Forbidden Magic (The Godwars, Book 1)

In the time of the beginning, when the First Gods created all things, they brought forth two children, Tharn and Balatur, lesser gods, to walk upon the new world. But Balatur was arrogant. Tharn was consumed with madness, and the First Gods were forced to condemn them to an eternal, deathlike sleep, lest they destroy creation.

Now a mysterious wizard seeks to awaken the mad Tharn and unleash his terrifying power into the world. If he succeeds, the god’s insane fury could rip apart the fabric of existence and give the diabolical magician what he seeks most of all: the scepter of domination over the forces of chaos.

Only the young scholar Calandryll has the knowledge and skill to stop the evil wizard’s plan. Accompanied by a cynical mercenary, protected by an enigmatic magic, he must journey across a war-torn countryside, facing terror and treachery both real and magical, to find the ancient book whose incantations can bring the evil god back to life — and destroy it forever.

Forbidden Magic is the thrilling beginning of The Godwars, an epic adventure of heroism and sorcery by one of the most exciting new writers of fantasy today.


From the Trade Paperback edition.

Angus Wells was born in a small village in Kent, England. He worked as a publicist and as a science fiction and fantasy editor before becoming a full-time author. His works include The Books of the Kingdoms (Wrath of Ashar, The Usurper, The Way Beneath), The Godwars (Forbidden Magic, Dark Magic, Wild Magic), the standalone novel Lords of the Sky, and the two-book Exiles Saga: Exile’s Children and Exile’s Challenge. Angus Wells died in 2006.