THE MAGPIE KING

The Magpie King is the first book in the Durham Land Saga, set within the world of the War for the Adamite Throne during the year 1192 AC.When the frontier village of Dunmere is annihilated by a savage ork warband, a young horse-warrior named Aellr Durhm is left for dead amongst the bodies of his family and kin. Guided by strange visions, ghostly magpies, and the voices of the dead, Aellr refuses to surrender to despair.Gathering survivors from the shattered frontier, he begins building a refuge upon a ruined watchtower hill. What starts as a desperate camp soon becomes the first foundation of Durham Land, a realm trapped between the ambitions of the Glenmorians, Anglions, Norskheimr jarls, and the horrors lurking beyond civilisation.As refugees become citizens and survivors become warriors, Aellr must navigate betrayal, political intrigue, rival nobles, ancient prophecies, and the brutal realities of kingship. Yet a far darker threat emerges from the forgotten east.Beneath the haunted mountain of Crow-Fall Crag, an ancient evil awakens.Wulfric, the Bone-Crowned King, rises from legend at the head of an undead crusade, seeking to reclaim a kingdom lost centuries ago. As armies march and ancient brothers return from the grave, Aellr discovers that the frontier’s history is far older and far darker than anyone imagined.The struggle culminates at the mighty fortress of Ravenhold, where forgotten kings, undead armies, and living warriors collide in a battle that will decide the fate of the frontier. There, Aellr must choose whether he is merely a survivor… or the king Durham Land desperately needs.Through blood, sacrifice, and unbreakable determination, a new kingdom is born beneath the black-and-white banner of the Magpie Skull.Yet the victory comes at a terrible price.For beyond the battlefield waits a far older enemy.And the true war has only just begun. Read more