Legend calls them the Ruinous Ones: the Dokahlfar and Vartahlfar. They were evil elves and dwarfish minions that controlled an unknown technological magic. Driven to corrupt all things of goodness and light, the evil elves sought power beyond that of tree and root. They warred against their own kin, the high elves, and were defeated, fleeing into the dark, perhaps never to be heard from again. Honorable and brave knight Qualtan knows little of elves as he sets out on his own quest. His half-orcne friend, Glaive, went missing during a secret assignment from the king, which went awry. Qualtan searches for his lost ally, but in the process he is caught up in the story of the Ruinous Ones and now must uncover the secret of their disappearance-and if they seek to return and claim the power they seek.

Book Five in the Forging of a Knight series! For the sake of a forbidden love, Qualtan will find himself on the run with a Mah-Zakim to free her from her curse, or be consumed by it. No longer a knight, his friends now turned against him, how great will the price be that must be paid? Can a Mah-Zakim truly love back, or has the curse that has followed the First Knight for so long come true at last?

The second book in the Forging of a Knight series! Qualtan has become a knight at last. With Glaive, the half-orcne thief by his side, he will join a host of new friends: Jesepha, the strong-willed female knight; her mentor, the elder knight Bartholomew, who carries a strange secret; the young and hot-headed knight Euric; the glum and impatient knight Richard; and the dashing merchant lord Visandus. A seemingly routine mission will unravel into one of greater horror, involving inter-dimensional creatures, rival sea-faring pirate nations, and a face-to-face confrontation between Qualtan and Darksiege, one of Those That Stand in Shadow, at last! Should they somehow prevail, it will just be a precursor to an even GREATER threat!

"A betrayal from the School leads Darksiege, last of Those That Stand in Shadow, with the means to achieve ultimate power at last. A mighty artifact, divided and cast into different realms, will spell doom if found. Qualtan, Glaive, Cassandra, and Bartholomew will travel to places dark and terrible, including present-day Earth, to prevent Darksiege from gaining the victory he craves, but all is not as it seems. Are Darksiege and his opponents in a true quest, or have they been deceived into playing a much deeper game? Will Qualtan be forced into an unholy alliance with his mortal enemy to uncover the TRUE foe that menaces them all?"--Back cover

The Encyclopedia of Library and Information Sciences, comprising of seven volumes, now in its fourth edition, compiles the contributions of major researchers and practitioners and explores the cultural institutions of more than 30 countries. This major reference presents over 550 entries extensively reviewed for accuracy in seven print volumes or online. The new fourth edition, which includes 55 new entires and 60 revised entries, continues to reflect the growing convergence among the disciplines that influence information and the cultural record, with coverage of the latest topics as well as classic articles of historical and theoretical importance.

A guide to series fiction lists popular series, identifies novels by character, and offers guidance on the order in which to read unnumbered series.