Thursday, November 20, 2014

~Blog Tour~ The Black Tower (The Skullborn Trilogy #3) by Steven Montano (Excerpt and GIVEAWAY!)

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The Black Tower (The Skullborn Trilogy #3)
Blurb:
War returns to Malzaria in this epic conclusion to The Skullborn Trilogy.

Deep in the wastes called the Bonelands, rival crime guilds and renegade Bloodspeakers battle through the ruined streets of Corinth.  At the heart of the doomed city lies a magical portal which grants access to the dark citadel of Chul Gaerog, wherein lie the secrets of the long dead Blood Queen. 

Armies amass to the south as powerful forces from the Jlantrian and Den'nari Empires make ready to clash with the monstrous Black Army and its frightful leader, the black giant called Ghul, agent of the Cabal and ally of the dreaded Iron Count.

And deep in the heart of the black tower, the dream witch Ijanna Taivorkan comes face-to-face with the dark angel Calladar, once guardian to the Blood Queen and self-appointed master of the citadel.  Only the fallen knight Azander Dane can help her survive her trials, but first he must face the demons of his past, as well as a merciless squad of Jlantrian hunters sent to destroy the woman he's sworn to protect...

Return to a world of dark magic, tainted heroes and dark plots in this action-packed sequel to City of Scars and Path of Bones.



Excerpt from The Black Tower~


He woke in a room of white stone.  Light dripped down rectangular pillars surrounding a raised plinth at the center of the chamber.  Dane’s wounds had healed and he was wide awake.  His skin was hot and flushed with sweat beneath his armor and helmet, and he stood there, disoriented, trying to gather his bearings.  Everything was too bright, and the walls seemed coated with pure ice.
Dane stood, waiting, his nerves on edge and his muscles tense.  He had no recollection of how he’d come to stand in that chamber.  He looked himself over and realized he wore a new suit of Dawn Knight’s armor, black and gold plate and chain mesh lined with padded leather on the inside.  Leaning against one of the pillars were a dark shield and a vra’taar with pure white blades and a central hilt bound in black cloth.
He didn’t move.  The air was still and cold, and all he heard was the creak of metal and his own labored breaths.
He should have been dead. 
Maybe this is heaven, he thought, and he nearly laughed aloud.  If there was such a place, it surely wasn’t meant for him.
Fear knotted in his stomach like a hunk of bad meat.  After a time, Dane finally stepped off the plinth.  The metal boots scraped loud on the stone, and each step sent hard echoes through the chamber.  It was difficult to see the walls since they was so pure white, like stepping into the heart of a blizzard.
“Are you prepared?”
Calladar’s sudden appearance nearly made Dane jump out of his skin.  He’d left the sword and shield leaning against the pillar. 
The angel seemed a blasphemy in such a pale place, with his chiseled black armor and bladed wings, his scarred face and the stains of dark blood he left pooling on the floor.  The sight of the creature chilled Dane’s soul.  His frosted white eyes watched Dane without blinking, and the soiled metal wings folded and unfolded with an ear-grating scratch of steel.
“Where am I?” Dane asked.  “What do you want from me?”
“This is the Sanctum.”  Calladar’s voice pounded through Dane’s skull.  “A place of healing, and preparation.”
“Am I still in Chul Gaerog?” Dane asked.
“Yes,” Calladar said.  “And you will never leave.”
The sword was well out of reach, and Dane hesitated to Touch the Veil in that place, and in that creature’s presence.  There was little doubt Calladar was the master of Chul Gaerog, and Dane had a sense that the bleeding seraph could have killed him whenever he wanted to.
“Where’s Ijanna?” Dane demanded. 
 




Path of Bones (The Skullborn Trilogy #2)
Blurb:
Return to the world of Malzaria in the highly anticipated sequel to the best-selling epic fantasy adventure CITY OF SCARS.

Hunted by Empires and crime lords alike, Ijanna Taivorkan and the young warrior Kath Cardrezhej make their way north through the dire Bonelands, a twisted wastelands populated by unnatural terrors. Hoping to find the answers to her dark destiny and driven by a need to escape her fate, Ijanna won't rest until she locates the last of the Skullborn.

Azander Dane, fallen Dawn Knight, pursues Ijanna to help her as a way of making amends for the crimes of his past. Aided by an exiled giant and gripped by a magical disease that is slowly driving him mad, Dane must brave the dangers of the Phage-controlled city of Kaldrak Iyres in order to reach the Dream Witch in time.

Beset at every turn by evil magic, powerful assassins and dark revelations, Dane and Ijanna will ultimately find themselves in the ruined city of Corinth, where ancient artifacts may hold the key to the world's salvation...or its untimely doom.

Path of Bones is the second volume of The Skullborn Trilogy. The first volume, City of Scars, is now available; the third volume, The Black Tower, will be released in 2014.




City of Scars (The Skullborn Trilogy #1)
Blurb:
It’s been three decades since the Blood Queen led her legions on a brutal campaign of conquest and destruction, and the Empires are still struggling to rebuild. Now, in the distant aftermath of the war, the real battle is about to begin.

Haunted by the crimes of his past, fallen knight Azander Dane ekes out a mercenary existence as he drifts from one city to the next. His latest job is to hunt down Ijanna Taivorkan, a powerful outlaw witch desperate to escape her destiny.

Dane and Ijanna find themselves in Ebonmark, the City of Scars, where deadly crime guilds and shadowy agents of the White Dragon Empire prepare for a brutal confrontation. Pursued by apocalypse cults, mad alchemists, exiled giants and werewolf gangs, Dane and Ijanna soon learn a deadly lesson – in Ebonmark, only the cruelest and most cunning can survive.

City of Scars is the first volume of The Skullborn Trilogy, an all new epic fantasy adventure from the author of Blood Skies.




About the Author:
Steven Montano is an author, geek, and accountant.  He also spends way too much time drinking wine, hiking, and watching bad 80s movies. 

Steven is the author of the Blood Skies series, the Skullborn Trilogy, and something black...

His upcoming novels are The Last Acolyte, the first novel in the military sci-fi/space opera sequence The Rike Chronicles; The Alchemist, the first in the paranormal action Tooth & Claw series; and Colder, a mystery/thriller.

Steve and his family live in Michigan.  They’re still wondering how they got there. 

Find out more at http://steven-montano.com/


Goodreads Book Giveaway

Vampire Down by Steven Montano

Vampire Down

by Steven Montano

Giveaway ends December 10, 2014.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.
Enter to win

1 comments:

Daezarkian13 on November 27, 2014 at 4:26 AM said...

Thank you so much for participating in the tour!

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