Vault of Shadows (2) (The Nightsiders)

Milo must choose between risking his life to save both the human and magical universes—or to live and save only his own—in the explosive and fast-paced follow-up to the first novel in the Nightsiders series, which Kirkus Reviews called “the perfect mix of science fiction and magic” in a starred review.After joining forces with the magical Nightsiders and surviving a trip to the enemy Bugs’ Hive ship, Milo Silk still has a lot to fear. The Huntsman has pledged a revenge worse than death on Milo, a group of nefarious fairies are bent on taking back Earth, and zombie-like holo-men are trapping humans for the Bugs to take. Even more unsettling is that the Witch of the World has disappeared and a mysterious boy is haunting Milo’s dreams in her stead. But none of these threats compare to what may happen to the world if the humans and the Nightsiders don’t unite to fight for each other.

From School Library Journal

Gr 5 Up—In Maberry's second installment of the series, readers tag along for the few days following Milo's epic escape from under the Huntsman's nose. The story is beautifully crafted, with the perfect balance of paralyzingly intense action and intimate looks into Milo's fears and dreams. The rapid transitions from excerpts from the "Dream Diary" to present-day action will keep tween and teen readers glued to the story. The Nightsiders who team up with Milo are a lovable group. Evangelyne the werewolf is back, along with the Stone Guardian, who really steals the scene from time to time, and all of the other interesting "monsters" from the first story. The evil Huntsman, who is even more over-the-top since the last encounter with the hero, will continue to elicit genuine fear from readers, as he embodies almost every scary character trait imaginable. There is a strong emphasis placed on books and the power of reading, which will speak to both educators and many middle school students needing that extra push. VERDICT A solid series installment; a must-own where there are fans of the first "Nightsiders" adventure.—Chad Lane, Tulip Grove Elementary School, MD

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Vault of Shadows Chapter 1 Milo Silk was trying very hard not to die, but the day was not cooperating. It was that kind of day, in a week of days like that, and lately Milo seemed to have only those kinds of days and nothing else. This one was a classic. He ran through the thick foliage along the muddy banks of Bayou Sauvage, trying not to fall into the churning water, trying not to get eaten by alligators, and trying especially hard not to get shot by alien shocktroopers. He wouldn’t have bet a fried circuit board or a fused diode on his chances. All around him the Louisiana swamplands seemed to be filled with lurching shadows, bizarre shapes, and the clickety-click sound of insect legs. Blue pulses of phased energy burned through the air all around him. One blast was so close that it set his hair on fire and he had to slap his head to put it out. It wasn’t a big fire, but it was on his head, so it was big enough. The stink of burned hair chased him through the swamp. The hardest part, for Milo, was remembering that this was supposed to be an ambush. Supposed to be. It reminded him of an old saying his dad had said once when a bunch of things went wrong during a garage clean-out at their house: “When you’re up to your armpits in alligators, it’s easy to forget that you came here to drain the swamp.” Yeah. Milo hated that saying. Because there were alligators all over the place. And they wanted to kill him too.

About the Author

Jonathan Maberry is a New York Times bestselling author, five-time Bram Stoker Award winner, and comic book writer. He writes in multiple genres including suspense, thriller, horror, science fiction, fantasy, and adventure; and he writes for adults, teens, and middle grade. His works include the Joe Ledger thrillers, Glimpse, the Rot & Ruin series, the Dead of Night series, The Wolfman, The X-Files Origins: Devil’s Advocate, Mars One, and many others. Several of his works are in development for film and TV, including V Wars, which is a Netflix original series. He is the editor of high-profile anthologies including the X-Files books, Aliens: Bug Hunt, Out of Tune, Hardboiled Horror, Baker Street Irregulars, Nights of the Living Dead, and others. He lives in Del Mar, California. Visit him at JonathanMaberry.com and on Twitter (@JonathanMaberry) and Facebook.

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