Long before Bilbo Baggins left for his adventure, long before the One Ring was found in the depth of the Misty Mountains and before the second war erupted against Sauron, there was a story about an elleth who was punished by the Valar in a cruel way: no matter how grave the wound or how terribly lonely she was, she could never die.

It's just another regular Gathering, good food, good people, old friends reunited. Something Will and Halt look forward too every year. Then something happens that changes everything. Now Will is forced to run for Araluen, towing a wounded Corps behind him, with an old and extremely dangerous enemy nipping at his heels, completely alone. Without Halt. Meanwhile, Halt struggles with a personal decision, hunting the enemy. New discoveries are made, and even more danger unfolds, and suddenly the whole Ranger Corps is threatened with extinction. Can Will get everyone to safety, including himself? And can Halt find out what's going on before it's too late? Read The Rogue Tribe to find out. If you haven't read any of my previous works, go check out The Battle of Mackindaw and The Surprise Siege! #1 in Ranger's Apprentice Disclaimer -- I do not own any of the characters, they are all John Flanagan's characters. I only own the plot and any characters I create.

************************************************************************************** An outcast rogue must break a curse put on his fate, or die on his nineteenth birthday. To survive, he'll need the sword of a maiden, the aid of an immortal, and the power of forbidden magic that could cost him the only girl he ever loved. ************************************************************************************ *** THE JACK OF SOULS won a Silver IPPY this year! *** THE JACK OF SOULS won 1st place in the PNWA Competition in Fantasy! * *** THE JACK OF SOULS won 1st place in the Southwest Writers competition! * *** A "Featured Book" on Wattpad! * *** Now a "Staff Pick" on Kickstarter! * *** Available on Amazon in paper, hardback, and ebook ! * *** My contract with Kindle Select won't allow me to post more than 3 chapters here, but... *** Sign up for my newsletter on stephenmerlino.com for alerts when it's free on Amazon! * MY INSPIRATION I wrote this out of pure love of trickster rogues; I love the wit over brawn motif -- Odysseus over Achilles, Raven over Eagle -- so I like to play with it in my stories. In JOS I set the rogue and con-artist Harric against a foil of warriors in a land threatened by magic and civil war. Whenever possible I turn familiar tropes on their heads: instead of a handsome young Lancelot, I cast a broken-down ex-champion addicted to pain-killing herbs; instead of a dashing Squire Brian, the old knight reluctantly takes an ambitious young woman as squire. Similarly, I re-imagine the standard medieval milieu by infusing aspects of two of my favorite historical periods, Elizabethan England, and The American Frontier. Both eras boast a kind of nationalistic arrogance that borders on hubris, and a magnificent spirit of resourcefulness and re-invention that is fun to play with. SERIES The Jack of Souls is first in a series. I am posting parts of the sequel here now (The Knave of Souls), to help me refine the story.

A mage hunter by the name of Yavier Grey hunts an infamous wizard, given the title " The Demon ". No other mage hunter has returned from this hunt before, yet to complicate things, he has an reluctant pupil, and the love of his life accompanying him. Yavier was the greatest of the greatest, if he can't slay this criminal, no other mage hunter can. (DISCLAIMER) THIS COVER PHOTO IS NOT OWNED BY ME.

◤ SEMIDEUS SAGA #02 ◢ Elysian Oracle - the oracle of Elysium, the highest oracle of the realms. The Alphas know it isn't over. The Gods are constantly up on their sleeves, giving them missions, perhaps proving the Alphas' loyalty to their deities. What is it with the deities lately? The mortal realm is in for a big surprise after the demigods learn more about the war that has happened. Unfamiliar voices and faces will slowly reveal the truth about what the world will soon become: a battlefield. Our heroes will have to sacrifice something for the sake of their future... or is it a someone?