The world is no longer safe for the Dragon Rider Murtagh and his dragon, Thorn. An evil king has been toppled, and they are left to face the consequences of the reluctant role they played in his reign of terror. Now they are hated and alone, exiled to the outskirts of society. Throughout the land, hushed voices whisper of brittle ground and a faint scent of brimstone in the air--and Murtagh senses that something wicked lurks in the shadows of Alagaesia....

"A tumor shaped like a man's face slowly moves across a woman's body. The sea shoots glowing balls into the sky, much to the distress of beachgoers. And a girl dressed up for a holiday has no eyes, no nose, nothing--her face is a total blank"--

"In a disintegrating and lawless near-future, a young man journeys north to a mysterious island owned by one of the world's wealthiest men--and finds an entire new civilization waiting for him. Ben is a young painter from the crowded, turbulent city. For six months his fiancée Cara has been living on the remote island of Sanctuary Rock, the property of millionaire philanthropist Sir John Pemberley. Now she has decided to break off their engagement...