"New worlds get new kings, and that's exactly what Abby thinks she's found in her boss's hacked code.
With a cataclysmic asteroid careening toward Earth, the VRMMORPG project Viridian Gate Online has become more than just a game, and Abby thinks her boss, Robert Osmark, wants to be more than just its founding father.
Now, Abby holds a hacked key to the kingdom that could earn her a punishment worse than death. To uncover the secret that drug lords and corrupt politicians paid millions for, Abby must dive into the game she helped create and team up with one of its AI creations. It's a race against the clock as she tries to discover what's hidden in the secret code before Osmark can crown himself ruler over all that remains of humanity.
From James A. Hunter—author of Viridian Gate Online, Rogue Dungeon, War God's Mantle, and the Yancy Lazarus series—and debut author J. D. Astra, comes an epic new entry into the expanded universe of Viridian Gate Online that you won't want to miss!"
"A single spark begets an inferno.
The theft of the drug lord Carrera's Faction Seal has set Osmark's empire-to-be ablaze with the hunt for Abby and Otto's heads, but her quest to discover the truth about the ultra-rare item won't wait. There are only days left until Earth's destruction, and the Faction Seal plays some role in Osmark's plan to rule over Viridian Gate Online, the immersive VRMMO game turned humanity's lifeboat.
With nowhere left to turn in Harrowick, Abby and Otto have no choice but to flee to the rebel undergrounds of Alaunhylles—a fading light that was once a beacon of hope in the Imperial aligned city. They come seeking answers in the Grand Archives, but the rebels have their own problems, and their own priorities . . . priorities that might just get Abby and Otto killed before they can find the answers they need.
The enterprising rebel Firebrand will have to dig deep to complete her quest or see all her hopes go up in flames in this next installment of The Firebrand series: Embers of Rebellion."
"Can a single promise change the world?
Even with the Crimson Alliance formed, Rowanheath taken, and Carrera dispatched, the onslaught never ends for Abby Hollander. Keeping the Spider Queen in check and handling water provisions was never what Abby wanted to do with her life, but it's what the war demands of her.
To add to that never-ending list of demands, suddenly Naitee Mungal has need of Abby as well, and unfortunately, Abby already promised she would answer if Naitee called. Now Abby will have to go where no Traveler has ever been allowed before, face a series of grueling trials, and battle the gods themselves, risking everything to return balance and save her sorceric brethren.
If she fails, the realm of Gaia could once again be overrun by the power of the elements. If she succeeds, she'll become the greatest Firebrand in all of Eldgard."
"Student. Spy. Son. Enemy.
The Busa-nan student exchange program was designed to foster peace, share the knowledge of core building techniques, and bridge the growing cultural gap between the nearby kingdoms. This year's exchange looks no different from the outside, but Jiyong and his friends have been tasked with a secret mission: discover the plot of the Kokyu foreign ambassador, Dokun Yamamotto.
Jiyong knew the consequences of accepting the overseas exchange with the Kingdom of Kokyu, but when his disowned father, Hiro Kumiho, and the traitorous Ko-nah Wong get involved, Jiyong's desire for revenge will take the reins of the mission. An encounter with a new type of cultivation magic gives Jiyong access to a power that can get him the revenge he so dearly craves.
The student spies will be forced to control themselves in all ways if they plan on escaping the hostile kingdom with the knowledge of Dokun's plans—and their lives."
"There are no shortcuts on the path to enlightenment, but some will try.
The summer was prosperous for Jiyong, giving him the funds he needed to attend another year at Bastion Academy. The new first-year students are just as bright-eyed and rowdy as he remembers being, but there's something more sinister to blame for their aggressive behavior: designer drugs.
The ability for any student to temporarily unlock the full potential of their magic with a single potion threatens to upend the school's ranking system. Worse, something dark lurks in the shadows of these performance enhancers: a signal sending personal data to a location within the kingdom, and Jiyong's mother's illness is responding to the same signal.
When the drug problem at the school turns deadly, Jiyong will have to hunt down the source to discover the cure before his friends and half the school's cores are eaten from the inside out. Can he save not only the school, but his mother, too?"
"For Jiyong, Bastion Academy is more than just a school for magic in the heart of the Kingdom . . .
It's his chance to pursue the secrets of the ancient ones' machines and get his family out of the poverty-stricken outer-city. His acceptance letter in hand, Jiyong is sure nothing will stand in the way of his dreams.
When a street brawl lands him in a coma only weeks into the year, his chances of graduating are all but shot. With an unlikely digital companion, he'll have to rebuild his magic core and catch up on all his classes, or risk being dropped from the academy at the end of the year.
But kingdom life is not like the outer-cities, and kingdom kids are far more ruthless about who they'll allow to climb to the top. Jiyong will have to train hard and fight for every score to make it in this wealthy academy for powerful families, all while supporting his own from afar.
From J. D. Astra, author of Viridian Gate Online: Firebrand, comes a brand-new Cultivation Academy series, bursting at the seams with nanites, martial arts, and robot battling."
