“Blaine McFadden is back, and the bad guys are badder than ever! Broken magic. Power-hungry vampires. Evil mages. Battling warlords. War of Shadows is now in stores and online in trade paper and ebook—my darkest and grittiest adventure ever!
War of Shadows
War of Shadows is Book 3 in Blaine McFadden’s Ascendant Kingdom’s Saga. Here’s the recap: Blaine “Mick” McFaden has scored a victory and restored the magic, but new threats rise from the wreckage of the kingdom of Donderath. While the magic remains brittle and undependable, warlords both mortal and undead vie for power, fighting for control of the ruined Continent. McFadden and his unlikely band of convict heroes must choose their allies wisely as renegade talishte take long- awaited vengeance and powerful mages seek to control Donderath’s next king. Blaine McFadden must protect those loyal to him against the coming storm, and find a way to bind magic to the will of mortals before it destroys him, because time is running out …
And since a picture says a thousand words, this is the book video: https://youtu.be/DgCgrTto9WY
There are a few days left on the Goodreads giveaway: https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/129864-war-of-shadows
You can find an excerpt plus links to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books a Million, Chapter/Indigo, Waterstones and Kobo here: http://localhost:8888/gail-testing-php5/books/the-ascendant-kingdoms-saga/war-of-shadows/
What Reviewers are saying about War of Shadows
“If you are an epic fantasy lover, then this is a series you should try!”—Exploding Spaceship Reviews
“Packed with action, politics, magic, and monsters, this is epic fantasy writ large”—Barnes & Noble
“War of Shadows is a rousing adventure full of action, intrigue, danger, and suspense. It’s epic fantasy at its best, filled with vivid magic but grounded by real human emotion.” —Aaron Rosenberg, author of the bestselling Adventures of DuckBob Spinowitz series
“This book kept me reading long past my bed time. As always, Gail Z. Martin delivers Epic Fantasy as it was meant to be read: gripping, action packed, and larger than life. A delight for any fan of the genre!”—Rachel Aaron, author of The Spirit Thief
“A vivid, engrossing tapestry woven from epic heroism, post apocalypse struggles, perilous magic and darkest fantasy. A distinct and distinctive achievement”–Juliet McKenna, author of The Tales of Einarinn
“Which of these things are on your epic fantasy checklist: Intense action in the first few pages which then carries right through to the last? Vivid battle scenes? Characters that combine the best of classic archetypes with fresh new twists? Snappy dialogue? Exciting world building? If you’ve checked even half of these items, then you owe it to yourself to check out Gail Z. Martin’s War of Shadows. It’s heroic adventure at it’s rollicking finest.”
–Charles E. Gannon, author of Fire With Fire
“With a large cast of satisfying characters, Gail Z. Martin masterfully presents an epic struggle between the forces of life and the forces of death in a world of broken magic.”—James Maxey, author of Greatshadow on War of Shadows
“High mage magic, thrilling battles and heart-thudding adventure – yet another superb fantasy tale from Gail Z. Martin!” – Andy Remic, author of The Iron Wolves on War of Shadows
Steampunk Summer! Iron and Blood Debuts in July
Looking for a fun vacation read? How about steampunk set in an alternative history Pittsburgh chock full of airships, supernatural creatures, amazing inventions, and lots of explosions? You’ve got it—Iron and Blood: A Jake Desmet Adventure debuts July 7. I co-wrote Iron and Blood with my husband, Larry N. Martin, who has been busy behind the scenes until now! 
Here’s the scoop:
New Pittsburgh, 1898 – a crucible of invention and intrigue. Born from the ashes of devastating fire, flood and earthquake, the city is ruled by the shadow government of The Oligarchy. In the swarming streets, people of a hundred nations drudge to feed the engines of progress, while in the abandoned tunnels beneath the city, supernatural creatures hide from the light, emerging only to feed.
Jake Desmet and Rick Brand travel the world to secure treasures and unusual items for the collections of wealthy patrons, accompanied by Jake’s cousin, Veronique LeClerque. But when their latest commission leads to Jake’s father’s murder, the three friends are drawn into a conspiracy where dark magic, industrial sabotage and the nightmares come to life will ultimately threaten not just New Pittsburgh, but the whole world.
