Airship Daedalus: A Shield Against the Darkness
April¸ 1925 finds ace pilot Jack McGraw fleeing hostile fighter planes and a mysterious zeppelin over the skies of New Jersey. Then a woman from his past invites him to dinner at Thomas Edison's home and drafts him into the A.E.G.I.S. foundation. And that's just Monday. Jack's mission is to fly an experimental aircraft and lead a crew consisting of his comrades from the Great War against a well-funded secret society bent on pillaging history's great treasures and amassing dangerous power. Together with their crewmates¸ Jack McGraw and Dorothy "Doc" Starr encounter sky pirates¸ Haitian voodoo¸ terrifying creatures of the deep¸ an Amazon tree-city¸ rocket zombies¸ and an ancient temple where Aleister Crowley attempts to open a dimensional portal and summon a bloodthirsty demon! Based on the Airship Daedalus comic strip by Todd Downing and Brian Beardsley¸ A Shield Against the Darkness is the origin story of the Daedalus crew¸ and a prequel to Assassins of the Lost Kingdom by E.J. Blaine. It's a retro-pulp action yarn in which mages¸ mad science¸ secret societies¸ occult threats¸ and lost worlds meet globe-trotting¸ sky-high aerial action and two-fisted heroism¸ like the pulp novels of old! "I couldn't have written Assassins of the Lost Kingdom if Todd Downing hadn't built a rip-roaring pulp world full of vivid characters. And A Shield Against the Darkness has got it all: square-jawed heroes¸ sharp-witted dames with guns¸ airships and pirates¸ and some of the most villainous villains you'll ever come across. The novel fills out bits of the world and the story that didn't fit into the comic¸ and I found myself reliving the adventure all over again and seeing some new sides of my old friends. If you know the comic story¸ read this book. If you don't know it¸ you're in for a treat. Either way¸ read the book!" - E.J. Blaine Author¸ Assassins of the Lost Kingdom "If you're looking for a good adventure story with all the best elements of classic pulp¸ along with dashing heroes¸ women with agency¸ a little romance¸ and a whole lot of suspense then this is the book for you! Couldn't stop until I'd read the last page¸ and you won't be able to either." - Trish Heinrich Author¸ Serpent's Sacrifice " Airship Daedalus is a fantastic throwback to the days of high-action pulp fiction and weekly comic strips filled with intriguing plots¸ sharp heroes¸ and mysterious villains." -Matt Forbeck Author ¸ Mutant Chronicles¸ Brave New World¸ The Avengers Encyclopedia¸ and Halo: New Blood Note: This digital edition includes ePub and Mobi (Kindle) versions of the novel.