OUT ON THE STREETS… By 2053, the return of magic to the world has filled the streets of Chicago with beings and creatures from mythology. For those in the politically dominant mega-corporations, the underworld, and everywhere in between, it is a time of chaos and wonder—and incredible opportunities ripe for the taking. For fifteen-year-old Peter Clarris, transformed by his Awakened genes from a human into a troll, the forces of magic are a curse to be broken with science. Torn from the comfortable biotech fast-track of his childhood, he becomes a pariah, shunned by friends and strangers alike. Now, living among the outcasts—the underclass of orks and trolls, the criminal societies of gangsters and shadowrunners—he grows up pursuing the elusive means of controlling his own genes, and ultimately his own destiny. But the Windy City’s shadows are dark and deep, and when Peter comes across a real chance to fulfill his dream of reversing the change that was forced upon him, it may cost more than he’s willing to pay—before he’s through, it may cost him his life…

WHO UNDERSTANDS THE WAYS OF ELVES AND DRAGONS? Some say dragons are the most powerful beings in the Sixth World. Certain elves disagree with that belief in the strongest, most violent terms. An ork of the Seattle ghetto, Kham usually worries about more mundane problems. Day-to-day existence in the now magically active world of 2053 is already tough enough. But all that is about to change. Drawn into a dangerous game of political and magical confrontation, Kham not only learns to never deal with a dragon—he also discovers that trusting an elf might just be the death of him...

ESTIMATED LIFE SPAN: 12 MINUTES It started out as a simple Matrix run, but now five deckers are trapped inside a nightmarish virtual landscape where jacking out is an impossibility--and what waits has all the hallmarks of the afterlife: tunnels of brilliant light, greetings from long-dead friends and family...and the terrifying sense of being juggled between Heaven and Hell. But in this computer-generated netherworld, there is only one thing that can be trusted. And it isn't the senses... ...THE COUNTDOWN BEGINS It's the uncommon experience the deckers have in common: a near brush with death. It has brought them together in this hell-raising realm and under the influence of a twisted intelligence with diabolical plans for the unwary travelers in grid-time. Having their minds and souls extinguished before the Matrix-scape crash is only the beginning of the puzzle. Discovering why will be the end. A dead end...