David Hair – författare

The Moontide has come and the Leviathan Bridge stands open: now thrones will shake and hearts will be torn apart in a world at war.

A scarlet tide of Rondian legions is flooding into the East, led by the Inquisition’s windships flying the Sacred Heart, the bright banner of the Church’s darkest sons. They are slaughtering and pillaging their way across Antiopia in the name of Emperor Constant. But the emperor’s greatest treasure, the Scytale of Corineus, has slipped through his fingers and his ruthless Inquisitors must scour two continents for the artefact, the source of all magical power.

Against them are the unlikeliest of heroes. Alaron, a failed mage, the gypsy, Cymbellea, and Ramita, once just a lowly market-girl, have pledged to end the cycle of war and restore peace to Urte.

East and West have clashed before, but this time, as secret factions and cabals emerge from the shadows, the world is about to discover that love, loyalty and truth can be forged into weapons as strong as swords and magic.

"Hair tells his story with aplomb in a clear and concise prose.... Mage’s Blood is one of the better [epic fantasy] first installments I’ve read in recent years." —staffersbookreview.com

David Hair is the award-winning writer of two young adult fiction series, The Aotearoa and The Return of Ravana (based on the Vedic epic The Ramayana). Mage’s Blood, the first volume of a series called The Moontide Quartet, is Hair’s first work of adult fantasy. In a starred review of Mage’s Blood, Publisher’s Weekly said, “This multilayered beginning to the Moontide Quartet plunges readers into a taut network of intrigue and mystery that tightens with each chapter. Hair portrays a stark and beautiful world breaking apart, with both good and evil characters desperate to reshape it through magic, war, and treachery. This strong debut should draw in fantasy readers of all stripes.”

Most of the time the Moontide Bridge lies deep below the sea, but every twelve years the tides sink and the bridge is revealed, its gates open for trade. The Magi are hell-bent on ruling this new world, and for the last two Moontides they have led armies across the bridge on "crusades of conquest." Now, the third Moontide is almost here, and this time the people of the East are ready for a fight…but it is three seemingly ordinary people that will decide the fate of the world.

Unholy War, the penultimate volume of David Hair''s Moontide Quartet, sets the stage for the series'' impending conclusion. Fanboy Comics compares it to "great fantasy epics such as A Song of Ice and Fire and The Wheel of Time, and it easily earns its place amongst them."

Tensions are mounting after a devastating battle before the walls of Shaliyah, birthplace of the Prophet. The East is rising, bringing equal measures of hope and despair to the magical world of Urte.

For some Salim''s victory is a call to arms, for others it is evidence of a world gone mad. While the armies of East and West clash in brutal conflict, emperors, inquisitors, Souldrinkers, and assassins all have their attention turned elsewhere as they hunt the Scytale of Corineus. The immensely powerful artifact is the key to ultimate power, and it''s in the hands of unlikely guardians: failed mage Alaron Mercer and market-girl Ramita Ankesharan, who carries the child of the world''s greatest mage. The fate of the world hinges on destruction should the artifact fall into the wrong hands.

The last few months of the moontide—when the bridge connecting East and West rises above the sea—has come, and in the West Emperor Constant prepares the final phase of his plan to conquer the East.

For failed mage Alaron and his companion Ramita—widow to the mage who built the Leviathan Bridge—the unthinkable has happened. They have lost the Scytale of Corineus, the key to the Rite of Ascendancy, as well as one of Ramita''s infant sons, to the hands of their deadliest enemies.

In Javon, Cera Nesti, the imprisoned queen, has been freed, and plots to take on the overwhelming might of the Rondian Empire. But standing between her and her goal is a band of deadly mercenaries playing a dangerous game of their own.

And in the East, Seth Korion''s Lost Legions must navigate treacherous roads to gain safety, bearing secrets that could bring down the Emperor.

The time has come for the Rite of Ascendancy to be performed. New powers must rise to save or damn Urte, and on the mighty Leviathan Bridge itself, all will be decided.

Follow a renegade sorcerer off the edge of the map, in a thrilling adventure perfect for fans of Scott Lynch, Brandon Sanderson and Sebastien de Castell''A page-turning adventure filled with excitement and intriguing characters. For those loving an epic fantasy with plenty of sword-fights, gun-play, bare-fisted combat and battles between sorcerers, this book''s for you'' Amazing StoriesSoldier, sorcerer and exiled nobleman Raythe Vyre has run out of places to hide. When the all-conquering Bolgravian Empire invaded, Raythe grabbed his daughter Zar and after taking part in a disastrous rebellion, they washed up on the edge of the continent.Now he''s found a chance of redemption for himself and the precociously talented Zar: a map showing a hitherto unknown place that''s rich in istariol, the rare mineral that fuels sorcery. Mining it will need people, but luckily there are plenty of outcasts, ne''er-do-wells and loners desperate enough to brave haunted roads through the ruins of an ancient, long-dead civilisation, to seek wealth and freedom. But the Bolgravian Empire is not about to let anyone defy it - and even out here, at the edge of the map, implacable imperial agent Toran Zorne has caught Raythe''s scent.''There''s a lot of cool stuff, ancient civilisations, magic, a heist, personal loss, love, and humour. I enjoyed this so much'' Alalhambra Book Reviews

Renegade sorcerer Raythe Vyre went off the edge of the map, seeking riches and redemption . . . but he has found the impossible: a vanished civilisation - and the threat of eternal damnation!Chasing a dream of wealth and freedom, Raythe Vyre''s ragtag caravan of refugees from imperial oppression went off the map, into the frozen wastes of the north. What they found there was beyond all their expectations: Rath Argentium, the legendary city of the long-vanished Aldar, complete with its fabled floating citadel.Even more unexpectedly, they encountered the Tangato, the remnants of the people who served the Aldar, who are shocked to learn that they''re not alone in the world - and hostile to Raythe''s interlopers.What awaits Raythe''s people in the haunted castle that floats above them, the lair of the last Aldar King? Everlasting wealth - or eternal damnation?

