Showing results by author "Joseph Lallo" in All Categories

Things are looking up for the Masker family. Fel, the adventurer of the clan, has stocked the antiquity shop with valuable contraptions unearthed during his journeys. Sales are strong, customers are happy, life is good. But rival families know the Maskers are unlocking ancient secrets about the arcane devices, and their spies will stop at nothing to have them.

In a world where arcane contraptions are capable of just about anything, running an antique shop is a dangerous business. No one knows that better than the Masker family. Strict rules and cutthroat competitors have pushed them to the limit. They need to make a big sale soon or they just might go under.

For once, things seem calm for Fel Masker and his family. But the dark schemes of a shadowy mastermind are ready to hatch. Ancient foes are on the move in the Greater Lands. Uncovered secrets cast doubt on a long-trusted adviser. Hidden threats lurk beneath the cities of the world. Forgotten armies rise to march again.

How could a good photo-op go so wrong? A perfect time-lapse of the lunar eclipse should have earned Alan some cash and acclaim. Instead, he came home with an invader in his dreams and a terrible feeling of being watched. Now his life is a tangle of cults, mysterious white-suited visitors, and scheming shadows. Overnight, Alan's finely trained eye has gone from spotting photo-ops of local celebrities to unraveling a political plot that could shift the balance of light and darkness. Surviving the next few days will take teamwork, guile, and an awful lot of coffee.

Fel and the other Maskers knew recovering the gifts of the past was worth the danger, so long as they could keep the worst of the bygone contraptions out of the wrong hands. They couldn't have predicted a wave of violence beyond Beffshire’s walls would summon a powerful inspector. Now he is convinced the Maskers are hiding something. Unfortunately for them, he’s right. But there is something shady about this inspector. Letting him claim their inventory might not simply destroy their legacy, it might deliver powerful artifacts directly into the clutches of forces with sinister aims.

After narrowly surviving their last adventure, the Masker family knows there are forces plotting against them. Worse, a precious artifact is unaccounted for, almost certainly in the hands of a dangerous foe. The only option is to head north to follow the trail of the thief. When the hunt leads them to a plague-ridden forest not far from Fel’s sister, he has to make a choice. Does he risk the disease to recover what’s his? Or does he leave empty handed?

Dangerous expeditions and clever business deals have begun to pay off, but with great rewards come greater risks. The unscrupulous Bolivan clan have been spying on Fel Masker and his family, accumulating dangerous technology and becoming more bold in their assaults. To blind the prying eyes and disarm a legion of mercenaries, the Maskers will need the help of his estranged sister, whose very presence threatens to tear the family apart. While Fel defends his family with the help of uncertain allies, Tome Inkbrand seeks his own fortunes beyond the Greater Lands wall.

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 little curiosity can be a dangerous thing. Rustle should have been content in his little pond, hidden away from the world where hopefully nothing exciting would ever happen. But the sea was so near, with all of its mysteries and secrets. He couldn't help but sneak away from time to time and gaze upon the surface, wondering what lay beneath. Little did he know that on this fateful day, there was something equally curious staring back.

In a small town in Colorado, Markus Spiros was just getting his life on track. By day he worked as a veterinary tech, by night he took classes. Then his impulsive Uncle Dimitrios threw a wrench in the works. Markus had to swing by his uncle’s bistro to tend to the "special oven." When he arrived, he discovered it wasn’t the oven that was special, it was the rare and exotic egg that had been incubating inside it. And now it had hatched. The creature was a Structophis Gastrigae - a strange creature that was equal parts dragon and oven - and she’d become quite a big girl. Large as a refrigerator and curious as a toddler....

One man's prison is another man's fortress. Alan grew up believing that justice was as simple as throwing criminals in jail. He also grew up believing there was no such thing as a shadow with a mind of its own. A special request to put his photographic talents to use for an interview at the local prison reveals a dark plan brewing there. To stop it and keep his family safe, he may have to form some uneasy alliances.

For some creatures, running and hiding is the only way to stay alive. But no one can run forever. Sorrel and her twins are malanthropes, creatures hated by the people of their world. Years of searching for a place where they can be safe has brought them to a mysterious new land. It would be a paradise if not for the terrible beast who casts its shadow on the people who call it home. The Story of Sorrel is a short novel in the Book of Deacon series, picking up the story of Sorrel and her children shortly after The Rise of the Red Shadow left off.

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.

Freshly certified for forensics, Alan is ready to do something meaningful with his photography. He’s teamed up with his friend Jessie on the police force, and not a moment too soon. A serial killer seems to be 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.