Destiny's Doom

by Vaughn Roycroft

Brin “Bright Eyes” saw beyond what others could. In her parents, most saw Dania’s greatest warriors, leaders in the conquest of Pontea. Brin saw a couple still bound by love, but fractured by betrayal and haunted by what might have been. Her father, Vahldan, once hailed as the Bringer of Urrinan, a distant shadow who never spoke her name. Her mother, Elan, the foretold guardian of destiny, forever scarred by a war she couldn’t win.
From the walls of the stone city that kept her safe but held her captive, Brin fixated on the mountains that separated the so-called civilized world of Pontea from the wild and free land that called her home. It was not a call she could heed—not when the only passage through was guarded by warriors who considered her an outcast. Not with the mighty Tiberian army closing in, vowing to purge Pontea of her people. Not in the face of a looming prophecy that promised the upheaval that now felt inescapable.

Yet as she trained with her uncle, learning the art of the Skolani Blade-Wielders, a new vision sparked within her—one that might bridge the realms of Dania and Pontea and rewrite the fates of the old world and the new.
Can Brin Bright Eyes forge a path only she sees? Or will she, too, succumb to Destiny’s Doom?

Kindle Edition

Published March 18, 2025

About the author

Vaughn Roycroft has aspired to write epic fantasy since his sixth grade teacher gave him a boxed set of The Lord of the Rings. He has spent many years seeking to be worthy of telling this tale. He lives with his soul mate in a cottage they designed and built themselves, near their favorite Great Lakes beach. When he’s not writing, he’s often walking the woods and beaches, trying to keep up with his energetic black lab.

Reviews

[Tom Bentley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr. Roycroft did some serious table setting in the first two releases of this trilogy, and the dessert he serves for this round’s conclusion is unconventional, but there is sweetness (and promise) yet. But it takes some heaven-and-earth shaking turmoil to get there. And for a person like me, who paused for a bit between Bold Ascension and Destiny’s Doom, I had to inhale deeply—and closely read the character and place names lists—to reorient myself to the huge and profound world of the saga. There’s a helpful recap of Bold Ascension before Destiny’s begins.

And after that beginning, there’s plenty of mayhem and heartfelt tangles. The book accelerates some strong heart pounding, in both alliance and antagonism in its meaty middle. There are some eye-moistening reconciliations between major characters (I won’t tell), and the development of Brin from troubled child into a transformed being is wonderful. There are also a lot of folks who get snuffed, some deserved, some not.

Malvius remains a slippery weasel, Urias is a steady (and evolving) hand, and Teavar is a giant in so many ways. Doom is a character here as well, and despite in many ways being an invited guest (Destiny, after all), Doom always upsets the table. I had some minor quibbles with the extensiveness of Vahldan’s many (and deserved) apologies, and with some turns of phase in the dialogues that tasted a bit modern, but minor ain’t but a thing.

This book is packed with literary and rousing nutrients—eat it up.

[Alisha Rohde · Rating 5 out of 5]

DESTINY’S DOOM is a skillful conclusion to THE SUNDERED NATION trilogy, ending a major story arc while expanding and setting up THE LEGACY OF BROKEN OATHS. Roycroft juggles more characters and voices than ever, but I never felt lost. And I enjoyed both the surprises and the meaningful outcomes for Valdahn and Elan, Brin and Agoraki, and their communities. I particularly appreciate the way Roycroft continues to shift the story world from the seemingly simple dichotomies of “good” and “bad,” black and white, to ever-evolving gray…it’s a strong theme to emphasize in our currently polarized world. And I look forward to reading the next installment of the saga, when it is released.