Game of Shadows
Author: Erika Lewis
Book Description:
Ethan Makkai thought that seeing ghosts was the worst of his problems. Between his ethereal gift and life with a single mother hell-bent on watching his every move, he feels imprisoned. When Ethan sees a chance to escape, to leave the house by himself for the first time in his life, he seizes it, unaware that this first taste of freedom will cost him everything.
Ethan is thrown into a strange and eerie world, like nothing he's ever seen. He's assaulted by dive-bombing birds and rescued by a stranger who claims to be his bodyguard. His apartment is trashed, and his mother is kidnapped to a place Ethan never knew existed—a hidden continent called Tara.
Travelling to Tara in search of his mother, Ethan discovers that everything he knows about his life is a lie. His mother is royalty. His father is not dead. His destiny is likely to get him killed.
Confronted by a vicious sorcerer determined to destroy the Makkai family, Ethan must garner strength from his gift and embrace his destiny if he’s going to save his mother and all the people of Tara, including the beautiful girl he’s fallen for.
Ethan is thrown into a strange and eerie world, like nothing he's ever seen. He's assaulted by dive-bombing birds and rescued by a stranger who claims to be his bodyguard. His apartment is trashed, and his mother is kidnapped to a place Ethan never knew existed—a hidden continent called Tara.
Travelling to Tara in search of his mother, Ethan discovers that everything he knows about his life is a lie. His mother is royalty. His father is not dead. His destiny is likely to get him killed.
Confronted by a vicious sorcerer determined to destroy the Makkai family, Ethan must garner strength from his gift and embrace his destiny if he’s going to save his mother and all the people of Tara, including the beautiful girl he’s fallen for.
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About the Author
Praise for GAME OF SHADOWS
“A fantastical journey that I didn’t want to end!” ―Sherrilyn Kenyon, #1 New York Times bestselling author
“It’s impossible to put this riveting page-turner down!” ―Stan Lee, author, editor, actor, and former president and chairman of Marvel Comics
“This book’s got heart . . . a wonderful adventure.” ―R. A. Salvatore, New York Times bestselling author of The Hunters Blades novels
“One of those thrilling tales you can’t put down . . . the perfect blend of imaginative world-building and nonstop action wrapped up in a compelling mystery.” ―D.J. MacHale, New York Times bestselling author of Pendragon and The SYLO Chronicles
“We were hooked. This is an adventure story for the ages.” -- John Barrowman & Carole Barrowman, authors of the Hollow Earth trilogy & Conjuror
“Riveting from the start.” ―Steven Gould, author of Jumper
“Lewis has created a whole new world that is at once exciting and affecting. . . . She weaves a web of mythology that is both reminiscent of the Celtic world and redolent of the unique creation of a rich and fertile imagination.”―Dara Hellman, Lecturer, Celtic Studies Program, University of California, Berkeley
EXCERPT
The sun beat down and the air was crisp and cool. There was no more rain, no more wind. Ethan clung to the mast, his eyes burning from the salt water, his soaked clothes heavy and chaffing. Bartlett stood there too, still crushing him to the pole. At least the water had washed away the old guy’s stench; most of it anyway.
“Thanks, but you can get off me now.”
“That I can.” Bartlett peeled himself off. He glanced over to Donnagan who sat propped against the mizzen, holding a hand over the puncture wound in his shoulder. “Donny, you gonna live, lad?”
“Oh I’ll live, Captain. Nothing more than a souvenir from the ruckus,” he said, wincing.
“Good.” Tossing a proud grin at his men, Bartlett launched his fist above his head. “Better luck next time, Nucky!”
“We’re home!” one of the men cried.
“And you said we’d never make it back alive,” another added.
“Who doubted his captain?” Bartlett demanded. His eye darted from one man to another. “Who was it? There’ll be no ale for him.”
The men all laughed.
Ethan didn’t feel much like laughing. He was sore, soaking wet, worried about his mother, and for the first time in his normally carefully planned life, he had no clue what was going to happen next. He glanced over at the sea captain, who had apparently doubled as his and his mother’s secret service protection, wondering if there was a possibility they were truly related.
He scanned Bartlett’s face for a trace of similarity, but there wasn’t any. “You’re not my grandfather, are you?” The hint of disappointment in Ethan’s voice surprised even him.
Bartlett smirked. “No. I’m not.”
Be happy. Would you really want this guy for a grandfather? But Ethan had so little information about his mother’s family, or his father’s for that matter, it might’ve been nice to have a connection to someone or something, especially now.
