Scourge of the Betrayer (Bloodsounder's Arc)
"Scourge of the Betrayeris as harsh and profane as anything Richard K. Morgan or Joe Abercrombie serves up. Fortunately, Saylards has the skills - and the humor - to pull it off. Snappy dialogue, political intrigue, shady characters, gripping action sequences, a poor guy that has no idea what he's gotten himself into... Yeah, there's a lot to like about this debut."  --David Anthony Durham, author ofThe Acacia Trilogy."Scourge of the Betrayeris a fascinatingly lateral take on quest fantasy. The strangely flawed Captain Killcoin and the curiously naive scribe Arkamondos intersect in unusual and interesting ways as they deal with politics, combat, and a peculiar costly form of magic. A gripping read, this is a fine opening to a series I'm looking forward to continuing to enjoy."  --Jay Lake, author ofMainspring and Green"Gritty, gripping, and layered with surprises."   --Howard A. Jones, author ofThe Waters of Eternity"I've long been a great fan of novels that play and experiment with the standards of fantasy, andScourge of the Betrayercomes as no exception. Salyards not only executes the tropes of the genre skillfully, but he knows just when and how to surprise the reader by veering AWAY from any expectations we might be developing. Readers of traditional fantasy and sword-and-sorcery definitely should give this one a look; I'm impatient for a sequel already, myself."  --Ari Marmell, author ofThe Conqueror's ShadowandThe Goblin Corps"A tale of terror and bloodshed, set on a fascinating world, told by an interesting narrator. What more could you want?" -- Mike Resnick, Hugo and Nebula award winning author."[A] fascinatingly lateral take on quest fantasy. A gripping read, this is a fine opening to a series I'm looking forward to continuing to enjoy."— Jay Lake, author ofMainspringandGreen