Here’s a list of all of the sci-fi and fantasy coming out this week.
Released Monday, January 31st, 2011
All Clear is the magisterial conclusion to Connie Willis’s epic, two-volume account of love, war, and time travel. Like its predecessor, Blackout, it is both a brilliantly constructed work of science fiction and a masterful recreation of a pivotal moment in 20th century history.
The story begins in the immediate aftermath of Blackout. Three time-traveling scholars, each investigating a different aspect of World War II, are stranded together in London during the height of the Blitz. Their increasingly desperate attempts to return home to the year 2060 form the core of a narrative that ranges freely, and with great authority, across time and space, from the evacuation of Dunkirk to the ultimate triumph of V-E Day and beyond.
The result is a work of great ingenuity and bottomless humanity that uses chaos theory, meticulous research, and a dizzying array of temporal paradoxes to reconstruct a vanished era, illuminating that era through the varied perspectives of the soldiers, sailors, shop girls, and ambulance drivers who struggled through it. Together, Blackout and All Clear constitute a seamless, deeply moving masterpiece that will be read and remembered for many years to come.
The Executioness, by Tobias S. Buckell
agic has a price. But someone else will pay. Every time a spell is cast, a bit of bramble sprouts, sending up tangling vines, bloody thorns, and threatening a poisonous sleep. It sprouts in tilled fields and in neighbors’ roof beams, thrusts up from between street cobbles, and bursts forth from sacks of powdered spice. A bit of magic, and bramble follows. A little at first, and then more–until whole cities are dragged down under tangling vines and empires lie dead, ruins choked by bramble forest. Monuments to people who loved magic too much.
In paired novellas, award-winning authors Tobias Buckell and Paolo Bacigalupi explore a shared world where magic is forbidden and its use is rewarded with the axe. A world of glittering memories and a desperate present, where everyone uses a little magic, and someone else always pays the price.
Magic has a price.
In Khaim, that price is your head if you’re found using it. For the use of magic comes with a side effect: it creates bramble. The bramble is a creeping, choking menace that has covered majestic ancient cities, and felled civilizations. In order to prevent the spread of the bramble, many lose their heads to the cloaked executioners of Khaim.
Tana is one of these executioners, taking the job over from her ailing father in secret, desperate to keep her family from starvation. But now her family has been captured by raiders, and taken to a foreign city.
So Khaim’s only female executioner begins a quest to bring her family back together. A bloody quest that will change lives, cities, and even an entire land, forever. A quest that will create the legend of The Executioness.
The Alchemist, by Paolo Bacigalupi
Magic has a price. But someone else will pay. Every time a spell is cast, a bit of bramble sprouts, sending up tangling vines, bloody thorns, and threatening a poisonous sleep. It sprouts in tilled fields and in neighbors’ roof beams, thrusts up from between street cobbles, and bursts forth from sacks of powdered spice. A bit of magic, and bramble follows. A little at first, and then more–until whole cities are dragged down under tangling vines and empires lie dead, ruins choked by bramble forest. Monuments to people who loved magic too much.
In paired novellas, award-winning authors Tobias Buckell and Paolo Bacigalupi explore a shared world where magic is forbidden and its use is rewarded with the axe. A world of glittering memories and a desperate present, where everyone uses a little magic, and someone else always pays the price.
In the beleageured city of Khaim, a lone alchemist seeks a solution to a deadly threat. The bramble, a plant that feeds upon magic, now presses upon Khaim, nourished by the furtive spellcasting of its inhabitants and
threatening to strangle the city under poisonous vines. Driven by desperation and genius, the alchemist constructs a device that transcends magic, unlocking the mysteries of bramble s essential nature. But the power of his newly-built balanthast is even greater than he dreamed. Where he sought to save a city
and its people, the balanthast has the potential to save the world entire–if it doesn t destroy him and his family first.
Released Tuesday, February 1st, 2011
Rising Tides: Destroyermen, by Taylor Anderson
In Taylor Anderson’s acclaimed Destroyermen series, a parallel universe adds a extraordinary layer to the drama of World War II. Now, as Lieutenant Commander Matthew Reddy and the crew of the U.S.S. Walker continue their battle for both freedom and survival, the stakes become much more personal…and much more perilous.
