Rewrite the rules of the game in the next installment of this hilarious and epic illustrated series about a middle schooler whose gaming fantasies become his reality. "My favorite new fantasy series.” —Max Brallier, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Last Kids on Earth series After the universe-altering events of his last adventure, Ben Whitlock is trapped in an endless magical nap, and nobody across the realms knows how to wake him. But that won’t keep his loyal quest party from trying their hardest. Merv searches the seemingly endless House of Reflection for a cure, while Niara, Agnes and Drake return to Lux, where it all began, to find answers from their ultimate enemy (although they have so many these days, it's hard to keep track). Meanwhile, Ben is stuck with the Spellbinder who first got him into this mess in a mind-bending dream world...and it appears his mind is the one that's bent. Can he escape before it finally breaks? Fighting their way back to one another, the party must face their greatest desires and their greatest fears. But when you play with magic, the rules are always being rewritten...and nothing is as it seems. Andrew Auseon is the author of several books for children and young adults, and he is the writer of numerous bestselling and award-winning video games. A transplant from the Midwest, he lives in Washington, D.C. with his family and two very naughty cats. He loves breakfast cereal, the sound of the ocean, and the feeling of a brand-new book in his hands. 1 Dream Level I “HUZZAH!” Ben slashed at the shambling ogres as claws of lightning cascaded through the storm behind him. “PREPARE TO MEET MR. NASTY PANTS!” He swung his mighty sword, and thunder rolled. “High up on the broken remains of the watchtower, the arch sorcerer gazed down at the fiery battlefield, and he watched with mounting dread as the armies of the Underlands marched ever closer. He spotted giants, ghouls, and fiends of the wilderness among their growing numbers. They reached the base of the barricade and beat against its mossy stones, crying out in a chorus of hunger and rage. They would keep coming from dawn to dusk until the wall was breached, and then they would keep coming, endlessly, until the kingdom had fallen and its people had surrendered to their despair. “And as usual, Ben Whitlock was the last thing standing before the forces of evil and utter destruction.” No, that wasn’t right. . . . The booming voiceover narration paused, its echo hanging awkwardly in the thick, smoky air. He could do better. “As it was in the beginning, it would be in the end: Ben Whitlock, savior of the wastes, was civilization’s last hope.” It was an improvement, sure, but something still seemed a little, well . . . braggy. Ben struck a heroic pose with a sword in one hand and the Gauntlet of Fury strapped onto the opposing wrist; this mythical piece of armor gave him the power to “punch with the fury of a thousand punches,” which didn’t make a lot of sense, but as with most things in the fantasy world, it sounded cool enough for him not to care. “Ben Whitlock, the long-lost prince and totally ripped barbarian from the snowy canyons of waste, faced his final battle.” It was almost too easy. The Last Watch The only remaining fortress of the Order of the Night Brothers, this ancient ruin stands vigil over the salty seas of the Influenza Coast. It is home to a towering signal fire used to summon neighboring kingdoms in times of great trouble, or to make really big shadow puppets. Rent: 400 gold coins. Call: 325-VIGIL. Ask for Terry. FEATURES • Weekly feasts, bottomless ale • Hosts the spirits of many legendary warriors, including Mel the Magnificent (yes, that Mel the Magnificent) • Farts allowed Sighing, he stepped down from the overlook, annoyed at his tendency to revise as he wrote. Was this really his final battle? Every fight couldn’t be the last one. Not if he wanted to continue the adventure afterward. Of course, he could always switch characters; maybe to the part-man, part-machine secret agent in the futuristic cyber city; or Brother Sebastian Awesomesauce, the fifteenth-century monk who was trying to solve a murder in a monastery where everybody had taken a vow of silence. The possibilities were endless. Half the fun of role playing was ditching an unfinished character and starting a new one from scratch. This was what he’d always imagined--to be the hero at the center of every story. “Watch out,” said a voice behind him. “You’ve got some berserkers coming up on your left. Ogres, right? Nasty suckers.” Confused by the interruption, he turned. Instead of his regular ally in the battle--General Lotus, commander of the Elvin Armies of Morn--a different figure sat perched on the nearest parapet, legs crossed, looking comfortable in her blue jeans and white lab coat, and seeming absolutely at peace with the carnage taking place around her. He didn’t recognize her at first. She was middle-