This BookSense Top 10 Fantasy Pick teams young Sam Hatcher with Rigby Skeet, a wisecracking Royal Guardsman. The two must rescue King Olive, who was betrayed by his odd, worm-loving brother, and is imprisoned in the dungeon of the superhuman Boneman. "Readers will revel in the story's charm, humor, and numerous twists and turns."--"ForeWord."

In 1612, George Sinclair, an illegitimate son of a Caithness laird, became a Norwegian national hero. Along with almost 300 of his followers, Sinclair was killed in an ambush in Norway while marching to join the king of Sweden's army. Sinclair has legendary status in Norway but has been almost totally forgotten at home, just as the memory of thousands of other Scots who served as mercenaries in the armies of Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries has faded into obscurity. In this book, James Miller tells how a considerable proportion of the able-bodied male population of Scotland at one time sought service on behalf of almost every dynasty and monarch on the continent. Some were fleeing from justice, others went to seek fame and fortune - and found it.

Selden, a wandering mercenary, sets up shop as a fencing master in Balathex, also known as the Whispering City, partly for the murmur of its many fountains and partly for its penchant for conspiracy and double-dealing. When short of funds, he practices his old trade and lands in situations stranger and deadlier than any he ever encountered in war.

When an ancient symbol of power is stolen from the wizards' citadel, which stands atop Mount Oragil, a timid teaching wizard named Amvaar is sent to retrieve it. Despite strict orders from the Grand Master of his order to keep his quest a secret Amvaar enlists the help of three people. But as the four new friends venture onwards, they gradually discover that horrifying events from eight hundred years earlier, are about to unfold once again. They also discover that fate has brought them together for a special purpose. Only working together, as The Silent Blade, can the four hope to defeat a terrifying foe, and hopefully save the world.