In the epic conclusion to the series that began with the award-winning A CRUCIBLE OF SOULS, Mitchell Hogan combines the wonder of classic sword-and-sorcery fantasy with the grit of the modern masters to create something at once familiar and unique for readers of all ages. In A CRUCIBLE OF SOULS, Caldan was an exiled orphan, coming to grips that he is destined for much, much more. In BLOOD OF INNOCENTS, he comes into his powers, but at a terrible cost. Now, in A SHATTERED EMPIRE, he must combine those two things his power and his destiny to take down not one, but two warring empires. Caldan is learning that he is even more powerful than he thought and that the price for that power is almost certainly enslavement and death. In the midst of a war between two giant empires, monsters from legend and impossible sorcery are being unleashed with little thought to the consequences. All around Caldan, cities are burning and people are dying, and he knows he must do something to stop it. If only it were that easy. Unsure of how to truly harness the powers he knows are inside of him, fearful for his life and those of his friends, he is thrust time and time again into danger, seemingly another piece in this real world version of the game he had mastered long ago. And in that mindset, Caldan finds a truth that cannot be refuted: he knows this game, and he has never lost. Yes, there are traps and pitfalls along the way, and pieces will certainly be lost, but in the end, Caldan is certain of one thing: One cannot be afraid to play. sakriti opis