Joseph R. Lallo

The Book of Deacon is the first book of The Book of Deacon series by Joseph R. Lallo. Myranda Celeste’s world has been built on a legacy of bloodshed. For more than a century, her homeland the Northern Alliance has fought the Kingdom of Tressor in what has come to be known as the Perpetual War. While her people look upon the conflict with reverence, Myranda’s hate for the war has made her an outcast. When she finds a precious sword among the equipment of a fallen warrior, she believes her luck may have changed. Little does she imagine that the treasure will draw her into an adventure of wizards and warriors, soldiers and rebels, and beasts both noble and monstrous. The journey will teach her much about her potential, about the origins of the war, and about the threat her world truly faces. Will Myranda unlock the secret of bringing peace once and for all, or will the world be lost to the Perpetual War?

The Book of Deacon

Nick Deligaris

Myranda is a young woman more interested in staying alive than being a hero. Orphaned by a continent-spanning war that has gone on for decades too long and shunned for failing to support it, she has been on the move since she was only a child. One can hardly blame her when she thinks that the chance discovery of a fallen soldier's priceless cargo is the moment that will change her life. No one could predict just how great that change would be. It will lead her through an adventure of rebels and generals, of wizards and warriors, and of beasts both noble and monstrous. Each step of the way will take her closer to the truth of her potential, of the war, and of the fate of her world.

The islands of Caldera are a shining jewel in a rather bleak world. A terrible calamity in the past had blanketed much of the world with a toxic "fug." Those who survived were forced to take to the mountains and the skies in wondrous airships. Life has since been a struggle, with only the most ruthless and crafty able to survive. To spare themselves the same fate, the Calderans erected a battery of guns to fend off the airships of the mainland. They isolated themselves from the madness of the world, choosing instead to focus on the pursuits of art and creativity. Few believe the technologically advanced but socially barbarous outsiders have anything to offer. Amanita Graus, though, is hoping that they do. Nita's mother has lost her livelihood and perhaps soon her life to a terrible disease. Already the black sheep of the family for embracing engineering rather than art, Nita resolves to leave the safety of her home and do whatever it takes to find a cure. For a price, the bizarre crew of an airship called The Wind Breaker are willing to grant her a meeting with their mysterious benefactors, and thus a chance to procure the one thing with a chance to save her mother. Free-Wrench follows Nita’s adventures in a steampunk world of airships and lunatics. Helping her in her journey are an eccentric crew of smugglers; the gruff Cap’n Mack, the simple but enthusiastic Lil and Coop, the arrogant marksman Gunner, the surly surgeon Butch, and the irritable mascot Wink. To survive and find what she seeks she’ll need to earn their trust, follow their rules, and meet face to face with the people who pull the strings of their society.

Free-Wrench

Marie Brennan

Mark Lawrence

Brian Staveley

Don Webb

Miles Cameron

R. S. Belcher

Betsy Dornbusch

Mercedes M. Yardley

William Meikle

Keith Gouveia

Jeff Salyards

Kenny Soward

Tim Marquitz

J. M. Martin

Jeffrey J. Mariotte

Marsheila Rockwell

Stephen McQuiggan

Ian Creasey

Peter Rawlik

Teresa Frohock

Dragons, magic, princesses of mighty kingdoms: elements of fantasy that have carried on throughout the many ages, and yet, may one day be forgotten. Enter and delve into the roots of fantasy, rediscovering the fantastic and exploring lost worlds. This is storytelling at its best. Neverland's Library is a collection of original works that will take you back to that moment when you first fell in love with the genre; featuring stories from writers across the spectrum, such as Marie Brennan, R.S. Belcher, Mercedes M. Yardley, Jeff Salyards, Marsheila Rockwell and Jeffrey Mariotte, and more.

Neverland's Library

In a distant future, Trevor "Lex" Alexander was shaping up to be the next great race pilot until a fixed race got him banned from the sport. Reduced to making freelance deliveries, he thinks his life can't get any worse. That's when a package manages to get him mixed up with mobsters, a megacorp, and a mad scientist. Now his life depends on learning what their plans are, and how he can stop them.

Big Sigma #1

Bypass Gemini

In this, the finale of the Book of Deacon Trilogy, Myranda and the Chosen face their greatest challenges yet. Time is running out, and the Generals are growing desperate. Through victory and defeat, reunion and betrayal, neither the heroes nor their foes will rest until they have seen their task through to the end. The only question is, will it be the end of a war, or the end of times?

Book of Deacon #3

The Battle of Verril

The second in the Book of Deacon series, The Great Convergence continues the tale of young Myranda Celeste. With fresh knowledge of magic and steadfast resolve to see the end of the war that plagues her land, Myranda sets out to find and unite the five fated heroes, the Chosen. Each new warrior brings her world a step closer to peace, but does she have the strength to survive the trials ahead?

The Great Convergence

If you can’t have good luck, you should at least have a good dragon. The princess has inherited the family curse. Plagued by terrible luck, it is all the palace staff can do to keep her safe from herself. When her father pricks himself with an assassin’s needle meant for her, her mother Queen Jade knows there is only one thing they can do. They must seek a cure. To reach it, they will need the help of their greatest protector. But even the great dragon Halfax may not be ready for the challenges ahead. Halfax is a direct sequel to Jade. It takes place many years after the events of the Book of Deacon series.