Where Angels Fear to Tread: A Remy Chandler Novel, by Thomas E. Sniegoski
he pedestrian third novel in Sniegoski’s Remy Chandler series (after 2009’s Dancing on the Head of a Pin) finds the Seraphim-turned-PI drawn into the case of a missing little girl with prophetic gifts. Also searching for the child is the biblical character Delilah, now cursed to endless life without love. Naturally, the blind but still powerful Samson also gets drawn into the mix, as do the followers of the ancient god Dagon, leading to an inevitable (and interminable) showdown in Dagon’s West Virginia lair.
The fact that six-year-old Zoe York has been kidnapped is disturbing enough, until Boston PI Remy Chandler sees her drawings-nightmare visions of everything leading up to her abduction and of the man with wings who would come and save her. A man who is an angel, just like Remy…
Midnight Riot, by Ben Aaronovitch
Probationary Constable Peter Grant dreams of being a detective in London’s Metropolitan Police. Too bad his superior plans to assign him to the Case Progression Unit, where the biggest threat he’ll face is a paper cut. But Peter’s prospects change in the aftermath of a puzzling murder, when he gains exclusive information from an eyewitness who happens to be a ghost. Peter’s ability to speak with the lingering dead brings him to the attention of Detective Chief Inspector Thomas Nightingale, who investigates crimes involving magic and other manifestations of the uncanny. Now, as a wave of brutal and bizarre murders engulfs the city, Peter is plunged into a world where gods and goddesses mingle with mortals and a long-dead evil is making a comeback on a rising tide of magic.
Forest Moon Rising, by P. R. Frost
Tess Noncoiré, successful fantasy writer and Celestial Blade Warrior, has made a deal with the Powers That Be, forfeiting her own dreams in order to save those nearest and dearest to her. Having survived this unprecedented experience, Tess, along with her imp Scrap, is determined to hunt down a demonic intruder from another dimension, the Norglein, who seems bent on ravishing young women, leaving them pregnant, and waiting for the proper time to steal their babies away for his own purposes.
After Cassiel and Warden Luis Rocha rescue an adept child from a maniacal Djinn, they realize two things: the girl is already manifesting an incredible amount of power, and her kidnapping was not an isolated incident.
This Djinn-aided by her devoted followers-is capturing children all over the world, and indoctrinating them so she can use their strength for herself. With no other options, Cassiel infiltrates the Djinn’s organization-because if Cassiel cannot stop the Djinn’s apocalyptic designs, all of humanity may be destroyed.
Sooner Dead: A D&D Gamma World Novel, by Mel Odom
Humanoid buffalo and armadillo bikers in post-apocalyptic Oklahoma!
A bio-engineered super-soldier named Hella and her mutant buffalo sidekick Stampede clash with armadillo bikers and inter-dimensional mutants across the ragged landscape of Gamma-Oklahoma.
This is a fast-paced story of adventure, mixed with liberal doses of humor, in a post-apocalyptic science-fantasy world unlike any other.
The Scar-Crow Men, by Mark Chadbourn
The year is 1593. The London of Elizabeth I is in the terrible grip of the Black Death. As thousands die from the plague and the queen hides behind the walls of her palace, English spies are being murdered across the city. The killer’s next target: Will Swyfte.
For Swyfte–adventurer, rake, scholar, and spy–this is the darkest time he has known. His mentor, the grand old spymaster Sir Francis Walsingham, is dead. The new head of the secret service is more concerned about his own advancement than defending the nation, and a rival faction at the court has established its own network of spies. Plots are everywhere, and no one can be trusted. Meanwhile, England’s greatest enemy, the haunted Unseelie Court, prepares to make its move.
A dark, bloody scheme, years in the making, is about to be realized. The endgame begins on the night of the first performance of Dr. Faustus, the new play by Swyfte’s close friend and fellow spy Christopher Marlowe. A devil is conjured in the middle of the crowded theater, taking the form of Will Swyfte’s long-lost love, Jenny–and it has a horrifying message for him alone.
That night Marlowe is murdered, and Swyfte embarks on a personal and brutal crusade for vengeance. Friendless, with enemies on every side and a devil at his back, the spy may find that even his vaunted skills are no match for the supernatural powers arrayed against him.
