“They say all the land is tinder; it braces for a spark.”
With that, you take the first steps into The Bulls of War, Book 1 of the Chronicles of the Andervold Thrones, the new epic fantasy series from E.M. Thomas. Laden with flavors of Ancient Rome in a world all its own, The Bulls of War follows two lifelong friends in their struggle to save a homeland which is coming apart at the seams.
So it was in the ancient land of Andervold, where the Rokhish Empire maintains a fragile truce with hated Valogar. The tenuous state of affairs has split the Imperial Capital into hostile power-brokering factions: Sudos fighting to keep the peace, Nortics seeking renewed battle at any cost. From the highest minister to the lowest merchant, everyone has to pick a side eventually, lest the side be chosen for them - the most dangerous option of all.
Kyrus and Tyghus learn this lesson the hard way. Although they are veterans of battlefields a thousand miles south, the men are no match for the Capital’s ruthless statesmen, unwittingly finding themselves pulled by opposite sides of the factional divide. Tensions rise, loyalties fray, and hearts are broken, all as words of peace become drowned out by the drumbeats of war. As the men grasp at the remnants of their fleeting friendship, the Empire lurches toward a conflict that could tear it asunder.
The Bulls of War is a sweeping tale of love and war, honor and betrayal, life and death, set in a realm whose glory days seem long past.