Genre: Sci Fi Fantasy
Series: Blood Skies
Author: Steven Montano
VAMPIRE DOWN
Blood Skies, Book 7
Coming June 27th!
Who ever knew the end would come
so soon?
In this final volume of the BLOOD
SKIES series, Eric Cross and Danica Black find themselves facing impossible
odds in the desolate ruins of the world they once knew. Hunted by the mercenary forces of the newly
formed East Claw Coalition and desperate to find the elusive White Mother, the
two refugees will be pushed to the limits of their abilities and sanity as they
struggle to survive.
Meanwhile, in the near future,
the undead hunter called Reaver searches for the lost city of Bloodhollow, the
place where humankind will make its final stand, while the undead of New Koth
and the rebellious White Children make their push to end the reign of the Ebon
Kingdoms once and for all.
As timelines collide and the
spider weaves her web, the battle for the fate of the riven world will come to
its violent conclusion in the depths of a forgotten city, where unlikely heroes
will emerge and hidden evils will finally be revealed...
Available Friday June 27th
in Ebook and Print format.
Smashwords: https://www.
BLOOD SKIES
Blood Skies, Book 1
Blurb~
In the time after The Black,
human survivors of the Southern Claw Alliance clash with vampire legions of the
Ebon Cities in a constant war for survival. Earth as we know it has been
forever damaged by an arcane storm that fused our world with distant realms of
madness and terror. Things that once existed only in our nightmares stalk the
earth.
Now, humanity is threatened by
one of its own.
Eric Cross, an enlisted warlock
in the Southern Claw military, is part of an elite team of soldiers and mages
in pursuit of a woman known as Red -- a witch whose stolen knowledge threatens
the future of the human race. The members of Viper Squad will traverse haunted
forests and blighted tundra in their search for the traitor, a journey that
ultimately leads them to the necropolis of Koth.
There, in that haven of renegade
undead, Cross will discover the dark origins of magic, and the true meaning of
sacrifice...
Experience a dark and deadly new
world in the debut novel of the "Blood Skies" series from author Steven
Montano.
BLACK SCARS
Blood Skies, Book 2
Blurb~
Something ancient has awoken.
Primordial and wholly evil, a living shadow emerges from a prison made weak by
the magical cataclysm called The Black. Now the Sleeper stalks the land in
search of its old enemies, leaving a trail of madness and destruction in its
wake. Eric Cross, a Southern Claw warlock, has been sent to find the Woman in
the Ice, the only known means to stopping this evil. Aided by a grizzled ranger
and a band of wardens and inmates from a sadistic prison, Cross' mission will
bring him into conflict with an array of foes: the barbaric Gorgoloth, vampire
shock troops out of the Ebon Cities, and a cadre of mercenary nihilists called
the Black Circle. On a mission that will take him from a lost temple once ruled
by insidious wolf sorcerers to the vicious gladiator games of the vampire
city-state of Krul to the deadly ruins of an ice city, Cross will play a
pivotal role in an ancient conflict whose outcome will determine the future of
the world. Return to the world of Blood Skies in this exciting military fantasy
adventure!
SOULRAZOR
Blood Skies, Book 3
Blurb~
The war continues…
Eric Cross and his team of elite
mercenaries are the bane of the Ebon Cities. Armed with the cutting-edge arcane
weaponry of the Southern Claw, Cross and his crew – Black, Kane, Ronan, Maur,
Grissom and Ash – have become a veritable thorn in the side of the vampire armies.
Now the team is tasked with
halting vampire activity near the remote city-state of Fane, where the Ebon
Cities have teamed up with a former Revenger in search of a deadly weapon
called Soulrazor.
To make matters worse, something
sinister has happened to Cross, and the key to his salvation is somehow
directly tied to the Ebon Cities’ new soldiers: a host of necrotic angels who
bear traces of divine power.
Cross and his team must travel
across a blighted wilderness and do battle with a vile array of enemies as they
race not only to save the city of Thornn from total annihilation, but to rescue
Cross’ very soul from an enemy more powerful than he could ever imagine…
CROWN OF ASH
Blood Skies, Book 4
Blurb~
Eric Cross and his team have been
to hell and back, but their journey isn’t over yet.
Marooned in the remote criminal
city of Blacksand, the only way for the mercenaries to get home is to help a
local crime boss protect his territories from the Ebon Cities.
To complicate matters, Danica
Black is also being hunted by The Revengers, a powerful band of corrupt prison
wardens, while Cross himself is trapped in the Whisperlands, a realm of
darkness controlled by a cadre of evil mages known as the Shadow Lords.
