Books published by publisher Shadow Alley Press

Jace Warin never wanted anything more than to attend the School of Swords and Serpents to escape the labor camps and restore his family's stained honor.But the determined young martial artist soon discovers the school he's always dreamed about is teeming with secret plots and sinister designs. To survive, he will have to master long-lost jinsei techniques, repair his wounded soul, and face down a most unexpected enemy: The Academy's ruthless headmaster and cunning professors.Hollow is the first book in the School of Swords and Serpents series, a tale of wuxia adventure, cultivation mastery, and lurking threats.“Wow, this book is crazy-good. If the Harry Potter series were somehow violently smashed together with the characters from Mortal Kombat, you might have something that comes close to the School of Swords and Serpents.” —James A. Hunter, Bestselling Author of Rogue Dungeon, Bibliomancer, and the LitRPG epic Viridian Gate Online

If the destruction of Earth and extinction of humanity were imminent, how far would you go to survive? Would you kill your body to save your mind?Jack Mitchel is willing to risk everything to survive the apocalypse—including his essential humanity.An EMT in 2042 San Diego, Jack knows he won't survive the impact of the massive asteroid hurtling towards Earth. After all, he's not one of the handful of lucky lottery winners scheduled for rescue. But he did luck into a NexGenVR capsule, which means Jack can risk a one-way trip to the virtual reality world of Viridan Gate Online, a completely immersive online multiplayer fantasy role-playing game, or RPG. The transition to Viridian Gate Online (V.G.O.) is irreversible, and will kill Jack's corporeal form. And once players transition fully into the world of V.G.O., the risks aren't over—from cutthroat fellow players to greedy developers eager to replicate the wealth discrepancies of Earth in virtual reality, V.G.O. is just as dangerous as the 'real world' was. If Jack can’t game the system, he’s going to be trading in a quick death for a long, brutal one…LitRPG books combine tropes and themes from role-playing games with sci-fi and fantasy elements to tell a unique story that's exciting and super-relevant to today's world. Jack's adventures in a cutthroat virtual reality fantasy world will grip fans of Ready Player One and The Stormlight Archive alike. With over 200,000 copies sold, this is one series you don't want to miss!

It's back to school time for the world's only Eclipse Core, and the School of Swords and Serpents has never been deadlier.Fresh off his undefeated tour as the School Champion in the Five Dragons Challenge, Jace Warin is headed back to class as the most popular student on campus. No longer an outcast, Jace struggles to master the amazing abilities at his disposal as he is drawn deeper and deeper into the conspiracies that threaten to tear Empyreal society to shreds.As unknown enemies close in from every side, Jace must conquer what may be the darkest force of all—the deadly power in his own core.Eclipse Core is the second book in the bestselling School of Swords and Serpents series, a thrilling tale of conspiracies, cultivation mastery, and inner strength.

The Resistance is fractured. The remaining survivors are buckling under the might of the malicious Tyrant King. Enter Roark von Graf, hedge mage, lesser noble of Traisbin, and one of the last freedom fighters. Desperate and unhinged, Roark crafts one final attempt to overthrow the king. The plan goes awry, and Roark finds himself tumbling headfirst into an interdimensional portal. On the other side, he finds himself stranded in an unexpected place - an ultra-immersive fantasy video game called Hearthworld. Worse yet, he's taken the form of a low-level troll. Luckily, Roark managed to grab a powerful magic artifact that could defeat the king. It might not be game over after all. Dungeon Masters James Hunter and eden Hudson form an alliance with Audie award winner Nick Podehl and invite you to gear up with this new series. Get ready to level up, because this time the game is real.

Build. Evolve. Conquer. Welcome to the Dungeon...Roark von Graf—hedge mage and lesser noble of Traisbin—is one of only a handful of Freedom fighters left, and he knows the Resistance’s days are numbered. Unless they do something drastic…But when a daring plan to unseat the Tyrant King goes awry, Roark finds himself on the run through an interdimensional portal, which strands him in a very unexpected location: an ultra-immersive fantasy video game called Hearthworld. He can’t log out, his magic is on the fritz, and worst of all, he’s not even human. He’s a low-class, run-of-the-mill Dungeon monster. Some disgusting, blue-skinned creature called a Troll. At least there’s one small silver lining—Roark managed to grab a powerful magic artifact on his way through the portal, and with it he might just be able to save his world after all.Unless, of course, the Tyrant King gets to him first …“An excellent start to a series, this book has everything I look for in a fantasy novel: action, intrigue, and evolution!” — Dakota Krout, author of the Divine Dungeon and the Completionist ChroniclesFrom James A. Hunter, author of the litRPG epic Viridian Gate Online, and eden Hudson, author of Path of the Thunderbird and the Jubal Van Zandt Series, comes an exciting new litRPG, dungeon-core adventure you won’t want to put down!

