Eggplant.place

1y

It's time for a new pinned thread now that Wooing the Witch Queen is out in the US and the UK!

https://stephanieburgis.com/books/wooing-the-witch-queen

#romance #fantasy

An image of the North American front cover of Wooing the Witch Queen shows a sinister witch queen in a spectacular beaded dress embracing her handsome and adoring new librarian (in a black wizard's robe) inside a library of magic filled with crows and masks and flying books. The tagline reads: Love can be a witch. A blurb from Sarah Beth Durst (New York Times bestselling author of The Spellshop) reads: “Full of charm, wit, and magic… I loved it!”
Around the image, against a starry night background, are various pieces of text connected to it by arrows. They read: “bi villainous heroine,” “sweet cinnamon-roll hero with a fake identity,” “crow friends,” “found family,” and “flirting with fountains pens.” At the bottom of the image are the words: Out now!

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In the centre of this image is the beautiful British cover of Wooing the Witch Queen, by Stephanie Burgis. The illustration shows a man in a cloak riding headlong through the night towards an ominous castle with an illuminated, crowned female figure in its doorway and bats flying overhead in the moonlight. A potion vial surrounds that central image and is further framed by leaves and branches. Crows sit on the branches, and a tagline reads: Love can be a witch. A blurb from Sangu Mandanna reads: ‘Warm and lovely’
On the lefthand side of the image around the cover is a stalk of herbs, surrounded by magical stars; on the righthand side is a fountain pen. The text above and below the cover reads: ‘He had to remember that she was infinitely more likely to kill him than to kiss him…’
Out Now in the UK!

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277d

Chapter 3 of Princess of Kurg is available to read on #RoyalRoad: https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/108234/jigsaw-city

Looking back and forth to make sure he wasn't followed, Kazic enters the back of a building, from a dirty alley.

He worries about being caught and questioned about his activities, which he does not want to explain to anyone...

@bookstodon
#author #indieauthor #writing #fantasy #scifi #sciencefiction #sff #actionadventure #fiction #fairies #webseries

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268d

On my reading blog, I review The Library of Amorlin by Kalyn Josephson. My first disappointment of the year.
https://susannashore.blogspot.com/2026/01/the-library-of-amorlin-by-kalyn.html

#BookReview #fantasy @bookstodon

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277d

Ebook and paperback: https://books2read.com/TheInvertedGlass

After encountering the worst life has to offer, including the death of his wife and child, destruction of his home world, an addiction forced on him by the one responsible and a third of the galaxy falling under the heel of that tyrant, Levi Jacobs, a wizard, seeks to unravel the secrets of time and fate.

@bookstodon
#author #indieauthor #writing #fantasy #scifi #sciencefiction #sff #sciencefantasy #scifi #actionadventure #fiction #books

(Left) The cover of The Inverted Glass, by Owen Tyme.

The Background is a pink and purple nebula in space.

The foreground is largely line art, in white, with a black shadow outline.

At the center is an hourglass. The bottom has black sand, with a white figure standing in it. The top has is an inverted mirror image of the bottom, with a black figure in white sand.

The hourglass serves as the balance point for a set of scales, which hold a heart and a feather. The heart is on the left and the feather on the right. The heart is lower than the feather.

(Right) Lying in blue sand is a heart made of the same sand, full of cracks. It glows from the inside in a warm, yellow color. Over that is the following quote:

Nicole felt an extreme kind of loss, realizing she’d been stolen away from the afterlife, just before finding out if she deserved punishment or not!

“How dare you do this to me? Why?”

“I’m always in need of strong spirits and I’ve seen none stronger. You have unique talents I refuse to see go to waste.”

(Bottom) https://books2read.com/TheInvertedGlass

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7d

Ebook and paperback: https://books2read.com/TymeDarkMoon
Series Ebook omnibus: https://books2read.com/TheWizardsScion

On a world thought to have no moon, its sudden appearance inspires wonder and terror. Research links the full moon and catastrophe, revealing the existence of ‘Harbingers of Doom’, creatures that harvest souls. Can everyone survive or will they be reaped like wheat?

@bookstodon
#author #indieauthor #writing #fantasy #scifi #sciencefiction #sff #sciencefantasy #scifi #actionadventure #fiction #books

(Left) The cover of dark moon, by Owen Tyme, illustrated by Ryan Johnson.

