Showing results by author "Joseph Lallo" in All Categories

The islands of Caldera are a shining jewel in a rather bleak world. A terrible calamity in the past had blanketed much of the world with a toxic "fug". Those who survived were forced to take to the mountains and the skies in wondrous airships. Life has since been a struggle, with only the most ruthless and crafty able to survive. To spare themselves the same fate, the Calderans erected a battery of guns to fend off the airships of the mainland. They isolated themselves from the madness of the world, choosing instead to focus on the pursuits of art and creativity.

Myranda Celeste is a young woman more interested in staying alive than being a hero. Orphaned by a continent-spanning war that has gone on for decades too long and shunned for failing to support it, she has been on the move since she was only a child. One can hardly blame her when she thinks that the chance discovery of a fallen soldier's priceless cargo is the moment that will change her life. No one could predict just how great that change would be. It will lead her through an adventure of rebels and generals, of wizards and warriors, and of beasts both noble and monstrous.

Following his last adventure, Trevor "Lex" Alexander's life has managed to return to normal. He's back to splitting his time between delivering packages and transporting passengers, along with the occasional foray into testing highly experimental equipment. He's even gotten back together with his girlfriend, Michella Modane, who has been launched to stardom by her coverage of the Bypass Gemini incident. Yes, things are going quite well for Lex. But in his life, luck like this never lasts long.

In the final novel of Joseph R. Lallo's Book of Deacon series, Myranda and the Chosen face their greatest challenges yet. Time is running out, and the Generals are growing desperate. Through victory and defeat, reunion and betrayal, neither the heroes nor their foes will rest until they have seen their task through to the end. The only question is, will it be the end of a war, or the end of times?

The Great Convergence continues the tale of young Myranda Celeste. With fresh knowledge of magic and steadfast resolve to see the end of the war that plagues her land, Myranda sets out to find and unite the five fated heroes, the Chosen. Each new warrior brings her world a step closer to peace, but does she have the strength to survive the trials ahead?

It has taken some adjustment, but Nita Graus has made quite a home for herself among the crew of the Wind Breaker. Under her skillful care it has become one of the only airships to stay aloft without the continuous repair and oversight of the vile and manipulative fug folk. Word of her adventures with Captain Mack, Gunner, Lil, Cooper, and Wink has made the whole crew into living legends among the residents of the mountain towns of Rim.

In a distant future, Trevor "Lex" Alexander was shaping up to be the next great race pilot until a fixed race got him banned from the sport. Reduced to making freelance deliveries, he thinks his life can't get any worse. That's when a package manages to get him mixed up with mobsters, a megacorp, and a mad scientist. Now his life depends on learning what their plans are, and how he can stop them.

Ever since Nita Graus left her homeland and joined the crew of the Wind Breaker, the reputation of the airship and its crew has been growing. The destruction of the mighty dreadnought, the escape from the legendary Skykeep, and the inexplicable ability to remain hidden from the ever-watchful eye of the Fug Folk have combined to make her and her fellow crew the stuff of legend. Alas, legendary heroes cannot exist for long without attracting a worthy villain. Luscious P. Alabaster strives to be just that foe.

What would you risk to do what you were born to do? Since college, Lex Alexander has had two loves. Hoversled racing and Michella Modane. Everything from mega-corporations to robot rampages have threatened to keep them apart. Now, at long last, Lex may finally get a chance to race again. Just one thing stands in his way: Michella herself. The people behind the league have a history in organized crime. Lex believes they’ve gone legit. Michella isn’t buying it. He’s desperate to get back on the track. She’s determined to find what the league is hiding.

After butting heads with the megacorporation known as VectorCorp, it was only a matter of time before Lex Alexander and his girlfriend, Michella Modane, would face the consequences. It is remarkable what a single corporate agent with the resources of a multiglobal conglomerate can do to a person's career. In the space of a few days, Lex is looking for work, and Michella is feeling pressure from the network to ease off the hard-hitting stories. Not one to be silenced, Michella quickly hatches a plan.

In a world where arcane contraptions are capable of just about anything, running an antique shop is a dangerous business. No one knows that better than the Masker family. Strict rules and cutthroat competitors have pushed them to the limit. They need to make a big sale soon or they just might go under.

In a small town in Colorado, Markus Spiros was just getting his life on track. By day he worked as a veterinary tech, by night he took classes. Then his impulsive Uncle Dimitrios threw a wrench in the works. Markus had to swing by his uncle’s bistro to tend to the "special oven." When he arrived, he discovered it wasn’t the oven that was special, it was the rare and exotic egg that had been incubating inside it. And now it had hatched. The creature was a Structophis Gastrigae - a strange creature that was equal parts dragon and oven - and she’d become quite a big girl. Large as a refrigerator and curious as a toddler....

For some creatures, running and hiding is the only way to stay alive. But no one can run forever. Sorrel and her twins are malanthropes, creatures hated by the people of their world. Years of searching for a place where they can be safe has brought them to a mysterious new land. It would be a paradise if not for the terrible beast who casts its shadow on the people who call it home. The Story of Sorrel is a short novel in the Book of Deacon series, picking up the story of Sorrel and her children shortly after The Rise of the Red Shadow left off.

Several months have passed since Nita’s last adventure in the fug, and though she has spent them back in her native Caldera, she has never been busier. After countless debates and discussion, she has finally convinced her people to give the Wind Breaker and its crew safe harbor on the shores of her idyllic homeland. Now she is looking forward to introducing Captain Mack, Lil, Coop, and the rest of the crew to the land of her birth.

When you've lived a life like his, the last thing you want is for history to repeat itself. Lex has teamed up with mad engineers, clashed with technology-obsessed terrorists, and faced murderous robot hordes. He's even traveled through time. He has skills no one in history has ever had. He'll need them.

It has been months since the Chosen finally defeated the D'Karon and the Perpetual War came to an end. Once warriors, Myranda, Deacon, Ivy, and Ether must now take on the role of diplomats in the ongoing task of preserving the unsteady peace between the lands of Tressor and the Northern Alliance. Generations of war have left a deep distrust between the people on both sides of the border, and any sign of treachery or hostility could cause a new war to flare.

Trevor "Lex" Alexander's life has been less than blessed. In the past year he's had to battle corrupt corporations, deranged techno-terrorists, and a robotic scourge. Now he's received the opportunity to finally return to the racing career that had been cut short by some poor decisions. One could excuse him for not wanting to be embroiled in another insane adventure when he is so close to returning to his life's calling. Sometimes the call of duty will not be denied.

The Northern Alliance and its southern neighbor, Tressor, have been at war for generations. Almost since the war began an assassin has stalked the northern lands, quickly becoming a legend among the people for both its skill and its elusiveness.

Freshly certified for forensics, Alan is ready to do something meaningful with his photography. He’s teamed up with his friend Jessie on the police force, and not a moment too soon. A serial killer seems to be copying the infamous Metro Ghoul. Lives hang in the balance, and the killer may be more than the police can handle without some help from the shadows.

In the chaos following the fall of the empire, Benita Castor wants nothing more than to live a nice quiet life. She thought she made all the right decisions. What could be safer than becoming an accountant? Where could she be more secure than the industrial fringe of the empire’s most civilized planet? Yet somehow, she finds herself in the employ of a crime boss and is shipped off to audit a recent acquisition in a forgotten corner of the system.