Under the rigid guidance of the Conclave; an order of holy men seeking to bring back the glory of the time of the gods, the Order of the Inquisition and their Prekhauten Guard divisions the seven hundred known worlds carve out a new empire with the compassion and wisdom the gods once offered. But a terrible secret, known only to the most powerful, threatens to undo three millennia of progress. The gods are not dead at all. They merely sleep. And they are being hunted.
Senior Inquisitor Tolde Breed is sent to the planet Crimeat to investigate the escape of one of the most deadly beings in the universe. Amongeratix, one of the three sons of the god-king is loose once again, the fabled Three. Tolde arrives on a world where heresy breeds insurrection and war is only a matter of time. Tolde is aided by Sister Abigail of the Order of Blood Witches in his quest to find Amongeratix and return him to Conclave custody before he can begin his reign of terror.
What he doesn’t know is that the Three are already operating on Crimeat. Each serves a different emotion: Vengeance, Sorrow and Redemption. Their touch drives the various characters beyond themselves and towards an uncertain future that can only end one of two ways. Either the Three win and finally destroy the gods, or humanity stops them and continues to survive.
GUEST POST
What makes me write?
Unlike much in life, my answer for this is simple. It’s what I was born to do. Ok, maybe not really, but it sure feels like it. It all began in the summer of 77 when my dad took me to see Star Wars in the drive in. Mind blown. We followed that up with Ralph Bakshi’s version of Lord of the Rings and I was hooked! I started making goofy comic books and then less goofy ones. I wrote a very bad horror novel in 10th grade that earned me the student of the month award. (Every time I go home I try to find it and burn it.)
Joining the Army in 1991 put my plans on hold- but it was another thing I wanted to do. I wrote a few books during my first 10 yrs in service and didn’t get serious about it until I became so bored while in Afghanistan that I dug deeper. Since retiring from the Army I have gone on to put out over 20 military fantasy and science fiction novels. Not bad for a young kid from western New York who had a pen and a dream.
Inspiration comes in many forms and degrees. The origins of one of my favorite books: Beyond the Edge of Dawn, came from my time in Baghdad, Iraq in 2005. Stationed at Camp Victory- situated beside Baghdad International Airport (BIAP), I used to run around a large lake at night. In the center of the lake was a bombed-out palace that one of Saddam Hussein’s sons once owned. I was in Mosul, Iraq in 2003 when Saddam was captured, and his sons were caught and killed in a gnarly firefight. Much to my chagrin, Saddam himself was being held prisoner in the bombed-out palace. Each night I would run around the lake and try to catch a glimpse of the Hitler-influenced dictator.
I never did get to see him before he was tried and hung by and Iraqi court, but during those nights a name entered my head. Wheels began to turn. Who was he/she? What did he do? Why should I write a story about him? The answers kept coming and each night when I finished my run I would go to my notebook and write the details down. By the time my third tour of duty in Iraq was finished I had the outline for Dawn. Inspiration can be found everywhere, if only we open our eyes to see it.
I write military fantasy and science fiction. I use my 3 combat tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, a 20+ year career in the active duty Army, and a Masters of Arts in military history to provide readers with what I believe is a fairly accurate depiction of what war is like. Funny, I actually received a negative review from a reader claiming the action was too realistic. Wait…that’s what I was going for.
Sure, it happens on different worlds with weird species, but don’t we want a little touch of truth? I remember seeing The Two Towers for the first time when I was in Afghanistan in 2002. A fan of the Lord of the Rings from a young age, I was amazed and disappointed with what Peter Jackson churned out. Of course, the pirated copy we got our hands on somehow managed to gets most of the scenes out of order- explain that one to me…- but Jackson clearly had no understanding of tactics and strategy. The amount of lives lost during the siege of Helm’s Deep was appalling to me. It could have been me being in war or the fact that I led troops in combat. Regardless, I decided then and there to never let that slip into my writing. I may not produce the best books ever, but I do my best to make them engage, entertaining, and to leave the reader sitting back in their chair and saying…damn.
About the author:
Christian W. Freed was born in Buffalo, N.Y. more years ago than he would like to remember. After spending more than 20 years in the active duty US Army he has turned his talents to writing. Since retiring, he has gone on to publish 17 military fantasy and science fiction novels, as well as his memoirs from his time in Iraq and Afghanistan. His first published book (Hammers in the Wind) has been the #1 free book on Kindle 4 times and he holds a fancy certificate from the L Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Contest.
Passionate about history, he combines his knowledge of the past with modern military tactics to create an engaging, quasi-realistic world for the readers. He graduated from Campbell University with a degree in history and is pursuing a Masters of Arts degree in Military History from Norwich University. He currently lives outside of Raleigh, N.C. and devotes his time to writing, his family, and their two Bernese Mountain Dogs. If you drive by you might just find him on the porch with a cigar in one hand and a pen in the other.
Author's Giveaway
I'm going to have to check out this author. I love military fantasy!
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