Thrilling & Epic Fiction
Discover the most thrilling and epic fiction books that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Explore gripping tales of adventure, suspense, and grandeur in our curated list of must-reads.
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Faith Awakened
by Grace Bridges
Have you ever wondered... if your life is designed?Coincidences, déjà vu, fate, God... what does it all mean?Have you ever wished you could go back and do things differently? Maybe you can.Maybe you did already.If you could design your own virtual world to live in, what would it look like?Is God a computer programmer?And can he take you to heaven... before you die?
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Scarlet
by Steve Lawhead
With the Normans threatening to overrun Wales, forester Will Scarlet is being sentenced to die for a crime he didn't commit unless he betrays King Raven and his followers, and Bran ap Brychan makes a secret voyage to France to uncover a plot against the king.
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Hood
by Steve Lawhead
Presents a reimagining of the tale of Robin Hood in which the son of a king, Bran ap Brychan, flees the kingdom of Elfael after his father is killed and leads a band of thieves as they try to battle the Normans and take back the kingdom.
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In the Hall of the Dragon King
by Steve Lawhead
With the help of the Most High God, young Quentin undertakes an important mission to rescue the Dragon King Eskevar from the traitorous Prince Jaspin and the evil necromancer Nimrood.
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The Paradise War
by Steve Lawhead
While doing graduate work in Celtic studies at Oxford Lewis Gillies goes off in search of his roommate, Simon, who fell through a cairn into the land of the Tuatha de Danann, and finds himself playing roles within important Celtic mythology.
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The Warlords of Nin
by Stephen Lawhead
Darkness and destruction have come to the land. It has been ten years since Quentin helped Eskevar, the Dragon King, battle the monstrous sorcerer Nimrood. Since that time, there has been peace in the land of Mensandor. But everything is about to change. An urgent message summons Quentin to Castle Askelon. The king, who is dying, wishes to name the brave young man his successor. But first, he sends him on an unfathomable mission. What Quentin and his friend Toli, the Jher horseman, discover is not for the cowardly. The brightening Wolf Star is an omen of impending evil that might herald the beginning of the end of mankind on earth. It signifies Nin, a fearsome giant of a man who hopes to add Mensandor to his growing empire. Along with his merciless warlords, they are the fulfillment of a nightmarish prophecy. In The Warlords of Nin, the second book in The Dragon King Trilogy, Stephen R. Lawhead continues the mythical saga that began with In the Hall of the Dragon King.
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The Sword and the Flame
by Steve Lawhead
Shattered by the death of a trusted friend, the abduction of his beloved son, and the loss of his enchanted sword, Quentin's faith is tested as he confronts his cruelest foe, Nimrood the Necromancer.
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Byzantium
by Stephen R. Lawhead
Born to rule Although born to rule, Aidan lives as a scribe in a remote Irish monastery on the far, wild edge of Christendom. Secure in work, contemplation, and dreams of the wider world, a miracle bursts into Aidan's quiet life. He is chosen to accompany a small band of monks on a quest to the farthest eastern reaches of the known world, to the fabled city of Byzantium, where they are to present a beautiful and costly hand-illuminated manuscript, the Book of Kells, to the Emperor of all Christendom. Thus begins an expedition by sea and over land, as Aidan becomes, by turns, a warrior and a sailor, a slave and a spy, a Viking and a Saracen, and finally, a man. He sees more of the world than most men of his time, becoming an ambassador to kings and an intimate of Byzantium's fabled Golden Court. And finally this valiant Irish monk faces the greatest trial that can confront any man in any age: commanding his own Destiny.
