The Quintessence Cycle, an epic fantasy that weaves a tale of magic, battle, love, betrayal, retribution, and survival. Your soul is magic. It is life. It is death. It is the path to the throne. The human nobility will do anything to steal it. A civilization on the edge of extinction, a renowned assassin in hiding, a young boy hunted for his magic, a count's son in search of glory, a fallen queen after vengeance, a count who would betray all for the crown. Their paths are entwined. But who pulls the strings? Book 1: Game of Souls: Keedar, a young outcast, and Winslow, a count's son, are set on opposite paths yet harbor the same dream: to become adept in soul magic. One, to escape the slums and seek justice for his mother's murder and his persecuted people, the other, to revel in the glory of battle. When their paths cross, everything changes. Winslow's father, Count Ainslen, employs a ruthless assassin and a barbarous enemy in pursuit of the throne. Book 2: SoulBreaker: A new king is crowned in the wake of the bloody battles of Succession Day but a threat to his fledgling rule arises; Keedar and Winslow grow into their power and learn the truth of their lives; fallen Queen Terestere plots revenge; a renowned assassin comes out of hiding to settle old debts. Book 3: Crown of Souls: Thar, Keedar, Winslow, and Terestere come together in a final battle to determine the fate of a dying race. Ainslen unleashes the power of his stolen magic. An unexpected foe reveals himself. Soulsworn: A Quintessence Side Story: Follow the path of Aidah Rostlin as she struggles to survive after Succession Day, in hopes her husband and son return to her and help protect her daughters, Nerisse and Clara, from assassins. **

After his encounter in Void Legion, Dre wishes to spend time outside the game with his family and the girl he loves.
But Sidrie Malikah has other plans. Plans borne from a surprising revelation, vengeance, and a desire to live.
Sidrie thrusts Dre back into Void Legion, where he finds himself in a desperate race to save Just Blaze and prevent the chance Blaze might become an invalid in real life.
That’s if Dre can survive the bounty on his head, the machinations of Setnana Botros, and the monsters of the Forsaken Crypts.

The sacrifices, trials, triumphs, and tragedies of one man's life in his quest to save those he holds dear.
Knight Commander Stefan Dorn, leader of the Unvanquished, has known only war, death and, victory. All in the name of his loyalty to King Nerian the Lightbearer, a man he idolized.
Until now.
Everything he thought he knew about the King, his people, and his world is coming to an end. At a time when there should be peace, he's once again called to war.
Torn between shocking changes at home, his family, loyalty to his men and his King, Stefan wishes only to enjoy life away from the battlefield. But with the new campaign comes a rabid, unforgiving enemy and a potential cataclysm.
Follow him as he fights to save his family, his people, his honor, and his birthright from the grips of the shade. Can he save them all? If not, which will he choose, which will he lose?
The Shadowbearer is a rousing and engaging prequel to Etchings of Power and a worthy addition to the Aegis of the Gods series.

Here is the fourth volume of Terry C. Simpson's epic series, Aegis of the Gods: In the aftermath of a titanic battle, Ancel and the remnants of his people are fleeing to Benez, a city reviled by the world. Hunted by Tribunal assassins and shadelings, he must fight to see them survive even as corruption creeps across the land, and his father battles for sanity. Ryne continues to hold fast to his secrets, but suspicious of those around him, he makes a shocking discovery of his own, one he dare not reveal. Still struggling with the loss of her parents, her feelings for Ancel, and her hate for Ryne, Irmina comes into her power as a Beasttamer, and is exposed to knowledge that could kill them all if the enemy sees through her act. Meanwhile, the Nine continue to pull strings, and the armies of the Tribunal and Amuni’s Children march, their ultimate goal to see an end to Ancel and the Eztezians, and to breach the prisons of the gods. But true to form in Denestia, many things are not what they seem. Book sequence: Although the Shadowbearer could be read first, the recommended sequence is Etchings of Power, The Shadowbearer, Ashes and Blood, Embers of a Broken Throne. Expect the fifth book in this series soon. Cheers and Enjoy! **

The second volume of Terry C. Simpson’s Quintessence Cycle, a sprawling epic of magic, war, adventure, and intrigue in a world full of mysteries. Chaos rules in the wake of Succession Day, even in the heart of the Empire’s capital, Kasandar, where commoners revolt and counts and priests plot. All across the world, armies rise to strike at King Ainslen’s fledgling rule. Queen Terestere is captured and returned to the city where they murdered her husband, intent on saving her people, and set on vengeance. Keedar and Winslow hone their skills, one for a test that could mean his death, and the other to help save the man he once called his father. Delisar languishes in a prison, soul magic siphoned by King Ainslen, while his brother, Thar, plots to free him and discover a way to defeat the Farlanders. One thing will determine who lives or dies, wins or loses. The power of the soul. **

Deadly rivalries abound on Succession Day. Countess Aidah Rostlin and her daughters, Nerisse and Clara, hide out on a distant estate to avoid the other ruthless noble houses. There, she awaits her victorious husband and son. But betrayal is ever present for the nobility. One such occurrence brings forth a power within little seven year old Clara, a power that if left unchecked, will doom her to madness and death. To reverse the affliction, Aidah must traverse the land, avoid bounty hunters hired by a king who wants to steal Clara’s soul, invaders who want Clara dead, and gain help from a religious faction who would use the little girl’s power. All of this in hopes that a kingdom that despises her people will heal Clara. With no skill in magic or combat, Aidah must rely upon friend and foe, faith and dreams. Are they enough to prevent the end of the Rostlin lineage? **

Their soul is their magic. The nobility scheme and kill for it. Keedar Giorin's people were once rulers, the most revered in the land. Now, they're dregs, the lowest of the low. Defeated, diseased, and scorned, they live in the Smear, a district where crime is like breathing, where only the quick, the strong, and the ruthless survive. Yet their status does not prevent the nobility from harvesting his people's most precious asset: the magic contained within their souls. For centuries, the nobles have played their Game of Souls, breeding dregs like cattle to gain advantage in their unending struggle to usurp the throne. For centuries, they forced his people to serve. For centuries, they ripped away gifted young dregs from their parents, ingrained an unfailing loyalty to the Empire, compelled them to become King's Blades, and convinced all it was an honor. Keedar was one of those young, kept secret by his mother even as the king murdered her. Forced to help two young noblemen in order to stave off a repeat of the massacre that brought about her death, Keedar calls upon his power. Now, the hunt is on. Can he elude the most dangerous of assassins? Can he prevent a count from stealing his power?**