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Breaking of Godslost is the first series in a series of series (is there a better way of saying that?) set within the world of Godslost. It is first both in terms of being written (or at least written to completion) and also the first chronologically. The series follows the lives of two individuals who are inextricably linked, but who never actually meet: Alidinia the Assassin and Queen Delfin of Delfinia. The impact they have on Godslost is very large indeed.
The Breaking of Godslost is set towards the end of the Imperial Age, and also intersects with the fall of the Mikaetan Empire – a political and military force which has dominated the Eastern Extent for six hundred years. But there is more at stake here than just the imperial foothold. Something is swelling in the shadowy corners of history.
Because the true power of Godslost has been dormant since before the Fallow Years – a period of more than a thousand years. But just because the magic is dormant, that does not mean it is powerless. It is being sought, and it is also therefore shaping the world. From the ashes of Empire, a new Age will rise, and it will be magic which determines the distribution of power.
That’s all very well and good, I hear you saying, but how does that fit with the books that are out there and aren’t part of the Breaking of Godslost series? Well, that’s a very good question, and one that is not so very hard to answer. So here goes:
So in short, Sword of Destiny comes after the Breaking of Godslost – and actually several decades later. Dusk is Coming follows even later than that, and Fear’s Union… Ignore Fear’s Union. It will be usurped. That’s the short version, anyway.
Now for the long…
“The Empire has dominated for six hundred years, but a tyrant’s hand will only go unbitten so long, and Alidinia will be the one to do the biting. After all, the Empire killed his ma. The only problem: Alidinia is just a boy. Not that he will let this get in the way.”
Distant Shadow is the story of a young Alidinia, starting from the moment that shapes his life – the attack that has left his ma dead. Vengeance is an unquenchable thirst, and vengeance will lead the young Alidinia to challenge the unchallengeable. He is going to kill the Emperor.
But there is a reason that no Emperor has been murdered in the six-hundred year history of the Empire: it’s a very tough job – and especially tough for a boy. But, though he doesn’t know it yet, Alidinia has something on his side – something deep inside him. All he needs is someone to show him what it is. The trouble is, when he has someone on his side, they do not seem like the helpful sort. His path to redemption becomes a very steep one indeed.
“It has been over six hundred years of imperial rule, and the North is quietly restless. It has always been restless. All it needs is the spark of one with the true North flowing through their veins, and Alidinia is that one. It’s just a shame he doesn’t know it yet.”
Assassin’s Paradox is the story of Alidinia – an exiled Northman who plies his trade as an assassin with a curious trait: he faints at the sight of blood. But that strange quality has not prohibited a successful career in killing people, and neither has it dimmed his unfulfilled dreams of stirring the North to rebellion. One day, just one of these days he will get to it. One day.
But the problem is that the Empire is watching, and before he can even contemplate kick-starting his rebellion, the awful imperial power surrounds him to the point of suffocation. He is at the mercy of the very institution he seeks to overthrow, and the Northern cause has never seemed so far away. But even in the depths of despair, friends can be found in the unlikeliest of places.
“The imperial reign of the Resurgent is close to the heights of even the greatest of the Emperors, with a single sore exception: the vicious murder of his wife and two children. Delfin is left as the sole surviving heir to the imperial line, and in that she is failing her father. Can she succeed against all odds? The fate of the Empire is very much at stake.”
Queen’s Descent picks up the story twelve years later, with Alidinia’s rebellion firmly subdued. But Alidinia’s legacy is not a lost one, and even though she doesn’t know it yet, Delfin will come face to face with the rebellion which has intoxicated so many for so long.
But before that, she has to prove herself worthy of her place at the head of the Empire, right hand to her father, the Emperor called the Resurgent. Can she do it and prove all the doubters wrong? Can she follow in her mother’s footsteps? And more importantly (for her at least), can she uncover the man who butchered her family? The fate of the Empire depends on it.
Coming soon, Delfin’s story continues as she struggles to fend off forces that she has naively let into her life and her reign.
“It is 148 years since the Empire splintered, and the delicate alliance between old enemies is fragile as ever. But if one thing unites them, it is the continued presence of the invaders – the Magic Men of Dara – with their invincible sword wielding warriors. Well, almost invincible. Some people are born to overcome, whatever the odds.”
Sword of Destiny tells the story of Kantal, a lost youngster who rises from the filth of his life through a remarkable ability: he can destroy those who are seemingly indestructible. He swears allegiance to Delfinia, one fragment of the splintered Empire and queendom of the late Queen Delfin – she who shattered the Empire in the first place.
But Delfin is more than just a piece of history to the strange Kantal; she is his inspiration. They share a passion for the truth, and they share a talent for overcoming the odds. If only Kantal could overcome the Men of Dara and restore Delfin’s queendom to its full strength: that would be a dream beyond knowing. Maybe this was the time, maybe. It had been said many times before.
“The first Age of Godslost drew to a close with the Coming of Dusk. Well, Dusk is not finished, and the second Age may fall to the same fate as the first. It is coming…”