Empire's Ruin

'Brian Staveley’s storytelling gets more epic with every book, and The Empire’s Ruin takes it to a whole new level' – Pierce Brown, author of Red RisingThe Empire's Ruin is the first book in the epic fantasy Ashes of the Unhewn Throne trilogy by Brian Staveley. If you liked Game of Thrones, you'll love this.One soldier will bear the hopes of an empireThe Kettral were the glory and despair of the Annurian Empire – elite soldiers who rode war hawks into battle. Now the Kettral’s numbers have dwindled and the great empire is dying. Its grip is further weakened by the failure of the kenta gates, which granted instantaneous access to its vast lands.To restore the Kettral, one of its soldiers is given a mission. Gwenna Sharpe must voyage beyond the edge of the known world, to the mythical nesting grounds of the giant war hawks. The journey will take her through a land that warps and poisons all living things. Yet if she succeeds, she could return a champion, rebuild the Kettral to their former numbers – and help save the empire. The gates are also essential to the empire’s survival, and a monk turned con-artist may hold the key to unlocking them.What they discover will change them and the Annurian Empire forever – if they survive. For deep within the southern reaches of the land, a malevolent force is stirring . . .'Epic in every sense of the word' – Nicholas Eames, author of Kings of the Wyld'An aching, bruised, white-knuckled symphony' – Max Gladstone, author of This Is How You Lose the Time War

Brian Staveley’s books are epic in every sense of the word . . . He’s a giant in the genre, no doubt, Brian Staveley’s storytelling gets more epic with every book, and The Empire’s Ruin takes it to a whole new level, An aching, bruised, white-knuckled symphony, Staveley sunk his adrenaline-dipped claws into me right away and refused to let go . . . Whether this is your first foray into the world of the Unhewn Throne, or you're a Kettral veteran, you're going to have an awesome time, Hang onto your war hawk . . . The Empire’s Ruin returns to the world of the crumbling Annurian Empire in a spectacular way. Fans of Staveley's work, and those who enjoy epic fantasy outside the conventional mold, are going to unearth treasure

Brian is the author of the award-winning fantasy trilogy, The Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne, which has been translated into a dozen languages worldwide, The Ashes of the Unhewn Throne trilogy, and Skullsworn, a stand-alone novel set in the same world.After teaching literature, philosophy, history, and religion for more than a decade, Brian began writing fiction. He now lives on a steep dirt road in the mountains of southern Vermont, where he divides his time between fathering, writing, mountain biking, splitting wood, skiing, and adventuring, not necessarily in that order.