<div>The award-winning author of Lens of the World &ldquo;concludes what may be one of the best fantasy series of the decade&rdquo; with her now elderly hero Nazhuret (Publishers Weekly). Nazhuret, the reluctant philosopher-hero of R. A. MacAvoy&rsquo;s award-winning bestseller Lens of the World, is embarking on his final adventure. He must unwillingly end a long period of exile and once again take up the sword in defense of freedom. His old friend the King is suddenly and unexpectedly assassinated, leaving the kingdom in chaos. Nazhuret interrupts the peace of his old age to endure the horrors of war and the supernatural realm of the dead. Before his journey comes to an end, he must test his wisdom to its limit in the face of danger and treachery. He is accompanied by his beloved daughter Nahvah and, as Nazhuret&rsquo;s final debt of honor is paid, he faces the darker side of human nature with both of their lives at stake. &ldquo;A moving and fascinating culmination to the life of the hero we have watched mature . . . As in the past, Nazhuret takes readers on an exhilarating journey.&rdquo;&mdash;School Library Journal &ldquo;The conclusion to the trilogy,Lens of the World, is as effective and unusual as its predecessors. . . . MacAvoy&rsquo;s sense of place, exquisite prose, and first-person narration remain exceptional. She remains, albeit without any fanfare, in the top rank of the American fantasists&#39; roster.&rdquo; &mdash;Booklist &ldquo;Quiet, unpretentious, vivid, understated, succinct: an object lesson for other, more verbose fantasists in how to produce more from less, and how to write an appealing and gratifying trilogy by offering a self-contained story each time out.&rdquo; &mdash;Kirkus Reviews </div>

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The Belly of the Wolf

<div>A contemporary couple journeys back in time to ancient Ireland in this delightful fantasy by the author of Tea with the Black Dragon. John Thornburn is an artist, mild-mannered and nonviolent. To make ends meet, he teaches some courses in Celtic design. And although his background is half Micmac Indian, he lives in Ireland for two reasons: his far more confrontational and warrior-like girlfriend, Derval O&rsquo;Keane, and his fascination with the beautiful illuminated manuscript known as the Book of Kells. But he&rsquo;s about to take a journey to a far more distant place, one that he could not have imagined. Along with Derval, John will find himself in an ancient Celtic realm, where a Viking attack begs to be avenged and a fantastic&mdash;and sometimes terrifying&mdash;adventure awaits . . . From a master of magical fantasy, the author of the Damiano Trilogy and a winner of the John W. Campbell Award, this is a tale of warriors, love, danger, and Irish history that will cast a spell on anyone who dreams of discovering treasures in long-lost worlds. </div>

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The Book of Kells

<div>This alternate history fantasy by a Nebula Award nominee follows a young alchemist&rsquo;s quest in Renaissance Italy under the wing of an archangel. Set against the turbulent backdrop of the Italian Renaissance, this alternate history takes place in a world where real faith&#8209;based magic exists. Our hero is Damiano Dalstrego. He is a wizard&rsquo;s son, an alchemist, and the heir to dark magics. But he is also an innocent, a young scholar and musician befriended by the Archangel Raphael, who instructs him in the lute. To save his beloved city from war, Damiano leaves his cloistered life and sets out on a pilgrimage, seeking the aid of the powerful sorceress Saara as he must walk the narrow path between light and shadow, accompanied only by his talking dog. But his road is filled with betrayal, disillusionment, and death, and Damiano is forced to confront his dark heritage, unleashing the hellish force of his awesome powers to protect those he loves. The further volumes of this tale are Damiano&rsquo;s Lute and Raphael.</div>

Damiano

<div>Guided by the Archangel Raphael, Damiano runs from his own demonic powers in this alternate Italian Renaissance of wizards, witches, and faith-based magic. This novel is a sequel to Damiano. Set against the turbulent backdrop of the Italian Renaissance, this alternate history takes place in a world where real faith-based magic exists. Our hero is Damiano Dalstrego. He is a wizard&rsquo;s son, an alchemist and the heir to dark magics. Shattered by the demonic fury of his dark powers, Damiano Delstrego has forsaken his magical heritage to live as a mortal man. Accompanied only by the guidance of the Archnagel Raphael, the chidings of a brash young rogue, and the memory of a beautiful pagan witch, Damiano journeys across a plague-ridden French countryside in search of peace. But the Father of Lies reaches out once again to grasp him. And to save himself from the hellish destiny that awaits him, Damiano must challenge the greatest forces of darkness, armed only with the power of his love and the music of his lute. The final volume of this story is Raphael.</div>

