Garth had given the mighty Sword of Bheleu into the Forgotten King's keeping. Now he needed it back, and the King demanded that Garth bring him the Book of Silence in exchange — but Garth feared that the King would use the Book to bring about an Age of Death.

Sterren was a street kid who made his living playing dice in the taverns of Ethshar — until an ill-tempered noblewoman showed up and informed him that he was the heir to the warlord of Semma. As warlord, it was his duty to defend the kingdom from two larger neighbors, and any attempt to dodge this obligation would be punished by summary execution. Sterren saw only one way to win this hopeless war he had had thrust upon him: Cheat by using forbidden magic.

Ethshar? Some readers already recognize the name, but if you aren’t one of them, perhaps a brief explanation is in order. “Ethshar” is the invented world that has been the setting for almost a dozen novels from the pen of Lawrence Watt-Evans. Its inhabitants don’t call it that; they call it “the World.” For readers, though, that’s not specific enough. The dominant nation on the World is the Hegemony of the Three Ethshars, while the largest, richest city, where most of the stories are set, is Ethshar of the Spices, so “Ethshar” is close enough. The name itself comes from words meaning “safe harbor.” You don’t need to have read any of the novels to enjoy the stories herein; each one should stand alone. And if you've read the novels, you will enjoy this return to the world of Ethshar with 11 stories... This is the first time they have all been collected in one book!

When Morvash of the Shadows, a journeyman wizard, discovers some of the statues in his uncle’s house are real people turned to stone, he sets out to do the right thing. But turning them back is a bigger challenge than he anticipated....

The gods had chosen the Domdur to rule the world, and had chosen Malledd to be their champion among the Domdur. They had not asked Malledd whether he wanted the job. Now the gods have fallen silent and a dark wizard has raised an army of the undead to destroy the Domdur. Will the divine champion still answer the call?

Tabaea the Thief stole something more precious than Dragons' Blood from the enchanted old house: evesdropping on the doddering wizard who owned the place, she stole the secret of wizardry itself.

The Mad Scientist Megapack assembles 23 tales of Scientists, their Creatures, and Experiments both Diabolical and Dangerous! Included are:MYSHKIN, by David V. ReedA LIGHT THAT SHAMED THE SUN, by C. J. HendersonINCOMPLETE DATA, by H.B. FyfeTHE CORPSE ON THE GRATING, by Hugh B. CaveCOSMIC TELETYPE, by Carl JacobiMONSTER KIDNAPS GIRL AT MAD SCIENTIST'S COMMAND!, by Lawrence Watt-EvansGREAT MINDS, by Edward M. LernerTHE MAN WHO EVOLVED, by Edmond HamiltonNO GUTS, NO GLORY, by Edward M. LernerTHE DEVOTEE OF EVIL, by Clark Ashton SmithSONG OF DEATH, by Ed Earl ReppSTATUS: COMPLETE, by Leslie J. FurlongFOOD FOR THOUGHT, by Jack DolphinDR. VARSAG'S EXPERIMENT, by Craig EllisPUBLIC SAFETY, by Matthew JohnsonTHE WORLD IN A BOX, by Carl JacobiMACHINE RECORD, by Theodore R. CogswellTHE BIRTHMARK, by Nathaniel HawthorneHERBERT WEST—REANIMATOR, by H.P. LovecraftZAPT'S REPULSIVE PASTE, by J.U. GiesyTHE STRANGE CASE OF...

The Wizard Lord's duty is to keep the world in its delicate balance. He must govern lightly to protect his domain from power-hungry interlopers, such as certain wizards who previously fought to rule the world...But if the Wizard Lord himself strays from the way of the just, then it is up to the Chosen to intercede.The Chosen ones are the Leader, the Seer, the Swordsman, the Beauty, the Thief, the Scholar, the Archer, and the Speaker. Each are magically-infused mortal individuals who, for the term of their service, have only one function—to be available to remove an errant Wizard Lord, whether by persuasion or by stronger means. Breaker, a young man of ambition, has taken the mantle of Swordsman from its former bearer who wished to retire. Never did he realize that he would be called to duty so quickly, or that the balance of power in his world would be so precarious.He had a duty to perform. A world to save.So why does he still have...

High comedy, low pratfalls, and thrilling derring-do combine in a magical and fantastic epic about the Ancient and Honorable Kingdom of the Hydrangeans; the mighty, though rather stupid, warrior Gudge; and the mysterious Black Weasel."Confusion reigns in this often funny, frequently precious fantasy about usurped thrones and lost heirs. After the Gorgorian barbarians conquer the civilized kingdom of Hydrangea, their leader Gudge makes himself king, marries Hydrangean Princess Artemisia and settles down to a highly satisfactory life of drinking and debauchery. Royal triplets, separated at birth because of a Gorgorian superstition that multiple births suggest the mother's infidelity, receive very different upbringings. The only girl, Avena, is brought up in the palace as Prince Arbol, heir to the throne and a fearsome swordsman. One brother, Wulfrith, is raised by a shepherd; although a young ewe is his favorite companion, his size makes him a fearsome battler...

Once, not so long ago,a warlock named Vond built an empire in the southern part of the Small Kingdoms. Vond is gone, but his empire survives under the rule of a seven-person Imperial Council and a young regent named Sterren. The Empire of Vond was hardly trouble-free after Vond’s departure. Its neighbors are understandably wary of further expansion, there are questions about how Vond’s magic became so potent, and so on. Most of the World, though, doesn’t care — Vond is off there in the southeastern corner of the World, far away from anywhere important. But one day a dockworker named Emmis watches a Vondish ship arrive in Ethshar of the Spices and finds himself hired as native guide and aide to someone who claims to be Vond’s ambassador plenipotentiary to the overlords of the Hegemony of the Three Ethshars. But who is the Vondish ambassador, really, and what is his true business in Ethshar? And who has followed him to the city?

The sword that Garth had stolen from Dusarra marked him as the chosen of Bheleu, god of destruction, and gave him immense power. This power could only be used to destroy, and Garth wanted to build. He chose to refuse the god's gift. Bheleu did not intend to allow that.