Archon Than

The planet Athapon, capital of a vast space empire, houses a populace dedicated to pastimes of leisure and imagination, both real and virtual. Supported by legions of robotic workers, android and gynoid companions, and powerful computers, the inhabitants do not know labor, sickness, or fear. High Archon Thanatos is the last of an elite minority tasked with security in a time when all people are united and resources are plentiful. Constantly training and engaging in exercises of tactics and strategy in a society where the concept of war is archaic, Than is considered a vestigial oddity of ancient times. Then the Emperor of Athapon sets upon a senseless campaign of conquest targeted at the distant and mysterious planet Vovok. This brings a retaliation more immediate and deadly than any anticipated, leaving Than as one of the few standing between Athapon and destruction.

One by one, the guilds of New Jerusalem fall to Shadrak the Unseen and his accomplice, the poisoner Albert. But as the battle for supremacy comes to a head, Shadrak is given a new order by the mysterious Archon: kill his closest living friend, the Nameless Dwarf. The philosopher Aristodeus persuades the Archon to stay his hand, proposing instead three quests that will free Nameless from the curse of the black axe that led him to slaughter his own people. But the plan has perils of its own: a visit to the fire giant’s lair at the heart of a volcano; a daring raid on the Liche Lord’s castle in darkest Verusia; and a confrontation with the son of the Demiurgos in the depths of the Abyss. Even with the incomparable partnership of Shadrak and Nameless, the quests seem doomed to failure, and so Aristodeus tries once more to entice Deacon Shader back to the fight. But Shader is a changed man, more given to drink than the sword, and if he should discover the secret Rhiannon and Aristodeus have kept from him these past four years, the quests are sure to come to a crashing halt before they even get off the ground. Friendship, scheming, and the worst horrors imaginable combine to test the companions to the limits, and despair dark enough to corrode even the most unwavering faith awaits those not destined to return.

Captain Midnight faces the greatest threat this world has ever known . . . the Archon. But who is he, and what does he want? Midnight must rely on the unlikeliest of allies to acquire the knowledge necessary to fight this ageless malefactor. His epic journey will take him deep within the heart of Project Black Sky and to the rubble and ruin of Arcadia's streets. The time-displaced genius will need to reach down deep to confront this new world horror and become the greatest hero the world has ever seen. Marked for Death--Reign of the Archon collects the final arc of Captain Midnight. When peril calls, will heroes rise?