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The Gates of Good and Evil #3
The Perilous Tower
The terrifying Merdrun are invading – and the world no longer has an army.
Karan and Llian fled to the future to save their gifted nine-year-old daughter, but two days later Sulien far-sees the Crimson Gate reopen. The Merdrun are back, this time for good. And Santhenar, after the 160-year Lyrinx War and the decade of chaos that followed, is in ruins.
Within days, its greatest cities fall to the most deadly army the world has ever faced. But before the allies can begin the fightback, the Merdrun discover the worst folly of Scrutator Xervish Flydd’s long life. The location of the Council’s terrible lost weapon, an intelligent killing machine – the spellcaster.
A weapon the Merdrun are desperate to find, to cleanse Santhenar of the human race. And only Karan, Flydd and his handful of tormented veterans stand in their way.
Karan and Llian fled to the future to save their gifted nine-year-old daughter, but two days later Sulien far-sees the Crimson Gate reopen. The Merdrun are back, this time for good. And Santhenar, after the 160-year Lyrinx War and the decade of chaos that followed, is in ruins.
Within days, its greatest cities fall to the most deadly army the world has ever faced. But before the allies can begin the fightback, the Merdrun discover the worst folly of Scrutator Xervish Flydd’s long life. The location of the Council’s terrible lost weapon, an intelligent killing machine – the spellcaster.
A weapon the Merdrun are desperate to find, to cleanse Santhenar of the human race. And only Karan, Flydd and his handful of tormented veterans stand in their way.
- GenresFantasy
400 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 15, 2020
14 people are currently reading
81 people want to read
About the author
Ian Irvine
74 books660 followersI'm an Australian author of 34 novels, mainly fantasy. They include the bestselling Three Worlds epic fantasy sequence, which has sold over a million print copies. It comprises The View from the Mirror quartet, The Well of Echoes quartet and The Song of the Tears trilogy. I’ve just finished The Gates of Good and Evil quartet, the long-awaited sequel to The View from the Mirror. Book 3, The Perilous Tower, was published recently and the final book, The Sapphire Portal, will be published on November 1, 2020.
Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/ianirvine.au...
Signup to my email newsletter for free books and special offers, preview chapters, news and other great stuff. https://www.ian-irvine.com/join-my-ne...
LATEST BOOK
WHY I WRITE
Funny thing is, I never wanted to be a writer. From an early age my ambition was to be a scientist. I’m an expert in pollution and I’ve spent my professional life studying it in far-flung places like Mauritius, Sumatra, Mongolia, South Korea, the Philippines, Papua-New Guinea and Western Samoa, as well as all over Australia. Often scuba diving to the bottom of foul, smelly harbours and hammering tubes deep into the polluted mud to collect samples for chemical analysis. Now that’s living!
I was a small, quiet kid who devoured books from the moment I learned to read. When I was naughty, Mum wouldn’t let me read anything for a week – talk about a cruel and unusual punishment.
I discovered fantasy in the early 70’s, with The Lord of the Rings and the Earthsea trilogy, and was immediately hooked. But there wasn’t much fantasy in those days; within a couple of years I’d read everything available. I wanted more and bigger tales, on vaster canvases, but they didn’t exist. That’s why I had to become a writer – to write the kind of stories I wanted to read.
WHAT I WRITE
I’ve never wanted to write about superheroes or huge, reckless warriors who know no fear. I write epic fantasy about underdogs and ordinary people who, in pursuit of their goals, are put to the limit of human endurance. My characters aren’t fantasy stereotypes, they’re real people with believable motivations and unfortunate flaws. I’m well known for strong female characters who have as many adventures as the men, and frequently get them out of trouble (I have five sisters). My characters are often small or clumsy or inexperienced or handicapped in some way, yet they make up for it with cleverness, ingenuity or sheer, low cunning. My antagonists are real, complex people who do bad things for strong and deeply-held reasons – never ‘just because they’re evil’.
Though my characters suffer every kind of torment imaginable, at their lowest point they discover the truest form of courage – they keep fighting because the fate of the people they care for, and the world they love, depends on them never giving up.
SOME RECENT REVIEWS
"Irvine is a veteran storyteller who excels in sustaining complex plots with well-rounded characters. Here, he delivers a compelling tale of vengeance, loyalty, and the search for a place in the world." Starred review, Library Journal (US)
"That Grand Master of the vast epic is with us again! The first gripping volume of what promises to be a vintage Irvine treat. More please!" Crisetta MacLeod, Aurealis Express
"Incredibly exciting. The end will have you eagerly anticipating the next book." Good Reading (Aus)
"He knows how to spin an epic yarn and tell it with real gusto ... ambitious in scope and tirelessly action-stuffed." SFX
Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/ianirvine.au...
Signup to my email newsletter for free books and special offers, preview chapters, news and other great stuff. https://www.ian-irvine.com/join-my-ne...
LATEST BOOK
WHY I WRITE
Funny thing is, I never wanted to be a writer. From an early age my ambition was to be a scientist. I’m an expert in pollution and I’ve spent my professional life studying it in far-flung places like Mauritius, Sumatra, Mongolia, South Korea, the Philippines, Papua-New Guinea and Western Samoa, as well as all over Australia. Often scuba diving to the bottom of foul, smelly harbours and hammering tubes deep into the polluted mud to collect samples for chemical analysis. Now that’s living!
I was a small, quiet kid who devoured books from the moment I learned to read. When I was naughty, Mum wouldn’t let me read anything for a week – talk about a cruel and unusual punishment.
I discovered fantasy in the early 70’s, with The Lord of the Rings and the Earthsea trilogy, and was immediately hooked. But there wasn’t much fantasy in those days; within a couple of years I’d read everything available. I wanted more and bigger tales, on vaster canvases, but they didn’t exist. That’s why I had to become a writer – to write the kind of stories I wanted to read.
WHAT I WRITE
I’ve never wanted to write about superheroes or huge, reckless warriors who know no fear. I write epic fantasy about underdogs and ordinary people who, in pursuit of their goals, are put to the limit of human endurance. My characters aren’t fantasy stereotypes, they’re real people with believable motivations and unfortunate flaws. I’m well known for strong female characters who have as many adventures as the men, and frequently get them out of trouble (I have five sisters). My characters are often small or clumsy or inexperienced or handicapped in some way, yet they make up for it with cleverness, ingenuity or sheer, low cunning. My antagonists are real, complex people who do bad things for strong and deeply-held reasons – never ‘just because they’re evil’.
Though my characters suffer every kind of torment imaginable, at their lowest point they discover the truest form of courage – they keep fighting because the fate of the people they care for, and the world they love, depends on them never giving up.
SOME RECENT REVIEWS
"Irvine is a veteran storyteller who excels in sustaining complex plots with well-rounded characters. Here, he delivers a compelling tale of vengeance, loyalty, and the search for a place in the world." Starred review, Library Journal (US)
"That Grand Master of the vast epic is with us again! The first gripping volume of what promises to be a vintage Irvine treat. More please!" Crisetta MacLeod, Aurealis Express
"Incredibly exciting. The end will have you eagerly anticipating the next book." Good Reading (Aus)
"He knows how to spin an epic yarn and tell it with real gusto ... ambitious in scope and tirelessly action-stuffed." SFX
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
December 27, 2020
Irvine has done it again. The story keeps up a fast pace as you are thrown from one corner of Santhenar. This series brings the characters from all the stories of Santhenar together to battle a common enemy, The Merdrun, who have come out if the Void. Irvine keeps part of the story just below the surface compelling you to read on.
Displaying 1 of 1 review