"A breathtaking new epic fantasy series. Robert Stanek's finely drawn characters combine with a remarkable imagination to create a compelling and fascinating novel. This magical adventure reminds me of the best of C.S. Lewis, J.K. Rowling, Terry Brooks and J.R.R. Tolkien." -- Emily Asimov, author of Torn. "This guarantees fans, and those fans will be ready to wield their swords against the Dark Lord in Stanek's next installment." -- VOYA, the leading magazine for YA librarians, in a review of the author’s other Ruin Mist works. From #1 bestselling author Robert Stanek comes the first novel in the exciting new fantasy series. THE DRAGON, THE WIZARD & THE GREAT DOOR (BOOK #1 in the GUARDIANS OF THE DRAGON REALMS) introduces us to the frozen world of the Ice. Thousands of them died in the war. The survivors fled to the four corners of the lands. Some few escaped to the frozen wastes of the far north where they bide their time and plot their return. Such a hard life requires sacrifice. There are things that must be done without. But when a great plague settles in and the dying begins anew two must sacrifice themselves for the good of the many. Don't miss the other Ruin Mist books: The Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches #1, 2, 3, and 4. In the Service of Dragons #1, 2, 3, and 4. Guardians of the Dragon Realms #1 and 2. Dragons of the Hundred Worlds #1 and 2.

Robert Stanek is one of our most featured and respected Kids & Young Adults authors. - The Audio Book Store. Praise for Robert Stanek's other Ruin Mist books... "Clear and simple prose. Swift, action-oriented scenes. Solidly built." - Foreword Magazine. "Sure to attract fans of Tolkien." - VOYA. "Very satisfying." - The Fantasy Guide. Enter a world of battle bears, giants and dragons. From #1 bestselling author Robert Stanek comes the third novel in the exciting new fantasy series! MEMORIES OF FIRE (BOOK #3 in the GUARDIANS OF THE DRAGON REALMS) takes us further into the frozen world of the Ice where the lives of many hang in the balance as ancients struggle for control and a young wizard searches for a mysterious power that can hold back the coming darkness.

Four complete novels. Over 1,000 pages in print. In the Service of Dragons is the continuation of Robert Stanek's multilayered epic fantasy adventure for young adults that began with The Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches. In his acclaimed The Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches books, he introduced us to the story of Ruin Mist, an extraordinary world of magic, adventure, and intrigue. Now in the eagerly awaited follow-up, he once again proves himself a wonderful storyteller with a gift for fast pacing and believable storylines. Already hailed as a classic, Robert Stanek's powerful epic fantasy series has been enjoyed by readers all over the world. The Elves of the Reaches returned from exile, bringing grave news. War came to the Kingdoms, and many perished in the turmoil and unrest. An attempt was made to kidnap a princess and assassinate a king. Now, from the ancient past a dark power returns. "The Fourth Wind blows across the mountain tops," they say. And the Twelve Clans emerge from myth and memory. As prophecy becomes reality, the factions struggle for control only to further divide the lands. Some would say that it was foolish for King Andrew Alder to support the Elves of the Reaches and send men to aid their cause when Men in all lands were being put to the test of steel. And in the North, men back their words with action. Against a backdrop of treachery and intrigue, murder and mayhem, the price of freedom is high. Many will pay with their lives. Many will succumb to imprisonment and enslavement; for when alliances shatter, old hatreds rise anew and the plotting and scheming begin. Bold, inventive, brilliantly imagined, In the Service of Dragons is a novel of magic and wonder-a tale of pure excitement you will not soon forget. *** Links to individual books are included. Extras: Lost chapters and scenes restored; the meeting of Xith and Vilmos as originally written; the story of Ruin Mist completely unaltered to hint at the story's origins in ancient myth and legend. Premium full-color artwork will display as high-quality b+w on standard e-ink readers. "Robert Stanek is one of our most featured and respected Kids & Young Adults authors." -- The Audio Book Store "Word of mouth turned it into a bestseller. Very satisfying." -- The Fantasy Guide "A breathtaking world and an excellent epic fantasy series! This wonderful adventure reminds me of a cross between J.R.R. Tolkien, J.K. Rowling, Tad Williams, and C. S. Lewis." "Stanek [has] a penchant for clear and simple prose. He also prefers swift, action-oriented scenes. Solidly built. Stanek moves among his main characters with ease, always switching at a climactic moment to maintain suspense. The accessible, brisk language keeps things moving." --Foreword Magazine "Sure to attract fans of graphic novels and classic Tolkien alike. Stanek will likely draw a cult following. This guarantees fans, and those fans will be ready to wield their swords against the Dark Lord in Stanek's next installment." -- VOYA, the leading magazine for Young Adult librarians.