In the foreground, a redheaded witch and a dark haired wizard fight back to back, holding some rather large pistols. The witch is in a black dress and the wizard is in a black robe with golden decorations. Both looked a bit purple, due to the lighting. The witch's hair blows on the wind and she wears a necklace of bone beads.

Behind them, there's dust, mist and fog lit by twilight as a moon rises, framing their heads. Objects that look like shooting stars fall from the moon and there's a few visible impacts.

(Right) A white moon, on a background of the stars of space, with the following quote over the top of it:

“Idiot! You’ve likely killed us both, leaving us stuck out in the open like this.”

“We’ve got incoming. I know you’re angry and I suppose you’ve got every right to be, but we need to defend ourselves.”

“ ‘The enemy of my enemy is my friend’, for now, and then we decide what to do about the conflict between us.”

(Bottom) https://books2read.com/TymeDarkMoon

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276d

📚 Operation Bounce House by: Matt Dinniman

To be released February 10, 2026.

All colonist Oliver Lewis ever wanted to do was run the family ranch with his sister, maybe play a gig or two with his band, and keep his family's aging fleet of intelligent agriculture bots ticking as long as possible. He figures it will be a...

https://bookblabla.com/book/operation-bounce-house

@bookstodon

#books #reading #libraries #fiction #fantasy #epicfiction #sciencefiction #thrillers

To be released February 10, 2026.

All colonist Oliver Lewis ever wanted to do was run the family ranch with his sister, maybe play a gig or two with his band, and keep his family's aging fleet of intelligent agriculture bots ticking as long as possible. He figures it will be a good thing when the transfer gate finally opens all the way and restores instant travel and full communication between Earth and his planet, New Sonora. But there's a complication.

Even though the settlers were promised they'd be left in peace, Earth's government now has other plans. The colossal Apex Industries is hired to commence an eviction action. But maximizing profits will always be Apex's number one priority. Why spend money printing and deploying AI soldiers when they can turn it into a game? Why not charge bored Earthers for the opportunity to design their own war machines and remotely pilot them from the comfort of their homes?

The game is called Operation Bounce House.

Oliver and his friends soon find themselves fighting for their lives against machines piloted by gamers who've paid a premium for the privilege. With the help of an old book from his grandfather and a bucket of rusty parts, Oliver is determined to defend the only home he's ever known.

A man must fight for his planet against impossible odds when gamers from Earth attempt to remotely annihilate it in this epic, fast-paced novel from the New York Times bestselling author of the smash-hit Dungeon Crawler Carl.

To

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80d

Chapter 22 of Scarlet Eye: Homecoming is available to read on #RoyalRoad: https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/153820/scarlet-eye

Artemis and her team reach the Sanctuary, which miraculously provides them with a meal of magical fruit, then seek to get the back door open.

@bookstodon
#author #indieauthor #writing #fantasy #actionadventure #fiction #witches #demons #vampires #webseries

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44d

Ebook and print: https://books2read.com/SheHuntsDemons
Also in Ebook omnibus (volumes 1-3): https://books2read.com/AshenBladesOpenWounds

She’s small and cute, but this half-demon New Yorker lives to exterminate demons, because they murdered her parents. The demonic curse preventing her from saying anything but “it’s a secret” only fuels her desire for revenge.

@bookstodon
#indieauthor #writing #fantasy #actionadventure #fiction #books

(Left) The cover of She Hunts Demons, by Owen Tyme, illustrated by Ryan Johnson.

Sitting on the roof of a building in New York City is a teenage girl wearing an old, black dress, fingerless, elbow-length black gloves and a battered, black top hat, with a blue rose attached to the band. The tearing of her clothes hints that she's recently been in a fight. Her hair is short, but messy. Her eyes are blue.

In her hands is a wakizashi, a short sword of Japanese design. The tsuba, or hilt guard, is in the shape of an opening, blue rose. The blade shines blue.

The image is black and white, aside from the details in blue, hinting at film-noir influences in the art.

(Right) An image of a dog with glowing, red eyes, with the following text laid over it:

“Will we ever be safe again?”

“Your people call you traitor, as do mine. Hunted by Heaven and Hell alike, there’s nowhere we could turn for peace.”

“Will our daughter ever know peace?”

“I pray she will.”

