BE A HERO ... IN THE ULTIMATE GAME Are you a top-rated gamer? Then you might have the skills to play The Game … in which Players are sponsored by real Demon Lords, Gods and Goddesses, or Lovecraftian nightmares. You will enter Thera, a kingdom at the crossroads of many other worlds. Don’t worry, there are the usual augmented-reality interfaces, character progression, and game mechanics you love. The stakes of The Game? Nothing less than Creation—every world in every universe and reality. So … no pressure. Thus Hector Savage, gamer extraordinaire, comes to Thera. Nothing can prepare him, though, for the schemes of Abyssal Lords, rampaging barbarian ghosts, and a host of other bad guys who want him dead—before he can even advance to fifth level! Eric Nylund is the New York Times bestselling author of 16 novels—including HALO: The Fall of Reach. Nylund has helped make over 50 video games such as Gears of War. He lives near rain-drenched Seattle. "It took me back to wonderful times of being a student and playing roleplaying games and yes, dreaming to be teleported to one of those worlds." --Sam Lake, Creative Director at Remedy Entertainment ( Max Payne, Alan Wake, Quantum Break ) "Beautifully rendered, engaging, epic. Hero of Thera was a pleasure to read and a welcome addition to a growing genre. I can't wait to read the next one!" --Harmon Cooper, author of The Feedback Loop and the Fantasy Online series " "Nylund's cast of characters is perfect. I'm already excited for their next adventure." --Leah Hoyer, Vice President of Creative at Telltale Games "Thera is a beautifully crafted world you'll thrill to adventure in!" --Danan Davis, Senior Producer, Cat Daddy Games & Lead Program Manager, FABLE "A roller coaster ride straight to the magnificent hell all gamers dream of." --J. Epps -- creative director, vr @ 2Bears, HTC "It should be no surprise that Nylund can keep a plot cooking along, or that his character work is characteristically strong. What is a surprise is that he can keep coming back with something fresh and fun. You can almost feel his glee right through the page. And I'll get him for it." --ERIC TRAUTMANN (Microsoft expat, comic book writer). "Nylund knows games and he knows how to keep you turning the pages. Deeply immersive and full of thrills, twists, and humor. Hero of Thera is a compelling read." -- Robert Ferrigno, New York Times bestselling author and Senior Narrative Designer, Amazon Game Studios "An absolute page-turner, I couldn't put it down. Great characters, compelling story line, and a believable world that's on a level with George Orwell. A brilliant example of LitRPG done right." --Zachariah Dracoulis , Author of the LitRPG series, Legends of Tarthirious "Nylund has deep knowledge of novels and game development, allowing him to trounce every boss monster with his mighty pen." --John Sutherland, Head of Narrative, Wargaming Seattle "Go pee and get your drink before sitting down to read this, because you won't want to stop once you start reading." --Scott Hedrick, coauthor of Deep Space, the interplanetary supplement for Cyberpunk 2020 "Eric Nylund brings the full force of his considerable video-game experience to bear in this fast-paced adventure. Game players and Fantasy fans alike will all find something to fall in love with in Hero of Thera ." --Kimberly Unger , Mobile/VR Producer, Gazillion Entertainment "Like any of the greatest games, you never want Hero of Thera to end; I can't wait to 'replay' it as I eagerly await the sequel!" --Kate Edwards, Executive Director, International Game Developers Association "Very entertaining! Gripping and authentic! This is a great translation of what it would be like to be a character in a video game." --Jerry Darcy, Lead Level Designer, Hardsuit Labs " Hero of Thera , a compelling cross-genre action masterpiece that doesn't neglect the intellectual aspects of gaming, hits like a lightning bolt. Players of RPG games and readers more generally, don't miss it." --Mike Brotherton, author of Star Dragon , Spider Star , professor of astronomy at the University of Wyoming, game enthusiast " Hero of Thera is like a dungeon sprint. Fast paced, full of combat and intrigue. Now that I'm done with the first module, I look forward to many more!" --Jason Schklar, Long time game industry vet and Champion of Light! "Super fun read, especially for anyone who loves RPGs. Nylund is a fantastic storyteller!" --Earnest Yuen, Executive Producer, Killer Instinct Hero of Thera is a special novel for me. The relatively new genre of LitRPG (stories about gamers and games) feels like what I've been preparing for my entire life--an avid gamer since I was a kid, making video games for 15+ years, and honing my writing skills for the last two decades (still working on that last one...).  :) I hope you enjoy reading Hero of Thera at least as much as I enjoyed writing it. PS: for fans of A GAME OF UN