4 complete novels, over 1,000 pages in print, full-color artwork. Enter a world of titans and dragons, men and elves. The #1 Fiction bestseller! From #1 bestselling author Robert Stanek, the complete fantasy series that has been read and enjoyed by readers all over the world. BOOK #1 - Three unlikely heroes have the power to change everything. This powerful fantasy novel will delight the young and the young at heart. Inside, you'll discover the breathtaking world of Ruin Mist where the mystical and the magical abound, and you'll fall in love with a boy who would become a mage, a princess who is fleeing a dying kingdom, and a warrior elf who undertakes an epic journey. BOOK #2 takes us deeper into the unraveling mysteries of a world being torn apart by unseen hands and ancient prophecies. Thirteen-year-old Adrina finally got her wish to journey beyond Imtal, but at a cost that weighs upon her soul. Vilmos’s epic journey into manhood continues. Though he was forced to confront the powers within himself and to flee the only home he’s ever known, he trudges on. Meanwhile, betrayed by his own people, Seth fights to survive against all odds. BOOK #3 takes us one step further into the unraveling mysteries of a world being torn apart by ancient prophecies and the machinations of warring peoples. Galan, the beautiful lady elf, is dying. Her life hangs by the barest of threads and only Seth can save her. Vilmos’s decision to train as a mage has come at a great price and now he must journey with Xith to the Mouth of the World. BOOK #4 brings to a close the epic fantasy adventure of Adrina, Vilmos and Seth. Vilmos finds himself lost to the darkness within himself and at odds with everything he has even known. Back in Imtal, Adrina and Valam work together to turn more kingdomers and council members to the cause of the elves. Meanwhile, Emel has undertaken a journey to find answers about the Orb of Power. *** Fully linked and cross-linked with links to individual books and chapters within books. Extras: Lost chapters and scenes restored; the meeting of Xith and Vilmos as originally written; the story of Ruin Mist completely unaltered to hint at the story's origins in ancient myth and legend. "Sure to attract fans of graphic novels and classic Tolkien alike. Stanek will likely draw a cult following. This guarantees fans, and those fans will be ready to wield their swords against the Dark Lord in Stanek's next installment." -- VOYA, the leading magazine for Young Adult librarians. "Robert Stanek is one of our most featured and respected Kids & Young Adults authors." -- The Audio Book Store "Word of mouth turned it into a bestseller. Very satisfying." -- The Fantasy Guide "A breathtaking world and an excellent epic fantasy series! This wonderful adventure reminds me of a cross between J.R.R. Tolkien, J.K. Rowling, Tad Williams, and C. S. Lewis." "Stanek [has] a penchant for clear and simple prose. He also prefers swift, action-oriented scenes. Solidly built. Stanek moves among his main characters with ease, always switching at a climactic moment to maintain suspense. The accessible, brisk language keeps things moving." --Foreword Magazine

