Ravine of Blood and Shadow

The dwarves of the Ravine City have hidden away from the world above for centuries, but their self-imposed exile is about to end.

Ravine Guard Carnac Thayn has always felt there was more to life than humdrum patrols and drinking in the local taverns. His pa says the blood of heroes flows through his veins, but it must have been diluted by beer.

When Carn is called to a murder scene and pursues the assassin, he is flooded with vitality and power. For the first time, he feels fully alive and one step closer to the dwarf he is destined to be.

The murder is no isolated incident. A volume of the city’s chronicles is stolen, mysterious rumblings come from the deep mines, and a troublesome philosopher arrives in a last-ditch attempt to avert the coming catastrophe.

As events spiral out of control, Carn is all that stands between the dwarves and their doom. If it were a matter of prowess with an axe, he might even prevail, but the enemy is more subtle than that, and his weapons are delusion and despair.

Blood will flow in rivers through the ravine.

A name will be forgotten.

A hero will rise.

Or a destroyer.

"Derek Prior always produces masterpieces of storytelling, with great characters full of life, relentless plots, and gripping and intense fight scenes."

Mitchell Hogan, author of A Crucible of Souls

"A masterpiece of sword and sorcery storytelling. A visceral yet thoughtful epic."

Bookwraiths Reviews

"One thing that impressed me right from the beginning were the fight scenes."

Black Gate Magazine

"Gripping, violent, and brilliantly choreographed." Smash Dragons