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The Secret World Chronicle book cover 1
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The Secret World Chronicle
Series · 7 books · 2007-2014

Books in series

The Secret World Chronicle book cover
#1

The Secret World Chronicle

2007

Emerging mysteriously during World War II, metahumans became icons of the best - and worst - humanity had to offer. Yet sixty years later, the world still suffers from war, greed and madness. Worse, man's nadir of systematic cruelty returns with bizarre new weapons. The metahumans of Earth must find a way to defeat this powerful foe and discover what lurks behind the scenes - a secret world hidden from our own. Mercedes Lackey, one of fantasy's most beloved voices, and new talent Steve Libbey bring you a podcast series that catapults the classic superhero into the 21st century. Book One: Invasion starts the series off with a bang - a set of coordinated attacks by Nazi warriors in futuristic battle armor. We meet our cast of heroes in the midst of chaos: Belladonna Blue, a young azure-skinned healer; Victoria Victrix Nagy, a geomancer fighting panic attacks; Handsome Devil, whose luck is metahumanly good; Red Saviour, strident leader of an anachronistic Soviet team; Red Djinni, the shapeshifting criminal; and John Murdock, a fugitive super-soldier. Watching over them all is the Seraphym, descended from the Infinite to protect humanity. As the heroes fend off the blitzkrieg attack, they are left wondering what secrets have erupted from this hidden world, and whether, once unleashed, they can be contained. For there are clues that all is not what it seems...
The Hunt book cover
#2

The Hunt

2010

The Hunt portrays the frenzied aftermath of the devastating Thule Society attacks. Famed fantasy and sci-fi author Mercedes Lackey and newcomer Steve Libbey have joined forces to create a superhero-themed braided novel podcast series called The Secret World Chronicle. The series depicts an ensemble cast of metahuman characters coping with worldwide attacks by a mysterious, technologically advanced Nazi secret society, and the ensuing chaos. The Secret World is a meeting ground for pulpy adventure and thoughtful science fiction speculation, where ordinary people are elevated above their fellow humans and must grapple with the consequences of their newfound abilities.
World Well Lost book cover
#3

World Well Lost

2010

Continuing the action and intrigue of the first two books, World Well Lost joins the ensemble cast of metahuman characters as they struggle against the growing powers of the Thule Society as well as Echo's own waning popularity. Famed fantasy and sci-fi author Mercedes Lackey and newcomers Dennis Lee and Cody Martin bring this superhero-themed braided novel podcast series to life with characters such as the Seraphym, Victoria Victrix, John Murdock, and Red Djinni, with stories read by Veronica Giguere.
Waiting On book cover
#5

Waiting On

2012

The heroes of Echo and the villains of the Thule Society continue the battle in the fifth book of The Secret World Chronicle, Waiting On. In this shorter podcast-only season, the heroes of Echo struggle with their own pasts and demons as they wait for the organization to regain strength following a devastating loss. Famed fantasy and sci-fi author Mercedes Lackey and SWC perennials Dennis Lee, Cody Martin, and Veronica Giguere tell the stories of fan favorites Seraphym, Red Djinni, Victoria Victrix, Mercurye, and John Murdock. Cover art done by Adam Mancilla. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivatives 3.0 United States License.
Revolution book cover
#6

Revolution

2013

From New York Times best-seller and science fiction and fantasy mistress of adventure Mercedes Lackey, Book #3 in a new pulse-pounding saga of modern-day humans with superpowers. The metaheroes deal with supervillain Verdegris, who seeks to destroy them from within, before turning their attention back to the Thulian conspiracy. It’s go time once again for the meta-heroes including fire-bender John Murdock, hacker-witch Vikki Nagy, healer Belladona Blue, super-quick Mercurye–and most of all for their ghostly ally, Seraphym, the spirit of the world Verdegris knows he must trap and destroy her if he is to take down the metas. From New York Times best-seller and science fiction and fantasy mistress of adventure Mercedes Lackey together with a team of topnotch collaborators, the third entry in the blockbuster saga of superpowers–and the very human men and women who must learn to wield them. About World Divided: "[C]omes together seamlessly…an awesome and lightning-paced story: read it on a day when you will not have to put it down."–San Francisco Book Review About Mercedes Lackey: "With [Mercedes Lackey], suspense never lags…" –Kliatt
Run Silent, Run Deep book cover
#7

Run Silent, Run Deep

2014

The Secret World Chronicle is a braided novel series set firmly in the realm of superhero science fiction. Written by authors Mercedes Lackey, Dennis Lee, and Cody Martin, with Larry Dixon and Veronica Giguere as contributing writers later in the series, the Secret World Chronicle carries a diverse cast of characters in their quest to save the world from the threat of the Thulians.
Collision book cover
#8

