Their prophet dead and their home lost, the half-bloods Harruq and Qurrah Tun form a strained alliance with a band of mercenaries outside the city of Veldaren. As the brothers and their allies wage a private war against powerful thief guilds, divine forces threaten to tear them apart and ruin any hope for a better life. Harruq must do everything he can to defend his family, for Qurrah’s love of a girl with a shattered mind and the power of a goddess may doom them all. THE COST OF BETRAYAL by David Dalglish The death prophet returns, and the disloyal will suffer.
“Yet again, the brother gods destroy the land with their selfish war...” ---- The angels were meant to protect Dezrel. They were meant to guide humanity out from the wreckage of the second Gods' War. But their high priest Azariah has betrayed them all. The ruling angels have fallen, their forms twisted, their color faded, and their wings stained black with the god Ashhur's disgust. In their rage, they are no longer content to guide. With Azariah at their head, they will rule. They will form their perfect world, no matter how many human lives must be sacrificed. In the north, the greatest remaining angel Ahaesarus gathers the beastmen tribes to wield them as an army against the Fallen. To the south, the surviving members of the Eschaton Mercenaries flee the ever-expanding reach of the Fallen. The boy king of Mordeina travels with them under the protection of the Godslayer, Harruq Tun. He is the last hope to unite the fracturing human kingdom to stand against complete domination, and the Fallen will capture him at any cost. But Azariah has in his possession the journal of Karak's Prophet, and access to its forbidden spells within. Those beloved to the Godslayer will suffer...even those beyond the grave. THE KING OF THE FALLEN by David Dalglish Even gods may betray their beloved.
The war god Thulos marches across the world of Dezrel, recruiting soldiers into his demon army and annihilating all who stand against him. With the aid of three Kings, Harruq Tun and his friends must save the nation of Mordan, whose priest-king has sworn to the dark god, and will summon whatever nightmarish creatures necessary to maintain rule. Once freed, they can turn their attention east, to the war god's approach. Before the walls of Mordeina, and high above in the golden city of Avlimar, the last survivors make their stand to stop a world of death and conquest. A SLIVER OF REDEMPTION by David Dalglish The final battle has come.
“Original and vivid. I was captivated.”—Nancy Kress, author of Beggars in Spain Born into hardship, Dar learns to rely on herself alone. When her family betrays her, Dar is conscripted into King Kregant’s army and its brutal campaign to conquer a neighboring country. Now she is bound as a slave to a dreaded regiment of orcs, creatures legendary for their savagery and battle prowess. Rather than cower, Dar rises to the challenge. She learns the unique culture and language of the orcs, survives treachery from both allies and enemies, and struggles to understand a mystical gift that brings her dark, prophetic visions. As the war escalates—amid nightmarish combat and shattering loss—Dar must seize a single chance at freedom.
"This world is not safe. Your angels have done great things, but I fear their illusion of safety has been more damaging than they can possibly understand. The ancient evils may be gone, but new ones have replaced them." ---- Five years have passed since the death of the war god, and now angels watch over the land. It should be a time of peace and prosperity. It is not. With King Antonil marching east to retake his former lands from the orcs, Harruq Tun is thrust into a position of power he is completely unprepared for, leaving many plotting to usurp the throne for their own ends. Hovering over it all are the angels, enforcers of the law and wielders of the executioner's blades. Once viewed as humanity's saviors, the angels now find themselves struggling for a proper place in the new world. Monsters in the Vile Wedge are stirring, and in the south the nation of Ker moves to protect itself from a rule from on high. War comes, and if Harruq cannot stop it, their paradise of angels may soon become a blood-stained prison. THE PRISON OF ANGELS by David Dalglish Fear the grace enforced by the sword.
"Thren Felhorn is the greatest assassin of his time. All the thieves' guilds of the city are under his unflinching control. If he has his way, death will soon spill out from the shadows and into the streets. Aaron is Thren's son, trained to be heir to his father's criminal empire. He's cold, ruthless--everything an assassin should be. But when Aaron risks his life to protect a priest's daughter from his own guild, he glimpses a world beyond piston, daggers, and the iron rule of his father"--Page 4 of cover.
The Half-Orc series chronicles the trials of Harruq and Qurrah Tun, brothers of mixed blood and humble beginnings. One will seek redemption and atonement for the evil he has done. One will destroy everything to deny his wrongs. Volume One contains the first three books of the series.