"Part Stephen King, part Suzanne Collins, part Max Brooks, 100% phenomenal!" – David Eastman, author "A gripping tale. Perfectly paced and brilliantly plotted." - Cathy Thompson, author "Stanek's written many good, even great, books. This one's exceptional. Read it!" - Shannon Hale, author "Wonderful action writing. Fast, fun, and smart." - Margaret Brown, author "I can see why Rothfuss doesn't want people to read Stanek. Stanek's a much more capable writer." - Emily Asimov, author "Anyone who enjoyed The Hunger Games, World War Z, or The Maze Runner is going to enjoy this book." - Lisa Gardner, author "What an amazing book! Unique and innovative, captivating to the end." - Mary Osborne, author "This one's memorable and fascinating heroine is someone you're going to love as much as Katniss Everdeen." - Sandra Brown, author Our world isn't ours any more. It's theirs. The human survivors lead a hardscrabble life, scavenging what they can from the dead city, waiting and watching. Cedes isn't like Matthew and his regulars. She dreams. She talks. She questions. She wonders why Luke disappeared, where Luke disappeared to. She wants to know what we are to the machines. This is her story. This is our story. This is the story of us, the humans who survive. In the ruins of our world, a new order arose, an order controlled by the very machines humankind created. The end for us came not from a massive global war but from something unthinkable, incomprehensible. The machines simply replaced us and we let them, and so, in the end, humanity went out not with a bang, but with a whimper. No shots fired. No bombs dropped. No cities destroyed. We ended and the machines began—or at least that is what the few human survivors of the machine apocalypse believe. ### To the machines, we became nothing—except maybe outsiders, if they considered us at all. Outsiders looking in on their reality, for the machines weren’t bothered by our existence, or at least, if they were, they weren’t bothered enough to bother us. They certainly didn’t seem to require anything of us or have any need of us at all—if they had needed us, they probably would have enslaved us. But they hadn’t. Enslaved us that is. The machines hadn’t done anything to us really. Except take over the world—and it was their world now. It certainly wasn’t ours. We were outsiders, strangers really. We looked in on their world. They didn’t acknowledge us. They probably didn’t even consider us a part of their world. Just as we didn’t consider the small things that crawled beneath our feet as part of our world. Matthew told us it wasn’t the machines who killed us. Matthew being the only one here now who remembered when we drove the automobiles, flew on the airplanes, and rode on cars behind the locomotives. He said most of us just died. Us being the human race. I didn’t believe that. I believed we died of neglect. The neglect of the machines. The machines who cared not enough to kill or enslave us. Luke would have called it benign neglect. Luke being the one who taught me to read and write my letters and words. He knew all the fancy words. He taught me everything really. He remembered—I didn’t. Don’t, really. These words—his really as much as my own. But Luke was gone. Is gone really, if you don’t mind me slipping into the present. Luke said it’s wrong to slip from past to present or present to past, but I do. The present is—and Luke isn’t. The past was—and sometimes I can see it. ### After the Machines is a story unlike any other you’ve ever read. It’s the story of us, the humans who struggle to survive in a world we no longer control.

