Book excerpt: The shadow loomed. Two eyes burned from it, devouring and all-consuming. Baleron felt a chill course down his spine. His fingers curled more tightly around the pommel of his sword. And then the ancient evil spoke … When Baleron’s brother is slain in a vicious attack, Baleron learns that the Dark Lord of legend is plotting to overthrow the goodly kingdoms of the Crescent, that fragile bulwark between the soft northern kingdoms and the foul empire of Oslog to the south. If the Crescent falls, so will the world. Hounded by agents of the Enemy, Baleron, the youngest son of the King of Havensrike, the black sheep of the royal family, returns to the capital city of the kingdom. There his father gives him one last assignment to redeem himself in the King’s eyes. But disaster strikes, his sister is taken, and the Enemy launches a devastating blow. Baleron learns a shocking secret, that he is tied to an ancient prophecy. The words of the prophecy say that he, Baleron Grothgar, will be the fated champion of the Dark Lord. War of the Black Tower is the story of Baleron’s quest to throw off this destiny, save his sister and his kingdom, and defeat the Dark Lord for good. This is the first volume in a sprawling, action-packed series by USA Today and New York Times bestselling author Jack Conner. If you like Terry Goodkind, R. A. Salvatore or J. R. R. Tolkien, you’ll love this thrilling dark epic fantasy.