Incarnate (A Spellmason Chronicle)

PRAISE FOR THE SPELLMASON CHRONICLES

Stonecast

“One of the more unique premises that I’ve encountered in the urban fantasy genre, and there is plenty of action and mystery to keep a person occupied.”

—
All Things Urban Fantasy

“
Stonecast
reads like an episode of television: high stakes, high tension, stark contrasts, well-rounded cast, and dialogue complete with quips and banter.”

—
Urban Fantasy Land

“Thrilling . . . Skillful characterization enriches a story that is filled with peril, loss, treachery, and sacrifice. Great stuff!”

—
RT Book Reviews

“A fantastic sequel in this unique and exciting fantasy series. Full of suspense, intrigue, magic, and humor—gargoyles have never been this fun. The story ends with a climactic and satisfying conclusion . . . Don’t miss this fast-paced urban fantasy.”

—SciFiChick.com

Alchemystic

“Loved
Alchemystic
. Every girl needs her own Stanis!”

—Jeanne C. Stein, national bestselling author of
Blood Bond

“Like being strapped to a wrecking ball of urban fantasy fun. Hang on and enjoy the mayhem.”

—Mario Acevedo, author of
Werewolf Smackdown

“Just when I thought Mr. Strout couldn’t do any better than his Simon Canderous series, I was proven wrong! I couldn’t put
Alchemystic
down. It was nonstop action and tension, a bit of romance but not overdone, and all sorts of twists and turns . . . The magical elements will keep you riveted, and I guarantee you’ll be begging for more.”

—
Night Owl Reviews

“This is a heartfelt look into the human nature that is intertwined with magical elements. Metaphysics, romance, humanity, compassion, action, and humor all meshed into a wonderful masterpiece of writing splendor.”

—
Earth’s Book Nook

“The magic behind
Alchemystic
was incredibly intriguing . . . All in all,
Alchemystic
was a very solid start to a new series that will definitely be on my radar for future releases.”

—
A Book Obsession

“Strout has come up with an even more fantastic story than before.
Alchemystic
is a fun and exciting start to a promising new urban fantasy series. With plenty of adventure, mystery, suspense, and magic, this was impossible to put down. Fast-paced, fresh, and surprising, there is never a dull moment. Urban fantasy fans will definitely want to check out this new series (as well as Strout’s previous Simon Canderous series).”

—SciFiChick.com

“
Alchemystic
has a unique story with delightful characters and plenty of mystery to keep you interested.”

—
Rabid Reads

“
Alchemystic
is thrilling, funny, and eerie—all the elements that make Strout books such irreverent fun!”

—
RT Book Reviews

“Excellent character development. The ending leaves this whole world open in a great way . . . My favorite part of this is the use of magic . . . It feels organic and interesting.”

—
Nerdist

PRAISE FOR ANTON STROUT AND HIS SIMON CANDEROUS NOVELS

Dead Matter

“Great sense of humor, combined with vivid characters, a complex mystery, and plenty of danger . . . a fantastic read. Urban fantasy fans should not miss this exciting series.”

—SciFiChick.com

“[Strout’s] skillful blending of the creepy and the wacky gives his series an original appeal. Don’t miss out!”

—
RT Book Reviews
(top pick)

Deader Still

“Take the New York of
Men in Black
and
Ghostbusters
, inject the same pop-culture awareness and irreverence of
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
or
The Middleman
, toss in a little
Thomas Crown Affair
, shake and stir, and you’ve got something fairly close to this book.”

—
The Green Man Review

“It has a
Men in Black
flavor mixed with
NYPD Blue
’s more gritty realism.”

—
SFRevu

“A fun read . . . If you liked
Dead to Me
, it’s a safe bet you’ll like this one even more.”

—Jim C. Hines, author of
Codex Born

“Unique from a lot of the urban fantasy genre. This is a fantastic series.”

—
Bitten by Books
(5 tombstones)

Dead to Me

“Following Simon’s adventures is like being the pinball in an especially antic game, but it’s well worth the wear and tear.”

—Charlaine Harris, #1
New York Times
bestselling author of
Midnight Crossroad

“Part
Ghostbusters
, part
Men in Black
, Strout’s debut is both dark and funny, with quirky characters, an eminently likable protagonist, and the comfortable, familiar voice of a close friend.”

—Rachel Vincent,
New York Times
bestselling author of
Oath Bound

“Urban fantasy with a wink and a nod . . . A genuinely fun book with a fresh and firmly tongue-in-cheek take on the idea of paranormal police.”

—Kelly McCullough, author of
Blade Reforged

“Clever, fast-paced, and a refreshing change in the genre of urban fantasy.”

—
SFRevu

“Strout’s inventive story line raises the genre’s bar with his collection of oddly mismatched, entertaining characters and not-so-secret organizations.”

—
Monsters and Critics

Ace Books by Anton Strout

The Simon Canderous Novels

DEAD TO ME

DEADER STILL

DEAD MATTER

DEAD WATERS

The Spellmason Chronicles

ALCHEMYSTIC

STONECAST

INCARNATE

THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP

Published by the Penguin Group

Penguin Group (USA) LLC

375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014

USA • Canada • UK • Ireland • Australia • New Zealand • India • South Africa • China

penguin.com

A Penguin Random House Company

INCARNATE

An Ace Book / published by arrangement with the author

Copyright © 2014 by Anton Strout.

Penguin supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin to continue to publish books for every reader.

Ace Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group.

ACE and the “A” design are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) LLC.

For information, address: The Berkley Publishing Group,

a division of Penguin Group (USA) LLC,

375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.

eBook ISBN: 978-0-698-15173-4

PUBLISHING HISTORY

Ace mass-market edition / October 2014

Cover illustration by Blake Morrow; texture © Allgusak/Shutterstock.

Cover design by Diana Kolsky.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

To—
my beloved Clan Strout, who put up with much of my madness as I experienced new horizons in balancing writing time while raising two newborns and contending with my book deadline (which is its own strange birth process, I suppose), and a special shout-out to Laurell K. Hamilton for much-Twittered confidence boosting in this the year of the Twinpocalypse

Welcome once more, little word nerdlings, to the third and final book of The Spellmason Chronicles. I’ve missed you. Have you missed me?

Incarnate
exists only due to the efforts (sometimes Herculean) of many supportive and/or talented people:

Every last Random Penguin (I’ll never use Penguin Random House—NEVER!) that waddles in flightless waterfowl fashion through their hallowed halls, especially my friends (and coworkers) in the paperback sales department; my editor and the person I swap baby photos with all day long, Jessica Wade; editorial assistant Isabel Farhi; managing editor Michelle Kasper, assistant production editor Julia Quinlan, and copy editor Valle Hansen; Judith Murello, Diana Kolsky, and Blake Morrow for a gorgeously creepy cover; Erica Martirano and her marketing and promo team; my publicity superstars, Alexis Nixon and Nita Basu; my social media guru, convention coordinator Colleen Lindsay, an all-around structural support beam in the construct that is Castle Anton; my agent, Kristine Dahl, and Laura Neely at ICM; the League of Reluctant Adults for continued support and stocking of the bar; and my family—the always-elusive Orlycorn, the ever-analytical baby geenyus Julia, and my happy-go-lucky Benjers. And as always, dear reader, thanks to all of you, especially those who have stuck with Lexi and Stanis these three books to find out their ultimate fates.

Pity I kill them all in the end. Or
do
I? Stay tuned, gargoyle lovers . . . It’s going to be a bumpy flight!