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When a Soul-Plague threatens to enslave humanity, a troubled holy knight is forced to enlist the help of his people’s most hated enemy—the Queen of the Dead. But hate and love are two sides of the same coin, and world-ending threats have a habit of upending both.

Fresh from another successful quest, Sir Konrad Rubez is shocked to find his empire on the verge of collapse. A terrifying Soul-Plague ravages the countryside, turning farmers and fishwives into murdering cultists known as the Afflicted; eerily coordinated, deathly efficient, and in possession of ritual-lore that can birth monsters.

To unravel the mystery of the plague, he must make an ally of the world’s foremost expert in souls… and the sworn enemy of his order, his people, and his gods—Serena, Undead Queen of Kaliban, self-proclaimed savior of humanity, and burnt-out sorceress.

For five hundred years, Serena has prosecuted her war against the gods and those who serve them. Five wars of untold devastation all ending in her defeat. Now, she has unleashed her Legions of Brass and Silver again. As she tries to summon that old, confident, cackling terror of the battlefield—and despairs at her absence—an enemy knight arrives with an offer that might just give her the out she desperately needs…

The Soul-Plague is ruthless and relentless, twisting the very essence of the people it touches to transform them into something that is both obscene and divine. As cities fall and faiths are shattered, knight and queen will have to survive a deadly gauntlet of battles and betrayals, lies and terrible truths, inhuman monsters and all-too-human zealots in a world unraveling by the day… if they don’t try to murder each other first—or worse, develop feelings during the attempt.

Time is running out, and the only person who can buy them more is Princess Ravanda—Konrad’s sister and ailing heiress to an empire in crisis. But how can she save them, when conspiracies close in from every side? If her illness or an assassin doesn’t finish her off first, then her forbidden feelings for one of her handmaidens might well see her executed.

Perfect for fans of GRRM and Abercombie, who are looking for a dark fantasy but with a more hopeful edge, Empire of Souls is grand in scope yet viscerally intimate—a brilliant epic fantasy standalone that stands out in a world filled with series.