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A Plague of Steel: Sons of the Tempering – Book One
Set in a realm scarred by endless war, outlawed magick, and faith enforced at the edge of a blade, A Plague of Steel launches a brutal new epic fantasy saga of fallen heroes and kingdoms built on lies.
When the enemy has the edge, you don’t need a knight full of ideals. You want the bastard who has looked death in the eye and spat.
Forty years into a grinding war, the Tempered Lands claim they are bringing order to the forest frontier. Dead Rick once believed in the crown. He fought its wars, bled for its victories. Watched good men drown in the muck for promises that thinned with every campaign. Now—when he’s not drunk—he commands what remains of a broken company of veterans, sent upriver on a mission few expect to survive.
Marching beneath the same banner is Amara Drakenshield, inquisitor of the Priory of Hollow Mercy—young, brilliant, and unshakably devout. She has come to root out heresy within the ranks and investigate whispers of something far worse than relics forbidden by God—arcane manifestations of the soul’s rot festering beneath the world.
Both will discover that in the Tempered Lands, honour doesn’t keep you alive. Desperation does.
When the enemy has the edge, you don’t need a knight full of ideals. You want the bastard who has looked death in the eye and spat.
Forty years into a grinding war, the Tempered Lands claim they are bringing order to the forest frontier. Dead Rick once believed in the crown. He fought its wars, bled for its victories. Watched good men drown in the muck for promises that thinned with every campaign. Now—when he’s not drunk—he commands what remains of a broken company of veterans, sent upriver on a mission few expect to survive.
Marching beneath the same banner is Amara Drakenshield, inquisitor of the Priory of Hollow Mercy—young, brilliant, and unshakably devout. She has come to root out heresy within the ranks and investigate whispers of something far worse than relics forbidden by God—arcane manifestations of the soul’s rot festering beneath the world.
Both will discover that in the Tempered Lands, honour doesn’t keep you alive. Desperation does.
- GenresFantasyDark Fantasy
693 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 15, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 30, 2026
2.5 star
This is a tough one to review. On one hand, you have a gritty, bleak world that draws you in. On the other hand, this world doesn't get the depth it needs to keep you there.
I like Dead Rick. Grizzled, drunken old soldier who's seen a lot of stuff and keeps on keeping on. Amara was religious zealot with no redeeming qualities. Rose and her buddy were great, but the page count they had was far too low. Secondary characters were a mixed bag. Some were amazing, most were plot fodder.
Lot of grit for the sake of grit here. I am all for grimdark, but you need solid meat on your dark bones, and this was more miss than hit.
Poorly edited, as well. This was riddled with typos. I read a fair amount of self pub and most is cleaner than this. Still, though, enough to keep me moderately engaged and intrigued to at least try a second book.
This is a tough one to review. On one hand, you have a gritty, bleak world that draws you in. On the other hand, this world doesn't get the depth it needs to keep you there.
I like Dead Rick. Grizzled, drunken old soldier who's seen a lot of stuff and keeps on keeping on. Amara was religious zealot with no redeeming qualities. Rose and her buddy were great, but the page count they had was far too low. Secondary characters were a mixed bag. Some were amazing, most were plot fodder.
Lot of grit for the sake of grit here. I am all for grimdark, but you need solid meat on your dark bones, and this was more miss than hit.
Poorly edited, as well. This was riddled with typos. I read a fair amount of self pub and most is cleaner than this. Still, though, enough to keep me moderately engaged and intrigued to at least try a second book.
September 24, 2026
This is what dark fantasy should be. Dark, gory and just downright evil. I loved it.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews