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Chronicles of Nick Series
Infinity
(E-Book Available)
The Dark-Hunters: Infinity, Vol. 1
(E-Book Available)
Invincible
(E-Book Available)
Infamous
(E-Book Available)
Inferno
(E-Book Available)
Inferno Collector's Edition
Illusion
FAQs
Virgil is hilarious, will he be in anymore books?
Virg will be back in many more books. As the attorney for the Damned (and Bubba), how could he not? He will also have his own short stories that will be coming out. Keep your eyes pealed for him.
How is the Chronicles of Nick related to the Dark-Hunter books?
The CON is a prequel to the DH novels, and it chronicles the life of Nick who is still Kyrian's Squire in the first book of the DH series (he's 24 in that novel). CON is a young adult or tween series and is written for ages 10 and up. The DH books...More
How do the CON & DH Timelines mesh? (Spoiler warning)
I actually answer that in every CON book, and in Infamous in greater detail. But the best explanation is found in the prologue of Infinity. There are lynch pin events that will not, cannot, and do not change. Major events such as Nick meeting...More
My kids want to read DH. Should I let them?
That is entirely up to you. I have never been the kind of person to tell anyone how to raise their children and every child is different. My mother never censored what I read, and I read some pretty racy stuff early in my life. However, I am not...More
Chronicles of Nick
#1 New York Times bestselling series…
The world of the Dark-Hunters is unlike anything you’ve every seen before. It’s dark. It’s gritty. It’s dangerous…
And it’s a whole lot of fun and a lot of laughs.
My name is Nick Gautier and this is the story of my life.
First off, get the name right. It’s pronounced Go-shay not Go-tee-ay or Goat-chay (that has an extra H in it and as my mom says we’re so poor we couldn’t afford the extra letter). I’m not some fancy French fashion designer. I’m just a regular kid… well as regular as someone with a stripper for a mother and a career felon for a father can be.
But as my mom so often says friends are what God gives us to make up for the families we’re born into. And my mother, in spite of her occupation is a lady and I’ll fight anyone who says otherwise. Consider this your notice. You respect Cherise Gautier or I’ll learn you better.
My kingdom is the French Quarter and here I reign as prince. Everyone knows me and I know them.
Now I’m not doing bad for a kid whose education is from the backstreets and alleys. I sweep floors in the doll store along with a few other unmentionable jobs my mom would kill me over if she knew about. I even work as a guide on the “Undead of New Orleans” tours. Everyone who visits the Quarter either takes one or runs into one of these tours passing on the street. You know them. “And on this spot something spooky happened” or some other load of bull. Heck, I make most of it up each night just to keep from being bored.
I mean really, demons? Werewolves? Gods and goddesses on the streets (other than those being portrayed on the Mardi Gras floats)? Vampires? Who believes that crap?
The only blood-suckers I ever saw were the lawyers in their expensive suits and big butt mosquitoes (if you’ve ever been to New Orleans, then you know about the B-52 bombers I’m talking about). Besides, now that Anne Rice has moved out of town, she took the lot of that with her. We’re a vamp-free zone.
And then one night, I decided that even though I’d done a lot of bad things in my life, I wasn’t about to shake down a couple of tourists no matter how much money they had and I didn’t. So instead of beating on some innocents, the guys I hung with beat on me.
They’d have killed me, too, had it not been for this mysterious dude who came out of nowhere and struck them down so fast all I could see was a black blur. The next thing I know, I’m a part of a world I’d never imagined in my wildest dreams. And my dreams can be pretty rowdy.
The Dark-Hunters call them Daimons, but I call them scary as all get out. Soul-sucking demons, they’re controlled by a ruthless goddess who has been trapped in a realm she despises. Now it’s a game of cat-and-mouse between the goddess Apollymi and the Dark-Hunter Acheron.
The winner takes the world.
And I am right smack dab in the middle of this war. And don’t even get me started on the zombies one of my friends created or the fact that my new best friend is a demon… oh and never let me forget that I’m being trained by Death himself.
Trust me being undead isn’t for amateurs and it’s not playtime with the paranormal. All the scary things that go bump in the night are real and you should pray you never come into contact with them in their true forms. They exist and are all around us. From the butcher and baker on St. Anne, to the little old doll maker on Royal, to the captain of my football team who happens to be a werewolf. In fact, your favorite restaurant could very well be run by an entire family of shape-shifting bears. And who knew the girl I had a crush on comes from a long line of people who watch over the vampire slayers?
How do I know?
No, I’m not one of the undead. I just work for them now.
And I love every minute of it.
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**Please note that the Chronicles of Nick is a Young Adult spin-off series from the Dark-Hunter novels. If you’d like to read the ones with more adult content, they are listed under the Dark-Hunter series section.
The manga listed is for ages 14 and up.
