Most Popular Books by Matt Forbeck

The rich and powerful take what they want. We steal it back for you. When a disreputable dealer starts swindling aged and ailing comic-book creators out of their wealth—and their high-valued comics and artwork—the daughter of one victim comes to ex-insurance investigator Nathan Ford and his team of counter-crooks for help. Their scheme: run a con at the Comic-Con International, where the crook intends to sell the goods. But there’s more going on than simple theft. An arson plot is in motion that will not only destroy countless rare collectibles, but may end up costing lives. With time short, the team must take down a ruthless mark whose true motives have yet to be revealed…

Brave heroes have banded together to take a perilous journey through the war-torn Overworld to defeat the Arch-Illager and his formidable army.

The New York Times bestselling series based on the blockbuster Xbox® games continues with the acclaimed story of Spartan Edward Buck—first seen in HALO: ODST and reappearing in HALO 5: GUARDIANS! While Spartans get all the glory, no soldier―not even the legendary Master Chief―wins a war on his own. Gunnery Sergeant Edward Buck and his team of Orbital Drop Shock Troopers (ODSTs) played a major role in saving Earth from all-out invasion at the end of the Covenant War―acts of bravery and ingenuity that did not go unnoticed by the United Nations Space Command. Now, after many Spartans have been killed in battle and the Master Chief is listed as MIA, the UNSC decides to create a new generation of Spartans to defend humanity from threats both outside―and within. When they come to Buck with an extraordinary proposition, he is forced to make a life-altering decision. With the Covenant War finally over, is it time for him to retire to the sidelines for a life he could only dream about…or is he prepared to step up and become part of the military’s new blood? Copyright © 2015 by Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Microsoft, Halo, the Halo logo, Xbox, and the Xbox logo are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies.

250 years ago, Ascalon burned . . . Desperate to defend his land from advancing hordes of bestial charr, King Adelbern summoned the all-powerful Foefire to repel the invaders. But magic can be a double-edged sword—the Foefire burned both charr and human alike. While the charr corpses smoldered, the slain Ascalonians arose again, transformed by their king’s rage into ghostly protectors and charged with guarding the realm . . . forever. The once mighty kingdom became a haunted shadow of its former glory. Centuries later, the descendants of Ascalon, exiled to the nation of Kryta, are besieged on all sides. To save humankind, Queen Jennah seeks to negotiate a treaty with the hated charr. But one obstacle remains. The charr legions won’t sign the truce until their most prized possession, the Claw of the Khan-Ur,is returned from the ruins of fallen Ascalon. Now a mismatched band of adventurers, each plagued by ghosts of their own, sets forth into a haunted, war-torn land to retrieve the Claw. Without the artifact, there is no hope for peace between human and charr—but the undead king who rules Ascalon won’t give it up easily, and not everyone wants peace!

THE VERY BEST PERSON TO CATCH YOUR KILLER…IS YOU. Matt Forbeck arrives as the new king of high-concept - with a blockbuster action movie in a book. In the near future, scientists solve the problem of mortality by learning how to backup and restore a persons memories into a vat-bred clone. When Secret Service agent Ronan "Methusaleh" Dooley is brutally murdered, he''s brought back from the dead one more time to hunt his killer, but this time those who wanted him dead are much closer to home. FILE UNDER: Science Fiction [Future Thriller / Cheat Death / Rogue Agents / Who Killed Who?] From the Paperback edition.

An original full-length novel set in the Halo universe and based on the New York Times bestselling video game series! Just hours following their climactic battle on the Forerunner planet Genesis, the Spartans of Blue Team and Fireteam Osiris find themselves running for their lives from the malevolent machinations of the now-renegade artificial intelligence Cortana. But even as they attempt to stay one step ahead, trouble seems to find Spartan Edward Buck no matter where he turns. A secret mission enacted by the Office of Naval Intelligence could possibly help turn the tide, and has Buck reluctantly agreeing to reform his old team, Alpha-Nine. Because if the band is really getting back together for this one, that means everybody—including the Spartan who Buck never wants to see again, the one who committed the ultimate betrayal of trust…

"A cleric must escape the clutches of the vampire Count Strahd and his Gothic Castle Ravenloft before becoming undead, in a book where the reader''s choices determine the ending of the story."--Provided by publisher.

Learn the tragic origins of the wicked Arch-Illager in this official Minecraft novel, a prequel to Minecraft Dungeons! Brave heroes have banded together to take a perilous journey through the war-torn Overworld to defeat the Arch-Illager and his formidable army. But how did that army come to be? And just where did the Arch-Illager come from? The terrible truth behind the Arch-Illager is that he never asked for ultimate power. Known as Archie, this little Illager is bullied by his fellow Illagers and mistrusted by fearful Villagers. Archie only ever wanted a place to call home, but he finds himself shunned by all. As he wanders through deep forests and up craggy mountains, he stumbles upon a dark cavern—with a sinister secret waiting inside. Archie discovers an object that whispers to him promises of power: the Orb of Dominance. With it, Archie realizes he can wield incredible magic and reshape a world that turned its back on him. All he needs to do is exactly what it tells him . . . After all, it’s called the Orb of Dominance for a reason, right? But is it named for the way Archie uses it—or is it using him?

