Showing results by author "BR Kingsolver" in All Categories

When my magic manifested at puberty, my parents sold me to the Illuminati. The Order of the Illuminati trained me as an assassin, spy, and thief. But when they sent me to steal a magical artifact that reveals Truth in all things, I discovered that I was working for the Dark and not the Light. The Illuminati trained me well, and paid the ultimate price for their deception.

Washington, DC, has never been boring, but this is ridiculous. Warring witch covens. Werewolf packs fighting for territory. Rumors of human sacrifice. Minor problems leading up to Beltane, when the portents say the veils between worlds will shred. Did I mention the blood mage conspiracy using troll shock troops to take over the world? With a jaguar shifter, a handsome Nephilim, and a nest of feisty fairies watching my back, things should be fine. Right?

When a jaguar shifter drops in and asks for help in tracking down an ancient blood-magic statuette, I say no thank you. I learned a long time ago the key to survival is keeping a low profile. But it's hard to ignore an artifact of the gods powerful enough to blow holes in reality. Enter stalker werewolves in a black Mercedes and magicians trying to capture me. They all think I know where the damned statue is. Then I'm attacked by demons. It wouldn't be so bad, but some of them are really rude. Being rude is a capital crime where I come from. Time for a lesson in manners.

If the Knights Magica want a war, I'm willing to give them one. I damned my soul long ago. What I do from this point forward is about redemption. If I burn in Hell because of fighting for others, for shouldering their sins, so be it. The Knights are powerful, and they have taken control of the Universal Church. All across the world, the Knights find themselves in conflict with other paranormals and supernaturals. Human governments scramble to cope with the new reality of magic.

When the Lords of the Icelandic Elves summon me to use my talents to find a lost dragon's egg, I find it hard to say no. I've seen what a dragon can do, and a young, just-hatched dragon is a being of pure destruction. But word of the egg gets out, and the race to find it begins. Mages from many realms are on the hunt - including a dragon - and they don't always play well together. Unless I want to join the casualties, I need to find that egg and return it to where it belongs. Luckily, I have help, but I wish that damned golden-winged Nephilim would keep his shirt on.

My name is Danica James. I'm a cop with the Arcane Division. Most mages have the ability to manipulate the elements - fire, water, air, earth, electricity. My magic only works on machines and electrical devices. They call me a magitek. That doesn't help much with demons and vampires, let alone criminals with lethal magikal powers.

When the ley lines - the orderly rivers of magical energy that circle the globe - went wild, chaos ensued. Magic hid in the shadows for hundreds of years, but then a secret order took control of one of the world's largest religions. Their goal is to rule the world, and the first step is to control the ley lines and magic users. I didn't escape the Illuminati just to become a slave to the Knights Magica. If they want me, they're going to have a fight on their hands.

One Master survived the inferno that destroyed the Order of the Illuminati. He may know that I survived, but does he suspect that I betrayed the Order? Rudolf Heine has sent Hunters flooding into Westport, wreaking carnage on vampires, shifters, and mages. Normal humans are taking notice, and the shadow world teeters on the verge of being revealed. The Hunters also may be hunting me. Do I stay and fight for my new life and my friends, or run again?

My name is Danica James. I'm a cop with the Arcane Division. My job is to protect humanity from monsters - whether they be human or creatures from the Rift. It beats sitting in a factory cubical all day, which is where magiteks usually work. Most of humanity hates the magic users who rule the world, but the Magi stand between humans and the creatures who came across the Rift. For a hundred years, the Magi have kept the demons, vampires, and other monsters in check. But now one Magi family has allied itself with the demons in a bid for world domination.

Libby is a mutant, one of the top burglars and assassins in the world. For a price, she caters to executives’ secret desires. Eliminate your corporate rival? Deliver a priceless art masterpiece or necklace? Hack into another corporation’s network? Libby’s your girl. Climate change met nuclear war, and humanity lost. The corporations stepped in, stripping governments of power. Civilization didn’t end, but it became less civilized. There are few rules as corporations jockey for position and control of assets and markets.

