The Extinction Gambit — Michael Pryor

Pryor's newest hero Kingsley Ward must not only stop immortal magicians from altering history and Neanderthals set out to destroy the world, but simultaneously rescue his father from an almost certain doom

Kingsley Ward is in dire trouble. Instead of thrilling the audience with his death-defying escapology, his first performance ends in disaster when his hidden wolfish nature bursts free. That same night, his father is abducted and his home ransacked. To find his father and redeem himself, Kingsley braves the Demimonde, a mysterious parallel world. He is soon the target of two warring factions: immortal magicians whose diabolical plans will create mayhem at the 1908 Olympics, and the last Neanderthals, whose vengeance will wipe out humankind. Kingsley is in dire need of help and the famous author Rudyard Kipling is willing to assist, but why is he so interested in Kingsley? Another person on his side is Evadne Stephens, juggler, weaponsmith, and Demimonde expert -- but what does her mercurial nature conceal? Bizarre plots and sinister magic; the extraordinary is about to happen.