The team will battle their way
through corroding wastelands and deadly vampire outposts, but even their
considerable skills might not be enough to save them from the cruel
machinations of the Shadow Lord’s mysterious master, a malevolent creature who
has manipulated their destinies right from the beginning…
Return to the world of The Black
in Book 4 of the BLOOD SKIES saga!
THE WITCH’S EYE
Blood Skies, Book 5
Blurb~
A new evil is born.
The Ebon Cities have created a
deadly new breed of undead called the Witchborn, whose very existence spells
doom for the entire continent.
To make matters worse, a nihilist
cult called the Black Circle has learned of the Witch’s Eye, the source of the
Witchborn virus and an item capable of opening a portal to The Black.
Eric Cross’s scattered and
war-weary team must find the Eye before it’s too late. With the aid of some
unlikely allies, the mercenaries will fight their way across the wastelands and
challenge the horrors at the edge of oblivion.
And before the battle is won
Cross and his team will make the ultimate sacrifice, and face one of their own…
Return to the world After The
Black in Book 5 of the BLOOD SKIES saga!
CHAIN OF SHADOWS
Blood Skies, Book 6
Blurb~
The barrier between worlds has
been broken, and the invasion is about to begin.
Eric Cross, burdened by the loss
of those who’ve died under his command, must lead his recently reunited
mercenary team against the shadow wolf sorcerers known as the Maloj. Bound to
dire artifact blades and charged with protecting the Kindred, Cross seeks help
from the enigmatic White Mother, leader of the Southern Claw.
But sinister forces bring his
vessel down in a strange and distant land, and soon Cross and his allies are
beset by undead armies vying for control of the deadly region called the Chain
of Shadows. Trapped in a desert waste where wielding magic is dangerous and
nothing is as it seems, Cross’s team will pay the ultimate price in their
battle to finally get home...
Return to the world After the
Black in this pivotal 6th book of the BLOOD SKIES saga!
Casting Call: VAMPIRE DOWN
It's happened: after two years of writing my butt off, the
BLOOD SKIES series has come to a close.
Seven books and some 2000 pages long, the tale of the world After the
Black spans several years, multiple alternate time-lines, a couple of
continents and a few different realities.
Lives are lost, wars are fought, relationships emerge, souls are weaved
together in a tapestry of fate.
Oh, and I did I mention it's chock-full of vampires,
monsters, magic and guns? Well, yeah,
there's that.
I've written several blog posts in the past about who would
be the dream cast for the BLOOD SKIES series, and while I never did get around
to doing one for CHAIN OF SHADOWS it's time to close the cycle and bring it on
home with VAMPIRE DOWN, the Book 7 finale to the series. Honestly I still think BLOOD SKIES would be a
better cable TV show than a movie series, so some of my choices would be
impossible from a budgetary standpoint...but hey, that's why it's called a
“Dream Cast”, right? ;D
In addition to this, check out the all new and improved
soundtrack for the Blood Skies series – 1 song per book (plus a bonus song for
the short stories!)
Enjoy!
The Cast of VAMPIRE DOWN
ERIC CROSS
Once a young and frightened warlock in the Southern Claw military,
Cross has grown into the leader of his own mercenary outfit, bearer of the
magical blades Soulrazor and Avenger, and a man trapped out of time and
burdened by the loss of so many friends and allies. Now returned to a home that is utterly
foreign and changed, Cross will do anything to keep his friends safe, and end
the threat of the vampire invaders forever.
Played by James McAvoy
DANICA BLACK
Formerly a prison warden of the dire facility called Black
Scar, Danica joined Eric's team after the two got off to a somewhat shaky
start. Now utterly devoted to protecting
her friends and ensuring the safety of the human race, Danica – armed with the
magical blades Claw and Scar and made more powerful than ever by a golem
appendage which grants strength to her arcane spirit – Danica is the ultimate
weapon against the vampires of the Ebon Kingdoms.
Played by Milla Jovovich
RONAN
Raised by the brutal monks of the Crimson Triangle as an
assassin, the man known only as Ronan escaped the order as a child and grew up
as a freelance mercenary and killer. As
a member of Cross's team Ronan has found not only a home but his own soul,
though in the strange alternate future after the events of CHAIN OF SHADOWS he
is once again lost, and searches for the one person who can make him whole
again.
