Learn the tragic origins of the wicked Arch-Illager in this official Minecraft novel, a prequel to Minecraft Dungeons!

Brave heroes have banded together to take a perilous journey through the war-torn Overworld to defeat the Arch-Illager and his formidable army. But how did that army come to be? And just where did the Arch-Illager come from?

The terrible truth behind the Arch-Illager is that he never asked for ultimate power. Known as Archie, this little Illager is bullied by his fellow Illagers and mistrusted by fearful Villagers. Archie only ever wanted a place to call home, but he finds himself shunned by all. As he wanders through deep forests and up craggy mountains, he stumbles upon a dark cavern—with a sinister secret waiting inside.

Archie discovers an object that whispers to him promises of power: the Orb of Dominance. With it, Archie realizes he can wield incredible magic and reshape a world that turned its back on him. All he needs to do is exactly what it tells him . . .

After all, it’s called the Orb of Dominance for a reason, right? But is it named for the way Archie uses it—or is it using him?

Matt Forbeck is an award-winning, New York Times bestselling author and game designer with more than thirty novels and countless games published to date, which have won dozens of honors. His recent work includes the new Dungeons & Dragons: Endless Quest books, Halo: Bad Blood, and Life Is Strange: Welcome to Blackwell Academy, plus work on the Rage 2 videogame and the Shotguns & Sorcery roleplaying game based on his novels. He lives in Beloit, Wisconsin, with his wife and five children, including a set of quadruplets.