"Anyone who enjoyed The Hunger Games, World War Z, or The Maze Runner is going to enjoy this book." - Lisa Gardner, author "A gripping tale. Perfectly paced and brilliantly plotted." - Cathy Thompson, author "Stanek's written many good, even great, books. This one's exceptional. Read it!" - Shannon Hale, author "Builds and builds to a crescendo. Part Stephen King, part Suzanne Collins, part Max Brooks, 100% phenomenal!" - David Eastman, author "Wonderful action writing. Fast, fun, and smart." - Margaret Brown, author "I can see why Rothfuss doesn't want people to read Stanek. Stanek's a much more capable writer." - Emily Asimov, author "What an amazing book! Unique and innovative, captivating to the end." - Mary Osborne, author "This one's memorable and fascinating heroine is someone you're going to love as much as Katniss Everdeen." - Sandra Brown, author Our world isn't ours any more. It's theirs. The human survivors lead a hardscrabble life, scavenging what they can from the dead city, waiting and watching. Cedes isn't like Matthew and his regulars. She dreams. She talks. She questions. She wonders why Luke disappeared, where Luke disappeared to. She wants to know what we are to the machines. This is her story. This is our story. This is the story of us, the humans who survive. In the ruins of our world, a new order arose, an order controlled by the very machines humankind created. The end for us came not from a massive global war but from something unthinkable, incomprehensible. The machines simply replaced us and we let them, and so, in the end, humanity went out not with a bang, but with a whimper. No shots fired. No bombs dropped. No cities destroyed. We ended and the machines began—or at least that is what the few human survivors of the machine apocalypse believe. After the Machines Episode One: Awakening Episode Two: Transition Episode Three: Descent Episode Four: Precipice ### To the machines, we became nothing—except maybe outsiders, if they considered us at all. Outsiders looking in on their reality, for the machines weren’t bothered by our existence, or at least, if they were, they weren’t bothered enough to bother us. They certainly didn’t seem to require anything of us or have any need of us at all—if they had needed us, they probably would have enslaved us. But they hadn’t. Enslaved us that is. The machines hadn’t done anything to us really. Except take over the world—and it was their world now. It certainly wasn’t ours. We were outsiders, strangers really. We looked in on their world. They didn’t acknowledge us. They probably didn’t even consider us a part of their world. Just as we didn’t consider the small things that crawled beneath our feet as part of our world. Matthew told us it wasn’t the machines who killed us. Matthew being the only one here now who remembered when we drove the automobiles, flew on the airplanes, and rode on cars behind the locomotives. He said most of us just died. Us being the human race. I didn’t believe that. I believed we died of neglect. The neglect of the machines. The machines who cared not enough to kill or enslave us. Luke would have called it benign neglect. Luke being the one who taught me to read and write my letters and words. He knew all the fancy words. He taught me everything really. He remembered—I didn’t. Don’t, really. These words—his really as much as my own. But Luke was gone. Is gone really, if you don’t mind me slipping into the present. Luke said it’s wrong to slip from past to present or present to past, but I do. The present is—and Luke isn’t. The past was—and sometimes I can see it. ### After the Machines is a story unlike any other you’ve ever read. It’s the story of us, the humans who struggle to survive in a world we no longer control.

"Anyone who enjoyed The Hunger Games, World War Z, or The Maze Runner is going to enjoy this book." - Lisa Gardner, author "This one's memorable and fascinating heroine is someone you're going to love as much as Katniss Everdeen." - Sandra Brown, author "A gripping tale. Perfectly paced and brilliantly plotted." - Cathy Thompson, author "Builds and builds to a crescendo. Part Stephen King, part Suzanne Collins, part Max Brooks, 100% phenomenal!" - David Eastman, author "Stanek's written many good, even great, books. This one's exceptional. Read it!" - Shannon Hale, author "Wonderful action writing. Fast, fun, and smart." - Margaret Brown, author "I can see why Rothfuss doesn't want people to read Stanek. Stanek's a much more capable writer." - Emily Asimov, author "What an amazing book! Unique and innovative, captivating to the end." - Mary Osborne, author Episode #4. The machines want more than our world. They want us. In the ruins of our world, a new order arose, an order controlled by the very machines humankind created. The end for us came not from a massive global war but from something unthinkable, incomprehensible. The machines simply replaced us and we let them, and so, in the end, humanity went out not with a bang, but with a whimper. No shots fired. No bombs dropped. No cities destroyed. We ended and the machines began—or at least that is what the few human survivors of the machine apocalypse believe. After the Machines Episode One: Awakening Episode Two: Transition Episode Three: