Ninjas versus Slave Drivers! Book 2 in the Shadow Warrior saga. A young ninja in an Asian-flavored fantasy land of dreams and nightmares must save a beautiful captive. When Ran, the Shadow Warrior, is dispatched to investigate rumors of an invasion massing to the north, he signs on as protection for a trade caravan. But once underway, the caravan is attacked by an overwhelming force of slavers who take Ran and several others captive. Dragged into the bowels of the earth as slave labor for a despot-in-exile eager to reclaim his throne, Ran must make a desperate escape with his friends if he has any hope of uncovering the truth about the invasion above ground. But there's more at play than a mere power struggle in the catacombs, and the earth does not give up its secrets easily—even for Ran, the Shadow Warrior. About Book One in the Shadow Warrior Series, The Undead Hordes of Kan-Gul: "Merz keeps the action uptempo and the swordplay fast and furious. The cover is no doubt eye catching, but the thrills inside are just as enchanting. A real winner."--Examiner.comAbout Jon F. Merz:  "Jon F. Merz's novels move at a break-neck pace, twisting through a landscape of thrills and terror." -- Douglas Clegg, best selling author of The Infinite The Shadow Warrior SeriesThe Undead Hordes of Kan-Gul Slavers of the Silk Road**

Ninjas and zombies! Book 1 in a new series, the Shadow Warrior saga. A young ninja in a fantastic land of dreams and nightmares must face an army of zombies to save a beautiful sorceress.Book One in an exciting new series, the Shadow Warrior saga. In the fog-enshrouded peaks of the island nation of Nehan, Ran, a newly-minted shadow warrior is set loose on a musha shugyo, a wandering quest, whereby he must travel alone and hone his skills. Journeying aboard a merchant vessel, Ran hears tales of a mysterious lord believed to have the dead for his servants. Soon these tales prove all too real as Ran comes to the aid of Jysal, a beautiful sorceress, whose undeveloped power gives her the ability to heal a land -- or destroy it.  But the Lord Kan-Gul also covets Jysal's power. And when Kan-Gul sends a army of the undead to take Jysal by force, Ran is faced with the ultimate warrior's choice: save himself, or face down a horde of enemies that cannot be killed for the simple reason that they are already dead!About Jon F. Merz:"Jon F. Merz's novels move at a break-neck pace, twisting through a landscape of thrills and terror." -- Douglas Clegg, best selling author of The InfiniteAbout the AuthorJohn F. Merz grew up a reader and explorer in Boston, Massachusetts. After college and stint in the Air Force, Merz worked in private security, handling a wide array of assignments including executive protection and corporate investigations.  In 1998, he left the corporate world behind and became a full-time writer. His works include the Jake Thunder and Lawson Vampire series.

When disgraced ex-FBI agent-turned-Boston-cop Steve Curran finds a corpse with no practical explanation for its death, the nightmares start again. Convinced the serial killer that caused his expulsion from the Bureau is once again haunting him, Curran soon learns his theories are all wrong. When the sister of the latest victim, Lauren Fields, uncovers an old journal detailing the hunt for a creature known only as the Soul Eater, she and Curran must confront the very real prospect that the killer is not of this world at all – and that his motives have little to do with killing, but all to do with something far, far worse. Praise for Jon F. Merz:"Lawson is more like Jason Bourne than Dracula, making this a vampire mystery with broad appeal." --Booklist"A powerful novel by a man who knows the turf already." -NYT Bestselling author Robert. B. Parker"Jon F. Merz's novels move at a break-neck pace, twisting through a landscape of thrills and terror." -- Douglas Clegg, author of The Infinite and The Priest of Blood"...a fine stalking session in vampire-noir land...a series and talented writer I'll be sticking with all the way." -- Mort Castle, author of The Strangers and On Writing HorrorPraise for Jon F. Merz's THE KENSEI (A Lawson vampire Novel #5):"If James Bond, True Blood and Kill Bill created a mutant hybrid of a book, it would be The Kensei. A bullet train slice 'em, dice 'em mixture of action, suspense, and vampire ninjas. Did I mention vampire ninjas?"--Jason Pinter, bestselling author of The Fury and The Darkness"The Kensei is an action novel with real bite. Vampires, Yakuza killers, crooks and animal-monster hyrbids. Jon F. Merz brings his A-game and then ratchets it up to a whole new level of supernatural action. Highly recommended!" --Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author of The Dragon Factory and Patient Zero"In The Kensei, Jon F. Merz seamlessly welds gritty detail with myth and legend to create a thrill ride into the shadow-world lurking beneath modern Japan. Lawson's fight against evil has bone-crunching authenticity. Plus, it has vampires, ninjas, and vampire ninjas. What more could anyone ask?"--Christopher Farnsworth, author or Blood Oath

Meet Lawson. A cynical, wise-cracking vampire charged with protecting the Balance between vampires and humans, he is part cop, part spy, and part commando — James Bond with fangs. Lawson mixes shrewd cunning with unmatched lethality to get his job done. He tries his best to dismantle conspiracies, dispatch bad guys, and live long enough to get home. In The Kensei, a battle-weary Lawson heads to Japan for a little rest and some advanced ninja training. But he no sooner steps off the plane than lands in the midst of a Yakuza turf war orchestrated by a shadowy figure known as the Kensei. With the help of Talya, a former KGB-assassin, Lawson must put a stop to the Kensei's organ trafficking networks, prevent the creation of an army of vampire-human hybrids, and save his own skin in the process.John F. Merz has written an utterly exciting novel—urban, paranormal fantasy meets international, action-packed thriller.

PLEASE NOTE: This story is approximately 10,000 words - it is NOT a novel! It is meant to be a prequel story to a fantasy series coming soon from Jon F. Merz.In the style of Robert E. Howard, NINJA tells the story of a mythical warrior hero named Ran as he graduates from the ninja school he has been attending for twenty years and begins undertaking all sorts of missions across an alternate Earth. Ran will travel far and wide gathering intelligence, acquiring priceless artifacts, and battling evil wherever he finds it... In this story, Ran is assigned to retrieve a magical sword from an evil sorcerer but fate intervenes and Ran is left with a tough decision: carry out his assignment or do what he knows is best.Written by bestselling author Jon F. Merz, himself a 20-year+ practitioner and master instructor of Togakure-ryu Ninjutsu, NINJA is destined to thrill readers with its authentic ninja action combined with the adrenaline of the best fantasy fiction. This is the first in a planned series of adventure surrounding Ran.