(Bottom) https://books2read.com/SheHuntsDemons

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44d

📚 Gardens Of The Moon by: Steven Erikson

Bled dry by interminable warfare, infighting and bloody confrontations with Lord Anomander Rake and his Tiste Andii, the vast, sprawling Malazan empire simmers with discontent.

Even its imperial legions yearn for some respite.

For Sergeant Whiskeyjack and his Bridgeburners, and for...

https://bookblabla.com/book/gardens-of-the-moon

@bookstodon

#books #reading #libraries #fiction #fantasy #epicfiction #militaryfiction #general

Bled dry by interminable warfare, infighting and bloody confrontations with Lord Anomander Rake and his Tiste Andii, the vast, sprawling Malazan empire simmers with discontent.

Even its imperial legions yearn for some respite.

For Sergeant Whiskeyjack and his Bridgeburners, and for Tattersail - sole surviving sorceress of the Second Legion - the aftermath of the siege of Pale should have been a time to mourn the dead. But Darujhistan, the last of the Free Cities of Genabackis, still holds out against the empire - and Empress Lasseen's ambition knows no bounds.
However, it seems the empire is not alone in this great game. Sinister forces gather as the gods themselves prepare to play their hand...

Conceived and written on an epic scale, Gardens of the Moon is a breathtaking achievement - a novel in which grand design, a dark and complex mythology, wild and wayward magic and a host of enduring characters combine with thrilling, powerful storytelling to resounding effect.

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275d

What character, storyline, setting, or other bookish topic are you currently overthinking in a fun way?

For example, I’m wondering how Yetu’s people first developed language in Rivers Solomon’s “The Deep” given their unusual origin story?

(Without giving away too many spoilers, the first wajinru were raised by oceanic creatures like whales instead of members of their own culture).

#Books #ReadersOfMastodon #Fantasy

@bookstodon

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1y

A Day In The Flower Field:
Beneath a sky painted in soft pastels, the flower field hums with a secret melody—petals waltzing on the breeze, whispering stories only the wind understands. https://1-lisas-baker.pixels.com/featured/a-day-in-the-flower-field-lisa-s-baker.html

#flowers #floral #wildflowers #dreamy #arte #art #artwork #buyintoart #artforsale #mastoart #fediart #fediverse #purple #fedigiftshop #artforhome #wallart #homedecor #artforsale #CreativeToots #wallartforsale #fantasy #pretty #canvasprints #artprints

An art print of beautiful flowers in muted blues and purples. Art by Lisa S Baker.

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275d

Chapter 4 of Princess of Kurg is available to read on #RoyalRoad: https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/108234/jigsaw-city

Minerva and Thistle face an impossible choice: give up the enchanter working on their escape plan and delay their escape by ten years, or make substitutions in violation of the rules set by The Void?

They choose to lie, but will it work? Will The Void be fooled?

@bookstodon
#author #indieauthor #writing #fantasy #scifi #sciencefiction #sff #actionadventure #fiction #fairies #webseries

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1y

I recently finished The Will of the Many. this story follows an orphaned prince surviving in the Republic that invaded his country in a Romanesque world that uses will based magic in all things. Vis finds himself stuck between a plot to tear down the Republic and a senator that adopts him to attend a school to solve the murder of his brother. This was a fun read but there were issues with the grammar that were frustratingly repetitive. ⭐⭐🌟 @bookstodon @fantasy #books #fantasy #books

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176d

People always say you shouldn't rush growing up, so I'm saving my adulthood for when they put me in the incinerator 😜😂

@reading @bookstodon @books @humor @humor@lemmy.world @aiop @worldbuilding

#SpeculativeFiction #FantasyBooks
#FantasyMemes #Fantasy #Tolkien #LotR #Hobbit
#ReadingMemes #Meme #Memes #Humor #Humour #Funny
#Reading #Readers #ReadingCommunity
#Novel #Books #Fiction
#Bookwyrm #Bookstodon

Post by ohsalome:
Me, aged 14, reading Tolkien: Hobbits are considered
chuldren until they are 30? How funky! Fantasy
worldbuilding! This is so different from us humans!
Me, aged 25: Oh i get it now
Reply by roguebelle:
Me, aged 34: Actually the Hobbits might be rushing
things a bit.

