C. S. Friedman

"At the end of her Coldfire trilogy, C.S. Friedman challenged readers to imagine what a world would be like if sorcery required the ultimate sacrifice ... that of life itself. Now, in Feast of Souls, she introduces us to a terrifying world in which the cost of magic is just that: in which the fuel for sorcery is the very fire of the human spirit, and those who hunger for magical power must pay for it with their lives. In this tale of nightmarish shadows and desperate hope, the greatest threat of all may not be that of ancient enemies returned, or ancient wars resumed, but of the darkness that lies within the hearts of men." "In the court of High King Danton Aurelius, young Prince Andovan lies dying of a mysterious malady known only as the Wasting. Determined to save his son from this incurable disease, the High King summons a council of Magisters to aid him. These solitary, seemingly immortal sorcerers rarely combine forces for any purpose, but in this one case they are willing to unite. For there is a fearsome secret the Magisters guard above all else - the nature of the transformation that sets them apart from all other sorcerers, allowing them to draw on the power of a human soul without dying for it - a secret that might be exposed if the High King learns too much about his son's illness. For the dread disease called the Wasting is in fact a sign that a Magister is stealing the young man's soulfire to fuel his sorcery, and that is a truth that must be hidden from the mortal world at any cost." "Now the Magisters must hunt down one of their own before the High King learns the truth, and find a way to sever the link between Andovan and his killer. But they have not counted on the young prince's determination to control his own fate, nor on the existence of a young woman, schooled in their own arts, who will soon shake their secretive society to its very roots." "Sold into prostitution by her peasant mother while she was still a child, Kamala has learned the hardest lessons life can teach. Her mane of wild red hair and her diamond-hard eyes reflect the wellspring of strength and defiance within her - a hunger to live by her own rules at any cost. Honed by cruelty and poverty, she has become a fierce creature, and with the help of one reclusive Magister may well become the first of her sex to master true sorcery. But at what cost to herself, and to her world?" "Against a backdrop of glittering kingdoms and dark prophecies these two young people will be forced to confront their destinies ... while in the shadows of their world an ancient Evil is stirring for the first time in centuries, seeking allies in a cause more terrible than any living man can imagine."--Jacket.

On the distant world of Erna, four people--Priest, Adept, Sorcerer, and Apprentice--are drawn together to battle the forces of evil, led by the demonic fae, a soul-destroying force that preys on the human mind.

In Conquest Born is the monumental science fiction epic that received unprecedented acclaim—and launched C.S. Friedman's phenomenal career. A sweeping story of two interstellar civilizations—locked in endless war, it was nominated for the John W. Campbell Award.

The stunning conclusion of the Coldfire trilogy. Warrior-priest Damien Vryce must once again unite with his unlikely ally, undead sorcerer Gerald Tarrant, to degfeat a genocidal demon who may prove to be invulnerable. If they lose this epic struggle which will take them from the depths of Hell to the birthplace of demons and beyond, they will sacrifice not only their lives, but the very soul of all mankind.

"The young peasant woman Kamala has proven strong and determined enough to claim the most powerful Magister sorcery for herself-but now the Magisters hunt her for killing one of their own. Her only hope of survival lies in the northern Protectorates, where spells are warped by a curse called the Wrath that even the Magisters fear. Originally intended to protect the lands of men from creatures known only as souleaters, the Wrath appears to be weakening-and the threat of this ancient enemy is once more falling across the land."--Author's web site.

When Jessica Drake learns that her DNA doesn't match that of her parents, she has no idea that the search for her heritage will put her family's lives in danger, or force her to cross into another world--an alternate Earth dominated by individuals with unnatural powers called Gifts. There she learns she's a Dreamwalker--and there's a curse within her blood so feared that all who possess it are destroyed on sight.

The long-awaited sequel to C.S. Friedman's epic, In Conquest BornThe tribal Braxana-created to become the ultimate warriors. The Azeans-raised to master the power of the mind. Two civilizations fighting an endless war over a long-forgotten cause. Now, after a century and a half, the legacy of their greatest military leaders threatens to tear apart both empires.

This "New York Times" Notable Book of the Year explores the second age of space colonization, when one of Earth's first colonies has restored humanity at a high price—a monopoly over all human commerce. When a satellite is attacked by corporate raiders, a woman flees to a ship bound for the Up-and-Out and is about to discover a secret the universe may not be ready to face.

Friedman's ( In Conquest Born ) exceptionally imaginative, compelling science fiction novel leaps ahead to the 24th century. For hundreds of years, Earth has suffered under the yoke of alien conquerors: the dreaded Tyr, a reptilian race in which all individuality is submerged into a single, overarching consciousness. Determined to keep humanity cowed, the Tyr have culled from the captive population the most intelligent, the most curious, the most likely to foment rebellion, and banished them from Earth. As the memory of freedom recedes, humanity sinks into a lethargic subservience. Daetrin, the hero of this tale, is a vampire--not a monster, however, but a man, nearly immortal, who embodies the vanished virtues of a once-sovereign Earth. When his existence is exposed by the Tyr, who are appalled to find a human who witnessed the stet cap/pk Conquest, they immediately ship him offworld. Thus begins a journey of self-discovery as Daetrin is forced by adversity to come to grips with the long-suppressed side of his nature and to confront the ancient horror of a bloody heritage.