This volume contains Books 4 and 5 of the I sland of Fog series. The fantasy-adventure saga follows a group of 12-year-old shapeshifters, able to transform into creatures of myth and legend...
Book 4: Lake of Spirits
"So that's it for her?" Simone said, unable to contain the wave of bitterness. "She's one of the lost?"
Jolie was just a one-year-old baby, part of an experimental shapeshifter program in Simone's world, when she turned into a jengu (one of the miengu water spirits) and stuck in that form. Faced with raising a creature they knew little about, the scientists had no choice but to hand Jolie over to others of her kind, the mysterious people of the lake.
Sixteen years later, Simone is busy introducing the next generation of shapeshifters to their new home. Hal and his friends are settling in at school when it occurs to Simone that, with the help of Abigail's little glass faerie ball and its ability to unlock deep-seated memories and abilities, she might be able to bring Jolie back into the human world. It's said that the miengu can heal the sick, and Jolie would be an invaluable asset to have aroundβthat is, if her enchanting beauty and mischievous ways don't escalate into disaster.
This is a tale of paranoia, betrayal, and impending doom. Like sirens luring ships onto rocks, Jolie seems sweet-natured at first... but Hal and his friends slowly discover that there's more to her than meets the eye. Can they figure her out before the proverbial ship smashes itself to bits?
Book 5: Roads of Madness
Emily Stanton was sick. They all knew it was a matter of time before she became too sick to walk, and after thatβwell, it didn't bear thinking about. Walking into the night was their only option. The sickness was worsening by the hour, and by morning she might not be able get to her feet. They had to make it to safety soon. But where was it safe? The city? Their old island?
Roads of Madness pits Hal and his friends against an enemy worse than dragonsβpeople! But not just ordinary people. Driven crazy by a terrible, unseen infection more than a decade before, and eking out a semblance of life in the bleak, deserted streets ever since, the only way for these people to survive is to hunt and scavenge. Their skin still burns and itches after all these years, a suffering that just won't end. The biosuited military calls them scrags. Marked by lesions and scars, they're easy to recognize... and best avoided.
Hal, Robbie, Abigail, and a very sick Emily know their island is farther along the coast, just beyond the city. There they hope to find a way back home. But they have a long road to travel; the city stands in their way and Emily might not last that long, for she carries with her a sickness of a different kind. Could things be any more dire?
Unfortunately, yes. Under normal circumstances, the journey would be fairly simple. As dangerous as the scrags are, they're no match for a fire-breathing dragon, an ogre, and a naga. And there's no way they could catch a nimble faeire! But magic has fled the land after the recent phoenix rebirth, and the shapeshifters find they can no longer transform...
The first three books of the series formed a trilogy, a three-part story that wrapped up at the end of Mountain of Whispers. Now, Lake of Spirits starts a new chain of events for the shapeshifters and leaves some of the children in a terrible situation...
About the Author
Keith Robinson writes magical fantasy fiction for children and middle-grade readers, although his books are suitable for all ages. The Island of Fog books feature a young group of shapeshifters in a world of dragons, centaurs, mermaids, and other creatures from myth and legend, while the Sleep Writer books are pure sci-fi adventure fun with wormholes and portals, aliens and UFO's, robots and gadgets, weird and exotic monsters from space, and oh yes, a spot of time travel as well.
Keith's books have received very positive feedback from readers of all ages including Piers Anthony (best-selling author of the Magic of Xanth series) and Writer's Digest.
Also the author of Quincy's Curse, and co-author of the Fractured series with Brian Clopper.
Visit Keith's website at UnearthlyTales.com.