Available for pre-order now! You can find links to your favorite booksellers here: http://localhost:8888/gail-testing-php5/jake-desmet-adventures/iron-and-blood/
By the way—my short stories in Clockwork Universe: Steampunk Vs. Aliens and in the upcoming Weird Wild West anthology, Dreams of Steel V and yet-unnamed corset anthology are all offshoots of the Iron and Blood world. Watch for a novella coming to Wattpad soon!
RS Belcher (The Shotgun Arcana, The Six-Gun Tarot) had this to say: “Gail and Larry Martin’s Steampunk novel, Iron and Blood, is a worthy inheritor to the pulp adventures of the likes of Doc Savage and Indiana Jones, with a smidge of good old fashioned mad science thrown in, just to sweeten the pot. Iron and Blood is an airship full of excitement, surprises and just great fun. The Martins bring a modern sensibility to the pulp, that gives it a twenty-first century pulse. Their heroes and heroines are sexy, tough and capable as hell, but still believable as flesh and blood people. The world of New Pittsburgh they’ve created is first-rate world building—you can feel the heat and grit of the city’s forges and the cool darkness of the city underground that hides many supernatural mysteries and conspiracies. If you’re looking for Steampunk adventure that’s smart, daring and will leave you asking for more, do yourself a favor and read Iron and Blood. ”
New Goodies! Short Stories and Anthologies
Here’s what’s up with Jonmarc: May is the 20th Jonmarc Vahanian Adventure short story, and if it were a TV series, we’d be wrapping up Season 2. Stories 11 – 20 follow Jonmarc with the War Dogs mercenaries, then into serving with the Eastmark army, and south to Chauvrenne. I’ll pick back up with Season 3 in April, 2016 heading into Nargi.
The Deadly Curiosities Adventures start an all-new set of stories in June! Season 2 will continue to provide spooktacular and scary-licious stories that happen before, around and after the novels. Hint: some of the secondary characters you meet in the short stories will show up in Vendetta: Deadly Curiosities 2 in January!
Watch for an Iron and Blood novella to show up on Wattpad this spring, and an all-new Blaine McFadden: The Velant Prison Years short story for OrbitBooks.com Yeah, yeah. That means at some point, there will be short stories about those missing six years in Edgeland….
If you’re going to Origins, catch my all-new space story in the convention anthology. A second story set in the same universe will debut in the upcoming Silence in the Library space anthology. This could be the beginning of something….
I mentioned the Iron and Blood spin-off stories in anthologies up above. You can find all-new Deadly Curiosities stories in Athena’s Daughters and Realms of Imagination. I’ve got a one-of-a-kind horror story in The Big Bad 2, and superhero stories in With Great Power and Heroes. There are a couple more Kickstarter anthologies coming up later this year, so please follow me on Twitter and Facebook to get all the news. Details and excerpts here: http://localhost:8888/gail-testing-php5/short-stories-and-more/anthologies/
Come say hi!
Come catch me at a book signing or convention. Here’s where to find me for the rest of the year. (I’ll be adding a few more bookstore signings for summer/fall closer to the time.)
Apr. 23 AMA on R/Fantasy
Apr. 24-26 Ravencon, Richmond –War of Shadows launch party
May 2 Signing at Last Word
May 15 Signing at Barnes & Noble Morrison 7-8:30
May 16 Signing at BAM Concord Mills 1-3
May 22-25 Balticon, Baltimore –War of Shadows and Big Bad 2 launch party
May 29 – 31 ConCarolinas, Charlotte
June 3-7 Origins, Columbus OH
June 21-28 Hawthorn Moon Event
July 7 Iron and Blood launches
July 10 – 12 Congregate, Winston-Salem –Iron and Blood/War of Shadows launch party
July 24-26 Confluence, Pittsburgh, PA –Iron and Blood/War of Shadows launch party
Aug. 8 Signing at BAM Concord Mills
Aug. 22 Signing at Park Road Books
Sept. 4-7 DragonCon, Atlanta
Oct. 2-4 Contraflow/DeepSouthCon, New Orleans Iron & Blood/War of Shadows party
Oct. 24-31 Days of the Dead Event
Nov. 13 – 15 Atomacon, Charleston –Iron and Blood/War of Shadows launch party
Nov. 20 – 22 Philcon, NJ—Weird Wild West launch party
Thank you so much for reading. If you didn’t read, I couldn’t write. You are all awesome!
