A necromancer. A crumbling empire. And a mind that may be her greatest enemy. Dark fantasy for readers who like their politics corrupt and their magic dangerous.The Viiminian Empire rots from within, its dominion mere walking corpses and fading memory. Everyone knows its glory is gone. Everyone except Rhea Phuul.
Confronted with the painful decay of the once-mighty Empire, Rhea has taken up the mantle of the Eternals: the restoration of her society and its ancient faith. Only when long-forgotten duties are carried out might the Empire again find renewal.
But Rhea must convince the people of Tuonako to heed an outsider of no great lineage. Her fiancé's family bring prestige, but they also bring age-old enemies. Rhea is no schemer. But her greatest foe (even more than the grim-faced Establishment and its shadow-stalking Inquisition) may lie deep within her own mind.
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Dark, philosophically rich, and morally unsparing, Old Phuul sits in the tradition of Stephen R. Donaldson's unflinching moral complexity and Joe Abercrombie's grimdark political realism. The Viiminian Empire is a world where necromancy is not mere window dressing but the beating heart of a society in collapse, and where the most dangerous battles are fought inside the self.
Old Phuul is book 2 in the Viiminian Empire series. It is set after the events in Wise Phuul, but an be read as a standalone.
Please note: this title contains an explicit content warning for necrophilia, in addition to assault, death, kidnapping, mental illness, murder, terminal illness, and torture.
Review :
"The cultures, histories, traditions, and taboos all have an authentic and multi-layered feel... The political machinations and interplay of the various powers are a major driving point. The characters are believable and compelling, with a wide and diverse range of personalities." - Mark McCabe, author of The Heart of Night Saga (review of Wise Phuul)
"Magic, faith, and politics all play a part in a book that's far more complex than I expected... The dead are an integral part of the world and its story. It's a gritty world and a gritty story, with genuine drama and tension." - Beauty in Ruins, Top Fantasy Amazon Reviewer (review of Wise Phuul)
