Part of Series
"I SHALL BAPTIZE YOU, SIR, AND MY BAPTISM WILL BURN YOUR FOLLY AND FLESH AWAY!" A year has passed since Auric Manteo descended into the haunted depths of a Djao ruin to return a lethal artifact, only to face down a bloodthirsty, imprisoned god. Now his daughter Agnes comes to bring him back to the capital with promises of hidden secrets finally revealed. But the city decays, poisonous disorder is rife, and whispered prophecy foretells of cataclysm and doom. Summoned by their no-longer human queen, Auric and Agnes are commanded to carry out an impossible task, one that can be accomplished only with the mysterious blade Szaa’da’shaela, gifted to Auric on a lunatic's whim. Can Auric and his daughter survive a journey fraught with blood, menace, and madness? And can they pay the price demanded by a being every bit as evil as the Aching God?
Author
Mike was born in Detroit and raised in Dearborn, Michigan, oldest of three boys, the son of a firefighter and homemaker. He has practiced as a psychotherapist for over 25 years. He lives in Westfield, Indiana with his wife Tracy, son Leo, and dog Neko. Mike began freelancing for Paizo Publishing’s Pathfinder Roleplaying Game in 2010. He released his first novel, Aching God, in 2018. Its sequel, Sin Eater, followed in 2019. Idols Fall, released in 2021, is his third novel and completes the Iconoclasts trilogy. He is at work on his next novel, set in the same world, more than 200 years after the events of Iconoclasts. It is tentatively entitled West of the World and slated for a 2023 release. Indie authors depend on word of mouth. If you enjoyed this novel and its predecessors, make the howling hellscapes that are Twitter, Reddit, and Facebook a force for good and chat them up. And as always—always—make sure to post ratings and/or reviews at Amazon, Goodreads, r/Fantasy, Audible, or on that SFF review blog you keep telling everyone you’re going to start. Peace, love, and kindness to all.
