From the Ashes

by Mel Harding-Shaw

Necromancer Bastion is being hunted by a phoenix assassin when an unprecedented cataclysm causes his Earth of winged elementals and magic to meld with an alternate reality of humans and technology. When he arrives at what will come to be known as the City of Souls, only his unique power can save the city from collapsing in the chaos.

‘From the Ashes’ is a prequel short story to Mel Harding-Shaw's Melded Earths world. It is set 25 years before the Soul Court Ascension urban fantasy series and tells the story of the Melding and how Bastion meets Ra.

It features benevolent necromancy, found family, and an apocalyptic Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand.

52 pages, ebook

First published April 1, 2022

About the author

Mel Harding-Shaw is a Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy author from Wellington, New Zealand. Her debut novel, City of Souls, was released in November 2022.

She is also a widely published speculative short fiction writer under Melanie Harding-Shaw.

Reviews

[M Lowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a short story, but - wow!!! There is so much packed into it. We have Bastion's background, a chase scene, how the world's merge, then the development of a meaningful connection. I need more! And I love the writer's incredible skills in building worlds, creating intriguing characters and pulling readers in.

[Alex (HEABookNerd) · Rating 3 out of 5]

FROM THE ASHES introduces the Melded Earths world as well as Bastion who will be the hero in the series. I liked the set up and I'm very intrigued, though I will admit I didn't totally understand what happened when the two Earths ""collided"" but hopefully book 1 will dive a little deeper into how it all came to be.

[Samantha Gilchrist · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a brilliant novela, I loved seeing this insight as to how Bast came to the City of Souls, details about the melding, and how he came to be bonded with Ra.