"Derek Prior always produces masterpieces of storytelling, with great characters full of life, relentless plots, and gripping and intense fight scenes." (Mitchell Hogan)
When a powerful artifact is stolen from the Abbey of Pardes, the holy knight Deacon Shader is sent to retrieve it.
But events have already spiraled out of control: plague spreads across the land, the dead rise from their graves, and an ancient evil has awakened.
As Creation itself hangs by a thread, Shader must confront the contradiction that defines him:
Either he is a man of prayer with a wavering faith,
Or the deadliest warrior of his generation.
The fate of all the worlds will be decided by his answer.
"Like Bernard Cornwell on 'shrooms!" (Dinorah Wilson)
"Shader is a triumph of fantasy!" (Journal of Always)