Dean Marden

Of Empires Vapid and Grand Dean Marden

CHOSEN to partake in a government initiative known only as 'the Program', Cawdor High's graduating students are quick to find their old rivalries and alliances playing out on a scale grander than any one of them could have imagined. Given control of fourteen ancient civilisations within an immense virtual world, the hundred teenagers must engage their foes, protect their allies and safeguard their own interests leveraging all the powers of human history. In high school, Lex Ryerson had never been outgoing, outspoken or even remotely popular, but as a member of the fledgling Blue faction, he finds himself emerging as a powerful player in a world forged by the capricious nature of the teenage psyche. The Blues rise to early prominence as they and their neighbouring nations find themselves embroiled in political intrigue and worldwide conflict that could spell doom at any moment for one or all. Spears and swords make way for cannons and guns, with warships and nuclear power thrusting the Program down an increasingly hazy path of warfare and politics. In a world birthed by the collective consciousness of a hundred teenaged minds, how many will be able to tread its narrow paths between sweeping glory and utter decimation? For its enablers, the answer will weave a web of empires both vapid and grand.