Mushroom eBooks Blog

Volume thirty-five of the saga of Dray Prescot is now available from Fictionwise and all other good ebookstores. Storm over Vallia by Alan Burt Akers is a stand-alone novel which falls in the middle of the Witch War Cycle, and is about Prince Drak and his war with the Kov Vodun Alloran, traitor and self-styled king of Southwest Vallia.

Here is the Introduction by Alan Burt Akers:

Storm over Vallia is a complete story of the magnificent and mysterious, beautiful and terrible world of Kregen, a planet orbiting Antares four hundred light years from Earth. On that world of headlong adventure much may be achieved and much lost. Far more than merely a strong sword arm is required for victory. Far more than a cunning and devious brain is needed to secure success.

For Drak, Prince Majister of Vallia, son of Dray Prescot and Delia, emperor and empress of Vallia, and Queen Lushfymi of Lome, passionate, willful, extraordinarily beautiful, mysterious, and Silda Segutoria, daughter of Seg and Thelda Segutorio, are caught in a web of fate and intrigue, of blood and death, that demands of them all that they are.

But the story begins with Lon the Knees, animal handler, as, dragged from caring for his domestic animals, he marches in the victory parade of Kov Vodun Alloran, traitorous and usurping master of all Southwest Vallia.

Under the streaming mingled lights of the Suns of Scorpio the fates of these people of Kregen twine among the destinies of that exotic world.

And here is the blurb:

Drak, Crown Prince of Vallia, Dray Prescot’s son, was sore beset on three sides. For one, he was leading an army of liberation against the usurper Alloran who had seized part of Vallia - and who was grinding Drak’s troops down with blackest magic and most villainous mercenaries.

For two, he was the target of a marriage plot by an allied queen, whose forces he needed desperately.

For the third, he was in love with Silda, daughter of his father’s loyal friend, Seg the Bowman. And Silda was now in Alloran’s camp, a black leather swordswoman commanding the usurper’s do or die Amazon guards!

Magic, mystery, treason, warfare and romance make a heady concoction - and before this adventure was over, Drak would have his fill of it all!

Come to Kregen, planet of the two suns of Antares, and join the excitement!

The Amazon Kindle ebook reader has been available for a couple of weeks now. It has had mixed reviews, although the trend seems to be that the negative reviews are from people who don’t own the device, and the good reviews are from people who do own it.

All Mushroom eBooks titles are available for the Kindle from the Amazon.com store, most with around a 20% discount at the moment.

Alternatively, Fictionwise have announced that all their multi-format titles now have a Kindle format option. If you have already bought a Mushroom eBooks title from Fictionwise, simply go to your Bookshelf at Fictionwise.com and download the Kindle format file (or you can choose to have it emailed directly to your Kindle).

If you own the Mobipocket version of a Mushroom eBooks title, you can download it to your Kindle, either via USB from your computer, or by emailing it directly to the Kindle.

Mushroom eBooks on Kindle

Heart of Hythea is the first book from author Suzanne Francis. This excellent and well-researched romantic fantasy is the first in the “Song of the Arkafina” series and is set in the world of Yrth, part of the Gyre Cosmos, closely modelled on mid-seventeenth century England. It is both a ripping adventure and a tender romance, while the larger struggle of the Amaranthine against the Angellus permeates the story, lifting it to the plane of epic fantasy.

Heart of Hythea features a determined female protagonist, Katrione, who faces many challenges and grows in wisdom and maturity throughout. She is unafraid to go after the things she desires and will often break the rules to get them, while still remaining true to herself and her ideals.

Although Heart of Hythea is the first book of a series, it contains a complete storyline and can be read without fear of committing to a whole series (but I defy you not to want more).

Here is the blurb:

Yrth… a place of ordered beauty — and undreamed of terror. A magical realm where winged Amaranthine hide in the shadow of humankind, while selfishly exploiting them. A universe of countless dimensions; where an unwary sideways step might carry you to Death’s silent Kingdom — or beyond, to the very heart of the rising Gyre.

Now into this world comes Katrione Estelle du Chesne, a born healer. The Amaranthine need her, for she is destined to become the Vessel of the Goddess Lalluna and a pawn in the battle against their enemy, the dark Angellus. And Katrione’s fellow citizens, in the nation of Beaumarais, are also desperately in need of a healing touch, as they suffer through an endlessly bloody civil war.

The difficult choices that Katrione must make — between humankind and Amaranthine — true love and responsibility — sworn oath and unhappy truth, make for compulsive reading.

For more information about Heart of Hythea and details of availability, please go here.

Volume thirty-four in the saga of Dray Prescot of Earth and of Kregen in Antares is now available from Fictionwise and all other good ebookstores. Witches of Kregen by Alan Burt Akers is the second book of the Witch War Cycle.

Here is the blurb:

When his new army was ready to march against the witch hordes, it rained frogs! It was a veritable heavy bombardment from empty skies! That’s the sort of thing Dray Prescot was up against during the war of the Nine Unspeakable Curses!

Dray was struggling to gather together his shattered empire when the witchcraft hit. He had wizards on his side, too, and very soon it became a battle of sheer courage, quick wits, and fast flying. This was more to that ex Earthman’s liking, for he knew that this time the Star Lords might be on his side. Not that he could rely on them, for they were just as likely to toss him back to Earth for a crash course in the old world’s learning!

Witches of Kregen is a mighty novel of heroic fantasy in the edge of the seat tradition!