Doomsayer Prince

Book excerpt: WHAT THEY FORESEE WILL SHATTER THIS AGE - This is the first book in The Artifact War series by Rune S. Nielsen. Featuring intelligent, nuanced characters in a lushly drawn, intricate, and action-packed world, it presents a fresh take on magical systems and magic's impact on power dynamics in society. THE PLOT: In his vision, colossal artifacts stride across his homeland, destroying everything in their path. In a desperate attempt to save his home, Mage Prince Phytiax heads to the wild north in search of allies. On his journey, his magical powers become damaged at the worst possible time, and his destined allies need to be saved before they can help him: Pino, the weakest Mage of all time and wielder of a mysterious artifact sword; Emilai, a kidnapped noble woman-turned Witch to fight her captors; and Cordin, an old Light Master wanted for murder, but dead-set on getting his life back. With the brutal and mysterious force invading and destabilizing the kingdoms around them, will his potential allies help or hinder him? And even if they save their homelands, the price might be worse than they ever imagined. WHAT THE READERS SAY: One reader called it, "A fresh take on the fantasy genre." It's always interesting to hear what readers think. Everyone I talked to about the Doomsayer Prince insist, that it's very much its own thing-and hard to compare with other fantasy they read, listen to, or watch. The readers do tell me they find that the characters act more intelligently than in most other fantasy. That they had fun reading it, and that they appreciate the immersive and epic world-building which makes you feel like you are in a real place. When I keep pestering a reader to tell me what other works of fantasy, they think the Doomsayer Prince reminds them of the most, they hesitate-and then give me vastly different answers. One told me the way I use historical details reminded her of the works of the acclaimed author Guy Gavriel Kay. I'm not sure if I agree, but still that is extremely high praise. Others tell me the beginning reminds them of Robin Hobb's Farseer Triology, because I introduce a completely new kind of magic and the first few chapters take place among royalty. Though these similarities are in no way intentional, I do appreciate the comparison. Others say the closest thing is Avatar: The Last Airbender, Assassin's Creed, or other movies, games, or novels that I have not explored all that much. I'm sure they are all right.