The ship drifted smoothly through calm blue waters. To starboard, open ocean. To port, a wall of gray cliffs at least fifty feet high. Small pristine white birds with purple beaks circled overhead while a gentle breeze tickled the back of Ethan’s neck. He sucked in a mountain of air and let it out slowly. It tasted sweet.
“Brodik Bay is as peaceful as it felt on the map,” Ethan said.
Bartlett raised an eyebrow. “Touched my map, did you? Now look here.” He patted Ethan’s back and gestured to port. “These cliffs are the boundaries of your mother’s home, Landover. These waters hold the strongest fleet of ships in all of Tara, of which I am captain.”
Ethan was glad to know Bartlett was an actual captain of something, and grateful they’d made it to Landover alive, but he had only one thing on his mind. “Do you know where my mother is?”
“I don’t. But we’ll find her,” Bartlett said, his voice tinged with regret or uncertainty, Ethan wasn’t sure which. “General Niles will be waiting for us on the dock. He’ll have more information, don’t fret.”
Don’t fret. With each passing second, whoever took his mother was getting farther and farther away.
The ship docked at a long wooden pier. Above it, a large, solitary tree grew straight out of the cliff, reaching so far over the dock that its green, feather-shaped leaves skimmed the surface of the water.
A crewman slid a short plank between the ship and the dock, and Bartlett prodded Ethan. “Off we go.”
Once across, they swiftly strode to the bottom of a long flight of stairs. It was a straight shot up the face of the cliff, with more than a hundred steps. Ethan jogged, taking two at a time, in a hurry to find this General Niles.
At the top, a man with shoulder-length blond hair smiled warmly as they approached. He wore a dark green cloak with the mark of Landover stitched into the left shoulder, tan pants, black boots that reached his knees, and a sword from both hips.
“General,” Bartlett called.
“Captain Bartlett. Fifteen long years. Nice to see you’ve arrived home and without loss of limb.” “General” was the right title for him. He had to be at least six foot five and the deep resonance in his voice commanded attention.
The two men grabbed each other’s arms at the elbows.
Bartlett held up the note from the unbreakable bottle. “Tearlach?”
General Niles shook his head.
The captain paled and gave a heartfelt nod. “Please give my condolences to Clothilde. I’ll be up to pay my respects shortly.” Bartlett paused and added, “I’m afraid your warning was late, Julius. Caitríona was taken, by Ravens.”
“I know,” General Niles replied, glancing sideways at Ethan.
“You know?” Ethan stepped around Bartlett so he could talk to the general. “Do you know where they’ve taken her?”
“You must be Ethan.” Niles extended his hand.
Weighted down by exhaustion and worry from the devastating events of the last twenty four hours, Ethan had no patience for niceties. “That’s not an answer. General, where is my mom?”
The general folded his arms over his chest, and grimaced. “There’s much to fill you in on. The Ravens have taken your mother, but they haven’t hurt her, not yet.”
Ethan sighed, relieved, but the infuriating general still hadn’t answered the question. “Where have they taken her?”
Niles set a hand on the pommel of one of his swords. “I’m afraid to say any more until we get you home. And there’s the matter of your family, who is waiting for you.”
“What family? I don’t have any family.”
Niles tossed a curious look at Bartlett before answering. “Your aunt and cousin are there.”
“I can’t believe this.” His mother did have family. Ethan fisted his hands and shook his head. Another lie.
“It seems Caitríona hasn’t told him anything, about . . . well, anything,” Bartlett explained, sounding as dismal as Ethan felt.
“Wonderful,” Niles groaned.
“A fantastical journey that I didn’t want to end!” ―Sherrilyn Kenyon, #1 New York Times bestselling author
“It’s impossible to put this riveting page-turner down!” ―Stan Lee, author, editor, actor, and former president and chairman of Marvel Comics
“This book’s got heart . . . a wonderful adventure.” ―R. A. Salvatore, New York Times bestselling author of The Hunters Blades novels
“One of those thrilling tales you can’t put down . . . the perfect blend of imaginative world-building and nonstop action wrapped up in a compelling mystery.” ―D.J. MacHale, New York Times bestselling author of Pendragon and The SYLO Chronicles
“We were hooked. This is an adventure story for the ages.” -- John Barrowman & Carole Barrowman, authors of the Hollow Earth trilogy & Conjuror
“Riveting from the start.” ―Steven Gould, author of Jumper
“Lewis has created a whole new world that is at once exciting and affecting. . . . She weaves a web of mythology that is both reminiscent of the Celtic world and redolent of the unique creation of a rich and fertile imagination.”―Dara Hellman, Lecturer, Celtic Studies Program, University of California, Berkeley
EXCERPT
The sun beat down and the air was crisp and cool. There was no more rain, no more wind. Ethan clung to the mast, his eyes burning from the salt water, his soaked clothes heavy and chaffing. Bartlett stood there too, still crushing him to the pole. At least the water had washed away the old guy’s stench; most of it anyway.
