The Five: Volume 1 (Sword of Nalin) - Tapa blanda

"How common is magic, really?" It was a simple question, but it didn't come with a simple answer. That answer always depended on both where you were asking it, and what you defined as magic. Zern found out just how little magic mattered when her home was attacked and her brother murdered by an ancient sorceress who had the power of alien technology far beyond anything she could have imagined. In the chaos, the fear took over and she forgot all her training. She panicked, and she used powers she didn't quite understand to do something she hadn't thought through. Now she found herself trying to help three confused scientists and their friend escape the same dangerous moth-eaten grudge that she herself was caught in. The four heroes she sought to join the Five were willing, but not able, to fend off Ciel Aria and her sycophants. Now their goal was simple: Stay low and prepare until the right time, and then strike with a fury no one expected. But there were complications, including the evil that haunted her dreams and sapped her life, taunting and humiliating her by exhibiting his complete control over her unconscious mind. The thrilling adventure beings here, and weaves through lands ruled by horrible despots, a religious rebellion against the crown, and an age-old conflict between forces beyond the worlds of men. "How common is magic, really?" The answer is forthcoming.

When he isn't trying to become the next most interesting man in the world, Adam Lawson is creating: the many worlds that he runs in his head, or some form of computer programming. Born and raised in the Southeast United States, he's been writing in one way or another since not too far after he learned to read -- and has no intention of stopping any time soon.