Staying alive won't be hard. All she has to do is abandon the children. Crossing the Nullarbor desert, Jess McTiernan does not expect to become the unwilling guardian of a child Empress from a different world. Jess is leaving her old life, job and abusive husband behind when the Empress Vi and her murderous pre-teen soldier companion fall into her life. On their heels are General Utara and a squad of vicious soldiers, determined to bring home the Empress's head - with or without the rest of her attached - and leave no witnesses behind. Fighting to stay one step ahead of Utara's forces, while avoiding both the police and a shadowy government agency with mysterious goals, they will find the greatest danger lies much closer at hand. The Crystal Crown is the first book in The War of the Exiles , a four-book modern-day sci-fi action adventure. Our world and theirs collide in this character-driven, fast-paced and thought-provoking high-concept novel. Discover the fate of The Crystal Crown today.