“Thanks, but you can get off me now.”
“That I can.” Bartlett peeled himself off. He glanced over to Donnagan who sat propped against the mizzen, holding a hand over the puncture wound in his shoulder. “Donny, you gonna live, lad?”
“Oh I’ll live, Captain. Nothing more than a souvenir from the ruckus,” he said, wincing.
“Good.” Tossing a proud grin at his men, Bartlett launched his fist above his head. “Better luck next time, Nucky!”
“We’re home!” one of the men cried.
“And you said we’d never make it back alive,” another added.
“Who doubted his captain?” Bartlett demanded. His eye darted from one man to another. “Who was it? There’ll be no ale for him.”
The men all laughed.
Ethan didn’t feel much like laughing. He was sore, soaking wet, worried about his mother, and for the first time in his normally carefully planned life, he had no clue what was going to happen next. He glanced over at the sea captain, who had apparently doubled as his and his mother’s secret service protection, wondering if there was a possibility they were truly related.
He scanned Bartlett’s face for a trace of similarity, but there wasn’t any. “You’re not my grandfather, are you?” The hint of disappointment in Ethan’s voice surprised even him.
Bartlett smirked. “No. I’m not.”
Be happy. Would you really want this guy for a grandfather? But Ethan had so little information about his mother’s family, or his father’s for that matter, it might’ve been nice to have a connection to someone or something, especially now.
The ship drifted smoothly through calm blue waters. To starboard, open ocean. To port, a wall of gray cliffs at least fifty feet high. Small pristine white birds with purple beaks circled overhead while a gentle breeze tickled the back of Ethan’s neck. He sucked in a mountain of air and let it out slowly. It tasted sweet.
“Brodik Bay is as peaceful as it felt on the map,” Ethan said.
Bartlett raised an eyebrow. “Touched my map, did you? Now look here.” He patted Ethan’s back and gestured to port. “These cliffs are the boundaries of your mother’s home, Landover. These waters hold the strongest fleet of ships in all of Tara, of which I am captain.”
Ethan was glad to know Bartlett was an actual captain of something, and grateful they’d made it to Landover alive, but he had only one thing on his mind. “Do you know where my mother is?”
“I don’t. But we’ll find her,” Bartlett said, his voice tinged with regret or uncertainty, Ethan wasn’t sure which. “General Niles will be waiting for us on the dock. He’ll have more information, don’t fret.”
Don’t fret. With each passing second, whoever took his mother was getting farther and farther away.
The ship docked at a long wooden pier. Above it, a large, solitary tree grew straight out of the cliff, reaching so far over the dock that its green, feather-shaped leaves skimmed the surface of the water.
A crewman slid a short plank between the ship and the dock, and Bartlett prodded Ethan. “Off we go.”
Once across, they swiftly strode to the bottom of a long flight of stairs. It was a straight shot up the face of the cliff, with more than a hundred steps. Ethan jogged, taking two at a time, in a hurry to find this General Niles.
At the top, a man with shoulder-length blond hair smiled warmly as they approached. He wore a dark green cloak with the mark of Landover stitched into the left shoulder, tan pants, black boots that reached his knees, and a sword from both hips.
“General,” Bartlett called.
“Captain Bartlett. Fifteen long years. Nice to see you’ve arrived home and without loss of limb.” “General” was the right title for him. He had to be at least six foot five and the deep resonance in his voice commanded attention.
The two men grabbed each other’s arms at the elbows.
Bartlett held up the note from the unbreakable bottle. “Tearlach?”
General Niles shook his head.
The captain paled and gave a heartfelt nod. “Please give my condolences to Clothilde. I’ll be up to pay my respects shortly.” Bartlett paused and added, “I’m afraid your warning was late, Julius. Caitríona was taken, by Ravens.”
“I know,” General Niles replied, glancing sideways at Ethan.
