Curse of the Black Axe

The Nameless Dwarf is condemned to always wear a great helm forged from ocras, the mythical ore of the underworld. Without it, he would fall prey to the power of the Black Axe and once more become the Ravine Butcher.After a year of fighting in other people's wars, Nameless receives a visit from a faen, one of the underworld tricksters, who tells him the day he has long waited for has arrived. The philosopher Aristodeus has devised a plan to destroy the Black Axe and free Nameless from the ocras helm.With the aid of new companions and an old friend, the assassin Shadrak the Unseen, Nameless must retrieve three artifacts that, combined, will bring an end to his suffering:The gauntlets of the fire giant, Sartis, whose lair lies in the roots of a volcano;The invulnerable armor of the Lich Lord of Verusia-an undead tyrant with a penchant for impaling and the drinking of souls;And the Shield of Warding, beneath which cowers a paranoid god on the fringe of the Abyss.But things are never that simple. Each of the companions has their own reasons for joining the quests, even Shadrak, who has been bound by an irrevocable contract-To kill the Nameless Dwarf. "Derek Prior always produces masterpieces of storytelling, with great characters full of life, relentless plots, and gripping and intense fight scenes." Mitchell Hogan"Like Bernard Cornwell on 'shrooms!" Dinorah WilsonInternationally bestselling and award winning author Derek Prior excels in fast-paced, high stakes epic fantasy adventure stories in which good ultimately triumphs, but always at a cost.Taking familiar fantasy tropes as a point of departure, Prior expands upon them to explore friendship, betrayal, loyalty and heroism in worlds where evil is an ever-present reality, magic is both a curse and a blessing, and characters are tempered in battle.Winner of best fantasy novel 2012 (The Nameless Dwarf: The Complete Chronicles)Fantasy Faction semifinalist for the SPFBO 2018 (Ravine of Blood and Shadow) The age of glory is on the horizon and Carnac Thayn must make a difficult choice - one that will either save his people or condemn them. Who can be trusted in a land of magic and deceit?"Prior weaves a fully realized world in this rich fantasy." (Kirkus Reviews)"A beautifully written and engrossing masterwork!" (Mitchell Hogan)