The Ashen City

Rites of Resurrection #2

by Marshall J. Moore

New Allies and Enemies Rise From the Ashes.
In Albastine, dying in the Republic’s service is only the beginning. Charged with training the necromancer-generals responsible for leading the city-state’s undead legions, Cassius wants nothing more than to recover from his wounds, rebuild his marriage, and restore his faith in his ancestral religion. But when a separatist group starts to undermine the Republic from within, the shaken warrior finds himself on the front lines once more.

Forced into an uneasy alliance with a magistrate who’s already tried to arrest him once, Cassius relentlessly pursues the heretic Sons of Ash and their charismatic leader in a struggle for the soul of his people. Yet as tensions rise, Cassius begins to fear that both he and the Sons are being manipulated by an unseen Adversary who will stop at nothing to restore the old balance of power. And all the while, unseen and unstoppable, a killer stalks the Pale City’s streets, seeking to send Cassius to his uneasy rest.

An epic fantasy series perfect for fans of Gideon the Ninth. Rites of Resurrection is packed to the brim with zombies, magic, and mystery that will leave you flipping pages late into the night.

396 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 10, 2023

About the author

Marshall J. Moore is a writer, filmmaker, and martial artist who was born and raised on Kwajalein, a tiny Pacific island. He has trained a professional mercenary in unarmed combat, once sold a thousand dollars' worth of teapots to Jackie Chan, and on one occasion was tracked down by a bounty hunter for owing $300 in overdue fees to the Los Angeles Public Library.

He lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with his wife Megan and their two cats.

Reviews

[Lana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cassius loves the republic and he already gave his arm to secure its safety and knew he would also give his life if asked for, but he also loved his people, the Ayu'li, and he hated that they were treated like second class citizens. Cassius had stopped a coup set up to install a tyrant rather than the democracy the Pale City enjoyed but it seems his troubles were far from over. He is once again called to stop a heretical extremist group of the old faith out to wreck havoc on the people. The Sons of Ash led by a zealot called Khefnar had arrived in the city, were causing trouble for his wife the high priestess Bahlanni, trying to undermine her role as leader of their people and killing attendants. The Pale City needed the attendants but the old faith was against the use of the dead in such a way. All Cassius wanted was to recover from his old wounds, rebuild his marriage and restore his faith in his ancestral religion yet once again he finds himself on the frontline. He risks life and limb trekking a killer, till things come to a head in the market place on the last day of the old faith religious celebrations. I love this series, it is not only a whodunnit mystery series but goes in depth questioning such things as democracy, religious beliefs and patriotism. I cannot wait to read book 3.

[Chase Trautwein · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Ashen City continues the mystery and intrigue we first encountered in The Pale City, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Part 2 in the journey was as much fun as the first book!

For some reason, I always love the middle part of any trilogy. It may be because the setting and characters are already established and we can jump right in. It may be because we meet new characters and get to see how they interact with the people we met in part one. It may be because some new force or conflict enters into the characters' lives. The Ashen City has all of the above. We get to explore more of the richly developed world of Albastine, its history, and its people. We for sure meet compelling new characters whose paths cross with Cassius and his companions and whose personal histories add relatability and humanity. Lastly, the new threat of the Sons of Ash adds another dimension to the tasks put before Cassius.

I'm not giving too many details or names, because I don't want to spoil anything. It's also my hint for you to decide for yourself what you think about The Ashen City. Go read it!

[Megan M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Ashen City achieves the same level of action and adventure as the first book, The Pale City, while allowing the reader to further explore the fascinating world building of a society built on an industry of necromancy. If the first book’s central question is “How can a city rely on zombie labor?” the second book’s question would be “How can these two cultures coexist: one that worships its ancestors and one that uses the dead as a commodity?”

I loved that we got more attention on Bahlanni in this book as well as her relationship with Cassius. The new characters added so much depth to the story - my favorite was Lavinia! The plot itself is more complex than the first book, but the author managed to weave it all together in a way where it all felt earned and satisfying in the end. I am eagerly awaiting the third book!

[Ethan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Ashen City was such a great sequel to an already amazing start of a series! The world that was created is so vibrant and rich, and I found myself wishing that the story would not end. I would love to, after finishing the final book in the series, eventually be able to explore the world further. I find that the characters are all complex and offer a depth that makes it easy to connect with them and truly feel the stakes of their situations. Cassius is a loveable, strong-willed, and ambitious protagonist who embodies loyalty and courage. My favorite character would have to be Bahlanni, I love when a female lead is written immaculately well, as many authors fail to utilize their female characters, and Moore is adept in that sense. Bahlanni is such a beautifully complex character, and it made me smile each time she was spotlighted. Beyond the two main leads, the whole cast of characters were very diverse and well thought out. I loved the inclusion of so many different walks of life, whether that be through the inclusion of queer characters, characters of different races coming together as one, or the acceptance of all through religion as it is used in the story. As someone who knows what it's like to feel excluded from the narrative for reasons not under my control, and often ostracized by religions for those same reasons, I found myself really connecting with the message of the religion of the Ayu'li in the book. Many authors would tokenize these types of characters, but with the Rites of Resurrection, it never felt like diversity was used as a backdrop. I think this was, in its entirety, a step up from the previous book, which is not only hard to do for a middle book in a series, but is hard to do when the original book was also outstanding in its own way. I had so much fun reading this book, and I'm excited to see where the final installment takes the characters and the world in which they live.

[Tobius · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really don't know what to say other than I'm amazed at how good this book is. I thoroughly enjoyed the first one and sort of expected this one to not be as good, I was wrong.

In fact everything about it is much better. The way that it's laid out in parts. The pacing. The relationship development between characters. How the mystery deepens and how more twists reveal themselves. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. My heart literally racing as I was reading. Wow! What an experience! I cannot wait to start the third and final book of the series!

5 STAR READ!!

[Matthew Perry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found MJM on tiktok and decided to give an indy author a try. I must say that the Rites of Resurrection series has been fantastic so far. MJM makes amazing videos on tiktok showing the every day life of an author and it makes me very happy to support him.
This series of books has everything a nerd needs, its a mix of dungeons and dragons with a little Tolkein thrown in there. The amount of world building and attention to detail makes it an enjoyable reading experience. I won't give away anything in my review but I must say for a sequel it may have outdone the predecessor.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic follow-up to the first book. I enjoy the middle books in series because they continue on with characters you already know, while usually adding in some new ones - this does both so well!

The story does a really good job picking up where we left off while continuing on its own story; one that is almost as compelling as the first book.

The Sons of Ash were a great addition to the series and that storyline was perfect!

Can’t wait to read book 3 to close out my 2023 reading challenge!

[Brian Gadzinski · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised to find this sequel to be even better than the first book. The prose and pacing are both excellent. The plot was compelling and very original. The action scenes felt more realistic this time around as well. I also really enjoyed the narrative voice. I’ve already started the Awoken City on KU and purchased a signed copy of Son of Sailor!

[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

So interesting

Loved the story and can't wait for the next one! Interesting and unlike anything I've read before. Definitely recommend this series.