UNKNOWN

When all he wanted was a cause to die for, he found one to live for instead.

In a broken world where money is cursed and men care for nothing but coin, one man seeks to restore his name and sacred honor by facing the sorcerous powers that seek to enslave the world. In the heart of the forbidden desert, the ancient ruins of the city of Xulthar harbor the source of this great evil.

No adventurer has ever returned from Xulthar alive. But Roderick cares little for such things. Honor means more to him than life, and freedom more than riches. He fully expects to die in the course of his quest, and has resigned himself to his fate.

But when he encounters a former slave girl who would rather be a slave than be free, his outlook begins to change. Together, they must journey not only to the heart of the ruined city, but to the depths of hell itself, facing the ultimate temptation to defeat the greatest evil and learn what it truly means to be free.

Joe Vasicek fell in love with science fiction and fantasy when he read The Neverending Story as a child. He is the author of more than twenty books, including Genesis Earth, Gunslinger to the Stars, The Sword Keeper, and the Sons of the Starfarers series. As a young man, he studied Arabic at Brigham Young University and traveled across the Middle East and the Caucasus Mountains. He lives in Utah with his wife, daughter, and two apple trees.