Descent Episode Four: Precipice ### To the machines, we became nothing—except maybe outsiders, if they considered us at all. Outsiders looking in on their reality, for the machines weren’t bothered by our existence, or at least, if they were, they weren’t bothered enough to bother us. They certainly didn’t seem to require anything of us or have any need of us at all—if they had needed us, they probably would have enslaved us. But they hadn’t. Enslaved us that is. The machines hadn’t done anything to us really. Except take over the world—and it was their world now. It certainly wasn’t ours. We were outsiders, strangers really. We looked in on their world. They didn’t acknowledge us. They probably didn’t even consider us a part of their world. Just as we didn’t consider the small things that crawled beneath our feet as part of our world. Matthew told us it wasn’t the machines who killed us. Matthew being the only one here now who remembered when we drove the automobiles, flew on the airplanes, and rode on cars behind the locomotives. He said most of us just died. Us being the human race. I didn’t believe that. I believed we died of neglect. The neglect of the machines. The machines who cared not enough to kill or enslave us. Luke would have called it benign neglect. Luke being the one who taught me to read and write my letters and words. He knew all the fancy words. He taught me everything really. He remembered—I didn’t. Don’t, really. These words—his really as much as my own. But Luke was gone. Is gone really, if you don’t mind me slipping into the present. Luke said it’s wrong to slip from past to present or present to past, but I do. The present is—and Luke isn’t. The past was—and sometimes I can see it. ### After the Machines is a story unlike any other you’ve ever read. It’s the story of us, the humans who struggle to survive in a world we no longer control.

"This one's memorable and fascinating heroine is someone you're going to love as much as Katniss Everdeen." - Sandra Brown, author "A gripping tale. Perfectly paced and brilliantly plotted." - Cathy Thompson, author "Stanek's written many good, even great, books. This one's exceptional. Read it!" - Shannon Hale, author "Builds and builds to a crescendo. Part Stephen King, part Suzanne Collins, part Max Brooks, 100% phenomenal!" - David Eastman, author "Wonderful action writing. Fast, fun, and smart." - Margaret Brown, author "I can see why Rothfuss doesn't want people to read Stanek. Stanek's a much more capable writer." - Emily Asimov, author "What an amazing book! Unique and innovative, captivating to the end." - Mary Osborne, author "Anyone who enjoyed The Hunger Games, World War Z, or The Maze Runner is going to enjoy this book." - Lisa Gardner, author Episode #2. Where were you when the machine apocalypse began? In the ruins of our world, a new order arose, an order controlled by the very machines humankind created. The end for us came not from a massive global war but from something unthinkable, incomprehensible. The machines simply replaced us and we let them, and so, in the end, humanity went out not with a bang, but with a whimper. No shots fired. No bombs dropped. No cities destroyed. We ended and the machines began—or at least that is what the few human survivors of the machine apocalypse believe. After the Machines Episode One: Awakening Episode Two: Transition Episode Three: Descent Episode Four: Precipice ### To the machines, we became nothing—except maybe outsiders, if they considered us at all. Outsiders looking in on their reality, for the machines weren’t bothered by our existence, or at least, if they were, they weren’t bothered enough to bother us. They certainly didn’t seem to require anything of us or have any need of us at all—if they had needed us, they probably would have enslaved us. But they hadn’t. Enslaved us that is. The machines hadn’t done anything to us really. Except take over the world—and it was their world now. It certainly wasn’t ours. We were outsiders, strangers really. We looked in on their world. They didn’t acknowledge us. They probably didn’t even consider us a part of their world. Just as we didn’t consider the small things that crawled beneath our feet as part of our world. Matthew told us it wasn’t the machines who killed us. Matthew being the only one here now who remembered when we drove the automobiles, flew on the airplanes, and rode on cars behind the locomotives. He said most of us just died. Us being the human race. I didn’t believe that. I believed we died of neglect. The neglect of the machines. The machines who cared not enough to kill or enslave us. Luke would have called it benign neglect. Luke being the one who taught me to read and write my letters and words. He knew all the fancy words. He taught me everything really. He remembered—I didn’t. Don’t, really. These words—his really as much as my own. But Luke was gone. Is gone really, if you don’t mind me slipping into the present. Luke said it’s wrong to slip from past to present or present to past, but I do. The present is—and Luke isn’t. The past was—and sometimes I can see it. ### After the Machines is a story unlike any other you’ve ever read. It’s the story of us, the humans who struggle to survive in a world we no longer control.

