Lord of a Shattered Land

The Dervan Empire has at last triumphed over Volanus, putting the great city to the torch, its treasures looted, temples defiled, and fields sown with salt. What little remains of Volanus is scattered across the empire, its treasures plundered and its survivors sold into slavery. It is an absolute victory for the Dervans in every way but one. Hanuvar, last and greatest general of Volanus, still lives. He now travels the length of the Dervan Empire that conquered his homeland, driven by a singular purpose—to find what remains of his people who were carried into slavery across the empire, and to free them from subjugation by any means necessary. Against the might of a vast empire, he had only an aging sword arm, a lifetime of hard-won wisdom, and the greatest military mind in the world, set upon a single goal. No matter what the Empire musters against him, no matter what man or monster stands in his way, from the empire’s festering capital to its furthest outposts, Hanuvar would find his people, every last one of them. And he would set them free. Advance Praise for Lord of a Shattered Land:”This wonderful work put me in mind of the stories I read when I was editing Baen’s Robert E. Howard library” —David Drake, best-selling author of the Hammer’s Slammers series, Redliners, Vettius and His Friends, and the RCN series. ”Howard Andrew Jones is the leading Sword & Sorcery author of the 21st Century . . . His Lord of A Shattered Land is his best work yet, a heroic fantasy retelling of one of the great tales of antiquity, the fall of Carthage and its legendary general Hannibal . . . It’s a magnificent achievement, destined to become a modern classic.” —John O’Neill, World Fantasy Award-winning publisher of Black Gate”The book is a riveting portrait of a hero trying to keep his civilization alive in the wake of a devastating military defeat; it ’s a series of ripping yarns that collectively add up to a greater story with a deeper impact than any of its parts; it ’s another triumph for Howard Andrew Jones, premier wielder of the new edge in sword-and-sorcery.” —James Enge, World Fantasy Award-nominated author of Blood of AmbrosePraise for Howard Andrew Jones:”Howard Jones writes not-to-be-missed epic fantasy with immersive world building and the highest stakes for the characters, fighting for personal survival and the survival of their world.” —Martha Wells, Hugo, Nebula and Locus Award-winning author of the Murderbot series“Howard Andrew Jones is a scholar and a gentleman, a deft multi-genre wordsmith . . . a living link between the right action-adventure narratives of old and the sprawling epic fantasies of today.” —Scott Lynch, author of The Republic of Thieves”Howard Jones creates engrossing fantasy tales by combining historical authenticity with his thoughtful modern sensibilities and shapes events with his keen understanding of great adventure writers like Harold Lamb, Robert E. Howard, and Leigh Brackett.” —S. Craig Zahler, novelist and writer/director of Bone TomahawkPraise for the Ring-Sworn trilogy:”Jones writes well, his strong prose giving a good sense of setting and able to stir emotions without ever getting itself noticed. . . . but the real strength of the book is simply that it is fun to read.” —Mark Lawrence, author of the Book of the Ancestor series”For the Killing of Kings is a fast, fun swords-and-sorcery tale in the grand style, but updated for a modern reader. Magic, mayhem, betrayal, reversal, sword fights, court intrigue? This book hits all the right notes and has a great time doing it.” —Kelly McCullough, author of the Fallen Blade and WebMage series”This is exciting storytelling from one of the best and most knowledgeable writers of heroic fantasy around . . . Jones ’s prose is skillful and clean, equally adept at creating intimate moments of loss and longing or trumpeting big moments of battle and disaster.” —Black GatePraise for The Chronicles of Sword and Sand series:”A modern iteration of old school storytelling. Highly recommended to anyone in search of a fun run through strange lands and times.” —Glen Cook, author of The Black Company series”A grand and wonderful adventure filled with exotic magic and colorful places.” —Kevin J. Anderson, NYT best-selling author of The Saga of Seven Suns and the Young Jedi Knights series”First class New School Sword and Sorcery, and anyone with the remotest interest in Sword and Sorcery would be cheating themselves if they did not avail themselves to try the work of Howard Andrew Jones.” —SF Signal