Please enjoy the first chapters of this free dark fantasy ebook, Muspell’s Sons, the steampunk-inspired first book in my epic dark fantasy series, The Realm War Chronicles. If you like what you read and are hungry for more, you can get the entire ebook for free by joining my newsletter.
Happy reading!
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Apothecary
Chapter 4: Gladiator Row, Number 7
To get the rest of the book, you can sign up for my newsletter and get the free ebook version:
What is this free dark fantasy ebook about?
Cadmus Brand is a gladiator, a legend in the arena, and the last of an ancient order of sorcerers. Known as a pharmakon, he draws forbidden magic from secret alchemical elixirs he injects directly into his body. His powers could rival those of the gods themselves—if the kashmari demon lords don’t discover his secret first.
In the blood-soaked city-states of Muspelheim, where the kashmari rule with twisted blood magic and human sorcery is outlawed, Brand’s victories in the arena keep him alive—but his fame is no shield against his own hubris—or against the cunning of a kashmari lady who watches his every move.
Far across the desert, an ancient artifact resurfaces for the first time in centuries, and Brand finds himself thrust in a deadly arms race. Rebellion stirs, demons whisper in the dark, and the myths of old gods spark like embers in the ashes. Brand must choose: fight only for his own survival, or risk everything to defy the monsters who would enslave his world.
Why is this book available for free?
I’m not famous like Brandon Sanderson, Robin Hobb, or Joe Abercrombie, and I know a lot of people are wary of investing time and energy into an author they know nothing about. Fair enough! This book isn’t a short, quick read, after all–it takes place on another world, with a unique ecosystem, creatures, society, characters, history, and magic systems. What if you buy the book, then realize within the first few chapters that you really hate my writing style?
When you buy a car, you take it for a test ride, right? This is my way of giving you a test drive of my writing. My hope is that you’ll enjoy it enough to stick around and read some of the other things I’ve written.
Who would enjoy this book?
Muspell’s Sons is different from a lot of other commercial fiction books available today. At first glance, it doesn’t seem to fit neatly into a single genre. Sorcerers and walking tanks and mechanical horses powered by mysterious magical marbles? Demons, blood magic, and trains all lumped together?
Muspell’s Sons is actually an epic science fantasy book. That means it’s got elements of both science fiction and fantasy in it. At its core, though, it’s a story about people struggling to make their world a better place despite the tyranny that pervades it.
I think it’s perfect for fans of Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere, particularly his Mistborn series, but who are looking for a somewhat darker take on the world, like George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones series. It has some of the same magic-driven technology aspects of Mistborn but with complicated, sometimes morally grey characters like Game of Thrones.
I’ll caution that it’s not grimdark fantasy, though; it’s closer in tone to V.E. Schwab’s A Darker Shade of Magic, with heroic, likeable characters alongside dark fantasy elements like morally grey characters and violence, but without the hopeless, morally nihilistic vibe that defines grimdark fantasy.
