Jongleur Arrick Sweetsong saved himself from demons at the expense of a female friend, but he honors her last request and raises her son, Rojer, as his apprentice. Leesha leaves her village to work in the city hospital of Angiers after her betrothed claims to have taken her virginity. Young Arlen battles demons to save his mother while his father watches in terror when his mother dies, Arlen runs away. "Brett’s debut builds slowly and grimly on a classic high fantasy framework of black-and-white morality and bloodshed. Together, they will stand against the night. His grim journey will take him beyond the bounds of human power.Ĭrippled by the demons that killed his parents, Rojer seeks solace in music–only to discover that music can be a weapon as well as a refuge.īeautiful Leesha, who has suffered at the hands of men as well as demons, becomes an expert healer. Now, with hope for the future fading, three young survivors of vicious demon attacks will dare the impossible, stepping beyond the crumbling safety of the wards to risk everything in a desperate quest to regain the secrets of the past.Īrlen will pay any price, embrace any sacrifice, for freedom. Night by night the demons grow stronger, while human numbers dwindle under their relentless assault. and stopped their advance.īut those days are gone. Once, under the leadership of the legendary Deliverer, and armed with powerful wards that were not merely shields but weapons, they took the battle to the demons. Once, men and women battled the corelings on equal terms.
For hundreds of years the demons have terrorized the night, slowly culling the human herd that shelters behind magical wards–symbols of power whose origins are lost in myth and mystery, and whose protection is terrifyingly fragile. They possess supernatural strength and powers and burn with a consuming hatred of humanity. And gigantic rock demons, the deadliest of all. The time has come to stand against the night.Īs darkness falls each night, the corelings rise–demons who well up from the ground like hellish steam, taking on fearsome form and substance. THE WARDED MAN | THE DESERT SPEAR | THE DAYLIGHT WAR | THE SKULL THRONE | THE CORE Now, with hope for the future fading, three young survivors of vicious demon attacks will dare the impossible, stepping beyond the crumbling safety of the wards to risk everything in a desperate quest to regain the secrets of the past. Once, men and women battled the corelings on equal terms, but those days are gone. before it's bathed in blood.About The Warded Man: Book One of The Demon CycleĪs darkness falls after sunset, the corelings rise-demons who possess supernatural powers and burn with a consuming hatred of humanity.įor hundreds of years the demons have terrorized the night, slowly culling the human herd that shelters behind magical wards-symbols of power whose origins are lost in myth and whose protection is terrifyingly fragile. Joining forces, these daring partners embark on a treacherous quest to find the source of the spirits' restlessness-a journey that will test their courage and trust, and force them to stand against both enemies and friends to save their land. Ven, a disgraced champion, has spent his exile secretly fighting against the growing number of spirit attacks.
Daleina, a seemingly quiet academy student, is under no illusions as to her claim to the throne, but simply wants to right the wrongs that have befallen the land. With the position so precarious, young women are chosen to train as heirs. But queens are still just human, and no matter how strong or good, the threat of danger always looms. She alone has the magical power to prevent the spirits from destroying every man, woman, and child. One woman stands between these malevolent spirits and the end of humankind: the queen. īut the spirits that reside within this land want to rid it of all humans.
With the danger of Peter Brett's The Warded Man, heart of Naomi Novik's Uprooted, and lyricism of Patrick Rothfuss' The Name of the Wind, this is the first chapter in a series destined to be a classic.Įverything has a spirit: the willow tree with leaves that kiss the pond, the stream that feeds the river, the wind that exhales fresh snow. Set in the magical world of Renthia, The Queen of Blood is Sarah Beth Durst's ambitious entry into adult epic fantasy.