Played by Michael Fassbender
SHIV
The last of the Kindred, the young girl called Shiv has the
remarkable ability to manipulate other spirits, whether they are tied to
warlocks or free-floating phantoms of the wastelands. Her powers make her a battered and reclusive
shell of a young woman, a danger to others, and possibly humankind's only
hope. In the frightening future, Shiv is
an important part of the last human resistance, and the greatest threat to the
other worldy wolf-sorcerers called the Maloj.
Played by Kacey Rohl
MAUR
A Gol pilot and engineer, the inimitable and largely
unflappable Maur has been with the team to hell and back, often serving as the
voice of reason as well as acting as their technical expert. A member of a strange race of dwarves whose
origins are a mystery even to them, Maur is in many ways the backbone of the
group...even if he insists on consistently referring to himself in the third
person.
Played by Peter Dinklage
LUCAN KETH
Yes, spoiler alert – the wastelands warlock with incredible
powers from BLACK SCARS is still alive, and back in a prominent role in VAMPIRE
DOWN. Last seen battling the
otherworldly Sleeper to a standstill, Lucan is now the leader of the hidden
city of Bloodhollow, a place that will play a significant role in the battle
for humanity's future.
Played by Thomas Kretschmann
ILFESA WARFIELD
A black market dealer, criminal and witch, Ilfesa Warfield
has maintained an off-and-on flirtatious relationship with Cross for
years. Now, in the frightening alternate
future of the World After the Black, Warfield supplies the human resistance
with vital supplies, and will even aid in humanity's last stand against the
vampires...for a price.
Played by Antje Trau
MACE
A member of the future's human resistance and a staunch
supporter of the White Mother, the man called Mace will help guide humanity to
safety, even if his methods are somewhat unorthodox.
Played by Ron Perlman
HASKER
A field commander of the deadly East Claw Coalition, the man
called Hasker is a ruthless mercenary captain with a callous disregard for
human life and a streak of abject cruelty.
Played by Corey Stoll
ABRAHAM
An arms dealer and black market presence in the future
city-state of Pyramid, Abraham has ties to the resistance and to Ronan, who
he'll be forced to work with.
Played by Djimon Hansou
The Soundtrack of the BLOOD SKIES series:
1.
“Lost in the Echo”, by Linkin Park. (Blood
Skies)
At once filled with loss and
loathing, anger and fear, ruthlessness and regret, the songs of Linkin Park
perfectly embody the painful sundering of the world After the Black.
2.
“Going Under”, by Evanescence (Black Scars)
Creepy, emotional, atmospheric,
and possessing enough female angst to do characters like Danica Black and Shiv
proud.
3.
“What Do I Have to Do?”, by Stabbing Westward
(Soulrazor)
Discordant, raw, loud and filled
with pain…sound like anyone we know? SW has a truckload of great songs, but
“What Do I Have to Do?” best fits the Blood Skies bill.
4.
“Maison Du Tigre”, by Diorama (Crown of Ash)
Odd, atmospheric, and dripping
with rich lyrics, this bizarre tune by German band Diorama is great traveling
music through the realms of the unknown.
5.
“Autumnal”, by Arcana (The Witch’s Eye)
A deeply enchanting ethereal track
steeped with atmosphere, “Autumnal” perfectly reflects the slow return to
humanity both Danica and Ronan must undergo.
6.
“The Immigrant Song”, cover by Trent Reznor,
Atticus Ross and Karen O (Chain of Shadows)
With all apologies to Led
Zeppelin, this remake of the classic song is a masterpiece of fear, and this
tune always takes me right into the heart of darkness.
7.
“Breathe In”, by System Syn (Vampire Down)
Sweeping, epic in scope but not in
length, layered with harsh percussions yet steeped in hope, Clint Carney’s
music captures the desperation of the final battle.
8.
“Winter: Lux Aeterna”, by Clint Mansell
(Crucifix Point, Tales of a Blood Earth 1 & 2)
A truly hypnotic score, Mansell’s
music from “Requiem for a Dream” has something of an eternal quality, a
timelessness we hope to achieve before all is lost.
About the Author
Steven Montano was something
terrifying in his previous life. Now
he’s an accountant, so not much has changed.
An avid hiker, reader, San
Antonio Spurs fan, goofball husband and father of two, Steven writes novels
(the seven volume Blood Skies series,
the Skullborn Trilogy, something black…, and the upcoming
thrillers Blood Angel Rising and Colder) and drinks a lot of wine when he
isn’t busy pulling his hair out over payroll or trying to balance the company
books.
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1 comments:
Thanks a bunch for your help on the blog tour, I appreciate it! =D
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