Damiano's Lute

<div>&ldquo;No fantasy writer working today has a defter touch with Irish magic&rdquo; (Morgan Llywelyn, author of Lion of Ireland). Set against the colorful and magical backdrop of Ireland, The Grey Horse chronicles a time when the Irish people suffered under harsh English overlords who sought to destroy their culture and way of life. In the Irish town of Carraroe, a magnificent, completely grey stallion appears. The horse brings with him the promise of better times and magical happenings, for he is actually the shape-shifted form of Ruairi MacEibhir, journeyed to such a time of danger in order to win the hand of the woman he loves.</div>

The Grey Horse

<div>The optician Nazhuret saves his homeland from war in the award-winning Lens of the World series that &ldquo;promises to become a landmark of the decade&rdquo; (Kirkus Reviews). Book two of the award-winning Lens of the World trilogy, this volume finds the half-breed orphan Nazhuret as a modest and fastidious lens grinder. Although he could have chosen an exalted and wealthy life as a noble member of the court, he wishes to live in humble and undisturbed poverty with his lady Arlin. But the ordinary life that Nazhuret wants is abruptly shattered when a vicious attack by paid assassins forces him to run. With possible enemies on all sides, the only place to go is the neighboring kingdom of Rezhmia, where Nazhuret has an ancient blood-tie. However, he finds that Rezhmia is no safe haven, for dark clouds are gathering there, intent on destruction of the homeland of Nazhuret&rsquo;s heart. Evil tidings, treacherous family members, and powerful sorcery threaten to overtake him, but Nazhuret must survive for the sake of those he loves. &ldquo;The understated and unusual fantasy series begun in Lens of the World continues to delight in this second volume. . . . MacAvoy&rsquo;s series has some of the flavor and subtlety of Gene Wolfe&rsquo;s modern classic The Book of the New Sun, but her own unique elements&mdash;a fascination with shifting genders and the mysteries of death&mdash;make this series distinctive in the often monochromatic fantasy field.&rdquo; &mdash;Kirkus Reviews &ldquo;Nazhuret and his sword-wielding mistress Arlin are provocative, complex people&mdash;like the world in which they live.&rdquo; &mdash;Library Journal &ldquo;Remarkable.&rdquo; &mdash;Publishers Weekly </div>

King of the Dead

<div>A New York Times Notable Book: &ldquo;A coming-of-age fantasy in a late-medieval alternate world . . . Possibly MacAvoy&rsquo;s best work since the Damiano trilogy&rdquo; (Kirkus Reviews). &ldquo;In the absorbing, realistic world depicted in this first volume of a projected series, MacAvoy introduces Nazhuret who, looking back from middle age, tells of the adventures of his youth.&rdquo; &mdash;Publishers Weekly An outcast of small stature and the offspring of unknown parents, Nazhuret is forced out of the military Royal School of Sordaling. He is soon taken under the wing of Powl, a mysterious mentor, madman, and master of optics, who pushes Nazhuret to his mental and physical limits while teaching him the arts of astronomy, languages, swordsmanship, and&mdash;most importantly&mdash;mind and body control. When Nazhuret take his leave of Powl, he embarks on a journey through war, darkness, and death, rising above his humble beginnings and taking his destiny into his own hands . . . &ldquo;This is a plot and a theme and a character so rich that revelations would be unforgivable. Add to these one of the most surprising supporting characters and plots in years and a fantasy setting that is always intriguing but never intrusive and you have a book that readers won&rsquo;t want to end.&rdquo; &mdash;School Library Journal &ldquo;Patiently and persistently describes the progress of a young man destined by fate to be a hero. Enticing in its careful world-building and graceful writing, this fantasy is highly recommended.&rdquo; &mdash;Library Journal</div>