After all they''ve suffered, rebel sorcerer Raythe Vyre and his fortune-seekers are still empty-handed, but they''ve found real treasure: peace.Deep inside the Ice wastes, Raythe''s people stumbled upon Rath Argentium, the legendary Aldar city, and the long-lost Tangato people. After fighting through betrayal, treachery and powerful magic, they forged a hard-won treaty with the Tangato and their extraordinary queen, Shiazar. Now they''ve put aside their dreams of wealth and revenge and embraced something better: a life outside the tyrannical Bolgravian Empire.But the Bolgravian Empire never gives up.The empire hasn''t forgotten Raythe Vyre, and his enemies know where he is. Guided by Toran Zorne, the implacable imperial assassin, they are coming to claim Rath Argentium for themselves. Raythe and Shiazar know all too well that courage and cunning won''t be enough this time: they are outnumbered, out-gunned and out of time. Faced with total annihilation, it''s up to Raythe to find an edge . . .

Brandon Sanderson meets Joe Abercrombie in this astounding novel of good, evil and magicThe Falcons are knights of the Vestal Order, pledged to use their powers to protect the Empire of Talmont from the cruel Vyr and the carnage they have unleashed upon the world.When the Falcons take a Vyr alive, they go against the protocols of the Vestal Order and interrogate him. They are horrified to learn, if the Vyr speaks truly, that the Empire''s worst enemy may not be the Vyr . . . but the Vestal Order itself.Led by the charismatic Romara Challys, the Falcons go rogue, their quest for the truth taking them through burning forests, lost ruins and the uncanny traces of a dying race, desperate to find answers . . . before it''s too late.But the Vestal Order has no plans to let Challys and her knights succeed in their mission. With the greatest knight in history and an army of fanatics at their heels, the Falcons must evade capture and discover the truth as soon as possible. Because time is running out . . . for everyone.______________________''This book has everything that I love in a political fantasy. Knights, history, intrigue'' - Reader Review''The world-building in The Burning Land is excellent'' - Reader Review''A fiery fantasy adventure that blazes with action, magic and epic battles'' - Reader Review

The Falcons have become the empire''s enemy in THE DROWNING SEA, the unmissable sequel to THE BURNING LANDSRomara Challys and her Falcons are Vestal Knights, who have shed blood to uphold the Triple Empire against the destructive Vyr Rebellion. But now, the Falcons have become the empire''s enemy.Having learned that elobyne, the magical crystal that empowers the knights, is catastrophically destructive, the Falcons vow to save their world. But speaking truth to power is perilous, and Romara is the empire''s prisoner, facing torture and death at the hands of her former masters. Her comrades, big-hearted Gram, the prodigy Soren, and the erling mage Elindhu, are seeking her rescue, but the forces arrayed against them seem insurmountable.Meanwhile, her loyal second, Jadyn, and the mercurial thief Aura, are seeking the aegis, an alternative magic, following a path laid down centuries before. But hunting them are Vazi Virago, the Order''s Exemplar, and the fearsome lictor, Yoryn Borghart; who want the aegis for their own devious ends.The seas are rising, harvests are failing, refugees flooding across borders are sparking wars, and the destructive rebellion threatens civilisation. The End of All Things is coming, the priests and seers say. Coros is doomed.If the Falcons can''t save their world, who can?''Full of nuanced, loveable characters whose complex relationships with each other and with themselves make The Burning Land a compulsively readable adventure not to be missed!'' Sebastien de Castell, author of The Malevolent Seven

The Moontide is coming. Urte stands on the brink of war. Now three seemingly ordinary people will decide the fate of the world.Urte is divided, its two continents separated by impassable seas. But once every twelve years, the Moontide sees the waters sink to their lowest point and the Leviathan Bridge is revealed, linking east to west for twenty-four short months.The Rondian emperor, overlord of the west, is hell-bent on ruling both continents, and for the last two Moontides he has led armies of battle-magi across the bridge on crusades of conquest, pillaging his way across Antiopa.But the people of the east have been preparing - and, this time, they are ready for a fight.An epic fantasy, rich in intricate plots, intrigue and treachery. Vast forces collide and ordinary people make heart-rending choices that will shake the world.''A complex world populated by a rich and diverse cast of characters . . . Recommended for fans of George R.R. Martin, Brandon Sanderson and Patrick Rothfuss'' - Library Journal

The second in David Hair''s epic Moontide Quartet, perfect for fans of Brandon Sanderson, George R.R. Martin and Robert Jordan.

Return to Urte, a land in chaos, where the smallest choice may save or damn the world.

The Moontide has come, and a scarlet tide of Rondian legions is flooding into the East, slaughtering and pillaging in the name of Emperor Constant. But the Scytale of Corineus, the source of ultimate magical power, has slipped through the emperor''s fingers. His ruthless inquisitors are desperately seeking the artefact, before it falls into the hands of those who would bring him down.

But there are some who have pledged to end the cycle of war and restore peace to Urte. They are the unlikeliest of heroes: a failed mage, a gypsy and a lowly market-girl.

As East and West clash more violently than ever before, the people of Urte will discover that love, loyalty and truth can be forged into weapons as deadly as swords and magic.

''Promises to recall epic fantasy''s finest'' - Tor.com