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Patrick
by Stephen R. Lawhead
Slave, soldier, lover, hero, saint,—his life mirrored the cataclysmic world into which he was born. His memory will outlast the ages. Born of a noble Welsh family, he is violently torn from his home by Irish raiders at age sixteen and sold as a slave to a brutal wilderness king. Rescued by the king's druids from almost certain death, he learns the arts of healing and song, and the mystical ways of a secretive order whose teachings tantalize with hints at a deeper wisdom. Yet young Succat Morgannwg cannot rest until he sheds the strangling yoke of slavery and returns to his homeland across the sea. He pursues his dream of freedom through horrific war and shattering tragedy—through great love and greater loss—from a dying, decimated Wales to the bloody battlefields of Gaul to the fading majesty of Rome. And in the twilight of a once-supreme empire, he is transformed yet again by divine hand and a passionate vision of "truth against the world," accepting the name that will one day become legend . . . Patricius!
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Return of the Guardian-King
by Karen Hancock
The powerful finale to the Christy Award-winning novels in the LEGENDS OF THE GUARDIAN-KING series Believed dead by all but the handful of supporters who rescued him from his Mataian enemies, Abramm Kalladorne has fled his homeland to the high mountains of northern Chesedh. Traveling under a new name with a group of bitter and increasingly desperate fellow exiles, Abramm hopes to reunite with his wife in Chesedh, where he will offer his services to her father in fighting the invading armies of the Black Moon. But with every step he is hindered, delayed, and diverted from the direction he desires to go, and it soon becomes clear Eidon has other plans for him. In the royal city of Fannath Rill, Maddie alone believes Abramm still lives. But since she has no proof, her friends, family, and public opinion press her to remarry. With its neighboring realms now under enemy control, Chesedh has become the last bastion of Eidon's Light. Desperately overmatched, it cannot survive on its own. Yet the rich, handsome eastern warlord who is openly courting Maddie has a vast fleet of galley ships that could turn the tide in Chesedh's favor....
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Light Of Eidon
by Karen Hancock
Book 1 of Legends of the Guardian King which follows the life of Abramm Kalladorne in his turbulent search for truth and self--a search that will transform him from a sickly, head-in-the-clouds youth to a legendary hero of strength and courage. Set in a world of swords and cloaks, of glittering palaces and mystical temples, of galley ships and ancient, mist-bound cities, his journey illustrates how God pursues and how He uses suffering to mold His children into something greater than was ever thought possible. Written by Karen Hancock, the acclaimed author of Arena.
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Shadow Over Kiriath
by Karen Hancock
Legends of the Guardian King Book 3- Karen Hancock has created a beautiful and powerful fantasy series that continues to win new readers and remind them of who holds their hopes and victories in His hands. In Abramm's world, God is close to his followers, evil takes many forms, and one must believe in the light to see the darkness. While Abramm's coronation is still underway, rival leaders are already plotting their return to power.Worse yet, as the hour approaches for Abramm's marriage to the Chesedhan crown princess--required to seal the desperately needed alliance between their two countries--he finds himself deeply attracted to her younger sister. Will Eidon give Abramm ultimate victory, or will his enemies succeed in destroying him and his beloved realm?
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Arena
by Karen Hancock
Dropped into a terrifying, alien world with only a few cryptic words to guide her, can Callie survive the battle raging between good and evil?
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Advances in Latent Variable Mixture Models
by Gregory R. Hancock
The current volume, Advances in Latent Variable Mixture Models, contains chapters by all of the speakers who participated in the 2006 CILVR conference, providing not just a snapshot of the event, but more importantly chronicling the state of the art in latent variable mixture model research. The volume starts with an overview chapter by the CILVR conference keynote speaker, Bengt Muthén, offering a "lay of the land" for latent variable mixture models before the volume moves to more specific constellations of topics. Part I, Multilevel and Longitudinal Systems, deals with mixtures for data that are hierarchical in nature either due to the data's sampling structure or to the repetition of measures (of varied types) over time. Part II, Models for Assessment and Diagnosis, addresses scenarios for making judgments about individuals' state of knowledge or development, and about the instruments used for making such judgments. Finally, Part III, Challenges in Model Evaluation, focuses on some of the methodological issues associated with the selection of models most accurately representing the processes and populations under investigation. It should be stated that this volume is not intended to be a first exposure to latent variable methods. Readers lacking such foundational knowledge are encouraged to consult primary and/or secondary didactic resources in order to get the most from the chapters in this volume. Once armed with that basic understanding of latent variable methods, we believe readers will find this volume incredibly exciting.
