Spellslinger

The Alchemist meets The Three Musketeers - with card tricks - in the first of two prequels to the bestselling Spellslinger series. A brilliant origin story of adventure, wit, and philosophy to enrapture devotees as well as newcomers to the series. Ferius Parfax has a simple plan: kill every last inhabitant of the spell-gifted nation that destroyed her people, starting with the man who murdered her parents. Killing mages is a difficult and dangerous business, of course, but when she meets the inimitable and extraordinary Durrall Brown, she discovers that physical strength is not the only way to defeat evil of all kinds. So Ferius undertakes to study the ways of the Argosi: the loosely knit tribe of tricksters known for getting the better of even the most powerful of spellcasters. But the Argosi have a price for their teachings, and by the time Ferius learns what it is, it may be too late.

A brilliant story of adventure, wit, and philosophy from the origins of the Spellslinger series to enrapture devotees as well as newcomers alike New to the ways of the Argosi, the tribe of wandering philosophers who seek to defeat evil by wit and guile, Ferius Parfax encounters a hideous plague-the Red Scream. Highly contagious, caught by the hearing of a deadly verse, it turns its victims into mindless monsters that destroy all human life they come into contact with. With the help of a deaf boy whom she has saved from two horrifying victims of the plague, Ferius sets out to find the source of the Red Scream and overcome its terrifying power. Along the way she is joined by another Argosi, Rosie, who purports to be much wiser and more adept than Ferius, but who turns out to have her own dark secrets. "A fun, fast-moving adventure, with surprising depth and insight."

A would-be mage with no magic of his own has to defeat powerful enemies with only cunning and deception in the first book of an exciting adventure fantasy series from Sebastien de Castell. Kellen is moments away from facing his first duel and proving his worth as a spellcaster. There's just one problem: his magic is fading. Facing exile unless he can pass the mage trials, Kellen is willing to risk everything, even his own life, in search of a way to restore his magic. But when the enigmatic Ferius Parfax arrives in town, she challenges him to take a different path. One of the elusive Argosi, Ferius is a traveler who lives by her wits and the cards she carries. Daring, unpredictable, and wielding magic Kellen has never seen before, she may be his only hope.

A failed mage turned outlaw must use guile and a handful of spells to challenge a dangerous rival in the second book of an exciting adventure fantasy series from Sebastien de Castell. Forced to live as an outlaw, Kellen relies on his wits and his allies to survive the unforgiving borderlands. When he meets a young woman cursed with a deadly plague, he feels compelled to help. But her secrets draw powerful enemies and it's not long before Kellen is entangled in a conspiracy of blackmail, magic, and murder. As the bodies begin to pile up, Kellen fears he's next. The second novel in a compelling six-book series, bursting with tricks, humor, and a whole new way to look at magic.

A failed mage learns that just because he's not the chosen one it doesn't mean he can't be a hero in the third book of an exciting adventure fantasy series from Sebastien de Castell. Kellen's life as an outlaw spellslinger is about to get a lot worse. In Gitabria, a miraculous discovery draws spies from all over the continent willing to kill to get their hands on it. Swept up in the race for power, Kellen is forced to join the pursuit. But the invention holds a dark secret-one that could spark a war.

A failed mage learns that just because he's not the chosen one it doesn't mean he can't be a hero in the fourth book of an exciting adventure fantasy series from Sebastien de Castell. For an outlaw spellslinger, the only way to survive is to hide. Kellen's curse is growing stronger, promising a future of madness and murder. And now that the bounty hunter sworn to kill ever last shadow black have caught his trail, he knows his days are numbered Desperate, Kellen braves a barren desert to find a mysterious order of monks rumored to possess a cure. But there are secrets darker and more dangerous than Kellen expected, and the price of his salvation may be more than he's willing to pay.