Shades: The Demon and the Water

by Atlas Theseus Schmidt

After the failed Rebellion, it seems there is no hope for the surviving Shadeki. But a new Shade has emerged from Artemis’s past, and with his insider knowledge, a group of the Shadeki manage to escape. But things go terribly awry; Artemis becomes trapped on an ocean thousands of miles from home, and she must rely on the protective trust of a young ship captain…who looks and sounds exactly like her uncle. She comes to find out that this place, too, has conflict brewing at its center. In order to save herself, her greatest friend, and the entire world, Artemis must battle head-on with the psychic who put things out of balance and hope her family back home can survive in the meantime.

386 pages, Paperback

Published October 2, 2018

About the author

Atlas Schmidt is a self-published author hailing from Missouri. He lives with his family and their crazy animals, Aiza (dog) and Bumblebee (cat [allegedly]). He has been writing stories since the age of ten, and has been drawing since he could hold a pencil. His writing style is influenced foremost by Eoin Colfer's "Artemis Fowl" series, Melanie Rawn's "Dragon Prince" series, and Maggie Stiefvater's "Raven Cycle" series.

Reviews

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Artemis's new adventure picks right up where her last one left off, trapped in the bowels of the Overseer's fortress and forced to kill and destroy for the sick pleasure of people who consider her less than an animal.

But she doesn't stay there long.

After she and a group of her fellow captives shades manages to escape, they return to their destroyed fortress to find the Overseer has left Shadows behind to destroy their home. Full of rage, Artemis attacks and is launched through a portal and into an ocean far away. Here, the shades are everything people back home believe them to be. Terrorists, criminals, and violent creatures seeking to wipe out the humans that remain. If she wants to get home, she'll need help from a man who looks shockingly like her Uncle Pyro to save the Purites left in this strange world and free the shades from a psychic who wants to take over her mind.

Atlas has done it again! A fantastic watery adventure in a fun-house mirror reflection of the world of The Dragon and The Fire. It was a blast following Artemis as she pieced together what happened and where she was. The glimpses we got of the shades she left behind were tantalizing and a good break when things got too heavy with our main dragon lady.