About this item
Jim Butcher, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Dresden Files and the Codex Alera novels, conjures up a new series set in a fantastic world of noble families, steam-powered technology, and magic-wielding warriors... Since time immemorial, the Spires have sheltered humanity. Within their halls, the ruling aristocratic houses develop scientific marvels, foster trade alliances, and maintain fleets of airships to keep the peace. Captain Grimm commands the merchant ship Predator. Loyal to Spire Albion, he has taken their side in the cold war with Spire Aurora, disrupting the enemy's shipping lines by attacking their cargo vessels. But when the Predator is damaged in combat, Grimm joins a team of Albion agents on a vital mission in exchange for fully restoring his ship. And as Grimm undertakes this task, he learns that the conflict between the Spires is merely a premonition of things to come. Humanity's ancient enemy, silent for more than ten thousand years, has begun to stir once more. And death will follow in its wake...
About the Author
Jim Butcher read his first fantasy novel when he was seven years old--the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. By the time he turned eight, he'd added the rest of the Narnia books, the Prydain Chronicles, every book about Star Wars he could find, a great many Star Trek novels and the Lord of the Rings to his count.So he was pretty much doomed from the start.Love of fantasy, his personal gateway drug, drew him toward a fairly eclectic spread of interests: horseback riding (including trick riding, stunt riding, drill riding, and competitive stunt racing) , archery, martial arts, costuming, music and theater. He played a lot of role-playing games, a lot of fantasy-based tactical computer games, and eventually got into live-action roleplay where players beat each other up with boffer weapons.So, really, he can fly his nerd flag with pretty much anyone, and frequently does.He took up writing to be able to produce fantasy novels with swords and horses in them, and determinedly wrote terrible fantasy books until, just to prove a point to his writing teacher, he decided to take every piece of her advice; fill out outlines and worksheets, and design stories and characters just the way she'd been telling him to do for about three years. He was certain that once she saw what hideous art it produced, she would be proven wrong and repent the error of her ways. The result was the Dresden Files, which sure showed *her*.She has not yet admitted her mistake and recanted her philosophy on writing.Jim has performed in dramas, musicals, and vocal groups in front of live audiences of thousands and on TV. He has performed exhibition riding in multiple arenas, and fallen from running horses a truly ridiculous number of times. He was once cursed by an Amazon witch doctor in rural Brazil, has apparently begun writing about himself in the third person, and is hardly ever sick at sea.He also writes books occasionally.Jim stands accused of writing the Dresden Files and the Codex Alera. He's plead insanity, but the jury is still out on that one. He lives in Missouri with his wife, romantic suspense and paranormal romance writer Shannon K. Butcher (who is really pretty and way out of his league) , his son, and a ferocious guard dog.