Road Trip of the Living Dead, by Mark Henry
With her zombie gal pal Wendy and vampy sidekick Gil, celebrity party girl Amanda Feral is ready to take a big bite out of Seattle’s supernatural nightlife. But what’s a zombie chick to do when her ‘mommie Dearest’ gets sick? If you’re Amanda Feral, you can either ignore the wicked old witch – or bury the past by visiting Ethel before she kicks it. Packing their stiletto pumps and plasma into a sketchy rat-trap on wheels that used to be a Winebago, Amanda, Wendy, and Gil hit the highway. Of course, they’ll have to navigate past some neo-Nazi skinheads, a horny dust devil, a hunky werewolf cop, and an unsightly horde of Kmart shoppers. But for this glamorous gang of ghouls, this trip is about to take a dangerous detour that could give road kill and brand new meaning…
The Purging of Kadillus, by Gav Thorpe
Faced with an ork invasion of Piscina IV, the 3rd Company of the Dark Angels believes the threat to be minimal. As enemy numbers continue to increase, their commander, Captain Belial, insists that his Company are strong enough to resist. But Scout-Sergeant Naaman knows just how dangerous this foe can be, and when a renewed greenskin offensive takes the Dark Angels by surprise, the orks swarm towards Kadillus Harbour. Little do the Dark Angels know of the technological power available to the xenos, and the true scale of the threat they face. Belial, Naaman and their fellow Astartes fight a desperate siege at Kadillus, knowing that they must hold out until Imperial reinforcements arrive or the planet will be lost.
A Rattling of Bones, by C. J. Henderson
When weapon designer Raymond Du Raire hears whispers that his father has risen from the dead, he returns to his native Haiti to deal with what he believes are nothing more than vulgar rumors. Within a day of his arrival, however, he discovers that the dead are indeed walking the Earth. Moreover, he finds that this is not the work of voodoo tricksters, but a plague loosed upon the world by the discovery of an ancient crystal. Before he can begin to comprehend what has happened, Raymond finds himself in a swirling storm of corporate deceit and government cover-ups as a nightmare of zombie madness begins to stretch across the entire world.
License to Ensorcell, by Katherine Kerr
Psychic Agent Nola O’Grady isn’t sure returning to San Francisco, and living near her unusual family, is a good idea. Her job, with a psychic agency so obscure even the CIA doesn’t know it exists, can be perilous, and she’s afraid of the relatives getting involved.
Then the Agency saddles her with Israeli secret agent Ari Nathan, and she has a bigger problem on her hands, because tact and compromise are not Ari’s strong points. Their mission is to track down a serial killer obsessed with werewolves. He sees them everywhere and shoots whenever he thinks he has one in his sights. Ari assumes the man’s psychotic, but in truth he’s murdering actual werewolves. Nola should know. Her younger brother Pat, a lycanthrope, was the first victim.
Can Nola’s psychic talents and Ari’s skill with guns keep them alive long enough to unravel the greater mystery behind the killings? Can they save the werewolves and the world while stopping Nola’s family from running headlong into danger?
In Fire Forged, by David Weber
Honor Harrington is arguably the most popular character in modern science fiction, but there are many other stories in the Honorverse besides those in which she has the central role. This fifth volume in the popular Worlds of Honor series explores some of those stories with the help of such top writers as best-selling author Jane LIndskjold, New York Times best-selling author Timothy Zahn, and more—including an all-new Honor Harrington adventure, set in her younger years, when a mob of space pirates made the mistake of tangling with Commander Harrington. That was a fatal mistake—for the pirates . . .
The Sea Thy Mistress, by Elizabeth Bear
Hugo winner Bear pairs an insubstantial plot with broken, guilt-ridden characters in this quiet sequel to 2008’s All the Windwracked Stars. When the angel Muire sacrificed herself to become the new Bearer of Burdens, she renewed the entire world. But some of those Muire left behind saw her ascension as less joyful: the newly immortal Cathoair, who mourned her; their son, Cathmar, who would never know her; and the goddess Heythe, who had intended the world’s demise. Even as Heythe orchestrates a self-destructive spiral for the self-pitying Cathoair, Cathmar begins a convincing transformation from precocious teen to self-sufficient adult. The stakes could be much higher and the villainess more menacing, but Bear’s willingness to let her characters bleed gives this post-post-apocalyptic tale its melodramatic edge. This installment will best suit devoted fans who value tormented characters and graceful prose over complex plotting.
Blackveil: Book Four of the Green Rider, by Kristen Britain
The long-awaited sequel to Green Rider, First Rider’s Call, and The High King’s Tomb.
Once a simple student, Karigan G’ladheon finds herself in a world of deadly danger and complex magic, compelled by forces she cannot understand when she becomes a legendary Green Rider-one of the magical messengers of the king. Forced by magic to accept a dangerous fate she would never have chosen, headstrong Karigan has become completely devoted to the king and her fellow Riders.
