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I'm Drew Bowling, author of the new fantasy novel The Tower of Shadows (Random House - Del Rey). The book is available wherever books are sold (USA and Canada). Originally published in hardcover, the mass market paperback edition (see picture below) will be released June 24th, 2008. I'm an undergraduate at Loyola College, juggling class with writing the sequel, The Sea of Dreams (coming in 2009). Thanks for dropping by!
“A fast-paced, exciting adventure that doesn’t allow you to take a breath.”
— Terry Brooks

www.drewbowling.com

The Author:

Drew Bowling is a college student. He was born in September 1985, during a hurricane, which should have forewarned his parents about how difficult he would be to raise. He began writing stories in elementary school. Mostly he wrote mysteries, westerns, and scary tales about courageous kids who were good at finding trouble.
While in high school, Drew continued to write mysteries (in chemistry), westerns (in biology), and scary tales (in algebra). His family encouraged him, and his friends even voted him “The Next Billy Shakespeare” during a mock award ceremony at the end of his senior year. Other people told him that making things up was a waste of time. In response, he started writing his first novel, The Tower of Shadows, during a senior-year math exam.
His hobbies include snowboarding, defending the literary merits of dragons at parties, reading anything and everything (his favorite authors range from Neil Gaiman to James Joyce), and traveling. He enjoys inventing excuses for missed deadlines and wants a haunted castle for Christmas. He lives in Maryland.

The Novel:

From the boundless imagination and talented pen of a young storyteller springs the fabulous first novel in a major new epic fantasy series. Steeped in the traditions of its classic forebears, yet boldly original in its vision and sense of wonder, The Tower of Shadows swells with heroism, sings with enchantment, and carries the reader at full gallop into a marvelously wrought world of breathtaking adventure.
Untold ages ago, vainglorious spirits battled with the three gods in a bid for dominion over all–only to be defeated and banished below the earth to fester in their unquenchable evil. One of these vengeful demons eventually broke free and rained bloody death upon an innocent village in the land of Ellynrie. Few survived. The Starcross brothers, mere children orphaned by their parents’ slaughter, suffered very difficult fates. Corin Starcross was delivered to safety by the wizard Dale, while his brother, Cade, was abandoned to the flames that devoured their childhood home. Likewise, the mercenary Wren Tident saved his infant daughter, Kayla, from the monstrous fate that claimed her mother. When the demon retreated to its black abyss, the haunted souls left in its murderous wake did their best to carry on–save for one, who vowed retribution.
When Cade Starcross reappears, he immerses himself in a secret study of the blackest arts, and a grim dance of destiny begins. His humanity withered by grief and his mind twisted by his apprenticeship to darkness, Cade seeks to use sorcery to wreak vengeance on his demon nemesis. But in order to succeed, a dagger of unearthly power wrought by the gods themselves must be found. And the blood of Cade’s brother, Corin Starcross, must be spilled.
Yet all of Cade’s fury and magic will prove no match for the evil set free upon the earth. By any means and at all costs, the doomed vendetta must be stopped. A fledgling wizard, a tormented warrior, and a young girl burning with her father’s untamed spirit must rally together as the only hope of a world poised perilously at the abyss.

Reviews:

“[Bowling] brings an exciting pace and his own exuberant style to a novel suitable for all ages.”
— Publishers Weekly
“Bowling’s debut is a fast-paced, accessible fantasy epic.”
— Kirkus Reviews
“A tale teeming with dark magic, wizardry, and fraternal conflict.”
— Washingtonian Magazine
“A spectacularly fresh fantasy novel.”
— Pages Magazine
“A fast-paced, exciting adventure that doesn’t allow you to take a breath.”
— Terry Brooks
“A quick-paced adventure story with a very visual style.”
— Bookreporter
“College sophomore Bowling's first novel, begun while he was still in high school, spins a tale of high fantasy on the surface, but deeper down it explores the struggles of youth coming into adulthood and the need to bridge the gap between the generations in order to win safety for the world. This standalone tale leaves room for further adventures and is a good choice for adult and YA readers. Recommended for most libraries.”
— Library Journal
“This epic tale is an extremely strong first novel.”
— Armchairinterviews
“Drew Bowling will bowl over fantasy readers with this terrific sword and sorcery tale.”
— SFRevu
“An impressive debut... [with] added touches of horror, at which the author excels.”
— Bookloons
"Bowling will definitely be an author to watch.”
— A Dribble of Ink
“Such completely absorbing fantasy that you won't want to come up for air.”
— Teensreadtoo.com
“Exhilarating pacing, nonstop thrills and prose that... is descriptive & graceful."
— Fantasybookcritic.blogspot.com
“Drew Bowling’s The Tower of Shadows is simply elegant. This young writer doesn’t waste words; he uses just enough description to engage the reader’s imagination, inviting the reader to participate in the creation of the imagery. Reading The Tower of Shadows was a very visual experience, for me, as if I were there, or watching a movie.”
— R. A. Salvatore