New Releases by Myke Cole

A dramatic history of the Steel Lobsters, Sir Arthur Hesilrige's Regiment of Horse, in the English Civil War – the last fully armoured knights in England. The 17th-century battlefield ushered in a new era, with formed musketeers and pistol-wielding cavalry gradually taking over from the knights and men-at-arms that had dominated the European battlefield. Based on a detailed study of the primary sources, Steel Lobsters tells the story of this transition through the history of the last fully armoured knights in England. Myke Cole, an award-winning novelist, historian, and veteran, examines the life and times of Sir Arthur Hesilrige and his Regiment of Horse, known as 'the Lobsters' as they were encased in plate armour. Steel Lobsters covers the full history of England's last knights, from the seeds of their creation in Hesilrige's experience as a young cavalry officer, to their final defeat at Roundway Down in July 1643, and the decision to abandon their armour. It provides lavish detail on arms, armour, and tactics, but also covers the human story of Sir Arthur Hesilrige, the men who served under him, and even those who opposed him. The story of this amazing unit is the story of the end of super-heavy cavalry, and this book delves into how wars were fought in the 17th century, the personalities, politics, and even spiritual beliefs of the combatants, how they fought, and why they ultimately lost.

An exploration into why and how Thermopylae is one of the most blood-soaked patches of ground in history – and what its past can tell us about our future. 'Brilliantly demonstrated.' - Tom Holland Since the dawn of the Classical Era up to World War II, thousands have lost their lives fighting over the pass at Thermopylae. Historians Cole and Livingston provide an exciting account of each of the 27 battles and holding actions that took place. The epic events of 480 BC when 300 Spartans attempted to hold the pass has been immortalised in poetry, art, literature and film. But no history has ever detailed the other events from the very first battle through to the battles fought by Romans, Byzantines, Huns and Ottomans during the early and late medieval periods and finally the two desperate struggles against German occupying forces during World War II. The Killing Ground details the background and history of each conflict, the personalities and decision making of the commanders, the arms and tactics of the troops, and how each battle played out. Cole and Livingston have surveyed the ground to provide a boots-on understanding of each battle. Their command of multiple ancient and medieval languages means they have provided their own translations of much of the source material, ensuring new insights into each battle. This uncompromising scholarship is woven together into a compelling and unforgettable history that grips the reader from start to finish.

Covering Sparta's full classical history, The Bronze Lie examines the myth of Spartan warrior supremacy. The last stand at Thermopylae made the Spartans legends in their own time, famous for their toughness, stoicism and martial prowess – but was this reputation earned? This book paints a very different picture of Spartan warfare – punctuated by frequent and heavy losses. We also discover a society dedicated to militarism not in service to Greek unity or to the Spartan state itself, but as a desperate measure intended to keep its massive population of helots (a near-slave underclass) in line. What successes there were, such as in the Peloponnesian Wars, gave Sparta only a brief period of hegemony over Greece. Today, there is no greater testament to this than the relative position of modern Sparta and its famous rival Athens. The Bronze Lie explores the Spartans' arms and armor, tactics and strategy, the personalities of commanders and the common soldiery alike. It looks at the major battles, with a special focus on previously under-publicized Spartan reverses that have been left largely unexamined. The result is a refreshingly honest and accurate account of Spartan warfare.

Desde los tiempos de la antigua Sumeria, la falange de infantería pesada dominó el campo de batalla. Armados con lanzas o picas, dispuestos hombro con hombro y los escudos trabados, los soldados de la falange presentaban una pared impenetrable de madera y metal al enemigo. Esto es, hasta que la legión romana hizo su aparición y desafió su hegemonía. Myke Cole examina las tácticas, armas y equipo, organización y formas de desplegarse de la legión y la falange durante la época en que se enfrentaron. A continuación, basándose en fuentes originales, narra con detenimiento seis batallas en las que lucharon legiones y falanges para mostrar cómo y por qué la legión romana, con su organización flexible, sus tácticas versátiles y su disciplina de hierro llegó a eclipsar a la hasta entonces invencible falange helenística. "Tu ejército es el mejor entrenado y equipado, y el más querido de los dioses. Sus guerreros son inamovibles como una montaña, indestructibles como la propia tierra. Están entrenados para moverse y luchar como un organismo. La falange no conoce la derrota. Frente a ti está un ejército de romanos. Bárbaros que ni siquiera hablan griego. Llevan burdos cascos de bronce, extraños armatostes por escudos. Van armados con jabalinas como si fueran hostigadores, y con cuchillos largos que estás más acostumbrado a ver en manos de carniceros y curtidores que de guerreros. Con esas cositas tendrán suerte si consiguen acercarse a tus hombres, y no digamos ya herirlos. Las puntas de hierro de las lanzas de tus soldados los ensartarán antes de que puedan aproximarse siquiera. Y en la primera batalla, quizá también en la segunda, así ocurre. Pero, mientras tú los miras, los romanos aprenden. Se adaptan. Batalla tras batalla, asimilan y aplican las lecciones de sus derrotas. Y pronto, aunque pierden, ya no resulta tan fácil. Y antes de que te quieras dar cuenta han dejado de perder."

