Longtime readers know that all of my work occupies a shared universe. Most fans have referred to it as The Labyrinth Mythos, and I’m okay with that — it’s as good a name as any. Readers also know that a seven-book series called The Labyrinth is in the works. Comparisons to Stephen King’s Dark Tower epic are fair, although in truth, it will be more like Marvel’s Secret Wars and DC’s Crisis On Infinite Earths.

The first book in that series — The Seven (The Labyrinth, Book 1) is halfway finished. I intend to finish it once I’ve gotten these works in progress out of the way. But there are three books that serve as a prologue to this event and if you read them now, you’ll really get a sense of what the series is going to be like. They are Clickers vs. Zombies, Tequila’s Sunrise, and Earthworm Gods II: Deluge. Here’s how that works. Clickers vs. Zombies and Earthworm Gods II: Deluge are direct prologues to The Labyrinth — foreshadowing of things to come, with events that will directly impact future novels. Tequila’s Sunrise is more of a preface — a history lesson giving new readers a sense of just what The Labyrinth is.

Of these three, Clickers vs. Zombies offers the best feel of what The Labyrinth series will be like. In Clickers vs. Zombies, characters from The Rising and City of the Dead (including Ob, Jim Thurmond, and Jim’s son Danny) crossover with characters from the Clickers series, as Ob and the Siqqusim try to destroy yet another Earth. But there are also appearances by Levi (from Ghost Walk, A Gathering of Crows, and The Witching Tree), Black Lodge (from various short stories), Dez (from Darkness On The Edge Of Town) and many more. There’s even a glimpse at a few pages from The Field Guide To The Thirteen. And you’ve got all of these disparate characters waging an all-out war against the forces of the Thirteen.

Which is pretty much what The Labyrinth series will be. In The Seven, characters from various novels will be called together to wage final battle. You’ll find out what happened to Frankie at the end of City of the Dead. You’ll find out where Nelson LeHorn really disappeared to at the end of Dark Hollow. You’ll learn why the Exit does what he does. The secret history of Black Lodge. The fate of Teddy Garnett from Earthworm Gods. And much more.

So if you haven’t, read these three books now. Then the stage will be set and the main show can begin. And oh what a show it’s going to be…

Clickers vs. Zombies is currently available in trade paperback. Digital is forthcoming.

Tequila’s Sunrise is currently available in trade paperback, Kindle, and Nook.

Earthworm Gods II: Deluge is currently available in hardcover. Paperback and digital forthcoming next year.

All of them can be ordered by either clicking their cover images in this Blog post, or by clicking here.