Gears of War thrusts gamers into a deep and harrowing story of humankind's epic battle for survival against the Locust Horde, a nightmarish race of creatures that surface from the bowels of the planet.

Now in the third book of the series, GEARS OF WAR: ANVIL GATE (Del Rey Trade Paperback, on sale August 31, 2010, $16.00), the human race struggles to move on after the tragic events on Jacinto.

With the Locust Horde seemingly destroyed, Jacinto's survivors have begun to rebuild human society on their island stronghold. Raiding pirate gangs take a toll — but it's nothing that Marcus Fenix and the Gears can't handle. Then the terrifying life-forms they thought they'd left behind - the Lambent, creatures even the Locust feared - begin to advance across the planet. Gears and gangs must fight side by side to stop their deadliest enemy yet, falling back on the savage tactics of another bloody siege: Anvil Gate. 

"Anvil Gate is part of the fast-moving storyline between the second and third Gears games, so it's essential reading for any fan who wants to fully understand the events of Gears of War 3 - the final game of the trilogy, also written by Karen," said Epic Games Executive Producer Rod Fergusson.

The Gears of War series is one of the most popular franchises in Xbox history, having won more than 30 Game of the Year awards, and spawning New York Times bestselling novels, an ongoing comic book series, an upcoming film, collectible figures and more.

Karen Traviss is the author of five Star Wars: Republic Commando novels: Hard Contact, Triple Zero, True Colors, Order 66, and Imperial Commando: 501st; three Star Wars: Legacy of the Force novels: Bloodlines, Revelation, and Sacrifice; two Star Wars: The Clone Wars novels: The Clone Wars movie novelization and No Prisoners; as well as her award-nominated series City of Pearl, Crossing the Line, The World Before, Matriarch, Ally and Judge. A former defense correspondent and TV and newspaper journalist, Traviss lives in Wiltshire, England.