I can also guarantee you will not want the adventure to end. But is that even possible for someone like him? He must become a hero in his own right or the city is doomed. Sik must fight demons, join forces with the goddess Ishtar and her adopted daughter, and venture into the netherworld to save the people he loves, making heart-breaking sacrifices along the way. Nergal is seeking a treasure he thinks Sik’s brother stole from Iraq, and if he doesn’t get it he will unleash a supernatural plague across New York City, transforming its inhabitants into monsters. All this role-playing becomes painfully real when Nergal, the ancient god of disease, crashes into his life. As young boys they played at being Gilgamesh, the greatest hero of all time, and Enkidu, his trusty sidekick, battling make-believe monsters till dinner-time.

Mo loved Iraq, where he was born, and taught Sik all about ancient Mesopotamia and its mythology. After all, there’s no one else they can count on now that their eldest son, Mo, is gone. But Sik is dedicated to keeping his immigrant parents’ American dream alive. Sure, he misses game night with his friends, and he wishes Daoud, a vain aspiring actor who is supposed to be an employee, would pull his weight. Thirteen year-old Sikander ‘Sik’ Aziz has a frantically busy life working in his parents’ deli in Manhattan after school and on weekends. City of the Plague God A thrilling and action-packed fantasy based on Mesopotamian mythology a brilliant addition to Rick Riordan's personally selected and bestselling imprint.

City of the plague god series