October, 2042 An extinction-level asteroid, 213 Astraea, is cannonballing toward Earth. Collision, imminent. An international team of scientists is working around the clock to avert the cataclysm - few are optimistic. World governments are preparing for impact with deep earth bio-dome bunkers, but only a select few lottery winners will be saved. Jack Mitchel, a 32-year-old EMT living in a tiny studio apartment on the west coast, isn't one of those winners. Still, there might be a way for him to survive Astraea: a slim chance, requiring a radical leap of faith. Through a connection at Osmark Technologies, Jack's acquired a NexGenVR capsule and with it, a one-way ticket to the brand-new, ultra-immersive, fantasy-based VRMMORPG, Viridian Gate Online. Taking that leap of faith, though, means permanently trapping his mind in the game, killing his body in the process. Worse, one in six die during the transition, and even if Jack beats the odds, he'll have to navigate a fantastical world filled with vicious monsters, domineering AIs, and cutthroat players. And when Jack stumbles upon a secret conspiracy to sell off virtual real estate to the ultrawealthy - transforming V.G.O. into a new feudal dark age - the deadly creatures inhabiting Viridian Gate's expansive dungeons will be the least of his concerns. If Jack can't game the system, he's going to be trading in a quick death for a long, brutal one....

Jack and the crew of the Crimson Alliance have finally made it back from the Realm of Order, but the threat to Eldgard is deadlier than ever.Vogthar incursions are increasing, dungeons falling in droves, towns and cities ravaged by Darklings—Players and NPCs who have willingly sided with the Dark Overmind Thanatos. But thanks to a priceless artifact Jack found after defeating the Lich Priest, there might be a glimmer of hope on the horizon. Jack and company have unearthed a Doom-Forged relic, one part of an ancient weapon capable of killing even a god. But to assemble the legendary god-killer, they’ll need to find the other relics and locate the fabled Doom Forge of the Dwarven godling Khalkeús, all while unraveling a mystery five hundred years in the making.From James A. Hunter the author of the Yancy Lazarus Series, Bibliomancer, and the litRPG epic Rogue Dungeon!

The afterlife isn't always what you think…A loving father of three children, Albert lived a life of few regrets. He served his country far from home. He outlived his soulmate. He died alone.However, his assumptions about a peaceful eternity, reunited with his wife, are thrown out the window when a meddling god digs his fingers into Albert’s afterlife.The positive? He will have a chance to see his wife again.The negative? He has to survive the dangers of the legendary World Tree for the next three hundred years. He’s been reincarnated into a world full of magical evolutions, monstrous deer, sassy ten-year-old elves, and untold hidden dangers. It won’t be easy, but if life has taught Albert anything it’s this: If something is worth having, it's worth fighting for. And he intends to fight.

Build. Evolve. Conquer. The dawn of the Troll Nation has begun …Roark von Graf—former noble and hedge-mage, current mid-level mob in a MMORPG—has taken down the Dungeon Lord of the Cruel Citadel, but the battle has only started.Lowen, right hand to the Tyrant King, has come to Hearthworld, and he is building an army of his own. Worse, Lowen and company have taken over one of the most powerful dungeons in the game, The Vault of the Radiant Shield. Even as a Jotnar and a newly minted Dungeon Lord, Roark is supremely outclassed and he bloody well knows it. If he’s going to weather what’s to come and topple the Tyrant King, he’ll have to unlock the secrets of the stolen World Stone Pendant, master his new Hexorcist class, form some very unlikely allies, and most important ... Grief some heroes. Let the games begin!From James A. Hunter, author of the litRPG epic Viridian Gate Online, and eden Hudson, author of Path of the Thunderbird and the Jubal Van Zandt Series, comes an exciting new litRPG, dungeon-core adventure you won’t want to put down!

The dragons have returned from Shambala, and Empyreal society will never be the same.As Jace struggles to control his unraveling core, the immortal dragons challenge the Empyreals for control of the world's destiny. Thrust into a competition against the deadliest students from around the world, Jace must lead his team of friends to victory. If he fails, all of humanity will be bound to the will of the Scaled Council.And if the dragons don't defeat the Empyreals, dark forces within human society just might.The heretics have stepped up their attacks, pushing the Shadow Phoenix clan to the brink of annihilation. A conspiracy of the wealthy and powerful threatens to enslave a very special group of students. And the Inquisition has dark plans for the Eclipse Core.And, like his core, Jace is splitting at the seams. Torn between the need to stop the Grand Design from falling into clawed talons and his quest to find his mother and the answers she carries, the young warrior must dig deep within to overcome the forces aligned against him.Chaos Core is the third installment of the best-selling School of Swords and Serpents series.

December, 2042 The Imperial Legion marches, and war looms on the horizon.... Jack Mitchel and his misfit crew of rebels never wanted a fight with the Empire, but the time for diplomacy has passed. Ruthless tech genius Robert Osmark is coming, and trailing behind him is a vast army determined to wipe the Crimson Alliance from the face of Eldgard. Impossibly, Jack has united the warring Murk Elf clans under his banner, but even with their aid, the Alliance is still badly outnumbered, and Osmark has some nasty tricks up his sleeves. And while the long-awaited battle unfolds, an ancient evil stirs in the heart of Viridian Gate Online - one that will change the game forever.

Heal the world, or die trying. All Kyr ever wanted was to become a peaceful shaman in service to the Sevenfold Empire. But when his vision quest binds his core to the ferocious crimson bear, the young shaman discovers that he must face a much more dangerous challenge than a few sick villagers. A vile corruption is spreading through the world, threatening to utterly consume it. With only his trusty war club and his wits to guide him, Kyr must contend with the Emperor's elite headhunters, treacherous outlaws, and seductive spirits to purge the infection that threatens the land. Witch King is a cultivation harem novel featuring a headstrong protagonist, deadly enemies, explicit scenes of steamy good times, and buckets of crazy action. Pick up this brand new series from Nick Harrow, best-selling author of the Dungeon Bringer Series!