"A masterful debut -- if J.R.R. Tolkien and Bernard Cornwell had a literary love child, this would be it."
Of Bone and Thunder
A Novel
Description
From Iron Elves author Chris Evans comes a groundbreaking stand-alone fantasy novel that blends epic fantasy with the dark allegory of the Vietnam War.
A land of thick jungle and mist-swirled mountains. An enemy moving unseen beneath the lush canopy. The growing threat of thaumics—a volatile magic wielded by few that threatens to destabilize an entire kingdom. The youth of a nation sent to fight in a faraway hell while back home, discord and disillusionment reign…
In the distant nation of Luitox—wracked by rebellion—thaumic users copilot mammoth armored dragons alongside fliers who do not trust their strange methods. Warriors trained in crossbow, catapult, and stealth are plunged into sudden chaotic battles with the mysterious Forest Collective, an elusive enemy wielding a devastating magic of its own. And the Kingdom’s most downtrodden citizens, only recently granted equality, fight for the dignity they were supposed to have won at home while questioning who the real enemy truly is.
Of Bone and Thunder is the story of Thaum Jawn Rathim, whose idealized view of war collides with brutal reality; of conscripted soldier Carny, drowning in a hallucinogenic haze of fear and anger; of Breeze, the ambitious graduate of the Royal Academy of Thaumology, convinced she can reshape the very nature of warfare—if she can win the trust of those around her; and of Ugen Listowk, a veteran crossbowman haunted by failure yet determined to lead his men through the darkest jungles.
Plunging deep into the heart of moral and mortal darkness, these reluctant soldiers must battle dragons, face a ghostly enemy, and confront the chaos of a jungle war that mirrors their own inner demons. With blood, magic, and unrelenting tension, Chris Evans delivers a powerful military fantasy epic where survival is the only victory—and war is fought not for glory or the Kingdom, but for one another.
Reviews
"Fascinating...combining the best touches of fantasy and military storytelling."
"A thrilling epic from beginning to end, filled with wit, intrigue, and twists and turns reminiscent of Glen Cook's The Black Company. A grand new entry in the field of fantasy masters!"
"A fantasy in which the gritty realities of war and politics are as important as the magic -- and all are handled very well."