Tarnish (Thunderstrike edition)

Synopsis

Silver, they call it, the light of the full moon: celestial magic that changes men into beasts and calls the dead from their graves … And young men to their destiny. Get the first four volumes of the Thunderstrike Saga in one giant omnibus edition: the complete Tarnish trilogy, plus the prequel novella of the World's Shadow War, The Prince of Luster and Decay. Billy Cole is the sixteen-springs-old son of Ian the Black, though he feels older. Being the heir of a legend, after all, is a heavy burden to bear. And though "Billy Strong Back" is used to hard labor, it takes more than strength to become a man. And more than a sword to make a hero. Sergeant Jacob Knox leads the Head Knockers, a unit of scout-saboteurs fighting a war against sorcery and tyranny. Knox and his boys are sent to investigate a seemingly abandoned village. Though the streets appear empty, something is waiting in the darkness. And they'll need both steel and heart to defeat it. There's also a heart to the novel, a very self-aware sort of appreciation for humanity and the horrors of war." -- Beauty in Ruins "The strength of Tarnish is Billy's coming-of-age narrative, his quest to develop his own, innate heroism, and his struggle to reconcile illustrious legends with harsher truths … [Its] high fantasy styling is tempered by comfortable, somewhat modern language, a relatable, every-man main character, and a universal theme that transcends the genre." -- Tales of the Talisman Magazine "That's why I like this book … [Billy's] going to be a hero one day. It's just going to take a couple more black eyes and a night in the Fellwater drunk tank to get there." -- Forever Young Adult "What's amazing about this book is that it is its own story. It's not some spin off, take off, bull$#!% twisting of the same young adult themes. And I love that you get all these stories within stories … It's like, bookception." -- Rattle the Stars "Fantasy? Sword fights? Monsters? Destiny? Gimme, Gimme!" -- The Book Heap