A royal family in chaos, a country under attack, a prophecy of lies. Magic, betrayal and epic battles

War has come to the Five Isles. A merciless host driven by the Angel Prince, Aeros, has its sights on the unconquered kingdom of Gul Kana.

Its ruling family are fractured. The newly crowned king reigns in paranoid isolation, and his two sisters have troubles of their own. Jondralyn wants to prove her worth as a warrior, while Tala has uncovered a secret that may destroy the entire kingdom.

Hidden at the edge of Gul Kana, however, is Nail. An orphan taken by the enigmatic Shawcroft to a remote whaling village, he is now a young man who may be the salvation of the entire Five Isles

A dark and epic fantasy perfect for fans of Mark Lawrence, Brent Weeks and George R.R. Martin.

'This is an epic, EPIC fantasy' Rob Bedford, SFFWorld.com

'Durfee writes with genuine passion, bringing his world fully to life with abounding detail and brisk, gutsy action an outstanding debut' John Marco, bestselling author of The Forever Knight and the Tyrants and Kings trilogy

'This is high fantasy in the vein of Stephen R. Donaldson or David Eddings, with generous helpings from George R. R. Martin. Durfee's world building is exceptional' Booklist

'Plenty of well-crafted spectacle, thrills, suspense, blood, thunder and general sense of wonder' Locus magazine

'The battle scenes were, to say the least, epic and so immersive.' Reader reviewer