The Road to Ascendance — Michael A. Smith

On May 2nd, 1999, a massive F5 tornado ripped through the small delta town of Cleveland, Mississippi. Hardest hit was the campus of Delta State University, where the top two floors of one of the dormitories was completely ripped away. Thirty six bodies were never found. This is the story of those who were taken by the Maelstrom... and survived! Growing up in the racially volatile flatlands of the Mississippi River basin, Michael Descado has been forced to fight his entire life. With his stoic and contrastingly noble brother Eric by his side, young adulthood finds Michael in his fourth year of college at Delta State University, where his frequent brawling has made him part of the local folklore. One night after a fraternity party melee, Michael's dormitory is struck by a massive tornado, ripping the building apart and carrying its occupants to a strange and otherworldly realm of monsters and magic. The ensuing adventure yokes them with saga heroes and nightmare foes, themes of morality, religion, self-sacrifice, and the value of sentient life permeating each choice, each conflict, each miracle. In the end, Michael will hold the fate of a new world in one hand, and the fates of his most beloved in the other.