A Book of Deacon Novella

Halfax

Quest

This short novel, set after the events of The Book of Deacon, follows the blessed and cursed life of Jade Rinton. Stripped of her family and kept in a tall tower by a fierce dragon due to the scheming of a mysterious stranger, Jade seems to be living in a twisted fairy tale. She soon learns, though, that fate has its own ideas of who should play each part, and that family is where you find it.

A Book of Deacon Sidequest

Jade

Book of Deacon #2

The Big Sigma Collection

Ichor Well is the third adventure in the Free-Wrench Series of Steampunk novels. Ever since Nita Graus left her homeland and joined the crew of the Wind Breaker, the reputation of the airship and its crew has been growing. The destruction of the mighty dreadnought, the escape from the legendary Skykeep, and the inexplicable ability to remain hidden from the ever-watchful eye of the Fug Folk have combined to make her and her fellow crew the stuff of legend. Alas, legendary heroes cannot exist for long without attracting a worthy villain. Luscious P. Alabaster strives to be just that foe. While he works his nefarious plans, the crew itself is not without turmoil. Captain Mack, already having survived far more years in the hostile skies than he had any right to expect, is making plans for his golden years. The crew is gradually learning all that Nita can teach them, leaving her with the looming decision of whether or not she still has a place among the crew. Before the matter of the future can be settled, the crew has the problems at hand to solve. And in escaping the webs woven by the cunning and eccentric Alabaster, they may discover the darkest secrets the churning and toxic Fug has to hide.

Ichor Well

Cipher Hill

In a city at peace, balance means war. Alan is ready to do something meaningful with his new forensics skills. With his friend Jessie on the police force, he works to track down a serial killer copying the infamous Metro Ghoul. Lives hang in the balance, and the killer may be more than the police can handle without some help from the shadows.

The Balance of Shadows: Shards of Shadow

The fug that poisoned the world has struck the Wind Breaker crew. It was only a matter of time before Captain Mack's crew felt the sting of the toxin that blankets their continent. They must split up, seek the aid of old rivals, and brave secret facilities to find the substance that may be the key to recovery.

Contaminant Six

The bad news? You died. The good news? You have an extra life! After a terminal diagnosis, Jazz had nothing to lose in testing a prototype brain scanner, right? Wrong. Dead wrong. Now she’s locked in a digital afterlife called The After-Image. How did she end up in this chaotic post-life roleplaying game? Is there a way out? She’ll have to find some friends and gain some levels, but one way or another Jazz is determined to get to the bottom of things. Top Level Player is a pop-culture nostalgia-fest by Joseph R. Lallo, combining the wit of Free-Wrench and Big Sigma with deep pull references from the 80s and 90s.

Top Level Player

In a place untouched by the Perpetual War, a new conflict threatens to ignite. Generations of war have been put to rest. The D’Karon scourge has been wiped away. All that remains for Myranda, Deacon, and the other Chosen is the long, slow road to recovery for their weakened kingdom. It is no small task, as dark magic has taken a terrible toll on the land. Crops struggle to grow. The scars of war are slow to fade. But from across the sea comes hope. The haughty King Mellawin presides over the kingdom of Sonril. His people, the elves of South Crescent, have grown concerned with their place in history. Fate left the prophesy in the hands of the mortals of Tressor and the Northern Alliance. And now the legendary unseen tormentors from North Crescent, the Aluall, have spilled the blood of their people. Mindful that his subjects have come to doubt him, King Mellawin comes to the Northern Alliance with an offer. In exchange for the service of the Chosen, he shall provide a treatment to heal the land. Myranda, Deacon, Ivy, Myn and the others shall be the first of their people to set foot on the Crescents since before the Perpetual War… Or so they believe. But what they find there will reveal long-hidden secrets of their history, and threats they could never have imagined. The Crescents is the fifth epic entry in The Book of Deacon Saga, from Joseph R. Lallo, author of the Big Sigma series and Free-Wrench.

The Crescents

In the wake of the Perpetual War, the world cannot afford for history to repeat itself. Myranda and Deacon have helped to guide their world out of the clutches of the D’Karon. But victory has come at a price. Deacon’s mysterious affliction is becoming more than he can handle. Will he be forced to choose between his own life and finding the source of the anomalies that threaten his home? The Coin of Kenvard is the sixth full-length novel in the Book of Deacon Saga, and marks the end of the Perpetual War Era for the series.

The Coin of Kenvard

The Redemption of Desmeres is a sidequest in The Book of Deacon Saga. Desmeres Lumineblade always prided himself on his pragmatism, clarity, and focus. These qualities made him the maker of the finest weapons ever created, and even helped end the Perpetual War. But some choices leave scars on even the steadiest mind, and now the time has come to find balance for his less heroic deeds. For the first time in his life, Desmeres finds himself without purpose or direction. He has no doubt that every last decision made over his long life, whether the others viewed it as heroic or heinous, has been intelligent and necessary. But as the world recovers from its greatest trial, he finds his mind muddled and filled with uncertainty. For one who has already made himself the enemy of the Elite—the finest warriors of the Alliance Army—such distraction could cost him his freedom, or even his life. He has no true allies to turn to, and so he seeks council in one of the darker, more sordid corners of Vulcrest. A woman named Genara helps guide him to the epiphany he seeks, and that realization will lead them both on a journey of danger, discovery, and redemption.

Joseph R. Lallo

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