About the Book
With The Conqueror’s Shadow, Ari Marmell brings a welcome
seasoning of wit to the genre, proving that dark fantasy can address
the enduring questions of good and evil and still retain a sense of
humor. Playful yet intense, sharply sarcastic yet deeply sincere, The
Conqueror’s Shadow announces the appearance of a unique talent – and an
antihero like no other.
They called him the Terror of the East.
His past shrouded in mystery, his identity hidden beneath a suit of
enchanted black armor and a skull-like helm, Corvis Rebaine carved a
bloody path through Imphallion, aided by Davro, a savage ogre, and
Seilloah, a witch with a taste for human flesh. No shield or weapon
could stop his demon-forged axe. And no magic could match the spells of
his demon slave, Khanda.
Yet just when ultimate victory was in
his grasp, Rebaine faltered. His plans of conquest, born from a desire
to see Imphallion governed with firmness and honesty, shattered. Amid
the chaos of a collapsing army, Rebaine vanished, taking only a single
hostage – the young noblewoman Tyannon – to guarantee his escape.
Seventeen
years later, Rebaine and Tyannon are married, living in obscurity and
raising their children, a daughter and a son. Rebaine has put his past
behind him, given up his dreams of conquest. Not even news of
Audriss – an upstart warlord following Rebaine’s old path of conquest – can
stir the retired warrior to action.
Until his daughter is assaulted by Audriss’s goons.
Now,
to rescue the country he once tried to conquer, Rebaine once more dons
the armor of the Terror of the East and seeks out his former allies.
But Davro has become a peaceful farmer. Seilloah has no wish to leave
her haunted forest home. And Khanda... well, to describe his
feelings for his former master as undying hatred would be an
understatement.
But even if Rebaine can convince his onetime
comrades to join him, he faces a greater challenge: Does he dare to
reawaken the part of him that gloried in cruelty, blood, and
destruction? With the safety of his family at stake, can he dare not to?
"The Conqueror’s Shadow offers readers a
tale that begins where most stories end and features a most unlikely
protagonist. Twists of humor leaven this story of desperate people in
dangerous times, as a conqueror discovers that perhaps those who live
by the sword are sometimes doomed to face the business end of one. A
great mix of character and action." – Robin Hobb, author of Dragon Keeper
"Ari Marmell has a remarkable flair for the sinister." – Scott Lynch, author of The Lies of Locke Lamora
"The Conqueror's Shadow is a powerful fantasy, with well drawn heroes and delightfully wicked, yet complicated, villains. Ari Marmell has made his mark in the genre." – Paul S. Kemp, author of The Erevis Cale Trilogy