But now, an insurrection led by dark magicians threatens to break the boundaries of ancient, evil Blackveil Forest-releasing powerful dark magics that have been shut away for a millennium.
Zombiesque, edited by Stephen L. Antczak et al.
From a tropical resort where visitors can become t
emporary zombies, to a newly-made zombie determined to protect those he loves, to a cheerleader who won’t let death kick her off the team, to a zombie seeking revenge for the ancestors who died on an African slave ship–Zombiesque invites readers to take a walk on the undead side in these tales from a zombie’s point of view.
Blaze of Glory, by Sheryl Nantus
Saving the world is easy for a superhero—unless you’re a fraud.
Jo Tanis is a superhero, fighting evil on the city streets, using her ability to feed off electromagnetic energy and fire off charges—and it’s all just a show. The Agency captures her and others like her when their powers begin to manifest, pitting them against each other in staged, gladiatorial fights. An explosive implant on the back of her neck assures she’ll keep right on smiling for the camera and beating up the bad guys.
When Earth comes under attack, suddenly the show becomes deadly real. Unable to deal with a real alien, the “supers” are falling in droves. Millions of innocent civilians are going to die…unless Jo can cobble together a team from among the fake heroes and villains the Agency enslaved. Including Hunter, who not only promises to show her how to deactivate the implants, but seems to know more than he should about how the mysterious Agency operates.
Forcing a rag-tag bunch of former enemies to work together is the least of Jo’s problems. The trick is determining if Hunter is friend or foe—and becoming the hero everyone thought she was before the world is destroyed for real.
Warning: Contains superhero in-jokes, Canadiana and large alien craft shaped like avocados. Really.
New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter, Shannon K. Butcher, Jessica Anderson, and Deidre Knight present a steamy collection of all-new novellas featuring sexy paranormal hunters.
With shadowy creatures, intoxicating magic, vivdly imagined worlds, and sizzling passion, this is an anthology no fan of paranormal romance will want to miss.
Aleksandr made a silent promise to the Lord. God would deliver him–would deliver Russia–and he would make Russia into the country that the Almighty wanted it to be. He would be delivered from the destruction that wasteth at noonday, and from the pestilence that walketh in darkness–the terror by night…
1825, Europe–and Russia–have been at peace for ten years. Bonaparte is long dead and the threat of invasion is no more. For Colonel Aleksei Ivanovich Danilov, life is peaceful. Not only have the French been defeated but so have the twelve monstrous creatures he once fought alongside, and then against, ten or more years ago. His duty is still to serve and to protect his tsar, Aleksandr the First, but now the enemy is human.
However the Tsar knows that he can never be at peace. Of course, he is aware of the uprising fermenting within the Russian army–among his supposedly loyal officers. No, what troubles him is something that threatens to bring damnation down upon him, his family and his country. The Tsar has been reminded of a promise: a promise born of blood…a promise that was broken a hundred years before.
Now the one who was betrayed by the Romanovs has returned to exact revenge for what has been denied him. And for Aleksei, knowing this chills his very soul. For it seems the vile pestilence that once threatened all he believed in and all he held dear has returned, thirteen years later…
Crucified Dreams, by Joe R. Lansdale
Crossing noir with the supernatural, this luridly visceral anthology attacks polite society and plunges into the unthinkable horrors lurking in its underbelly. Searching for some beauty in a time of increasing poverty and neglect, the desperate are all the more menacing, and in a brief moment, ordinary people turn into something far less human. Offering stylish yet savage tales of private dicks, serial killers, lurking demons, and femme fatales, these surreal and often bloody tales provide glimpses into sinister worlds that mirror our own. Boasting an intriguing assortment of stories from celebrated authors such as Harlan Ellison, David Morrell, and the infamous editor himself, each gritty and sensational undertaking proves that being human is a far cry from being civilized.
Initially, Shadow Prowler bears some similarities to Tolkien’s trilogy about great evil burgeoning to threaten the order of the world. While well developed, the story is often inconsistently told, jumping from first to third person, sometimes within a single paragraph, which jars the reader and detracts from an otherwise admirable performance. Detailed description abounds as we follow master thief Harold, whose character develops during a great quest to save humanity. The world Pehov conjures is filled with other memorable characters, too, including the king’s court jester, Harold’s old thieving mentor (now a priest), and an elf who looks more like a vampire. Those who like fantasy novels offering ogres, elves, undead creatures, wizards, and the like joined in an epic quest will be delighted once they get past the inconsistent narration, for such genre fodder as pitched battles are described so well that they seem to unfold before one’s eyes. A first book in a series that piques interest for the others, especially if they’re more smoothly translated.
