Clockwork Gunslingers • Chinese Assassins • A World of MagicTHE BLOOD WAR CHRONICLESWhen assassins jump half-clockwork gunslinger Jake Lasater, he knows the Chinese Tong wants to finally settle an old score. Unfortunately, Jake has no idea the Tong is just the first milepost on the road toward a destiny he refuses to believe in.With his riding partner Cole McJunkins in tow and his ward Skeeter secretly hidden away, Jake squares off against a deadly clockwork mercenary from his past and a troop of crazed European soldiers who want him dead. Add an insane Emperor with knowledge of Jake's past and a mysterious noblewoman who desperately needs his help-and Jake is faced with a whole mess of trouble, with no end in sight.Blood Ties launches an epic saga that spans worlds and threatens the human race itself.