The Iron Wars (Monarchies of God) [Paperback]

Paul Kearney's ongoing fantasy series "The Monarchies of God" began with Hawkwood's Voyage and The Heretic Kings. Volume Three's title, The Iron Wars, aptly reflects the tough, bleak battles that dominate the book. In an alternate-historical setting where armies use both swords and crude firearms like arquebuses, the overarching conflict is semi-religious. Western kingdoms have two rival churches based on a Saint's teachings, while their Oriental foes believe only in the Prophet--a grim and long-hidden irony being that these two spiritual leaders were the same man. Magic exists in strange, grisly forms but is fading, hounded by the church yet occasionally biting back. One plot strand, a voyage to a legendary western continent, remains offstage throughout this book. The focus is on a brutally realistic war in which major characters have already died or been maimed, and where the West's most able military leader is not only fighting overwhelming odds but is continually threatened by his own side's betrayals, snobbery and factional plotting. At the climax there's an arousing, hopeless-seeming battle which doesn't so much end as pause for breath after too much slaughter. Evidently a fourth book must follow. This is strong stuff, not for the squeamish. --David Langford

The Kingdom of Hebrion has been thrown into turmoil, following its release from the clutches of the Church. Its capital in ruins, its king in a coma, Isolla, Abeleyn's bride-to-be, and Jemilla, his scheming mistress, step into the power vacuum. Both are intent on taking control of Hebrion for themselves and a fierce power struggle ensues. To further complicate things, the explorer Richard Hawkwood returns to Hebrion with news of a new continent in the west and something terrible lurking in his ship's hold... This third book in the series continues the acclaimed saga of politics and religion in a world rife with magic, terror and war.

SALES POINTS * 'One of the best fantasy works for ages . . . Kearney paints the gore, the sex and the lust for power in vivid colour' SFX * 'A bold, strong new voice in fantasy' Robert Silverberg * ' Impressive for its human insights, its unusual take on the use of magic, and its fine blending of historical elements with sheer invention' Locus