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  • Paragon of Shadow

Paragon of Shadow

Paragon #2 / 2
by Luke Chmilenko, Alex Knight
Paragon of Shadow (Paragon #2) by Luke Chmilenko, Alex Knight
⧗ 9.00 / 1
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Auric Cain found his chance.

He proved himself, took control of his life, and became stronger than he ever thought possible. So why is everything falling apart? Literally.

With the help of allies old and new, Auric thwarted Salvo's plan and narrowly avoided cataclysm. But in the wake of that confrontation, something went very, very wrong.

Now everywhere Auric turns he sees that his home, his world, and even the System itself are coming apart at the seams. Entropic gateborn roam the wilds unchecked while rogue storms and freak anomalies spring up seemingly at random. And worse, there's rumors of something coming in the distance. Something that arrives without warning and leaves only the shattered remnants of reality in its wake.

Auric achieved the power he's always dreamed of, but with Salvo gone, there's no one left to stand beside him. To figure out why the System's unraveling. To fight against the oncoming chaos. If he's going to survive, he'll have to delve deeper into the inner workings of the System than anyone ever has before--right back to where it all began.

Auric Cain found his chance, and if he's lucky, he might live to regret it.

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Fantasy
Release date: April 2, 2024

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Luke Chmilenko

Luke Chmilenko

When Luke Chmilenko first sat down to write Ascend Online, he wasn’t trying to start a movement—he just wanted to tell the kind of story he’d always wanted to read. A story where the game wasn’t just background noise, but the world itself. Where the stakes were more than loot drops, and choices had lasting consequences. That book, published in 2016, quickly became a defining entry in the LitRPG genre—one that helped shape the virtual battlegrounds readers now devour with fervor.

Read more ...

Raised in Mississauga, Ontario, Chmilenko didn’t come from a literary background. His early career was rooted in IT security—logical, structured, and grounded in real-world systems. But behind that daily grind was a lifelong gamer and worldbuilder, someone who understood how immersive mechanics could be used to explore human dynamics just as deeply as traditional storytelling. It’s that fusion—mechanical precision with emotional stakes—that sets his work apart.

In Ascend Online, Marcus and his friends enter a full-immersion MMORPG expecting adventure. What they get is a harsh, morally complex frontier where players aren't just adventurers—they’re citizens, soldiers, and leaders. This theme—of ordinary people thrust into extraordinary systems—threads through Chmilenko’s body of work, whether it’s the fantasy-forward Legacy of the Fallen or his sci-fi venture Starfall. His stories lean into hard decisions, blurred lines between hero and villain, and the evolving relationships between characters navigating volatile digital worlds.

Chmilenko’s impact goes beyond the page. He’s been a quiet force in legitimizing LitRPG and GameLit as serious storytelling forms, showing that game mechanics and rich character arcs aren’t mutually exclusive. His commitment to his craft—and to the readers who grew with him—has made him a respected figure among fans and fellow writers alike.

Now living in Burlington with his wife and two daughters, Chmilenko writes full-time. The game worlds he builds may be virtual, but the questions they ask—about identity, choice, and consequence—are anything but.

Paragon

Paragon consists of two books. The current recommended reading order for the series is provided below.

Paragon of Blood (Paragon #1)
Unrated
Paragon of Shadow (Paragon #2)
⧗ 9.00 / 1


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