Lens of the World

<div>The third novel in the Philip K. Dick Award&ndash;winning author&rsquo;s fantasy trilogy set in Renaissance Italy, featuring archangels, dragons, and Lucifer. Set against the turbulent backdrop of the Italian Renaissance, this alternate history takes place in a world where real faith-based magic exists. Weakened by his contact with mortals, the Archangel Raphael falls prey to his brother Lucifer, who strips him of his angelic powers. Sold in the Moorish slave markets, confused and humbled by his sudden humanity, Raphael finds his only solace in the friendship of the dark-skinned Berber woman Djoura and the spiritual guardianship of his former pupil Damiano Delstrego. Accompanied by the rakish Gaspare and an ancient black dragon, Damiano&rsquo;s beloved Saara embarks on a quest to rescue Raphael. Their odyssey leads them to a shattering confrontation with the Father of Lies and a transcendent reckoning with destiny. Blending humor, pathos, adventure, and romance, the two previous volumes in R. A. MacAvoy&rsquo;s trilogy have evoked admiration and praise from writers and readers. Raphael fulfills the promise of the trilogy to forge a magnificent, moving saga you will never forget. The haunting conclusion of a magnificent fantasy trilogy, which began with Damiano and continued with Damiano&rsquo;s Lute.</div>

Raphael

<div>In this &ldquo;astonishing fantasy debut,&rdquo; a mother and a mysterious Chinese man&mdash;who is more than he appears&mdash;search for her missing daughter in San Francisco (Locus). Offering &ldquo;a deft blend of the oldest of magicks in a dragon, and the newest of sorceries in computers&rdquo; (Anne McCaffrey), this is the incomparable novel that garnered Nebula, Hugo, World Fantasy, and Philip K. Dick Award nominations, and earned its author the John W. Campbell Best New Writer award. Martha Macnamara knows that her daughter, Elizabeth, is in trouble&mdash;she just doesn&rsquo;t know what kind. Mysterious phone calls from San Francisco at odd hours of the night are the only contact they&#39;ve had for years. Now, Elizabeth has sent her mother a plane ticket and reserved a room for her at the city&rsquo;s most luxurious hotel. Yet, since Martha checked in, she still hasn&rsquo;t been contacted by her daughter, and is feeling lonely, confused, and a little bit worried. But Martha meets someone else at the hotel: Mayland Long, a distinguished-looking and wealthy Chinese man who is drawn to Martha&rsquo;s good character and ability to pinpoint the truth of a matter. They become close quickly, and he promises to help her find Elizabeth. Before he can solve the mystery, though, Martha herself disappears&mdash;and Mayland realizes that he&rsquo;s in love with her. Now, a man whose true nature and identity is unknown to those around him will embark on a potentially dangerous adventure in a city on the verge of exploding with its own sort of magic as technology spreads through the region that will become known as Silicon Valley. An elegant, delightful, and unusual novel that blends ancient myth with modern wizardry, Tea with the Black Dragon is &ldquo;a small masterpiece, setting a fantasy story against a contemporary background&rdquo; (Booklist).</div>

Tea with the Black Dragon

<div>A young warrior&rsquo;s coming of age journey across space leads him to a vitally important&mdash;and mortally dangerous&mdash;mission. When the warrior Wanbli came of age, he cast his lot among the stars and left the world where he&rsquo;d been born. Left it, he thought, forever. His odyssey led him to one ship, then another, and to another still. It brought him face to face with the far-flung members of the universe&rsquo;s Seven Sentient peoples. And, finally, it brought him to the colony ship Commitment. There, Wanbli learned the true purpose of his life&mdash;a mission so vital that it required risking the lives of everyone on the ship and the future of his home world. His mission meant returning to that world, but only if he could survive the deadly machinations of those who sought to stop him.</div>

