Trapdoor Books

Wizards have wondered for generations when a human would ascend to become the Ninth Avatar, and what would happen when they did. Opinions differ, but the Ninth Pillar of Magic—that of Darkness—is feared by many whether they use magic or not.

When Starka, an outcast priestess of the magic loathing Cathedrals of Myst, receives a prophecy heralding this ascension, a new force rises to threaten the entire known world. The Carrion army, a race of transformed humans bearing black horns and an unquenchable thirst for blood, destroys every city it comes across. Their leader, Zion, has only one goal: to become the living embodiment of magic that is the Ninth Avatar.

Aiding Starka in her quest to halt this are DaVille, a mysterious warrior bent on killing the Carrion leader; Cairos, a wizard from the betrayed city of Illiadora; and Wan Du and Lady Mayrah, a man and woman from rival nations now decimated by the Carrion. Amidst all this turmoil, Wadam, a Cardinal of Starka’s faith, seeks to seize control of Myst for himself and thereby subjugate the female leaders.

With the world in peril Starka must find the means to prevent these things, or die trying.

Praise for The Ninth Avatar

“The Ninth Avatar is a very fast read that literally hits the ground running. From the very first page the reader is engulfed in the clash of arms….”
-E.L. Fay, author of This Book and I Could Be Friends Read the entire review here.

"The characters are well developed, unique, and intriguing. They are by no means two-dimensional cyphers, nor are they homogeneous in a way which might be seen as peculiar to the genre—they are complex, with elements of good and bad, dark and light, interwoven within the ethos of their quiddity—much as real-world beings are... It is a very readable book and will be consumed with relish by lovers of the genre."
-John McDonald, New York Journal of Books Read the entire review here.

“Todd Newton has some amazing talent that I’m sure readers of fantasy will be coming across in the future.... It’ll be amazing to see what becomes of this talent and to see it channeled into future novels.”
-Cindy Hannikman, author of Fantasy Book Critic Read the entire review here.

"Todd Newton has a great imagination and really does a good job of realizing that imagination through the story... [The book] is filled with great ideas which are apparent with each turn of the page."
-Only The Best Science Fiction Read the entire review here.