A new demon lord has crossed the Rift, and says his queen wants her statue back, the one I took from the previous demon lord. Then he proposes a trade. You can't trust demons. They lie, they cheat, they steal. They prey on humans. But unless I'm willing to walk away, it's the only game in town.

All I want is to pay the rent and find a boyfriend. But an insane vampire thinks I hold the key to his takeover of the city, and I have a new stalker. At least for now, I've dodged the Illuminati's Hunters, but life is still a little too challenging. Rival vampire lords want to use me against each other, and the mysterious members of the Columbia Club are offering bounties for vampires and werewolves. I'm lucky that the gang at Rosie's has my back, because I'm going to need them.

I was blissfully ignorant of a book, usually translated into Human languages as The Gospels of Satan, until it was stolen from the Great Library. My twin sister, a Senior Scholar, showed up at my door and asked me to help her retrieve the cursed book. It's magical, priceless, and in the wrong hands might be dangerous.

When a man came into my shop in the Great Marketplace at the Crossroads of the Worlds and tried to kill me, it completely ruined my day. Not only did I have to clean up the blood, but disposing of his body made me late to meet my friends for drinks. A nagging little detail kept bugging me, though. As he died, he said he was hired by my mother's family—people I hadn't seen for more than a decade. Then I discovered that assassins had made attempts on my brother and sister as well. As much as I didn't want to, I decided I should find out who wanted us dead, and put a stop to it.

When Savanna Robinson showed up at Wicklow College to assume her new teaching position, she was somewhat curious about the abrupt departure of her predecessor. Then she discovered he had been murdered. No one knew who killed him, or why, but everyone had their theories and suspects. Even the police—arcane and mundane—didn't seem very eager to investigate too deeply. But Savanna discovered a possible connection with the murder of a broker of rare arcane books. Were there really spells that could change your luck?

It had been thirteen years, but my heart skipped a beat. My brain was bursting with things I wanted to say—many of them contradictory—things I had thought I might say if I ever saw him again. So, I said nothing. He pulled a leather bag out of an inside pocket of his cloak, opened the drawstrings, and turned it upside down over a display tray on the counter. A flood of rubies—smooth but uncut—poured out. "I need you. There's probably a whole mountain full of them. But I can't find the vein myself. Come with me, and we'll split the take."

As an assassin and thief, Libby is on a first-name basis with larceny, mayhem, and death, but she's not used to being on the receiving end. Libby has a chance to build a legitimate reputation when she's hired by one of the world's most prestigious museums to bolster their security. The gig is in Chicago where her heartthrob lives, so she hopes for a little romance.

Libby's chameleon mutation has led to a lucrative career as a thief and assassin. She normally doesn't worry about the comfort of corporate executives, but when she stumbles onto the grisly murder of a rich man's mistress, it gets her attention. The murder leads Libby to believe her best friend's life is in danger, and she vows to protect her.

Even a chameleon can be a target. Libby makes her money as a thief and an assassin, but a girl has to have a cover. To her surprise, her business installing security systems in 23rd century Toronto is taking off, as is her romance with Wil - North America’s top cop. Then, an insurance company hires her to recover a fortune in stolen art and jewelry. Bring them the stolen goods, and they'll pay an outrageous fee, no questions asked. The Vancouver art scene is hot, in more ways than one. Billionaires compete for bragging rights, and they aren't picky who they deal with.

Sixty million in diamonds and a dead billionaire. Sometimes even a successful heist has its problems. Bags of diamonds and breathtaking jewelry are the only clues to a chain of puzzling murders. When Libby’s questions draw the attention of Montreal’s organized crime bosses, she finds herself a target. Someone is trying to tie up loose ends, and even Libby’s chameleon abilities may not hide her from a killer desperate to cover his tracks.