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Edited 175d ago

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275d

Ebook: https://books2read.com/TheWizardsScion

Levi Jacobs always dreamed of being like his father, the greatest wizard in the world, but had no understanding what it would be like. Follow Levi’s journey from bumbling teen to a great hero, while the young wizard learns to master magical powers that are initially completely beyond him and barely under control.

@bookstodon
#author #indieauthor #writing #fantasy #scifi #sciencefiction #sff #sciencefantasy #scifi #actionadventure #fiction #books

The cover for the omnibus edition of The Wizard's Scion.

The background is a symbolic representation of a wormhole, hinting at the time-travel elements of the series.

The foreground consists of four figures, in silhouette, each filled with a different texture and behind them is a black octopus with red eyes and a menacing, red aura.

The central figure is a wizard in the midst of casting a spell, with his arms and robe outstretched. The texture used is black, with patches of mottled gold, overlaid with eight pointed stars. He's surrounded by a golden aura.

To the immediate left of the wizard is a girl. The texture used has a black background, overlaid with symbols for music, in green, cyan and white. She's surrounded by a green aura.

Standing just ahead of the wizard, but also slightly to the left is a woman wielding a pair of short swords in a combat-ready pose. The texture used is of blood spatter on a black background. She's surrounded by a dark red aura.

Ahead and to the right of the wizard is another woman with short swords, in a more relaxed stance than the other dual-wielder. The two woman are very similar in appearance, hinting at the fact that the one is a clone of the other. The texture used for this figure is a combination of a golden sunrise and translucent parts of clocks, hinting that the clone was made by time travelers. She's surrounded by a dark golden aura.

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275d

This week's #NewBooks at the library:
- I finally bought #TerryGoodkind's "The Children of D'Hara" bundle from Head of Zeus to replace the individual novellas I had.
- Plus a second-hand copy of James Delbourgo's "Collecting the World: The Life and Curiosity of #HansSloane" from Allen Lane.
- and a second-hand copy of "Darwin and Design: Does Evolution Have a Purpose?" by the ever-thoughtful Michael Ruse, published by Harvard University Press.

#Books #Scicomm #Bookstodon #Fantasy #HistoryOfScience #ScienceHistory #HistSci #Evolution #EvolutionaryBiology @bookstodon

A photo of three books standing on a small, brown, wooden table. The out-of-focus background shows black shelves full of books and part of the beech-coloured laminate floor.

On the left, The Children of D'Hara, showing a slate-grey cover with the title against the backdrop of what could be a solar eclipse, with the silhouettes of two birds of prey in flight.

In the middle, Darwin and Design, showing a colour drawing of a bird's nest with three eggs lying on top of a grey brick wall. The background shows a hedge. Above the nest is the silhouette of a bird in flight against a blue sky with white fluffy clouds. The silhouette is filled in with the same pattern as the hedge underneath. This is the lithograph Le Printemps by René Magritte.

On the right, Collecting the World, showing several black and white drawings. Along the top, several cocoa plant fruits hang from their branch. At the bottom, a 1715 engraving of a large manor with a fancy garden with planted trees, statues, and a fountain in the centre. This is the façade of Montagu House, looking across the forecourt, which would later become the British Museum. The left half of the cover is coloured red, starting wide at the top and becoming narrower towards the bottom. The remainder of the cover is coloured in a light blue.

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242d

Chapter 18 of Princess of Kurg is available to read on #RoyalRoad: https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/108234/jigsaw-city

Nicole attends a city council meeting and eventually tells a little lie about why she's not sleeping very well. Irkith reacts badly to that, ordering her to tell the truth.

The piece of Kurg lodged in her mind tries to take over and Kazic levels a blaster on the Ulkun King...

@bookstodon
#author #indieauthor #writing #fantasy #scifi #sciencefiction #sff #actionadventure #fiction #fairies #webseries

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275d

Audiobook in shop! https://www.katherinevillyard.com/2026/01/24/audiobook-in-shop/ #fantasy #bookstodon @bookstodon

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273d

Book six of the apparently neverending series of Deverry novels by #KatharineKerr was a strong outing, with a perfect balance between her usual elements of ethereal high magic and low, dirty, gritty small scale violence. Would be incomprehensible to anyone not already steeped in the setting and characters, however. #Bookstodon @bookstodon #fantasy

A Time of Omens (Book Two of the Westlands Cycle), by Katharine Kerr

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190d

Silent Sunday 🩵

#art #mastoart #fediart #architecture #scifi #fantasy #digitalArt #noai #krita #nature #speedpaint #energy #silentsunday