The Coast Guard must prevent the first lunar war in history. A lifelong Search-and-Rescuewoman, Coast Guard Captain Jane Oliver is ready for a peaceful retirement. But when tragedy strikes, Oliver loses her husband and her plans for the future, and finds herself thrust into a role she’s not prepared for. Suddenly at the helm of the Coast Guard’s elite SAR-1 lunar unit, Oliver is the only woman who can prevent the first lunar war in history, a conflict that will surely consume not only the moon, but earth as well.

The thrilling conclusion to Myke Cole's Sacred Throne trilogy Heloise and her allies are marching on the Imperial Capital. The villagers, the Kipti, and the Red Lords are united only in their loyalty to Heloise, though dissenting voices are many and they are loud. The unstable alliance faces internal conflicts and external strife, yet they’re united in their common goal. But when the first of the devils start pouring through a rent in the veil between worlds, Heloise must strike a bargain with an unlikely ally, or doom her people to death and her world to ruin. Praise for the Sacred Throne Trilogy "A heart-wrenching, blood-racing, all-around page-turner. Spare, vivid and surprisingly sensual, with a small, fierce heroine who will stick in your mind and live in your soul."—Diana Gabaldon "Ruthless and heart-wrenching." —Robin Hobb The Sacred Throne Trilogy The Armored Saint The Queen of Crows The Killing Light At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

This is the story of three hundred ordinary kids who went to school one day and became victims of a magic spell. Kidnapped, along with fragments of their town, the kids found themselves in a world of dragons and darkcats, of dwarves and Fortesans. It was no fairytale land, but a dangerous realm where magic ruled, a place known as the Wildsidhe.

From the time of Ancient Sumeria, the heavy infantry phalanx dominated the battlefield. Armed with spears or pikes, standing shoulder to shoulder with shields interlocking, the men of the phalanx presented an impenetrable wall of wood and metal to the enemy. Until, that is, the Roman legion emerged to challenge them as masters of infantry battle. Covering the period in which the legion and phalanx clashed (280–168 BC), Myke Cole delves into their tactics, arms and equipment, organization and deployment. Drawing on original primary sources to examine six battles in which the legion fought the phalanx – Heraclea (280 BC), Asculum (279 BC), Beneventum (275 BC), Cynoscephalae (197 BC), Magnesia (190 BC), and Pydna (168 BC) – he shows how and why the Roman legion, with its flexible organization, versatile tactics and iron discipline, came to eclipse the hitherto untouchable Hellenistic phalanx and dominate the ancient battlefield.

A tale of religious tyrants, arcane war-machines, and underground resistance that will enthrall epic fantasy readers of all ages. After witnessing a horrendous slaughter, young Heloise opposes the Order, and risks bringing their wrath down on herself, her family, and her village. She must confront the true risk that wizards pose to the world, and weigh the safety of her people against justice.

In Myke Cole’s latest high-octane, action-packed military fantasy, the fate of undead Navy SEAL James Schweitzer will be decided—one way or another... The Gemini Cell took everything from Jim Schweitzer: his family, his career as a Navy SEAL, even his life. Hounded across the country, Schweitzer knows the only way he can ever stop running, the only way his son can ever be safe, is to take the fight to the enemy and annihilate the Cell once and for all. But the Cell won’t be easily destroyed. Out of control and fighting a secret war with the government it once served, it has dispatched its shadowy Director to the far reaches of the subarctic in search of a secret magic that could tip the balance of power in its favor. Schweitzer must join with the elite warriors of both America and Canada in a desperate bid to get there first—and avert a disaster that could put the Cell in control.

The fast-paced, adrenaline-filled sequel to Gemini Cell, set in the same magical and militaristic world of the acclaimed Shadow Ops series. Javelin: A code denoting the loss of a national security asset with strategic impact. Rain: A code indicating a crisis of existential proportions. Javelin Rain incidents must be resolved immediately, by any and all means necessary, no matter what the cost... Being a US Navy SEAL was Jim Schweitzer’s life right up until the day he was killed. Now, his escape from the government who raised him from the dead has been coded "Javelin Rain." Schweitzer and his family are on the run from his former unit, the Gemini Cell, and while he may be immortal, his wife and son are not. Jim must use all of his strength to keep his family safe, while convincing his wife he’s still the same man she once loved. But what his former allies have planned to bring him down could mean disaster not only for Jim and his family, but for the entire nation...

Myke Cole continues to blow the military fantasy genre wide open with an all-new epic adventure in his highly acclaimed Shadow Ops universe—set in the early days of the Great Reawakening, when magic first returns to the world and order begins to unravel… US Navy SEAL Jim Schweitzer is a consummate professional, a fierce warrior, and a hard man to kill. But when he sees something he was never meant to see on a covert mission gone bad, he finds himself—and his family—in the crosshairs. Nothing means more to Jim than protecting his loved ones, but when the enemy brings the battle to his front door, he is overwhelmed and taken down. That should be the end of the story. But Jim is raised from the dead by a sorcerer and recruited by a top secret unit dabbling in the occult, known only as the Gemini Cell. With powers he doesn’t understand, Jim is called back to duty—as the ultimate warrior. As he wrestles with a literal inner demon, Jim realizes his new superiors are determined to use him for their own ends and keep him in the dark—especially about the fates of his wife and son…

From award winning website, Fantasy-Faction, comes an anthology of short stories and articles celebrating the fantasy genre's diversity.Dragons, magic, clones, portals and swords are just some of what awaits you on the quests and investigations within.Written by a combination of genre giants and previously unpublished authors, this is Fantasy-Faction in a book.

