This stunning epic fantasy debut introduces two exciting new authors—and a world brimming with natural and man-made wonders, extraordinary events, and a crisis that will test the mettle of men, the boundaries of magic, and the heart and soul of a kingdom.

Thanks to its elite Dragon Corps, the capital city of Volstov has all but won the hundred years’ war with its neighboring enemy, the Ke-Han. The renegade airmen who fly the corps’s mechanical, magic-fueled dragons are Volstov’s greatest weapon. But now one of its more unruly members is at the center of the city’s rumor mill, causing a distraction that may turn the tide of victory.

With Volstov immersed in a scandal that may have international repercussions, the Ke-Han devise an ingenious plan of attack. To counter the threat, four ill-assorted heroes must converge to save the kingdom they love: an exiled magician, a naive country boy, a young student—and the unpredictable ace airman who flies the city’s fiercest dragon, Havemercy.

But on the eve of battle, these courageous men will face something that could make the most formidable of warriors hesitate, the most powerful of magicians weak, and the most unlikely of men allies in their quest to rise against it....

Filled with adventure and discovery, treachery and betrayal, Havemercy is a thrill ride to the unexpected—and an unforgettable journey that will linger long after the fire of battle has cleared

"Jones and Bennett vividly convey the testosterone-saturated world of fantasy fighter pilots in this fast-paced debut. When the stereotypically Asian Ke-Han threaten the Volstov empire, graduate student Thom is sent to rehabilitate the Dragon Corps, an ersatz air force of rebellious, violent young men who fly enormous metal dragons animated by magic. As Thom struggles with his task, challenged most by the brutish ace Rook, the Margrave Royston, banished for an illicit homosexual affair, befriends Hal, an innocent but brilliant tutor who eventually becomes Royston's lover. These four join minds and skills to solve the mystery of a devastating plague and defend Volstov from the foreign army. The insular corps culture of combative homoeroticism and masculine archetypes dominates the book, as female characters fade far into the background. Despite few surprises or original flourishes, Jones and Bennett credibly bring the decadent empire and its inhabitants to life. (July)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

"Havemercy is an absolute charmer of a book: at once exciting, romantic (in the best, oldest sense of the word), and funny, which I know from my own experience is the trickiest parlay to pull off. The most remarkable thing of all is that it's a first novel. You couldn't tell it from the smoothness and skill with which these two young writers have created their tone, their narrative voices, and their world. It's one hell of a beginning!"—Peter S. Beagle, author of The Line Between

“Delicious!  The characters are unique, entrancing and believable: dinner-party guests you never want to see go home.   I will gladly walk again in this city, now that I know my way around.” —Ellen Kushner, author of The Privilege of the Sword

“A dazzling cast memorable characters! Havemercy is a wonderful debut from two talented new authors.”—Lynn Flewelling, author of Shadows Return

“[The authors] vividly convey the testosterone-saturated world of fantasy fighter pilots in this fast-paced debut.”—Publishers Weekly

“A freshly imagined fantasy universe … [and] a hard-living, tough-talking crew of dragon riders.”—Library Journal

With a unique and imaginative blend of epic fantasy, humor, and heroism, this debut author team crafts a riveting tale of a kingdom at war, and the four men who stand poised to defend it.

Danielle Bennett is from Victoria, BC, where she studied English literature at Camosun College. She has never seen a firefly, but has held many interesting jobs that merely got in the way of writing, and knows exactly how to make your decaf iced Venti unsweetened one pump mocha soy café con leche. Her parts of Havemercy were written between four A.M. openings at Starbucks. This is her first published work, but definitely not her last.

Jaida Jones is a nervous Japanese student at Barnard College, Columbia University, studying monsters in modern Japanese literature and film. She's a native New Yorker, and lives in Brooklyn with her two cartoonish cats and equally cartoonish parents. She has had poems published in Mythic Delirium, Jabberwocky and Hanging Loose Press Magazine, and a collection of poetry, "Cinquefoil," published by New Babel Books. At some point, she assumes someone is going to wake her up and tell her she's not allowed to write books about giant metal dragons. Until then: more metal dragons.