“You know?” Ethan stepped around Bartlett so he could talk to the general. “Do you know where they’ve taken her?”
“You must be Ethan.” Niles extended his hand.
Weighted down by exhaustion and worry from the devastating events of the last twenty four hours, Ethan had no patience for niceties. “That’s not an answer. General, where is my mom?”
The general folded his arms over his chest, and grimaced. “There’s much to fill you in on. The Ravens have taken your mother, but they haven’t hurt her, not yet.”
Ethan sighed, relieved, but the infuriating general still hadn’t answered the question. “Where have they taken her?”
Niles set a hand on the pommel of one of his swords. “I’m afraid to say any more until we get you home. And there’s the matter of your family, who is waiting for you.”
“What family? I don’t have any family.”
Niles tossed a curious look at Bartlett before answering. “Your aunt and cousin are there.”
“I can’t believe this.” His mother did have family. Ethan fisted his hands and shook his head. Another lie.
“It seems Caitríona hasn’t told him anything, about . . . well, anything,” Bartlett explained, sounding as dismal as Ethan felt.
“Wonderful,” Niles groaned.
Erika Lewis graduated from Vanderbilt University with a degree in Math. And what do you do with a degree in Math? You become a writer of course… eventually…
She moved to the west coast following her dream to work in television. And after fifteen glorious years developing and producing for truly awesome places, like Sony Pictures Entertainment, Fireworks Television, 20th Television, that’s a division of Fox if you didn’t know that, and then at G4, where she could finally be free to be the nerd she had always been. She had more collectible toys in her office than even the famed executive producers of ATTACK OF THE SHOW and XPLAY. At least that’s the way she remembers it.
So how did this circle back to the beginning of this bio? A Math major becoming a writer? Because she’d actually always been a writer, she just never told anyone. She would write and write, edit and edit, then realize that it wasn’t good enough and go back in for yet another pass. And when she finally had several projects she really loved, that’s when she knew it was time to unleash them to the world.
Her first project, a graphic novel, THE 49TH KEY, is currently being featured in Heavy Metal Magazine, and will be released in trade in summer, 2017. Along with her amazing partner, Jessica Chobot, she’s currently working with LINE Webtoon and Legendary Comics on FIREBRAND, an ongoing comic series. Her first novel, GAME OF SHADOWS hits the bookstore shelves February 28th, 2017 from TOR/Forge Books, an imprint of Macmillan Publishers.
There are several other really exciting projects that you will be hearing much more about soon, but if she leaked them now, she’d get in big, big, big trouble. She resides in the sunshine state of California. When she’s not chained to her laptop, she’s usually playing with her big fluffy Golden Retriever, or running, or at one of the bookstores or comic shops by her house. And always drinking coffee.
She moved to the west coast following her dream to work in television. And after fifteen glorious years developing and producing for truly awesome places, like Sony Pictures Entertainment, Fireworks Television, 20th Television, that’s a division of Fox if you didn’t know that, and then at G4, where she could finally be free to be the nerd she had always been. She had more collectible toys in her office than even the famed executive producers of ATTACK OF THE SHOW and XPLAY. At least that’s the way she remembers it.
So how did this circle back to the beginning of this bio? A Math major becoming a writer? Because she’d actually always been a writer, she just never told anyone. She would write and write, edit and edit, then realize that it wasn’t good enough and go back in for yet another pass. And when she finally had several projects she really loved, that’s when she knew it was time to unleash them to the world.
Her first project, a graphic novel, THE 49TH KEY, is currently being featured in Heavy Metal Magazine, and will be released in trade in summer, 2017. Along with her amazing partner, Jessica Chobot, she’s currently working with LINE Webtoon and Legendary Comics on FIREBRAND, an ongoing comic series. Her first novel, GAME OF SHADOWS hits the bookstore shelves February 28th, 2017 from TOR/Forge Books, an imprint of Macmillan Publishers.
There are several other really exciting projects that you will be hearing much more about soon, but if she leaked them now, she’d get in big, big, big trouble. She resides in the sunshine state of California. When she’s not chained to her laptop, she’s usually playing with her big fluffy Golden Retriever, or running, or at one of the bookstores or comic shops by her house. And always drinking coffee.
Author Links:
***GIVEAWAY***
10 Winners will receive a Copy of Game of Shadows by Erika Lewis.
Giveaway is open to International. Must be 13+ to Enter.
Giveaway is open to International. Must be 13+ to Enter.
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