The Third Eagle

<div>The Campbell Award&ndash;winning author&rsquo;s follow-up to Tea with the Black Dragon: &ldquo;Wow! MacAvoy&rsquo;s done it again&rdquo; (Anne McCaffrey, New York Times&ndash;bestselling author). Mayland Long, aka the Black Dragon, has been enjoying a peaceful relationship with Martha Macnamara&mdash;but suddenly they face threats from seemingly every side. A wild psychic force is loose in the world; Martha&rsquo;s three-year-old granddaughter has been kidnapped; and one of her Celtic musician friends has been found dead, hanging by a rope of twisted grass. Now the Black Dragon must use his wits to rescue the little girl and hunt for a killer . . . even if it brings him to a horrifying realization. In this novel, the author of The Book of Kells returns to the modern-day California of Tea with the Black Dragon, blending fantasy, mystery, Chinese lore, and a timeless love story as she so masterfully did in her debut, which earned nominations for Nebula, Hugo, World Fantasy, and Philip K. Dick Awards. &ldquo;MacAvoy supports her tale with a superbly drawn cast of characters . . . and her usual superior command of language&rdquo; (Booklist). </div>

Twisting the Rope

<div>An alternate-history fantasy of faith and wizardry set during the Italian Renaissance from the author of Tea with the Black Dragon. Discover three novels of magic&mdash;light and dark&mdash;from a winner of the John W. Campbell and Philip K. Dick awards. In Damiano, our hero is Damiano Dalstrego, a wizard&rsquo;s son, an alchemist, and the heir to dark magics. But he is also an innocent, a young scholar and musician befriended by the Archangel Raphael, who instructs him in the lute. To save his beloved city from war, Damiano leaves his cloistered life and sets out on a pilgrimage, seeking the aid of a powerful sorceress as he walks the narrow path between light and shadow, accompanied only by his talking dog. But his road is filled with betrayal, disillusionment, and death . . . In Damiano&rsquo;s Lute, shattered by the demonic fury of his dark powers, Damiano has forsaken his magical heritage to live as a mortal man. With the guidance of the Archangel Raphael, the chidings of a brash young rogue, and the memory of a beautiful pagan witch, he journeys across a plague-ridden French countryside in search of peace. But the Father of Lies reaches out once again . . . In Raphael, weakened by his contact with mortals, the Archangel Raphael falls prey to Lucifer, who strips him of his angelic powers. Sold in the Moorish slave markets, confused and humbled by his sudden humanity, Raphael finds his only solace in the friendship of a Berber woman&mdash;and the spiritual guardianship of his former pupil Damiano Delstrego. Now available in one volume, this epic of demons, dragons, romance, and heroic adventure is a saga you will never forget. </div>

The Damiano Trilogy

<div>The enchanting fantasy series by the John W. Campbell Award&ndash;winning author of Tea with the Black Dragon. Warrior, linguist, astronomer, philosopher, lens grinder, lord, dwarf&mdash;the name Nazhuret conjures many definitions. His story is not a simple one: The course of his history is a strange and winding tale filled with danger. All three novels in this epic saga about the outcast-turned-legend are collected in one incredible volume. Lens of the World: In this New York Times Notable Book, a tenacious orphan discovers his identity. Raised as both servant and student at the military Royal School of Sordaling, Nazhuret has been an outsider as long as he can recall. Yet, when he is taken in by a mysterious madman and educated in arts ranging from lens grinding to war, he sets on a path that will change the course of not only his own life, but the entire realm of Velonya. King of the Dead: Fate has offered Nazhuret the opportunity to rise above his status to a position of glory and wealth, but he would rather live quietly in obscurity with Arlin, the love of his life. Unfortunately, the secrets of his past cannot stay buried, and Nazhuret soon finds himself once again embroiled in the conflicts of the kingdom, fighting for his life and for the land he calls home. The Belly of the Wolf: In the twilight of his life, after a long respite from the tumultuous world of war and intrigue, Nazhuret embarks on one final adventure. Velonya is in chaos after the apparently unnatural death of Nazhuret&rsquo;s old friend, the king. Together with his daughter, Nazhuret must use his wisdom, courage, and talent to keep civil war from destroying everything he loves.</div>

R. A. MacAvoy

Books By R. A. MacAvoy (13 Books)