"Builds and builds to a crescendo. Part Stephen King, part Suzanne Collins, part Max Brooks, 100% phenomenal!" - David Eastman, author "This one's memorable and fascinating heroine is someone you're going to love as much as Katniss Everdeen." - Sandra Brown, author "A gripping tale. Perfectly paced and brilliantly plotted." - Cathy Thompson, author "Stanek's written many good, even great, books. This one's exceptional. Read it!" - Shannon Hale, author "Wonderful action writing. Fast, fun, and smart." - Margaret Brown, author "I can see why Rothfuss doesn't want people to read Stanek. Stanek's a much more capable writer." - Emily Asimov, author "What an amazing book! Unique and innovative, captivating to the end." - Mary Osborne, author "Anyone who enjoyed The Hunger Games, World War Z, or The Maze Runner is going to enjoy this book." - Lisa Gardner, author Episode #3. The machines control our world. It’s time we took it back. In the ruins of our world, a new order arose, an order controlled by the very machines humankind created. The end for us came not from a massive global war but from something unthinkable, incomprehensible. The machines simply replaced us and we let them, and so, in the end, humanity went out not with a bang, but with a whimper. No shots fired. No bombs dropped. No cities destroyed. We ended and the machines began—or at least that is what the few human survivors of the machine apocalypse believe. After the Machines Episode One: Awakening Episode Two: Transition Episode Three: Descent Episode Four: Precipice ### To the machines, we became nothing—except maybe outsiders, if they considered us at all. Outsiders looking in on their reality, for the machines weren’t bothered by our existence, or at least, if they were, they weren’t bothered enough to bother us. They certainly didn’t seem to require anything of us or have any need of us at all—if they had needed us, they probably would have enslaved us. But they hadn’t. Enslaved us that is. The machines hadn’t done anything to us really. Except take over the world—and it was their world now. It certainly wasn’t ours. We were outsiders, strangers really. We looked in on their world. They didn’t acknowledge us. They probably didn’t even consider us a part of their world. Just as we didn’t consider the small things that crawled beneath our feet as part of our world. Matthew told us it wasn’t the machines who killed us. Matthew being the only one here now who remembered when we drove the automobiles, flew on the airplanes, and rode on cars behind the locomotives. He said most of us just died. Us being the human race. I didn’t believe that. I believed we died of neglect. The neglect of the machines. The machines who cared not enough to kill or enslave us. Luke would have called it benign neglect. Luke being the one who taught me to read and write my letters and words. He knew all the fancy words. He taught me everything really. He remembered—I didn’t. Don’t, really. These words—his really as much as my own. But Luke was gone. Is gone really, if you don’t mind me slipping into the present. Luke said it’s wrong to slip from past to present or present to past, but I do. The present is—and Luke isn’t. The past was—and sometimes I can see it. ### After the Machines is a story unlike any other you’ve ever read. It’s the story of us, the humans who struggle to survive in a world we no longer control.

From #1 bestselling author Robert Stanek comes the first novel in the exciting new fantasy series. An epic adventure in the grand tradition of The Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches and In The Service of Dragons. Thousands of them died in the war. The survivors fled to the four corners of the lands. Some few escaped to the frozen wastes of the far north where they bide their time and plot their return. Such a hard life requires sacrifice. There are things that must be done without. But when a great plague settles in and the dying begins anew two must sacrifice themselves for the good of the many. Enter a frozen world of frost beasts, hoar hounds, tundra cats, snow trolls, and ice giants. Discover the battle bear troops and a great golden dragon from an age long since past.