The D’Artigo sisters have just turned in their badges to the Otherworld Intelligence Agency. Now that they’re free agents they’re hoping things will be easier, but when you’re half-human, half-Fae, things can go astray at the most inopportune times…especially if you’re attempting to go undercover and penetrate the underworld of a vamp society on the brink of war.
The last stand against the self-proclaimed God, Adam, has retreated to the anarchic planet Bakunin-a world besieged by civil war. Humanity’s last hope lies with Nickolai Rajasthan, a Moreau who believes that the human race that created his kind is already damned beyond redemption.
Mike Gabrieli’s brother Tom has always had one talent: getting into trouble. But this time, Tom has disappeared after mysteriously gaining possession of a priceless Aztec artifact. Mike sets out to find Tom, never suspecting that he is about to be shuttled back and forth in time, and between alternate universes. The descendants of the Incas have a plan to keep Pizarro and his conquistidors from overthrowing their ancestors’ empire. In spite of Mike’s sympathy for their cause, he faces the possibility that, instead of creating an alternate world with the Incas ascendant, he may be wiping out the world he was born into, and himself along with it.
In addition to Fred Saberhagen’s novel, The Mask of the Sun, seven top writers have contributed stories set in the same universe. The contributors include New York Times best-selling authors David Weber and Harry Turtledove, as well as Walter Jon Williams, John Maddox Roberts, Jane Lindskold, and more, expanding on Fred Saberhagen’s concept and bringing their own perspectives to this volume of exciting alternate universe adventure.
Reborn after near nuclear eradication, humanity struggles in a world defined by a secret history of conspiracy, rivalry and inhuman domination. As an ancient powerful race attempts to retake planet Earth, a courageous and sophisticated band of freedom fighters, the Cerberus rebels, leads the resistance in a daring battle to free humanity from the grips of an alien power struggle.
In the Middle East’s legendary Fertile Crescent, millennia-old artifacts are unearthed. Shockingly, they appear to belong to one of Cerberus’s own. As events converge to play out a destiny forged in cross-dimensional currents, Grant is plunged back through the shimmering vortex of time. Part phantasm, part warrior known as Enkidu, the man bull, he is hunted by humanity’s oldest enemy. Kane, Brigid and Domi lead a rescue party across a parallax to destroy the legendary god beast Humbaba—before Grant is lost forever…
Thunder & Steel, by Dan Abnett
Across the Old World, the powers of Chaos seek to bring corruption and death, poisoning the minds of men and filling them with hatred and fury. Only the bravest dare stand against them – two Empire soldiers, marching into the cold wastes of Kislev to face the barbaric Northern hordes, where one will lose his soul to the Ruinous Powers. The high elf Gilead Lothain, who seeks to strike at the servants of the Dark Gods in a quest for vengeance that can never end. The ranks of the noble White Wolves, who stand to defend the majestic city of Middenheim until the last man, never backing down in the face of their enemies.
Thunder and Steel is an epic collection of Dan Abnett’s Warhammer fantasy, including the novels Riders of the Dead, Gilead’s Blood andHammers of Ulric, plus short stories and the full graphic novel of The Warhammer.
Jane Goes Batty, by Michael Thomas Ford
After two hundred years undead, Jane Austen still has bite. But will her most recent literary success be her last?
Life was a lot easier for Jane when she was just an unknown, undead bookstore owner in a sleepy hamlet in upstate New York. But now the world embraces her as Jane Fairfax, author of the bestselling novel Constance—and she’s having a killer time trying to keep her true identity asthe Jane Austen a A gruesome ritual murder has stained the Oxfordshire countryside. It’s just the first incident in a chain of events awakening Detective Inspector Joel Solomon to his worst nightmare-and a dreadful omen of things to come. Because Joel has a secret: he believes in vampires.
Alex Bishop is an agent of the Vampire Intelligence Agency. She’s tasked with enforcing the laws of the global Vampire Federation, and hunting rogue members of her race. A tough job made tougher when the Federation comes under attack by traditionalist vampires. They have a stake in old-school terror-and in an uprising as violent as it is widespread.
Now it’s plunging Alex and Joel into a deadly war between the living and the unloving-and against a horrifying tradition given new life by the blood of the innocent.secret. Even the ongoing lessons in How to Be a Vampire, taught by her former lover Lord Byron, don’t seem to be helping much. Jane can barely focus on her boyfriend, Walter, while keeping him in the dark about her more sanguine tastes.