Collision

2014

From New York Times best-seller and science fiction and fantasy mistress of adventure Mercedes Lackey, Book #4 in the pulse-pounding SECRET WORLD saga of modern-day humans with superpowers. Destroying the Thulian North American Headquarters has not made life easier for ECHO, or the world. The Thulians continue their attacks, first in unpredictable incursions, then with another all-out assault on ECHO, orchestrated against ECHO headquarters across the world. Dominic Verdigris has not given up on his effort to obtain The Seraphym for himself, in order to use her to avert his own fate at the hands of the Thulians. Nor have the heroes of ECHO and the CCCP found life anything but harder. Belladonna's duties have increased a thousand-fold, and now she has responsibility for the lives of every metahuman in ECHO on her conscience. Obviously using the intelligence gathered from the raid on the North American Thulian base to find the main Headquarters is of paramount importance—but once it is found, can she manage to convince the armies of the world to follow ECHO into an all-out attack? Then Red Saviour risks everything on a risky gambit of her own: send her wolves of the CCCP to find the Thulian Headquarters, despite the dangers, and despite the consequences of blowing everything on this hazardous gambit that could very well end, not in victory, but with the world in flames. At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management). About World Divided, Book 2 in the Secret World Chronicle: "[C]omes together seamlessly. . .an awesome and lightning-paced story: read it on a day when you will not have to put it down."–San Francisco Book Review About Mercedes Lackey: "With [Mercedes Lackey], suspense never lags..." –Kliatt The Secret World Chronicle Invasion World Divided Revolution Collision Mercedes Lackey is the New York Times best-selling author of the Bardic Voices series and the Serrated Edge series (both Baen), the Heralds of Valdemar series, and many more. Among her popular Baen titles are The Fire Rose, The Lark and the Wren, and also The Shadow of the Lion and Burdens of the Dead with Eric Flint and Dave Freer. She lives in Oklahoma. Cody Martin is originally from Scottsdale Arizona and currently resides in Florida. An avid gamer, he spends his extra time chained to a computer, writing. Dennis Lee was born in Seoul, Korea and grew up in Canada. He has a degree in pharmacology and is a cell biologist when not writing. Veronica Giguere started off as the voice artist for the Secret World Chronicle podcasts then quickly proved her writing chops and was taken on as a series coauthor. Veronica remains active as a voice talent. An educator with a background in mathematics and ocean engineering, she has lent her voice to various research and campus promotional endeavors. She makes her home in Florida.

Author

Mercedes Lackey
Mercedes Lackey
Author · 215 books

Mercedes entered this world on June 24, 1950, in Chicago, had a normal childhood and graduated from Purdue University in 1972. During the late 70's she worked as an artist's model and then went into the computer programming field, ending up with American Airlines in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In addition to her fantasy writing, she has written lyrics for and recorded nearly fifty songs for Firebird Arts & Music, a small recording company specializing in science fiction folk music. "I'm a storyteller; that's what I see as 'my job'. My stories come out of my characters; how those characters would react to the given situation. Maybe that's why I get letters from readers as young as thirteen and as old as sixty-odd. One of the reasons I write song lyrics is because I see songs as a kind of 'story pill' — they reduce a story to the barest essentials or encapsulate a particular crucial moment in time. I frequently will write a lyric when I am attempting to get to the heart of a crucial scene; I find that when I have done so, the scene has become absolutely clear in my mind, and I can write exactly what I wanted to say. Another reason is because of the kind of novels I am writing: that is, fantasy, set in an other-world semi-medieval atmosphere. Music is very important to medieval peoples; bards are the chief newsbringers. When I write the 'folk music' of these peoples, I am enriching my whole world, whether I actually use the song in the text or not. "I began writing out of boredom; I continue out of addiction. I can't 'not' write, and as a result I have no social life! I began writing fantasy because I love it, but I try to construct my fantasy worlds with all the care of a 'high-tech' science fiction writer. I apply the principle of TANSTAAFL ['There ain't no such thing as free lunch', credited to Robert Heinlein) to magic, for instance; in my worlds, magic is paid for, and the cost to the magician is frequently a high one. I try to keep my world as solid and real as possible; people deal with stubborn pumps, bugs in the porridge, and love-lives that refuse to become untangled, right along with invading armies and evil magicians. And I try to make all of my characters, even the 'evil magicians,' something more than flat stereotypes. Even evil magicians get up in the night and look for cookies, sometimes. "I suppose that in everything I write I try to expound the creed I gave my character Diana Tregarde in Burning Water: "There's no such thing as 'one, true way'; the only answers worth having are the ones you find for yourself; leave the world better than you found it. Love, freedom, and the chance to do some good—they're the things worth living and dying for, and if you aren't willing to die for the things worth living for, you might as well turn in your membership in the human race." Also writes as Misty Lackey Author's website

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