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House
by Frank E. Peretti
Two stranded couples find shelter in an inn but find themselves trapped in a game with rules setting up a life-or-death situation.
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This Present Darkness
by Frank E. Peretti
When a reporter and a prayerful pastor begin to compare notes on the town of Ashton, they find themselves fighting a New Age plot to subjugate the townspeople, and eventually the entire human race.
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This Present Darkness and Piercing the Darkness
by Frank E. Peretti
With contempory settings and up to date religious issues these unbelieveable characters make up powerful novels and wholesome entertainment.
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Piercing the Darkness
by Frank E. Peretti
A colossal spiritual struggle breaks out in a small town-an attempted murder, a ruthless lawsuit-and a young woman is caught in the middle. A bestselling novel of forgiveness and the power of prayer.
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Monster
by Frank E. Peretti
This "New York Times" bestseller by the author of "This Present Darkness" follows a couple, who while trekking through the beautiful Northwestern woods becomes the prey of something no human has ever seen.
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The Wrinkle in Time Quintet
by Madeleine L'Engle
A boxed set of five volumes featuring the Murray children and their friends as they travel through time and encounter strange creatures.
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A Wrinkle in Time
by Madeleine L'Engle
Madeleine L'Engle's ground-breaking science fiction and fantasy classic, soon to be a major motion picture. It was a dark and stormy night; Meg Murry, her small brother Charles Wallace, and her mother had come down to the kitchen for a midnight snack when they were upset by the arrival of a most disturbing stranger. "Wild nights are my glory," the unearthly stranger told them. "I just got caught in a downdraft and blown off course. Let me sit down for a moment, and then I'll be on my way. Speaking of ways, by the way, there is such a thing as a tesseract." A tesseract (in case the reader doesn't know) is a wrinkle in time. To tell more would rob the reader of the enjoyment of Miss L'Engle's unusual book. A Wrinkle in Time, winner of the Newbery Medal in 1963, is the story of the adventures in space and time of Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin O'Keefe (athlete, student, and one of the most popular boys in high school). They are in search of Meg's father, a scientist who disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government on the tesseract problem. A Wrinkle in Time is the winner of the 1963 Newbery Medal. It is the first book in The Time Quintet, which consists of A Wrinkle in Time, A Wind in the Door, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Many Waters, and An Acceptable Time. A Wrinkle in Time is soon to be a movie from Disney, directed by Ava DuVernay, starring Storm Reid, Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon and Mindy Kaling. This title has Common Core connections.
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A Wind in the Door
by Madeleine L'Engle
With Meg Murry's help, the dragons her six-year-old brother saw in the vegetable garden play an important part in his struggle between life and death.
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A Swiftly Tilting Planet
by Madeleine L'Engle
In A Swiftly Tilting Planet by Madeleine L'Engle, a companion to the Newbery Award winner A Wrinkle in Time and A Wind in the Door, fifteen-year-old Charles Wallace and the unicorn Gaudior undertake a perilous journey through time in a desperate attempt to stop the destruction of the world by the mad dictator Madog Branzillo. They are not alone in their quest. Charles Wallace's sister, Meg--grown and expecting her first child, but still able to enter her brother's thoughts and emotions by "kything"--goes with him in spirit. Charles Wallace must face the ultimate test of his faith and his will as he is sent within four people from another time, there to search for a way to avert the tragedy threatening them all.
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A Circle of Quiet
by Madeleine L'Engle
This journal shares fruitful reflections on life and career prompted by the author's visit to her personal place of retreat near her country home.
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Walking on Water
by Madeleine L'Engle
Addressing the subject of "faith and art" head on, this masterful work examines the difference between Christian art and secular art, as well as the relationship between the two. Award-winning artist L'Engle exhorts artists to listen to, remain aware of, and to respond to creation through one's own art.