The end has come ... not only for the Outcasts but all of Dulunae. Dormant volcanoes awaken and explode, pouring fire streams across the surface. From the inferno emerge Antibody Omegas, the ultimate agents of death and destruction. Their single mission is to pave the way for the malevolent being known only as CH'NOPS. CH'NOPS rises slowly, inevitably, from the depths of the planet, fulfilling its dark destiny. Meanwhile, the intrepid band of teenaged girls and boys known as Outcasts forge their way to HayVen, a place of safety that may or may not exist. In past adventures, they have relied on a young man named Jax to scout for safety and the miraculous baby named Found to guide them. Now, Jax is missing. And Found becomes ill. As powerful birds known as G'unk-g'unks carry the Outcasts through treacherous terrain, ravenous animals of all descriptions lurk in the darkness. Grim alliances form. Shadow Beasts emerge with dubious motives as a key to victory ... or brutal defeat. Join Gyro, Marina, Jax, Lynai'seth and the other Outcasts as they race towards their destiny in this, the last chapter of the thrilling Shadow Beasts series. All will be revealed in the shocking end to ... The Final Battle of the Beasts.
I first knew I wanted to be a writer at age 9 when my mother lugged home an old, beaten up Royal typewriter with twisted keys. I gazed at the strange name, QWERT YUIOP, on the second line under the numbers. I knew QWERT and I would be friends. I pounded away at the Royal for hours on end to my grandmother's chagrin, composing very short stories about living lightning, malevolent mud monsters and sinister prairie grass. I was from Illinois, where these things can be found.
QWERT and I kept pounding out stories through grade school and high school. My grandmother warned me to stop the pounding, but my mom said it was okay while she was at work. In college, I studied art and writing and won a short story contest. I kept writing, kept publishing, kept typing up to my time at a Great Midwestern Newspaper, when the era of the Royal gave way to the computer. QWERT survived the change.
Then came the Shadow Beasts and The Outcasts. I hope you enjoy them.
Best,
Gregory Janicke
www.gregoryjanicke.com
