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In the Shadows of Grace and Ash
Elmore Grace carries two minds in one skull.
At seventy-two, the legendary Seeker’s enhanced abilities are failing just when he needs them most. A year ago, he killed his mentor—the brilliant Dr. Vale. Now Vale’s consciousness whispers from inside Grace’s eroding psyche, offering expertise that demands pieces of self he may never recover.
When the enigmatic collector Marianne Crushfield commissions him to locate the Xoteryum—an indigenous artifact capable of rewriting consciousness—Grace wonders if the very tech he’s tracking might save his mind… or hollow it out completely. He can’t tell if he’s paranoid, naïve, or something worse—and the more he consults Vale, the harder it gets to know the difference.
Helena Vale watches the man she loves disappear behind familiar eyes while her dead father’s voice speaks through his mouth. She’s lived this nightmare before—her father’s slow transformation into something that wore his face but served another will.
Grace killed Vale to stop that corruption, but now it lives inside him. Helena must either save Grace by destroying what’s left of her father—or lose them both to something unrecognizable.
On Evarisa, where storms echo the unrest within, the line between enhancement and contamination fades. Ancient tech grants power at the cost of identity; modern systems promise progress that feels like quiet erasure.
Some questions have no right answers.
When enhancement becomes replacement, what part of you survives?
When the dead refuse to stay buried, how do you mourn what won’t die?
And when love demands you destroy what you’re trying to save—is mercy just another word for murder?
In a world where favours are currency and time itself collect on debts, Grace and Helena must learn that some prices can be paid only once.
A cerebral and emotionally charged story about identity, memory, and the quiet violence of love, In the Shadows of Grace and Ash asks what remains of us when someone else is thinking in our heads.
At seventy-two, the legendary Seeker’s enhanced abilities are failing just when he needs them most. A year ago, he killed his mentor—the brilliant Dr. Vale. Now Vale’s consciousness whispers from inside Grace’s eroding psyche, offering expertise that demands pieces of self he may never recover.
When the enigmatic collector Marianne Crushfield commissions him to locate the Xoteryum—an indigenous artifact capable of rewriting consciousness—Grace wonders if the very tech he’s tracking might save his mind… or hollow it out completely. He can’t tell if he’s paranoid, naïve, or something worse—and the more he consults Vale, the harder it gets to know the difference.
Helena Vale watches the man she loves disappear behind familiar eyes while her dead father’s voice speaks through his mouth. She’s lived this nightmare before—her father’s slow transformation into something that wore his face but served another will.
Grace killed Vale to stop that corruption, but now it lives inside him. Helena must either save Grace by destroying what’s left of her father—or lose them both to something unrecognizable.
On Evarisa, where storms echo the unrest within, the line between enhancement and contamination fades. Ancient tech grants power at the cost of identity; modern systems promise progress that feels like quiet erasure.
Some questions have no right answers.
When enhancement becomes replacement, what part of you survives?
When the dead refuse to stay buried, how do you mourn what won’t die?
And when love demands you destroy what you’re trying to save—is mercy just another word for murder?
In a world where favours are currency and time itself collect on debts, Grace and Helena must learn that some prices can be paid only once.
A cerebral and emotionally charged story about identity, memory, and the quiet violence of love, In the Shadows of Grace and Ash asks what remains of us when someone else is thinking in our heads.
340 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 12, 2025
About the author
Jason Wardle
18 booksJason Wardle is the author of eight novels, including The Trial of Eve, The Floating House Always Wins, Oliver’s Crossing, The Many Lives of Marla Damme, and A Faerie Named Fae.
His work blends humour, dark speculative noir, science fiction, and fantasy with psychological depth and political/social critique.
He is also the creator of Nocturne Studios, a multimedia platform for his writing and visual work.
Discover more at Nocturne Studios: https://nocturnestudios.myportfolio.com/
His work blends humour, dark speculative noir, science fiction, and fantasy with psychological depth and political/social critique.
He is also the creator of Nocturne Studios, a multimedia platform for his writing and visual work.
Discover more at Nocturne Studios: https://nocturnestudios.myportfolio.com/
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