Shadowgod

Book excerpt: Ancient powers stir all across the domains of the defeated Khatrimantine Empire. Its last defiant defenders have won a great victory and a new, young emperor has been crowned. A harsh, unseasonal winter has shrouded the land. In the icy north, the Shadowking Byrnak musters his forces, determined to crush the Imperial remnants and their allies. But his freedom to act is hampered by the intrigues of the other four Shadowkings, while a ghostly fragment of the Lord of Twilight haunts them all. If fulfilled, his dread destiny will devour the foundations of the world... The barbarian Mogaun are born to ice and snow and are no strangers to winter campaigns, as Tauric’s advisors know full well. Despite reservations, Tauric’s general, Ikarno Mazaret, knows they must stand and fight, against the ravaging winter, against the pitiless Mogaun, and against the dark destiny of the Lord of Twilight. So the onslaught begins, and the faces of Day join in the dance of might, and every turn tempts fate while every step skirts the edge of doom. REVIEWS “...one of the most gritty, grimy and evocative fantasy worlds... There’s none of the sanitised fairytale fantasy world here.” -- Eternal Night on SHADOWGOD “SHADOWKINGS, was brutal, cruel and realistic in a way genre usually avoids. SHADOWGOD, his second, is not only lighter, it is better... and makes good use of the world Cobley has created... writing to rival David Gemmell.” -- Jon Courtenay-Grimwood (Guardian)