Shadow Raiders

May 15, 2011
This classic quest tale begins when Lord Stephano, formerly of the Dragon Brigade, gathers his friends to track down a missing Royal Armorer. The armorer knows the secret of a superweapon and if not stopped may sell it to the hostile Kingdom of Frey. Meanwhile, Father Jacob and his Knight Companion set out to track down whoever massacred a hundred nuns. Traveling by dirigible (shades of steampunk, but why not?), Stephano and friends meet Father Jacob at the site of the massacre, just in time to be attacked by demons riding giant bats. With the help of one of Stephanos old dragon comrades, they win. But have they won the war, or is the Apocalypse at hand. Tune in to future volumes for the answer, but meanwhile enjoy a great, big, fat fantasy novel with its own rollicking good story.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)