The Russian author’s international-bestselling series begins with this “well-written, well-paced grown-up fantasy with a strong dose of reality” (Kirkus Reviews). Fandomania.com’s #1 Book of 2009 To put it bluntly, Max Frei is a loser. He spends his day sleeping and at night he smokes, eats, and loafs around because he can’t catch a wink. But then he gets lucky. Through his dreams, he begins to contact a parallel world where magic is a daily practice—and, strangely, Max seems to fit right in. Once a social outcast, he’s now known in this new world of Echo as the “unequalled Sir Max.” He’s a member of the Department of Absolute Order, formed by a species of enchanted secret agents; his job is to solve cases involving illegal magic. And he’s about to embark on a journey down the winding paths of this strange and unhinged universe. “Fans of Jasper Fforde and Susanna Clark will happily jump into Frei’s world.” —USA Today “If Harry Potter smoked cigarettes and took a certain matter-of-fact pleasure in administering tough justice, he might like Max Frei, the protagonist of this fantasy novel.” —Kirkus Reviews

The Blade of Anubis is the action-packed sequel to The Chronicles of Stranger, full of danger, mysteries, twists, magic, and battles. In this book, Stranger, now thirteen, truly begins his training as a magician and god. Delve into his mind as well as his adventures while Stranger begins to discover who he really is. The gods have offered him a spot at their god training camp; its a decision that might change his life forever. Will Stranger live to see the day or see his untimely demise? Meanwhile, the Great Serpent of Chaos himself has managed to seep just a wriggle of his essence from his otherworldly prison, spreading chaos and evil in his wake. Concurrently, monsters are being set loose all over the country, causing chaos to ravage the mortals of the earth. Yet Stranger takes more onto his already laden shoulders. Anubis has disappeared, and Stranger has taken it upon himself to find him. Without Anubis, the underworld is back up. The souls of the damned cannot be judged, and the worlds foundations are weakening. A strange woman in white keeps appearing to Stranger. Who is she, and what does she want from him? Can Stranger prepare himself for whats to come and save the world? If he cant, more will be lost than just his life . . .

" This is the story of a very strange boy and his arcane adventures. Through a series of freak coincidences and odd happenings in his otherwise ""normal"" life, young Stranger finds out that he is from a family of wizards. Magic has been real and under his nose his entire life. With this he is plunged headlong into a fantastic new world full of demons, battles, and wizardry. Stranger's world is flipped upside down when he finds out that not only do gods exist, but that two separate pantheons work together as one. However, not all of these gods are upstanding, peaceful immortals. Some seek the destruction of the planet and others seek to conquer it. With his new magical power, will he fulfill the prophecies of the gods? Will he seal away the evil immortals of this age?"

" The Blade of Anubis is the action-packed sequel to The Chronicles of Stranger, full of danger, mysteries, twists, magic, and battles. In this book, Stranger, now thirteen, truly begins his training as a magician and god. Delve into his mind as well as his adventures while Stranger begins to discover who he really is. The gods have offered him a spot at their god training c& it's a decision that might change his life forever. Will Stranger live to see the day or see his untimely demise? Meanwhile, the Great Serpent of Chaos himself has managed to seep just a wriggle of his essence from his otherworldly prison, spreading chaos and evil in his wake. Concurrently, monsters are being set loose all over the country, causing chaos to ravage the mortals of the earth. Yet Stranger takes more onto his already laden shoulders. Anubis has disappeared, and Stranger has taken it upon himself to find him. Without Anubis, the underworld is back up. The souls of the damned cannot be judged, and the world's foundations are weakening. A strange woman in white keeps appearing to Stranger. Who is she, and what does she want from him? Can Stranger prepare himself for what's to come and save the world? If he can't, more will be lost than just his life . . . "

The reporter, Brian Clifford, has no other alternative but to believe that a stranger, with extraordinary power, has been spreading goodness in his wake. He has also learned that stranger gives new meanings to works such as love, duties, fellowman, brothers and sisters in humanity.

The reporter, Brian Clifford, has no other alternative but to believe that a stranger, with extraordinary power, has been spreading goodness in his wake. He has also learned that stranger gives new meanings to words such as love, duties, fellowmen, brothers and sisters in humanity.