To make matters worse, Walter announces that his mother is coming for a visit—and she’s expecting Jane to be Jewish. Add in a demanding new editor, a convention of romance readers in period costume, a Hollywood camera crew following Jane’s every move, and the constant threat of a certain bloodsucking Brontë sister coming back to finish her off, and it’s enough to make even the most well-mannered heroine go batty!
A gruesome ritual murder has stained the Oxfordshire countryside. It’s just the first incident in a chain of events awakening Detective Inspector Joel Solomon to his worst nightmare-and a dreadful omen of things to come. Because Joel has a secret: he believes in vampires.
Alex Bishop is an agent of the Vampire Intelligence Agency. She’s tasked with enforcing the laws of the global Vampire Federation, and hunting rogue members of her race. A tough job made tougher when the Federation comes under attack by traditionalist vampires. They have a stake in old-school terror-and in an uprising as violent as it is widespread.
Now it’s plunging Alex and Joel into a deadly war between the living and the unloving-and against a horrifying tradition given new life by the blood of the innocent.
The thrilling sequel to POSSESSED finds 16-year-old Rayne still entwined in the creepy history of Morton’s Keep — and about to discover that she’s the only one who can stop the evil lurking there.
Rayne’s countryside escape has proven to be anything but — the remote mansion house where she lives and works holds terrible secrets, and she feels trapped there. And when a new manager shows up, things take an even more sinister turn.
Rayne doesn’t know who to trust — even the ghosts of Morton’s Keep seem to be warning her. It’s up to Rayne to overcome the ancient evil lurking here — but how?
Bumbling, cowardly Eugene is forced to transfer to a new school in northern Michigan in the middle of the year in the middle of a blizzard. Eugene is used to weird things happening in his life, but this feels like a really bad start. He has no idea how bad it’s going to get until he meets his scary and frightening English teacher, “Ming the Merciless.” in order to save his classmates from a fatal graduation in Ming’s underworld School of the Brass Monkeys, Eugene must deliver an unfinished book, Brass Monkeys, To a legendary teacher named McGinty who is hiding in the underworld. With the help of some of the renegade teachers and his new friends, he begins an epic journey to find McGinty. He survives the Cliffs of Notes And The Sea of Hot Lunches, and meets the Tataloonies(cool, tattooed kids) and Adjana :the greatest teacher in the world.”
Fade to Blue, by Sean Beaudoin
Sophie Blue started wearing a black skirt and Midnight Noir lipstick on her last birthday. It was also the day her father disappeared. Or spontaneously combusted. Which is sort of bad timing, since a Popsicle truck with tinted windows has started circling the house.
Kenny Fade is a basketball god. His sneakers cost more than his Jeep. He’s the guy all the ladies (and their mommas) want. Bad.
Sophie Blue and Kenny Fade don’t have a thing in common. Aside from being reasonably sure they’re losing their minds.
Acclaimed author Sean Beadoin’s wildly innovative novel combines uproarious humor with enough plot twists to fill a tube sock. Park thriller, part darkly comic philosophical discussion, and accompanied by a comic book interstitial, Fade to Blue is a whip-smart romp that keeps readers guessing until the last paragraph.
The Demon Trapper’s Daughter, by Jana Oliver
Riley Blackthorne just needs a chance to prove herself – and that’s exactly what the demons are counting on…
Seventeen-year-old Riley, the only daughter of legendary Demon Trapper, Paul Blackthorne, has always dreamed of following in her father’s footsteps. The good news is, with human society seriously disrupted by economic upheaval and Lucifer increasing the number of demons in all major cities, Atlanta’s local Trappers’ Guild needs all the help they can get – even from a girl. When she’s not keeping up with her homework or trying to manage her growing crush on fellow apprentice, Simon, Riley’s out saving distressed citizens from foul-mouthed little devils – Grade One Hellspawn only, of course, per the strict rules of the Guild. Life’s about as normal as can be for the average demon-trapping teen.
But then a Grade Five Geo-Fiend crashes Riley’s routine assignment at a library, jeopardizing her life and her chosen livelihood. And, as if that wasn’t bad enough, sudden tragedy strikes the Trappers’ Guild, spinning Riley down a more dangerous path than she ever could have imagined. As her whole world crashes down around her, who can Riley trust with her heart – and her life?