❖ Readers' Favorite Gold Medalist
❖ First Place Winner, Dante Rossetti Award
❖ IAN Book of the Year Winner
Never meet your heroes. Especially if they're dead.
One such hero is Dantess' grandfather, a priest of War whose legend was born from a lifetime of glorious battles. Every day, fifteen-year-old Dantess trains to be just like his idol, hoping to join War's temple.
Only, his father sees the temple not as a hero's forge, but a grinder of idealistic souls like his son's. He forbids Dantess entry, but one rebellious act lands his father inside, a prisoner of the very god he despises.
Now Dantess faces a gut-wrenching choice: watch his father rot in War's dungeon, or become the monster his father fears—a priest whose extraordinary powers come from the God of War himself. Using those abilities in the temple's brutal arena, the Game of War, is the only path to freedom.
Dreams of glory curdle into a reality of blood and betrayal. Visions of his dead grandfather whisper dark secrets, twisting the priest's legacy into a web of lies. Can Dantess forge his own path or will his grandfather's hidden darkness claim him too?
If you like your epic young adult fantasy with a real edge, enter the Game of War, where Shadow and Bone meets the Game of Thrones in a heart-pounding battle for survival. Anyone craving action, magic, and a hero pushed to the brink should begin their journey now.
"Game of War, like its predecessor, Child of Chaos, is riveting and compelling. Introducing new, fascinating characters, adventures and relationships, Glen Dahlgren weaves another magical book that is a must-read for any fan of fantasy literature.
"The Game of War is one hell of an action-packed thrill ride... It's a heartfelt origin story, a gut-wrenching coming of age, and an exceptional character-driven epic fantasy which in many ways surpasses The Child of Chaos. I loved this book."
"Glen Dahlgren has mastered the art of storytelling."
"[The Game of War] is an exciting and fast-paced story packed with extended sequences that would be right at home in a Steven Spielberg movie. At the end, I was left wanting more, much more."
"The book is a true wonder whose fully-realized characters compel you to join its magical journey."
"A dark, immersive, and brand new take on a hero's journey. Dantess' story will keep you reading until the sun comes up!"
