This is what you need to know:

First, there are the Droods. A centuries-old family, dedicated to defending Humanity from all the unnatural forces that threaten this world. My family. The Good Guys—more or less. Then, there are all the other very secret organisations, who deal with things the Droods don’t have time for or don’t feel too bothered about. Groups like the London Knights, the Carnacki Institute, the Soulhunters . . . Good Guys—or good enough. Finally, we have the opposition, hiding in the shadows. The villains, the Bad Guys—only out for themselves and what they can get, and to hell with everyone else. Add to that the monsters, aliens, and general weird shit . . . and we’re talking about the world I know.

I’m Eddie Drood, field agent for my family. Doing unto others before they do it to you. Except for when I’m undercover; then I’m Shaman Bond, just another face on the scene, keeping his eyes and ears open. Whichever identity I’m using, I usually have a fairly strong grasp on what’s what, and what matters, and whose side I’m on.

I should have known. Nothing’s ever that simple. This is the case where everything fell apart, the one when everything and everyone that mattered were taken from me. Because no one ever told me about the Powers That Be, and the Big Game. And what I’d have to do to win.