The Great Reawakening did not come quietly. Across the country and in every nation, people began “coming up Latent,” developing terrifying powers—summoning storms, raising the dead, and setting everything they touch ablaze. Those who Manifest must choose: become a sheepdog who protects the flock or a wolf who devours it… In the wake of a bloody battle at Forward Operating Base Frontier and a scandalous presidential impeachment, Lieutenant Colonel Jan Thorsson, call sign “Harlequin,” becomes a national hero and a pariah to the military that is the only family he’s ever known. In the fight for Latent equality, Oscar Britton is positioned to lead a rebellion in exile, but a powerful rival beats him to the punch: Scylla, a walking weapon who will stop at nothing to end the human-sanctioned apartheid against her kind. When Scylla’s inhuman forces invade New York City, the Supernatural Operations Corps are the only soldiers equipped to prevent a massacre. In order to redeem himself with the military, Harlequin will be forced to face off with this havoc-wreaking woman from his past, warped by her power into something evil…

Velké Znovuprobuzení se nerodilo v poklidu. Po celé zemi se v lidech všech národností budí magie. Spolu s ní v sobě tito „Napojení“ nalézají děsivé schopnosti: přivolat bouřku, nechat ožít mrtvé, podpálit všechno jediným dotekem. Ti, v nichž se Projeví magie, si budou muset vybrat: stanou se ovčáckým psem a budou hlídat stádo, nebo vlkem, který stádo sežere. Je po krvavé bitvě o Operační základnu Hranice. Prezident byl skandálně obviněn z velezrady. Podplukovník Jan Thorsson, známý jako Harlekýn, se stává národním hrdinou, zároveň ale také vyvržencem z vojenských složek, které byly jeho jedinou rodinou. Portomant Oscar Britton pobývá v exilu, odkud spolu se skupinou rebelů bojuje za rovnoprávnost Napojených. Konkuruje mu však mocná rivalka: Skylla, chodící zbraň, bojující za lidstvem posvěcený apartheid, v němž je nucen žít její druh. Skylla se nezastaví před ničím. Její nelidské vojsko vtrhne do New Yorku a jedinou silou, která dokáže zabránit masakru, jsou vojáci Jednotek nadpřirozených operací. A pokud Harlekýn chce, aby ho vzali zpět, bude se muset postavit této šílené ženě ze své minulosti, kterou její moc změnila v cosi ďábelského...

Velké Znovuprobuzení neproběhlo v poklidu. Lidé po celé zemi v sobě začali objevovat děsivé schopnosti: přivolat bouřku, nechat povstat mrtvé, podpálit všechno, čeho se dotknou. Takřka přes noc se změnila pravidla... ale ne pro každého. Plukovník Alan Bookbinder je armádní úředník, jehož nejhorší válečné zranění bylo říznutí papírem. Poté, co se v něm probudí magická moc, je násilím odtržen od všeho, co zná, a vržen do přední linie. Bookbinder, převelen k Jednotkám nadpřirozených operací, se ocitá v novém a nebezpečném světě a navíc musí nečekaně velet Předsunuté operační základně Hranice, která je odříznutá od normálního světa, obklopená monstry, přičemž balancuje na pokraji zhroucení a ovládnutí nepřáteli. Nyní musí Bookbinder najít vůli vyvést lidi na POZ ven z pekla. Jediná šance na záchranu se rýsuje ve spolupráci s mužem, jehož magické schopnosti přivedly základnu do smrtelného nebezpečí: Oscarem Brittonem, veřejným nepřítelem číslo jedna...

The Great Reawakening did not come quietly. Across the country and in every nation, people began to develop terrifying powers—summoning storms, raising the dead, and setting everything they touch ablaze. Overnight the rules changed…but not for everyone. Colonel Alan Bookbinder is an army bureaucrat whose worst war wound is a paper-cut. But after he develops magical powers, he is torn from everything he knows and thrown onto the front-lines. Drafted into the Supernatural Operations Corps in a new and dangerous world, Bookbinder finds himself in command of Forward Operating Base Frontier—cut off, surrounded by monsters, and on the brink of being overrun. Now, he must find the will to lead the people of FOB Frontier out of hell, even if the one hope of salvation lies in teaming up with the man whose own magical powers put the base in such grave danger in the first place—Oscar Britton, public enemy number one…

Lieutenant Oscar Britton of the Supernatural Operations Corps has been trained to hunt down and take out people possessing magical powers. But when he starts manifesting powers of his own, the SOC revokes Oscar's government agent status to declare him public enemy number one.