==========================================
**Note to Dark-Hunter fans
The Chronicles of Nick *is* Nick’s real and true past. There is a huge surprise (several actually) in the series that I don’t want to spoil, but when you read them, everything you think is an inconsistency will make perfect sense to you. More than that, you will understand exactly why Nick is the way he is and why he continues to hate Acheron the way he does.
Nick’s series will run until it intersects with Night Pleasures and then Nick will have his own novel in the Dark-Hunter world.
Remember the one promise that I try to keep in every book: Just when you think you know the truth about a character or event, you find out that things are seldom what they seem. Nick is one of those characters. There’s a lot more to our little Cajun than what you’ve seen to date. That’s why it takes 14 books to tell his story.
There are many, many secrets you’ll learn about a lot of characters, including Cherise and especially Jaden and Jared. Just hold on… you ain’t seen nothing yet :)
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**Please note that the books listed under series are in their correct reading order even though they don’t have to be read that way. The ones listed under related are books/anthologies that contain characters from this series, but they exist outside of the series time line.
Chronicles of Nick FAQs
Virgil is hilarious, will he be in anymore books?
Virg will be back in many more books. As the attorney for the Damned (and Bubba), how could he not? He will also have his own short stories that will be coming out. Keep your eyes pealed for him.
How is the Chronicles of Nick related to the Dark-Hunter books?
The CON is a prequel to the DH novels, and it chronicles the life of Nick who is still Kyrian's Squire in the first book of the DH series (he's 24 in that novel). CON is a young adult or tween series and is written for ages 10 and up. The DH books have much more adult content in them. I'd planned to write the CON from the very beginning, but it wasn't until I was far enough along in the DH series that I could start them. They were also written for the adult fans who begged for a version of the DH books that their children could read with them. And I'd promised my sons who are in elementary and middle school that I would write a series they could read and give them a hero they could relate to. I wanted to write books that both boys and girls would enjoy, and not have it geared more to one gender than the other. The books are packed with humor and are a coming of age story. Each volume chronicles roughly one year of Nick's life, except for Infinity and Invincible which take place back to back. There should be 14 books total in the series, with an additional book at the end to tell about Nick as a Dark-Hunter.
How do the CON & DH Timelines mesh? (Spoiler warning)
I actually answer that in every CON book, and in Infamous in greater detail. But the best explanation is found in the prologue of Infinity. There are lynch pin events that will not, cannot, and do not change. Major events such as Nick meeting Kyrian, Kyrian meeting Amanda, etc. will remain the same. Little details might alter- such as the exact time they meet i.e. Nick know meets Simi earlier, but he still doesn't know who her father is... yet. Whether or not he learns that will depend. What Nick is really trying to change is what he will become if he doesn't save the lives of friends he loses and events we have yet to get to in the DH books. The only real thing he's trying to change that is in DH books to date is the death of his mother. Inferno will open with a glimpse of Ambrose's future and what is awaiting Nick and why it is imperative that he save certain lives. The timelines will mesh and I do have it all worked out. When you read the two series, you won't be lost or confused. It does all make sense. You just have to read it carefully. Everything is and has been foreshadowed from the very beginning.
My kids want to read DH. Should I let them?
That is entirely up to you. I have never been the kind of person to tell anyone how to raise their children and every child is different. My mother never censored what I read, and I read some pretty racy stuff early in my life. However, I am not going to tell anyone that they should or shouldn't allow their child to read something. It's a matter of your comfort level and that of your child. That being said, my suggestion is for you to read the DH books first and then decide. They do have adult material in them and are for older readers. If that makes you uncomfortable, then I suggest the Dark-Hunter manga which follows the adult books, but without the adult content. They are for readers 14 and older.
Vocabulary
Blood-Rites:
Squires who are called out to perform blood hunts to terminate any Squire who breaches his/her oath and endangers the Dark-Hunters or their world. They are also called in to execute a "rogue" Dark-Hunter who has turned against humans. Blood-Rites Squires are marked by a spider web-like tattoo on the hand.
Blue-Bloods:
Squires who are descended from other Squires.
Bokor
A person who creates and/or controls a zombie. Most zombies are created from corpses, but they don't have to be. Some are made through chemical induced zombies or those with altered brainwaves. In DH legends, zombieism isn't contagious. A zombie can only be made by a bokor. Demon bites are another story...
Cimmerian Magus
Dark powers. All demons possess magus, but the Cimmerian Magus are born of negative feelings and cause destruction.
Demonkyn
Another word for demon or demon-kind. It can also be a term of affection between demons, symbolizing brotherhood.
Dorean/Free Agents:
Squires who don't serve a specific DH, but who provide a service that helps all of them. Doctors, pilots, police officers, judges, etc. fall into this category.
Echo/Barnacles:
They are assigned to a specific DH and they maintain the DH's home. They often fetch for them as well. They are aids and personal assistants. They live with the Dark-Hunter and help to create an illusion that there's nothing unusual going on with the occupants of a house.
