To stay alive and return home, Rebecca and her friends must strike the Master of Shadows at the source of his powers, a crumbling castle fiercely guarded by the Shadow Spies.

To stay alive and return home, Rebecca and her friends must strike the Master of Shadows at the source of his powers, a crumbling castle fiercely guarded by the Shadow Spies.

The time has come to confront the Master of Shadows. Rebecca, Max, and Theo must follow Grandpa Gabe into the heart of the Master's realm, the Tower of Shadows. But can Grandpa Gabe be trusted? There's a reason he's so familiar with the dark powers that rule Elsewhere: he created them. Grandpa Gabe's plan might just be a suicide mission, but it's their last chance to save our world?and Rebecca's life.

From the boundless imagination and talented pen of a young storyteller springs the fabulous first novel in a major new epic fantasy series. Steeped in the traditions of its classic forebears, yet boldly original in its vision and sense of wonder, The Tower of Shadows swells with heroism, sings with enchantment, and carries the reader at full gallop into a marvelously wrought world of breathtaking adventure. Untold ages ago, vainglorious spirits battled with the three gods in a bid for dominion over all—only to be defeated and banished below the earth to fester in their unquenchable evil. One of these vengeful demons eventually broke free and rained bloody death upon an innocent village in the land of Ellynrie. Few survived. The Starcross brothers, mere children orphaned by their parents’ slaughter, suffered very difficult fates. Corin Starcross was delivered to safety by the wizard Dale, while his brother, Cade, was abandoned to the flames that devoured their childhood home. Likewise, the mercenary Wren Tident saved his infant daughter, Kayla, from the monstrous fate that claimed her mother. When the demon retreated to its black abyss, the haunted souls left in its murderous wake did their best to carry on—save for one, who vowed retribution. When Cade Starcross reappears, he immerses himself in a secret study of the blackest arts, and a grim dance of destiny begins. His humanity withered by grief and his mind twisted by his apprenticeship to darkness, Cade seeks to use sorcery to wreak vengeance on his demon nemesis. But in order to succeed, a dagger of unearthly power wrought by the gods themselves must be found. And the blood of Cade’s brother, Corin Starcross, must be spilled. Yet all of Cade’s fury and magic will prove no match for the evil set free upon the earth. By any means and at all costs, the doomed vendetta must be stopped. A fledgling wizard, a tormented warrior, and a young girl burning with her father’s untamed spirit must rally together as the only hope of a world poised perilously at the abyss.

Rebecca, Noah, Max and Theo discover a passageway into another world in the abandoned house of Grandpa Gabe, Rebecca's grandfather. When Rebecca and Max are trapped on the other side of the passageway, Noah and Theo rush to their aid. In ElseWhere they meet monsters, wicked spies called Shadows, and strangers who become friends. They use their wits, brawn, and light to fight off the Shadows?and to protect our own world.

In the Shadow of the Towers compiles nearly twenty works of speculative fiction responding to and inspired by the events of 9/11, from writers seeking to confront, rebuild, and carry on, even in the face of overwhelming emotion. Writer and editor Douglas Lain presents a thought-provoking anthology featuring a variety of award-winning and best-selling authors, from Jeff VanderMeer (Annihilation) and Cory Doctorow (Little Brother) to Susan Palwick (Flying in Place) and James Morrow (Towing Jehovah). Touching on themes as wide-ranging as politics, morality, and even heartfelt nostalgia, today’s speculative fiction writers prove that the rubric of the fantastic offers an incomparable view into how we respond to tragedy. Each contributor, in his or her own way, contemplates the same question: How can we continue dreaming in the shadow of the towers? Skyhorse Publishing, under our Night Shade and Talos imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of titles for readers interested in science fiction (space opera, time travel, hard SF, alien invasion, near-future dystopia), fantasy (grimdark, sword and sorcery, contemporary urban fantasy, steampunk, alternative history), and horror (zombies, vampires, and the occult and supernatural), and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller, a national bestseller, or a Hugo or Nebula award-winner, we are committed to publishing quality books from a diverse group of authors.

Rebecca, Max, Theo, and Noah continue their journey through the other world in search of a way home, pursued by the Shadow Spies and the mysterious Master of Shadows.