When I started this series, back in July of 2018, I had no idea that I’d be finishing it up in late October of 2020, a year later than planned.
I couldn’t have imagined that my parents’ health would take a nose dive with E.coli, heart attacks, and a stroke. Nor that the world would be dealing with a rampaging virus and all the associated anxiety. Who knew that Chaos would become the order of the day – on and off the page?
But writing is about perseverance, determination, patience. Those who’ve finished books, regardless of the everyday chaos in their lives, know what I’m talking about. There’s no easy path up the mountain, and sometimes the journey becomes strenuous. There are cramps. There are blisters. We’re grubby and worn out when we get to top. But what a breathtaking view!
So here I stand at the top of my little summit, enjoying the sunshine and leafing through the latest book. Lords of Chaos finishes up the Unraveling the Veil series. I wonder what awaits me on the other side.
The Blurb
In this thrilling conclusion to the Unraveling the Veil series, tensions mount and war looms.
After saving the changeling queen from a savage death, a second sworn oath sends Naj, Alue, and Talin to the mine where the first disappearances set the wheels of anarchy in motion. But it’s not the renders of Kalann il Drakk, the First of Chaos, who confront them in the blackness of the collapsed tunnels. It’s another foe, no less deadly.
When brutality strikes in the stone cells of the Authority, accusations and blame splinter trust. The fragile threads of loyalty that once bound the companions together on an impossible mission fray. The alliance finally breaks.
Naj, a goblin mage and traitor, returns to Jad’ra, determined to defend his home. With nothing to lose, Talin retreats to the changelings’ jungle to find his queen a stranger and his city on the verge of burning. Alue journeys to the Riverlands on a hopeless quest to enlist the aid of the elfin king.
All the while, the First of Chaos gloats. For only as allies will his three adversaries prevail. Above the hall of the First, the Veil vanishes before the truth. The hordes of chaos descend on the known land, and the final battle begins.
Review of Book 1: Liars and Thieves
Thank you to Cathleen Townsend, author of Twelve Tales of Christmas.
Goblins, elves, and changelings—they’d lived together for ages in an uneasy peace, in a world where only a Veil separated them from their gods. They’d successfully shared their world, but it was unclear if they could continue to share its resources.
All of them desired crystals. The goblins mined them, elves needed them to power their weapons and homes, and changelings used to them to shift shape. Goblins trusted no one—they carefully rationed the crystals available to their rivals. Elves knew better than to trust the lesser races—goblins were grasping and changelings were nothing but thieves. And changelings knew better than to trust either of them. Elves collared changelings and prevented them from shifting shape, and goblins were a humorless lot who cared only for amassing wealth.
But now their world is literally coming apart. A rash of earthquakes causes losses from all three races, and all of them are certain that one of the others is at fault. Alue, an elf, the goblin Naj, and the shapeshifter Talin all try to solve the mystery and save their people. But what hasn’t occurred to any of them is that someone beyond the Veil might be responsible. And if they can’t see past their own prejudices to figure out how to defeat an immortal, the Lord of Chaos may well defeat them all.
Fantasy readers sometimes argue over the most important elements of a good book. Is it unique world building, characters who seem to live and breathe of their own accord, or a plot that just never lets up? Snappy dialogue, intense action sequences, and characters who struggle to grow—these are all elements that writers labor to incorporate into their work.
Fear not. Liars and Thieves has all these things. As a first book of a trilogy, it’s a solid, compelling read—highly recommended.
