Staying alive won’t be hard. All she has to do is abandon the children.
Crossing the Nullarbor desert, Jess McTiernan does not expect to become the unwilling guardian of a child Empress from a different world.
Jess is leaving her old life, job and abusive husband behind when the Empress Vi and her murderous pre-teen soldier companion fall into her life. On their heels are General Utara and a squad of vicious soldiers, determined to bring home the Empress’s head – with or without the rest of her attached – and leave no witnesses behind.
Fighting to stay one step ahead of Utara’s forces, while avoiding both the police and a shadowy government agency with mysterious goals, they will find the greatest danger lies much closer at hand.
The Crystal Crown is the first book in The War of the Exiles, a four-book modern-day sci-fi action adventure. Our world and theirs collide in this character-driven, fast-paced and thought-provoking high-concept novel.
Discover the fate of The Crystal Crown today.
Dan has qualifications in science, communications and information management. He has worked as a science communicator, a web programmer, a market research engineer and a librarian. Currently he works in software engineering and support. He writes works of magic realism in the genres of science fiction and fantasy with a distinctly Australian edge.
Dan lives in eastern Australia with his daughter, who is in charge, his wife, who is definitely in charge, and his two cats, who think they are in charge.
When he’s not writing, Dan enjoys performing and composing music on piano and Hammond organ, oil painting and playing tennis.
Look out for Army of Exiles: War of the Exiles Book 2. Coming in 2024.
Nice new review from Reader Views. They liked it. “An impressive science fiction drama that never disappoints… Payne brings magic and science fiction, making portals come to life in a human story we can relate Read more…
“This is all your own fault, you know,” said the owl. The beggar had been steadfastly ignoring his avian goad for the last hour, but this was too much to be borne. “I see,” he Read more…
>EVENT NEWVOICE: IDENT SCRIBE KEVAN There’s a crack in the sky tonight, and through it I can see the stars. I’d like to run down the hill and tell Katje. We sometimes lay down side Read more…