A new and corrupt Emperor seeks to rebuild the ancient structures of Villjamur to give the people of the city hope in the face of great upheaval and an oppressing ice age. But when a stranger called Shalev arrives, empowering a militant underground movement, crime and terror becomes rampant.
The Inquisition is always one step behind, and military resources are spread thinly across the Empire. So Emperor Urtica calls upon cultists to help construct a group to eliminate those involved with the uprising, and calm the populace. But there’s more to The Villjamur Knights than just phenomenal skills and abilities – each have a secret that, if exposed, could destroy everything they represent.
Investigator Fulcrom of the Villjamur Inquisition is given the unenviable task of managing the Knights, but his own skills are tested when a mysterious priest, who has travelled from beyond the fringes of the Empire, seeks his help. The priest’s existence threatens the church, and his quest promises to unravel the fabric of the world. And in a distant corner of the Empire, the enigmatic cultist Dartun Súr steps back into this world, having witnessed horrors beyond his imagination. Broken, altered, he and the remnants of his order are heading back to Villjamur.
And all eyes turn to the Sanctuary City, for Villjamur’s ancient legends are about to be shattered…
Whether it’s feisty cover art debates, reviews, or interviews, Mark Charan Newton, author of Nights of Villjamur (REVIEW) is no stranger to the readers of this blog. I enjoy promoting the work (and grinding the gears) of Newton, who I think is one of the bright up-and-coming young writers of the genre. City of Ruin was an improvement in almost every facet over Nights of Villjmaur; if The Book of Transformations continues Newton’s trend upward, we’re all in for a treat.
To help us decide whether the excitement is justified, Newton has recently published Chapter One of The Book of Transformations on Newton’s blog.
