The Island

The worst has come and one man must rise to lead the fight against it. . . .

He thought hed seen the worst . . .

No one knew about the Strangers from beyond Noreela, and it was the Cores job to make sure it stayed that way. Kel Boon was once an agent of the lands most secret organization, tracking, observing, and eliminating the Strangers as part of an elite Core team. But then one horrifying encounter left his superior officerand loverdead, along with many innocents. And Kel has been running ever since.

But the worst was still to come. . . .

Forsaking magic, living as a simple wood-carver, Kel came to the fishing village of Pavmouth Breaks to hide. But when a mysterious island appears out to sea during a cataclysmic storm, sending tidal waves to smash the village, his Core training tells him to expect the worst. How can he warn the surviving villagersespecially the beautiful young witch Namiorthat the visitors sailing in from the island may not be the peace-loving pilgrims they claim to be? That this might be the invasion the Core has feared all along . . . and that he, Kel Boon, may be Noreelas last chance?

"Stoker-winner Lebbon returns to the magic-saturated land of Noreela (most recently the setting for 2008's Fallen) for this gripping adventure. Kel Boon deserted the Core, a secret organization that hunts the mysterious Strangers who spy on humans, after one mission went badly and his lover was butchered. Now settled in an isolated fishing village, Kel is shocked when the island of Komadia appears in the ocean after a devastating tsunami. Distrustful of the seemingly benign Komadians, Kel and his new inamorata, the young witch Namior, make a clandestine trip to the island. What they find ends Kel's dreams of safe anonymity. While slightly less intense than earlier Noreela tales that slid from dark fantasy into horror, this solidly constructed tale offers hope that the compelling protagonists can achieve believable heroism if they're willing to pay for it." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Lebbon brings readers back into the realm of Noreela, to a time between the dark and memorable ("Publishers Weekly") "Fallen" and the award-winning works "Dusk" and "Dawn," with these chilling tales of the macabre.

Tim Lebbon has won two British Fantasy awards, a Bram Stoker award, and a Tombstone award, and has been a finalist for International Horror Guild and World Fantasy awards. Several of his novels and novellas are currently under option in the USA and the UK. He lives in South Wales with his wife and two children.