Bøger af Claudio Silvano

"The Virupa man discarded all of his weapons, thrusting them into the hands of the nearest clansmen, dropping into a fluid fighting stance as he turned to face her.Illiom did not emulate him. She was no fighter, and pretending to be one would certainly not transform her into one. She faced him and just allowed herself to sense what was happening inside her. She knew that she might die in the next few moments, but the greater part of her had already accepted that as a possible outcome.If she was to die, then let it be here and now - not hiding and cowering from the world."Much has changed since Tarmel came to take Illiom away from her lonely and timid existence. However her most pressing questions remain unanswered and, if anything, they have multiplied - alarmingly so. Something deep within her is beginning to shift. Already she no longer sees herself as the frightened girl who hid from the world in her mountain hideaway, and what she once considered to be her curse is now revealing itself to be much more of a strength. Her origins are still shrouded in complete mystery; yet now her role in the world, and the growing sense of direction within Illiom, are gathering momentum and form, shaping themselves into the one she is becoming.Like an egg that is hatching, Illiom can hardly wait to meet the one who will emerge.

When he is struck by lightning, a herdsman is approached by a goat-man who presents him with an impossible task and offers dubious guidance. A taxi driver opens his door to strangers all the time, but on this particular night his fare is 'something' from his own past, wearing the mask of a stranger. Five unrelated people converge upon a café at the worst possible time, with dire consequences for the rest of the world. The stone angel is hauntingly beautiful, but its new owner is oblivious to what is concealed in the hand curled over its heart. Mia is a chef on a starship with a crew that numbers in the thousands. When she awakens to find the crew has vanished, she must find a way to survive.Eighteen stories to open portals into alternate realities, where the mystical and the magical exist right alongside the mundane - much as they do in our own world - if only we could deepen our perception and see what lies just behind the flimsy veil of illusion.

"Under every fear lies a hidden power, quietly waiting to be claimed."The five Kingdoms of the Common Weal of Theregon have been at peace for almost a thousand years; a truly prodigious milestone for a land that has experienced its fair share of turbulence in the distant past.  But as the end of the millennium draws near, a series of unsavoury events threaten to unravel the illusion of stability that the rulers of the land would prefer to maintain.     Living alone in the Sevrock Mountains, Illiom could not be further away from the dark conspiracies plaguing the realm. Oblivious to outside happenings, she is reluctantly bracing herself to survive a fifth winter alone. It was fear that led her to seek out this solitary existence and it is fear that keeps her here still.     But now someone is coming for her. Someone who intends to draw her away and deliver her, willing or not, into the mayhem of the Kingdom’s political hub: the Royal Palace of the city of Kuon, where dire events are unfolding in the deepest shadows, events that are somehow connected to her. Yet what link can possibly exist between Illiom and the darkness that is stalking the heart of the realm?     Illiom is being asked to step up and to meet with a destiny that seems bent upon colliding with her. The only question is, does she have what it takes to vanquish her inner demons?