King of Hell (The Shadow Saga)

by Christopher Golden

  Once I realized that Octavian would be dimension-hopping with Squire, it occurred to me that many things were possible and strange plans took shape in my brain. Other links began to grow. If Octavian and Squire could co-exist, then couldn't Squire be a link to . . . well, everything else?

  Readers who are familiar with my other work might notice references to Strangewood, Straight on 'til Morning, Joe Golem and the Drowning City, and others, as well as a tiny cameo or two. Phoenix Cormier is the central protagonist in my novel Soulless, in which you will find a much more detailed account of the events she alludes to in these pages. Wayland Smith appears in all three books in my Veil trilogy, The Myth Hunters, The Borderkind, and The Lost Ones. In the books of The Veil, all sorts of mythological and legendary people and creatures exist side by side, and if I was going to retire Octavian and his surviving allies, well . . . I think he'll be happy there.

  I began writing about Peter Octavian during my senior year at Tufts University, either late 1988 or early 1989. Now, a quarter century later, his story is over.

  For now . . .

  Thank you for reading.

  It means the world.

  -- Christopher Golden

  Bradford, Massachusetts

  July 14, 2013

  OTHER CHRISTOPHER GOLDEN BOOKS REFERENCED IN KING OF HELL

  Soulless (Features Phoenix Cormier)

  Strangewood

  Straight on 'til Morning

  Joe Golem and the Drowning City [w/Mike Mignola]

  THE MENAGERIE SERIES

  (Features Squire and Danny Ferrick)

  The Nimble Man [w/Thomas E. Sniegoski]

  The Tears of the Furies [w/Thomas E. Sniegoski]

  Stones Unturned [w/Thomas E. Sniegoski]

  Crashing Paradise [w/Thomas E. Sniegoski]

  The Menagerie Series Box Set (All Four Novels)

  THE VEIL

  (Features Wayland Smith)

  The Myth Hunters

  The Borderkind

  The Lost Ones

  THE COMPLETE SHADOW SAGA

  Of Saints and Shadows

  Angel Souls and Devil Hearts

  Of Masques and Martyrs

  The Gathering Dark

  Waking Nightmares

  The Graves of Saints

  The King of Hell

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  CHRISTOPHER GOLDEN is the award-winning, New York Times bestselling author of such novels as Of Saints and Shadows, The Myth Hunters, The Boys Are Back in Town, and Strangewood. He has also written books for teens and young adults, including Soulless, Poison Ink, and The Secret Journeys of Jack London, co-authored with Tim Lebbon. Cemetery Girl is a graphic novel trilogy collaboration with Charlaine Harris.

  A lifelong fan of the "team-up," Golden frequently collaborates with other writers on books, comics, and scripts. He has co-written three illustrated novels with Mike Mignola, the first of which, Baltimore, or, The Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire, was the launching pad for the Eisner Award-nominated comic book series, Baltimore. With Thomas E. Sniegoski, he is the co-author of the book series Magic Zero and The Menagerie, as well as comic book miniseries such as Talent, currently in development as a feature film. With Amber Benson, he co-created the online animated series Ghosts of Albion for the BBC.

  As an editor, he has worked on the short story anthologies The New Dead, The Monster's Corner, and British Invasion, among others, and has also written and co-written comic books, video games, screenplays, and a network television pilot. Golden was born and raised in Massachusetts, where he still lives with his family. His original novels have been published in more than fourteen languages in countries around the world. Please visit him at http://www.ChristopherGolden.com.

  Connect With Christopher Golden Online

  Official Website

  http://www.ChristopherGolden.com

  Twitter

  http://twitter.com/ChristophGolden

  Facebook

  https://www.facebook.com/christophergoldenauthor

  No Rest for the Wicked Blog

  http://christophergolden.blogspot.com/

  Join the Wicked Street Team

  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wickedstreetteam/

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  Thanks to the wonderful Sally Partington. Without you, these last tales of Peter Octavian would never have been told. My deep gratitude, as well, to Maxine Hitchcock, Lynne Hansen, Howard Morhaim, Peter Donaldson, Tom Sniegoski, and Allie Costa. Love and thanks always to Connie and our three crazy kids, Nicholas, Daniel, and Lily.