the Chronicles of Aesirium
Death, wearing a lovely black dress....
Aerthos, majestic sphere of elemental life and wonders, burst forth from the womb as a babe, blind and singing. She arrived filled with the void and seeking to be filled. The song was given form, and the form was given life. Life spread across the face of the void, and the void was flung from its silent reverie to chase after starlight and desolation.
~ Tome of Aquos, Chapter One
The books in the Chronicles of Aesirium and Tales of the Dead Man, written by author Ren Cummins, take place in the imaginary world of Aerthos, a near-Earth setting where humanity has discovered two ways by which they can control the physics of their universe: through the principles of Science and the metaphysical processes known collectively as Art. These two practices had at one time in Aerthos' far history been able to work side by side, and great wonders were brought into being. And to aid in this balanced understanding of their world, Aerthos was given guidance and care by the powerful beings known as the Sheharid Is'iin, colloquially known as the Reapers.
Over time, the mutual acceptance between Science and Art was broken down, leading eventually to the near-collapse of their civilization, spreading the people of Aerthos far across the face of the world.
The Chronicles of Aesirium
The Chronicles of Aesirium take place hundreds of years after the arrival of one group of pilgrims in a new land, naming it after the once proud city of the same name, but after fear of the monsters that dwell in the wild beyond their borders, builds a great wall to protect themselves. And then, following a terrible civil war, banishes the practitioners of the magical Arts out to live beyond that same Wall. Many years have passed, then, without the protection of the now-mythical Reapers, and the faith of the the people who live in "Oldtown-Against-the-Wall" must content themselves with the day-to-day drudgery of a harsh working life, looking only at a bleak and impenetrable wall as a memory for the life few of them are old enough to remember.
Central to this series is the young orphaned girl, Romany, whose stark white hair has marked her for a pivotal role in the future of Oldtown and Aesirium as well. When her life is ended in the middle of a powerful thunderstorm, she learns that death itself is only the first step on her path of profound significance - one that will change everything they have known about Aerthos itself.
Books from the Chronicles of Aesirium:
- Reaper's Return
- The Morrow Stone
- The City of the Dead
- Reaper's Flight
- Into the Blink
- The Crook and the Blade
- Tales of Aesirium (anthology)
All books are available in ebook and paperback format. Please click the above links or on the covers below to view them on Amazon.com.
