BOOK ONE: THE WAR WITH THE MEIN

Presiding over Acacia, an empire named after the idyllic island from which he rules, Leodan Akaran has inherited a peace and prosperity won long ago by his ancestors.
He's an intelligent man, a widower who dotes on his four children, and it is this devotion that obliges him to hide a terrible secret from them - that Acacia's wealth is founded on the trafficking of drugs and human lives. A man of integrity, he determines to end this vile trade. But powerful forces stand in his way.

An assassin, sent from the Mein - a race exiled long ago to an ice-locked stronghold in the frozen north - strikes, and the Mein unleash surprise attacks against their old oppressor. Mortally wounded, Leodan puts into play a plan to enable his children to escape, to survive and to fulfil their destinies.

And so begins an epic quest - to avenge a father's death and restore an empire, this time on the basis of universal freedom.

'How will it all end? If the first volume of this projected series is any indication, in brilliant - and brutal - defiance of fantasy conventions'
WASHINGTON POST

'Entertaining and engaging ... If The War with the Mein is an indication of what is to come in this epic saga, Durham could be making a very big name for himself
SFFWORLD

'Vastly entertaining . . . Will good win out over evil? In Durham's morally ambiguous world, the uncertainty is part of the thrill'
STRANGEHORIZONS