Lerris has settled into being a woodworker and building a life with Krystal. But this newfound peace is endangered when both Candar and Recluce come under the threat of invasion from the Empire of Hamor. Despite the imminent possibility of destruction, the lands of Candar will not unite and Recluce will not heed the peril. Lerris is faced with the challenge of becoming the greatest wizard of all time--or seeing his whole world destroyed.

A collection of short stories set in the world of the Recluce saga features seventeen new tales and four popular reprints spanning the thousand-year history of Recluse, in an anthology complemented by a background essay.

The Saga of Recluce chronicles the history of this world with world-building detail and an ingenious and disciplined magic system. L.E. Modesitt, Jr. returns to his longest and bestselling fantasy series with volume nineteen, The Mongrel Mage, which marks the beginning of a new story arc. In the world of Recluce, powerful mages can wield two kinds of magic--the white of Chaos or the black of Order. Beltur, however, has talents no one dreamed of, talents...

"Sixteen years have passed since the mage Beltur helped to found the town of Fairhaven, and Taelya, Beltur's adopted niece, is now a white mage undercaptain in the Road Guards of Fairhaven. Fairhaven's success under the Council has become an impediment to the amibition of several rulers, and the mages protecting the town are seen as a threat. Taelya, a young and untried mage, finds herself at the heart of a conspiracy to destroy her home and the people...

Relates the story of how magic comes into the world of Recluce, its past and the founding of the Empire of the Legend, the almost mythological domain ruled by women warriors on the highland plateau of the continent of Candar. The story is told from the point of view of Nylan, the engineer and builder whose job it is to raise a great tower on the plateau known as the Roof of the World, where the exiled women warriors will live and survive to fulfill...

"Alayiakal, who will one day be known by many names--not all of them flattering--has to climb the ranks of Cyador's Mirror Lancers, fighting against unforeseen weapons and ancient technology. Alayiakal, however, has secrets of his own to protect: his ties to the Great Forest and his magus abilities. He must silently pretend to be a conventional soldier favored by fate--until that very same fate forces him to choose"--

Cigoerne's Mirror Lances commander Lerial leads three troops on a mission to protect Afrit and Cigoerne from a Heldya invasion, an effort that is complicated by Lerial's troubled past.