The mythic past of Minecraft Legends returns to threaten the Overworld in this official novel! Farnum dreams of running a famous zoo. But though the mobs he keeps are adorable, none of them draws anything close to a crowd. Farnum needs something strange and new—but he’s the furthest thing from an adventurer. It takes a lot of convincing from his friends, but Farnum finally takes a chance and goes with them to explore a lush new biome . . . which is how he ends up falling down a waterfall and washing up in front of a mysterious purple portal. Kritten has advised many powerful piglins. Few have been as fearsome or demanding as the Great Bungus. If Kritten wants their head to stay on their shoulders, the pint-sized piglin advisor is going to need to find their clan more land. And fast. At their most desperate point, they discover a cavern filled with ancient piglin carvings, depicting a legend that may have all the answers they’re looking for. Once upon a time, three fabled piglin hordes left the Nether behind and made war on the Overworld. And Kritten thinks they might just have a way to do the same now. All they need is the help of someone in the Overworld foolish enough to trust them . . . someone like Farnum. Together, zookeeper and piglin are about to carve out a legend of their own. And the Overworld may never be the same!

Every night, legions of zombies scratch at the outer walls of Dragon City, trying to claw their way into the grim and gritty metropolis ruled over by the Dragon Emperor, the mighty beast that keeps the hordes of hungry dead from storming the place and tearing it to the ground. Inside, ex-adventurer Max Gibson — now "Freelance" — tries to keep his head down and enjoy his early retirement, but something keeps digging up parts of his long-buried past. First he has to rescue an old pal from murder charges. Next he has a run-in with the corrupt Imperial Dragon''s Guard and the dwarven mafia that run the city''s under-mountain. After that, things get much worse, and Max soon finds himself wrapped up in a plot that involves the Dragon Emperor''s young offspring and the fabled leader of the undead hordes herself, the legendary Ruler of the Dead. With the fate of Dragon City and all its occupants in his hands, what will Max do? Who does he truly care about? And what is he willing to destroy to protect them? This omnibus edition contains all six Shotguns & Sorcery stories written to date. This includes: • "Friends Like These" (short story) • "Goblintown Justice" (short story) • Hard Times in Dragon City (novel) • Bad Times in Dragon City (novel) • End Times in Dragon City (novel Plus, a brand-new story written for this book: • "The Job Never Ends" (novella)

Could a Jedi knight use his light saber to deflect a beam from a phaser? Which aliens are cooler: the Cardassians or the Chazrach? Have any Federation ships ever made the Kessel run in less than twelve parsecs? And most important, in a fight between the Empire and the Federation, who would win? Ever since Princess Leia''s starship hovered into sight on the silver screen, fans of Star Wars and Star Trek have been debating these questions. Now, side by side, they can line up aliens, technology, story points, weaponry, and heroes from the two great science fiction/fantasy stories of our age. For fans everywhere, this volume offers detailed information about both universes, as well as trivia, quizzes, quotes, and information drawn from these two iconic settings. So phasers on stun and light sabers at the ready! It''s time for the duel to begin.

Con your way into a scholarship. Sleep with your professors. Crash a closed course. Sell your organs for beer money. Get textbooks for free. And more... This book has schooled its readers before...but not like this. This guide is a full-scale assault on the ivory towers of academia, teaching students the ins and outs of college life--from how to handle obnoxious roommates (retaliation) to how to make it onto the dean''s list (cheat). With 101 entries providing a crash course in college survival, this next Forbidden Knowledge installment is perfect for senior and freshman fans alike who aren''t afraid of double-secret probation.

Book 3 (of 3) in the riotous Blood Bowl series. In a fantasy kingdom where violence is a way of life, the number one sport is Blood Bowl - gridiron football where anything goes. Dirk ''Dunk'' Hoffnung and the rest of the Bad Bay Hackers thought they''d taken everything the game of Blood Bowl could throw at them, but now they literally have to play the game of their lives to prevent the destruction of their kingdom.

The Bad Bay Hackers win the "Spike!" magazine tournament and are invited to the Tabazco Bowl. The team sets off for the fabulous land of Lustria, but soon Dunk and his friends must fight off zombies, cannibalistic pygmy halflings, and pirates, in this latest installment of the Blood Bowl series. Original.

"To me, my X-Men!" This - the first full-sized sourcebook for the Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game - features the X-Men and all their various spin-off teams, greatest allies and most fearsome foes. Written by d616 System co-creator and New York Times-bestseller Matt Forbeck (The Marvel Encyclopedia, Dungeons & Dragons: Endless Quest) and packed with illustrations by Marvel''s incredible army of artists, the X-Men Expansion is jammed full of vital information about Marvel''s most popular mutants, including new options for creating characters, new Traits, new Tags and new Powers! It also includes new profiles for dozens of characters from X-Force, New Mutants and Marauders, new full-color maps of famous X-Men homes, including the Xavier Institute, Krakoa and Arakko and plenty of plot hooks for an entire campaign. Answer the call and join the X-Men!

It''s a kind of magic... When two college freshmen decide to spend Spring Break using their magic to fleece the gambling tables of Las Vegas, little do they imagine that Vegas harbors some magical secrets of its own... And of course what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas - alive or dead. File Under: [The Mob & Magic | Ancient Secrets | Zombie Wizardry | Bet Your Life]

Welcome to the Forgotten Realms Endless Quest books, where you don’t just read a fantastic tale. You become the hero — and choose your own fate. You have entered the mist-shrouded realm of Ravenloft, where you attract the attention of Count Strahd, who decides to make you one of his vampire spawn. After awakening to find yourself alone within the walls of Castle Ravenloft, you must figure out how to escape the vampire lord’s Gothic lair before you are doomed to become his slave for all time. Keep your wits about you, cleric.