A peaceful sci-fi village with different kinds of dwellings. Surrounded by glowing & flowing river streams (in orange, pink, blue and turquoise). Celebrating nature's gifts, using renewable power to have light & energy in their homes, where crafty inhabitants are building a better future for everyone in the galaxies. https://www.deviantart.com/sylviaritter/art/Speedpainting-11092019-812049884

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278d

I send thanks to the buyer from California who purchased a spiral notebook of

Little Angel Bright -- https://fineartamerica.com/featured/little-angel-bright-steve-henderson.html?product=spiral-notebook

May the light and joy of Christmas fill your heart and hearth all year round.

#art #artwork #mastoart #fediart #fedigiftshop #giftideas #notebook #buyintoart #ayearforart #magical #fantasy #christmas #sale #peace #joy

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274d

Excalibur Explains: The Forgotten Realms

watch?v=p1kUqq6bJLo

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273d

Ebook: https://books2read.com/EmergentConsequences

The painter of the universe, known as Life, just wanted to fulfill her reason for being, by creating a universe full of beautiful wonders and living things, but her twin brother, Death, exists solely to destroy her work, leading to an intractable argument about whose work should prevail.

@bookstodon
#author #indieauthor #writing #fantasy #fiction #shortstory #life #death #creation #destruction #humor #satire #darkhumor

(Left) The Cover of Emergent Consequences, by Owen Tyme, illustrated by Ryan Johnson.

Life and Death lay asleep in a the grass, the way they lay slightly resembling the yin-yang symbol. The tools of their trades are scattered around them.

Life is a woman with black hair, in a white robe. Behind her are the paint brush and palette she paints the universe with. She's rather short and has rosy cheeks.

Death is a skeleton in a black robe, which appears to be continually disintegrating at the hem line. Behind him lay his scythe and scroll of names.

Between Life and Death is the hourglass that serves as the source of time for the entire universe, an item that's most commonly carried by Death, but which is part of the work of both of them.

The artwork is cartoonish, with some bushes and a tree that has one red piece of fruit dangling from it. The scene is looked upon by the sun, which frowns at everything.

(Right) The background is an image of some green bacteria with the following quote over the top:

"I think I'll call it Ted."

"Ted? You want to name micro-organism Ted? Are you serious?"

"Yes, Ted."

"Alright, I just thought Bob would fit better."

(Bottom) https://books2read.com/EmergentConsequences

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210d

Ebook: https://books2read.com/TheMostPowerfulWords
Audiobook: https://owentyme.bandcamp.com/album/short-of-tyme-the-most-powerful-words

Hungry and hunting alone, a goblin boy meets a bouncing, blue slime and assumes it will be dinner. Naturally, the slime has other ideas, and the boy gets his hind-end handed to him by what’s supposed to be one of the weakest monsters of the forest.

@bookstodon
#author #indieauthor #writing #fantasy #fiction #goblin #shortstory #audiobook #prejudice

(Left) The cover of The Most Powerful Words, by Owen Tyme, which consists of a temperate forest path in twilight, with a tree on the right side, which hangs over the path. At the base of the tree is a translucent, blue slime monster, with shiny, black eyes that give it a somewhat cute appearance, while the shadow that's visible at its base almost looks like a big mouth. The air has an almosty golden look, because there's a hint of fog in it. The cover is framed with beveled stone.

(Right) The background is a bookcase with three shelves that are filled with old-looking books. Some have bookmark ribbons that stick off the edge, adding a little color. The books are largely brown, with ribbed spines. The following quote is laid over it:

“There are words so powerful, they can shake the foundations of reality or alter the fate of the world.”

“The most powerful words of all can change a man’s heart and mind about old, incorrect beliefs.”

(Bottom) https://books2read.com/TheMostPowerfulWords

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177d

Chapter 46 of Princess of Kurg is available to read on #RoyalRoad: https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/108234/jigsaw-city

Nicole refuses to attend her mother's funeral, because she's convinced she'll find a way to raise the woman from the dead, even though none of her research panned out.

Deep down, she knows it isn't possible and sinks into the darkest depths of depression...

@bookstodon
#author #indieauthor #writing #fantasy #scifi #sciencefiction #sff #actionadventure #fiction #fairies #webseries

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