We have an excerpt from BOOKBURNERS – Anywhere But Here. It’s Season 1 Episode 2 of Serial Box’s serialized book that is released in segments. And don’t worry there are no spoilers.
For more information about the series and how to read the entire publication, take a look at the information at the bottom of this post. But for now here is an early released excerpt to entice your interest in the book:
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Anywhere But Here - Episode 2 by Brian Francis Slattery, Max Gladstone, Margaret Dunlap, and Mur Lafferty
“Where are we going?” Sal said.
“Madrid, it appears,” Asanti said. She was poring over a stack of papers at her desk.
“Though where exactly is unclear,” Liam said.
“We have the coordinates.”
“Yes,” Liam said sarcastically. “We have the coordinates.”
Menchú nodded. “Good.” He turned to Asanti. “Any idea what we might be facing?”
Asanti didn’t look up from her papers. “Madrid has been officially purged of magic for over five hundred years.” She gave a sad chuckle.
“The Inquisition?” Sal asked.
“Oh, no,” Asanti said. “The Inquisition was just a witch hunt, and not of real witches. Nothing to do with magic at all.” She turned a page. “But even so, Madrid seems dry. There was a brief flurry of magical activity during the Spanish Civil War, and the usual spotty records of underground societies during the Franco years and after. But they seem like dabblers. There’s no indication that any of them got hold of anything truly magical. No books or artifacts or anything else that I’m aware of.”
“So whatever we’re dealing with, it’s rogue,” Grace said.
“That’s right. Possibly predating the Inquisition, when they declared the place clean.”
“Arabic?” Liam said.
“Could be,” Asanti said. “But that’s a guess. Not even a hunch.”
“So we don’t know what we’re facing,” Grace said. “At all.”
“Afraid so,” Asanti said.
“This isn’t going to be like Eyjafjallajökull, is it?” Grace said.
Asanti looked up at last, slightly irritated. “No, this is not going to be like Eyjafjallajökull,” she said.
“The volcano in Iceland?” Sal said to Liam.
“Yep,” Liam said. “You know those eruptions in 2010? No one could fly in Europe for days? Apparently not entirely the result of natural forces.”
Grace interrupted. “There was a dragon. Seven stories high. Living under the volcano. Which had been there for over a thousand years, and was the subject of several local legends. But were we told any of this when we got on the plane?”
“My Icelandic was rusty,” Asanti said. “It won’t happen again. It’s certainly not going to happen in Madrid.” She said it with a sudden authority that made Sal believe her. Grace did, too. She backed down.
“Well, whatever is happening in Madrid,” Liam said, “I haven’t heard anyone call the police about it yet.”
“Thank God,” Menchú said.
“What happens if the police get involved?” Sal said.
“You’re a cop,” Liam said. “You should know. Things get a little messy. Let’s just say the sooner we get there, the better.” He sighed. “Why can’t they just take the books out to a barn up the back ass of nowhere and open them up there? Everything would be so much easier.”
“How’s your Spanish?” Grace said.
“I can order at a Mexican restaurant,” Sal said. “That’s about it.”
Grace shook her head. “Americans,” she said, under her breath.
They headed out to the airport.
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Here’s a blurb about this serialized urban fantasy:
Magic is real, and hungry—trapped in ancient texts and artifacts, only a few who discover it survive to fight back. Detective Sal Brooks is a survivor. Abruptly thrust into the battle between nefarious forces trying to unleash this power onto the world and those trying to stop them, she joins a Vatican-backed black-ops anti-magic squad: Team Three of the Societas Librorum Occultorum. Together they stand between humanity and magical apocalypse. Some call them Bookburners. They don’t like the label.
Here’s a bit more about the series:
This September, new publisher Serial Box is bursting onto the scene and bringing the TV model of media production and delivery to the book world with BOOKBURNERS, an urban fantasy adventure following a black-ops anti-magic squad backed by the Vatican. Wandering from police procedural to New Weird and dabbling in most genres in between, BOOKBURNERS will keep you hungry for more, week after week.
Written by a team of authors including Margaret Dunlap (Eureka), Mur Lafferty (The Shambling Guide to New York City) and Brian Francis Slattery (Lost Everything), the group is led by rising genre star Max Gladstone (Three Parts Dead).
While the series officially launches on September 16th with the release of Episode 2, there is the first episode up for all to enjoy on SerialBox.com.
They aim to bring book lovers everything they like about television:
- New episodes each week
- Series are produced by a team of writers collaborating to create the most exciting, dynamic stories
- Episodes are easily ingestible with a 40-minute average read-time
- Each episode is an exciting adventure but together they build into a complete narrative—just like your favorite shows
Each episode will be available via SerialBox.com and their iOS app (via Apple), as well as iTunes, Amazon, Kobo, Google Play, and B&N.
And here’s the blurb about the first episode:
Chapter 1: Badge, Book, and Candle
NYPD Detective Sal Brooks is no rookie—but even the most hardened cop would think twice when they see their brother open a book and become…well…something entirely not their brother.
When her attempts to solve the case cross paths with a mysterious team led by a priest, she starts to realize that the world is far more than what is seems, and, just maybe, magic is real—and hungry.
Follow along as Sal learns the life changing lesson: some books have teeth.
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