Today we are thrilled to share a bit about Ninth City Burning, which is the first book in an epic science fiction series from debut novelist J. Patrick Black releasing September 6, 2016. Set five hundred years after an alien invasion almost destroys humanity with a special power known as thelemity. Those able to harness the power are sent to elite military academies; those who refuse to support the war are exiled on a ruined Earth. Definitely has our interest peaked! And today we happy to share a short excerpt and cast of characters from the book with all of you.   Excerpt The Valentine War, Earth 500 Years Ago It starts with the world how it used to be, with countries and billions of people living everywhere. Back then there was no such thing as thelemity, and people built houses and machines sort of like they have in settlements today, but all of that changed when the Valentines came.   The reason we call them the Valentines is that the day they first attacked, February 14 on the old Western Calendar, was called “Valentine’s Day”. We still don’t know what the Valentines call themselves, because we’ve never been able to talk…