"For fans of the immersive worlds of George R. R. Martin and Patrick Rothfuss, and for those who may have found themselves addicted to television series like The Expanse or Ronald D. Moore's Battlestar Galactica: welcome to your new obsession."- David Bowen, MAYDAY Magazine Have you ever read of a war told from both sides? Planet Arc, capital planet of the Duathic Intergalactic Kingdom. It's the last day of a decade-long-war. Par Riordan is a "Taker," a 200-year-old cybernetic assassin assisted by his symbiotic Shade. Employed by a shadowy political cabal, Par hunts, spies, and kills for them in the hope they will one day find a cure for his terminally ill son. After a job where he's asked to kill an old friend, Par is summoned by his masters for a new and dangerous assignment: Travel to the war-ridden planet of Arc to kidnap or kill every member of the Etain royal family. Lieutenant Atticus Marius is the leader of Assassin platoon, an elite reconnaissance unit in service to the invading Coalition. Now, after a decade of war, they have cornered the Duathic King on his home planet of Arc. The day before they invade the capitol, Lieutenant Atticus finds himself at the tip of the spear under the command of a ruthless and ambitious new commander: Major Ioma. As each mission grows more dangerous than the last, friends become foes and Atticus is forced to ask where his true loyalties lie. Fel and Delea Etain are the daughters of the Duathic King Teum. Trapped in a war zone with enemies on all sides, the two sisters gather a small cadre of bodyguards as they attempt to escape in the dark of the night. However, only one sister truly wants to leave. While Delea tries to lead her little sister to safety, Fel is determined to follow a secret trail of clues down into a mysterious parallel universe known at the Other, a dark and dangerous world where her father is searching for a terrible weapon to defeat their enemies. Journey now into a story filled with soldiers, spies, and wayward princesses ... they all meet in the City Above and Below. Author's note: If you're still wondering if this is the book for you, check out the reviews below. To my knowledge, each one of them is real and authentic. The story of this novel was originally constructed during my tour of duty in Afghanistan. I sketched the first outline while on layover in Germany and once we were deployed, I just kept on writing. I drafted a lot of it on my free time between patrols and on some nights when the patrols were boring, I would hand chapters to my soldiers who would read them and give me feedback. The original plan was for this story to be a graphic novel or a web comic. Years later, I decided it would be better to turn the story into a novel, which I then wrote while studying for my Master's. I tell this story from the perspective of six different characters who occupy every side of the war. There are no real heroes here, just a lot of people trying to make it out alive. I had always wanted to write story like that and now I cannot wait to tell the rest of it. I am hoping to put out Book 2 next year as well as a shorter prequel novel. If you have any other questions or are looking for updates, you can sign up for my email list on my website: songsoftheweaver.com