskland, far from only home they've ever known. Can Twig convince the Elders that she is a true Spirit Dreamer―before it's too late?

For the Darkborn, sunlight kills. For the Lightborn, darkness is fatal. Living under a centuries-old curse, the Darkborn and the Lightborn share the city of Minhorne, coexisting in an uneasy equilibrium but never interacting-until a Darkborn physician finds a pregnant fugitive on his doorstep...