Half orc. All badass. A female chieftain in a brutal wasteland society fights to take what is hers in an action-packed, foul-mouthed fantasy adventure from the author of The Grey Bastards (“Nonstop action, though not for faint hearts.”—The Wall Street Journal). Fetching was once the only female rider in the Lot Lands. Now she is the proud leader of her own hoof, a band of loyal half-orcs sworn to her command. But in the year since she became chief, the Lots have tested her strength to the breaking point. The Bastards are scattered, desperate, their ranks weakened by a mysterious famine, their fortress reduced to smoldering slag. And their troubles are only growing. A pack of ravening beasts circles their camp, while grasping human nobles hatch a plan that will shift the balance of power in the Lots. Fetch and her comrades are still standing defiant—they’re Bastards, after all—but even the toughest half-orc can take only so much; and Fetch knows they’re on the verge of ruin. As she strives to lead her hoof to safety and unravel the plots set against them, Fetching must journey through forbidden elven lands, overcome long-standing hatreds, battle a monstrous wizard of terrifying power—and, worst of all, delve into the dark truths of her own existence. She’s no stranger to fighting the world, but on this journey, sharp steel and a strong hog won’t be enough. To survive these trials, she’ll have to defy not just her foes but the very nature of the Lots. The True Bastards is the sweeping, ambitious second entry in the Lot Lands series, an irresistibly thrilling, gritty, foul-mouthed adventure that deepens, expands—and again upends—the Bastards’ unforgettable world. Advance praise for The True Bastards “[An] action-packed sequel . . . the story is filled with relentless action and powered by a cast of adeptly developed and emotionally appealing characters. . . . Fans will be overjoyed not only with the return of some beloved characters, but also with the novel's conclusion, which sets up the storyline for a much larger adventure to come. Imagine an outlaw biker gang of half-orcs riding giant war pigs and you've captured this saga's gloriously dirty soul.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
From USA Today bestselling author David Dalglish It's been five long years since the city learned to fear. . . In book #2 of the Shadowdance series, the war between the thief guilds and the powerful allegiance known as the Trifect has slowly dwindled. Now only the mysterious Haern is left to wage his private battle against the guilds in the guise of the Watcher -- a vicious killer who knows no limits. But when the son of Alyssa Gemcroft, one of the three leaders of the Trifect, is believed murdered, the slaughter begins anew. Mercenaries flood the streets with one goal in mind: find and kill the Watcher. Peace or destruction; every war must have its end. Fantasy author David Dalglish spins a tale of retribution and darkness, and an underworld reaching for ultimate power.
“[A] fantasy masterwork . . . a dirty, blood-soaked gem of a novel [that reads] like Mad Max set in Tolkien’s Middle-earth.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review) Jackal and his fellow half-orcs patrol the barren wastes of the Lot Lands, spilling their own damned blood to keep civilized folk safe. A rabble of hard-talking, hog-riding, whore-mongering brawlers they may be, but the Grey Bastards are Jackal’s sworn brothers, fighting at his side in a land where there’s no room for softness. And once Jackal’s in charge—as soon as he can unseat the Bastards’ tyrannical, seemingly unkillable founder—there’s a few things they’ll do different. Better. Or at least, that’s the plan. Until the fallout from a deadly showdown makes Jackal start investigating the Lot Lands for himself. Soon, he’s wondering if his feelings have blinded him to ugly truths about this world, and the Bastards’ place in it. In a quest for answers that takes him from decaying dungeons to the frontlines of an ancient feud, Jackal finds himself battling invading orcs, rampaging centaurs, and grubby human conspiracies alike—along with a host of dark magics so terrifying they’d give even the heartiest Bastard pause. Finally, Jackal must ride to confront a threat that’s lain in wait for generations, even as he wonders whether the Bastards can—or should--survive. Delivered with a generous wink to Sons of Anarchy, featuring sneaky-smart worldbuilding and gobs of fearsomely foul-mouthed charm, The Grey Bastards is a grimy, pulpy, masterpiece—and a raunchy, swaggering, cunningly clever adventure that’s like nothing you’ve read before. Praise for The Grey Bastards “Saddle up the war boar and set off on a wild, gory thrill-ride that ends in an awesome climax and begs for a sequel.”—Daily Mail (UK) “Non-stop action, though not for faint hearts . . . the Grey Bastards live up to their name in all respects.”—The Wall Street Journal