TRY NOT TO DIE IN THE SHADOWLANDS

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Tragedy has struck. Your younger brother is dead, and the world holds you responsible.

Tommy was a strong swimmer, yet he drowned in your backyard pool when you were supposed to be watching. Now, today is his funeral, and he's back as a shadowy figure, pulling you into a brutal world where danger lurks around every corner. The rules are simple: survive The Shadowlands… or die trying.

The path ahead is treacherous. A land filled with monstrous creatures and deadly landscapes will stop at nothing to see you fail. But the choices you make will determine your fate. Will you uncover the truth about Tommy’s death? Or will the Shadowlands claim your life, like it has claimed so many before you?

In Try Not to Die: In The Shadowlands, your decisions are the key to your survival—and there are no second chances. Will you make it to the end, or will you succumb to the over two dozen brutal ways to die? With 8 unique endings, every choice counts. Be careful. Be brave. But above all, be ready to die.

This interactive dark fantasy is connected to The Neverborn Thief, but stands alone as a gripping, blood-soaked adventure meant for mature readers. If you love the thrill of Goosebumps® or Choose Your Own Adventure®, but crave a much darker, more violent experience, this is the book for you.

Are you ready to face the darkness?

Over 2 dozen ways to die.

8 possible endings.

Do you have what it takes to survive?

Grab your copy of Try Not to Die: In The Shadowlands today and see if you can survive this nightmare.

 A father whose son fades away every day unless he passes the boy a bit of his own life. Three robots holding a séance. A man suffering the effects of an intergalactic portal opening in his stomach.

In Those Fading Stars transports readers across time and space, delving into the complexities of the human experience through a captivating collection of science fiction and horror. This immersive anthology weaves together refreshing and unique stories that explore multiverse exploration set in alien worlds, mind-bending time and space journeys, and the philosophical questions that challenge our understanding of existence.

From a generational craft whose destination is so distant that no living passengers will reach it to a daughter’s new friend teaching her to break the trendiest of dimensional boundaries, these narratives shine a light on the intersections of humanity, mortality, and the uncanny. Each tale beckons readers to confront the eerie and profound, questioning what it means to be alive in a universe filled with cosmic horrors.

This anthology is perfect for fans of dystopian books, horror science fiction, and those seeking thought-provoking tales that blend the absurd with the existential. If you're drawn to refreshing, unique, scary cosmic horror stories, look no further.

Join Andrew Najberg on a journey that examines the depths of the soul while navigating the vast and unsettling landscapes of imagination.

Grab your copy of In Those Fading Stars today and immerse yourself in an anthology that redefines the boundaries of science fiction and horror! 

 When half of young Connor Brighton’s shadow is stolen, he has three days to venture into the Shadowlands and get it back, or he will lose himself forever. Unfortunately, the Shadowlands is a treacherous place—a disintegrating world run on deceit and betrayal, populated by monsters more terrifying than anything Connor’s imagination could conjure. It is a place of hunger and discomfort where even the sun is little more than a dying coal in the sky and ash falls like snow over petrified forests. However, even as his struggles grow more desperate, Connor also learns there is good in the Shadowlands, friends who will help him, fathers desperate to save their sons, creatures who might be kinder than they look. As his quest takes him deeper into the darkest corners, will his courage hold, or will the weight of the truths he uncovers grind him down?

“Equal parts dark portal fantasy, mystery, and adventure in the vein of Coraline, Tales of Earthsea, and Narnia. Najberg crafts a wonderful coming of age tale that explores the things we lose and gain with age, the burdens and responsibilities we must carry, where the Shadowlands is a metaphor for the murky navigations through adulthood and the lessons it holds: truths, lies, and the in-between. This book brings us on a journey of lessons and teachings through stories, of how to be resilient and remaining hopeful, knowing when to ask for help, and the lessons that we must learn alone. At its heart is a story of injustice, corruption, and the kind hearts that shine through it all.” —Ai Jiang, Nebula, Locus, and Igynte Award finalist and author of LINGHUN and I AM AI

"This book is an absolute delight, bringing back fond memories of reading CS Lewis and Michael Ende, but Najberg does it for the modern age. A YA Fantasy fit for any 2024 Must Read List!" - Cassandra Morgan, award-winning author of Dorothy Claes and the Blood of the Tsar

"A magical, inventive tale about a boy, a strange world and the lengths he'll go to reconnect with his stolen shadow. This one grabbed me on page one and never let go!" - Steve Stred, 2X Splatterpunk award nominated author of Mastodon and Churn the Soil.

"With echoes of Gaiman's Coraline, The Neverborn Thief is an inspiring bildungsroman full of heart and imagination that explores that dark world beyond childhood and gives us the hope that even in shadow there must exist light. This will be a dark fantasy to shelve for our children alongside the classics we grew up with." - Megan Stockton, author of Bluejay and Lovely, Dark, and Deep 

 In a post-nuclear Eastern Europe, Hammel E Varka departs for a remote island to join a survey team cataloguing the abandoned Gollitok prison in the hopes that he will redeem his family’s tarnished reputation. After the passage across the strait leaves a team member injured, Varka quickly realizes that this survey is far from routine and that what he thought he knew about the island was a cover for more horrifying truths. As his team presses deeper into the decaying facility, hidden agendas splinter the team, and they find themselves beset with dangers beyond their worst nightmares. 

ALSO AVAILABLE ON AUDIOBOOK THROUGH TANTOR AUDIO, narrated by Joe Hempel

Tucked away in the foothills, surrounded by pine forests, loaded with kids who still play outside, Millwood is the small town everyone knows. The local deputies grapple with petty vandalism and local drunks. The local teachers know the name of every kid in town. For Heather Bradley, it's a place that keeps her family safe and their lives in order; her biggest worries are the daily grind of her job and the kids coming home late. She doesn't know that unfathomable forces are set to converge on her town and thrust their neat lives into darkness, but when her oldest son Stuart opens a one-sided door in the woods and a black cloud pours out, the Bradleys and their whole town find themselves locked in a desperate struggle for survival. As the chaos grows and the nature of the real threat emerges, the only question becomes whether or not come morning the town will exist at all. 

ALSO AVAILABLE ON AUDIOBOOK THROUGH TANTOR AUDIO, narrated by Brian Telestai