"In the Shadows of Laeolin," the compelling conclusion to Matthew R. Bishop's "The Kingdom of the Free" series, throws Gendorn, Bendoraun, and Kamira into the middle of a confrontation of the world's greatest heroes and most treacherous villains and forces the three children to survive a world at war in the darkest corners of the night. Set in the shadow of the Black Tower in the center of the gigantic city of Laeolin, the story follows the three heroes through victory and loss all alike. From those shadows they must emerge as leaders among all men and women, or they will not emerge at all. Praise for "A Land of Our Own," Book One in "The Kingdom of the Free": Heartwarming, captivating, illuminating. Few novels master one element, let alone pull off the trifecta. I began the book on the subway and by the time I looked up, I was seven stops past my destination. - Daniel Zimnikov An excellent war-time fantasy epic that explores the human cost of freedom. - Anna Grossman I could not put it down. The words are overpowering...this is exactly the kind of book I love to read. - Carolyn Crochet