This compelling tale of danger and survival follows four teens in a postapocalyptic world as they attempt to stop evil Overlords and their minions--before they themselves are destroyed.

This compelling tale of danger and survival follows four teens in a postapocalyptic world as they attempt to stop evil Overlords and their minions--before they themselves are destroyed.

** From renowned fantasy author of the Old Kingdom series, Garth Nix, comes a dystopian fantasy perfect for fans of Hunger Games and Divergent.**

Imagine a world where your fourteenth birthday is your last and where even your protector may not be trusted....

In a futuristic urban wasteland, evil Overlords have decreed that no human shall live a day past their fourteenth birthday. On that Sad Birthday, the children of the Dorms are taken to the Meat Factory, where they will be made into creatures whose sole purpose is to kill.

The mysterious Shade--once a man, but now more like the machines he fights--recruits the few teenagers who escape into a secret resistance force. With luck, cunning, and skill, four of Shade's children come closer than any to discovering the source of the Overlords' power--and the key to their downfall. But the closer they get, the more ruthless Shade seems to become.