Fringe Guard
Bounty hunters sent after preternatural beings.
Initiates/Chips:
Squires who are recruited who had no previous knowledge of the DH world.
Karnarsas
The last battle where the Malachai destroys the world and consumes it in a fiery wrath that leaves no survivors. Total destruction of the human world, leaving only the primary gods to start over.
Merd
Herd of morons. They seem to be prolific at St. Richard's and they usually glom onto Stone.
MOD
Messenger of Death.
Neo- Luddite
Someone who knows how to live off grid. They don't have a tech trace that can be run on them.
Oracles:
Squires who confer with the gods, especially the Fates to gather information that is helpful to the Dark-Hunters. The most prominent Oracles are the Lekti who keep the Book of Prophecy where all important events in human history are predicted. It is said even the End of the World is chronicled within its pages. They fall outside the control of the Squire Council and are led by the Delphinian (Oracle of Delphi).
Perityle Demon
High-level demon (though lower on the scale when compared to other high lollers). They have a lot of power, including the ability to time travel. Hard to kill and harder to enslave, they are a vicious breed.
Screech Demon
Nasty little buggers who let out a cry so shrill, it can drive humans insane. It's particularly bad on those with elevated hearing.
Slayer
A Katagari who has lost all control of his/her powers and has been driven insane by them. They are indiscriminate killers and are hunted, then put down by the Strati and Sentinels. It's also a term that the Arcadians use for any strong Katagari fighter, and one they use to justify killing any Katagari they find.
Star of Ishtaryn
Basically, it's demon kryptonite that will weaken or cage any demons who comes into contact with it (that includes half bloods). It will also weaken any Were-Hunter. A glowing orange stone, it's hard to miss and is often set as a necklace or ring that his owned by a human. Or used by very weak demons against much stronger ones.
Strati
The Katagaria equivalent to an Arcadian Sentinel, i.e. super warriors who are even stronger than the rest of their people. Aside from the difference between their subspecies, the Strati do not have the facial markings of the Sentinels. The Arcadians refer to them as Slayers, but Slayers to the Katagaria are those who have lost control of their powers and have been driven insane by them. A true Slayer is hunted and put down by the Strati.
Taahiki demons
Third subculture demons with limited powers. They are fetchers sent in to retrieve objects and creatures for their masters. They smell terrible and are huge, ugly creatures, with bald heads, talons and Shar-Pei like skin.
Tech:
Squires who are involved in research and technological fields. They are the ones who conceive and create special toys and who enable Dark-Hunters to communicate with each other.
The Council:
Best described as "taking care of business" this is an elite group that belongs in the deep background of the DH world. No one is sure who the members are or when, where or how The Council started. However, all the Squires fall beneath its shadowy control. And in the city of New Orleans, the Council liaison is Phil Poitiers.
The Dark-Hunters themselves are beyond their reach (or so it's believed).
Who are they? We'd all like to know. The only advice I can give you as one Squire to another--when their email shows up in your inbox or you hear that distorted voice on the phone, pay as close attention to it as you would Artemis.
Never cross the Council.
The Malachai
The sum of all evil. Born in violence to do violence.
At one time, there were thousands of Malachai. But after the first war was fought between the gods, they were all destroyed. All except one. Their leader and fiercest warrior who was the original Malachai spawned: Drakon. He is the great-grandfather to Nick. He lived for thousands of years until his son, Teresun Malachai replaced him. In time, Adarian Malachai was born and he, in turn, with the help of Noir, killed his father. Adarian spent centuries serving Noir until he was able to break free of Azmodea and reenter the world of Man where he has been hiding ever since.
The Malachai are allowed to have children, but only one will inherit the powers of their father. The majority of their children never survive childhood and it is said that if a son makes it to age ten, he will then be the one to kill or cause the death of his father, and then assume the full Malachai powers for himself.
If, however, he fails, the senior Malachai can then absorb his powers. To date, no Malachai of the thousands born was ever born to a loving mother. Not until Nick Gautier...
The Squires:
Originally known as shield-bearers for the Dark Hunters, we are either hand-picked or born to be their human accomplices. We are their eyes, their ears, and at times, their lifeline during the daylight hours.
Fiercely loyal, we have sworn our own oath to protect the Dark-Hunters' identities from those who would expose them. In turn, they protect and provide for us. Our network is every bit as complicated as that of the Dark-Hunters' and we have our own way of doing business.
Though we're not allowed on hunts, or to pursue the Daimons, we provide a necessary service to our employers. And, in the past, there have been special circumstances where we were allowed to cross over into their realm....
Theto/Theti:
They function like a police force within the realm of the Squires. They are also the ones sent out to deal with any civilian who finds out about the Dark-Hunters. Unlike the Blood-Rite Squires, they cannot kill anyone. They are sent in first to clean up the situation. If they are ineffective, then the Blood-Rites are called in.
Zombie Zero
The first zombie that starts a zombie apocalypse.