Midnight Falcon

An epic story begins with a young man's avowal: "Tell him that one day I shall cut his vile heart out." The speaker is Bane the Bastard, a Wolfshead living outside the law. Born of treachery, his name a curse, he grew up among the warriors of the Rigante. They valued his skills in war, but they feared the violence in his heart. Seventeen years after his birth, self-exile takes Bane to a rats' nest: the Great City of Stone. Here, where gladiators kill for a living, the Crimson Priests have created a reign of terror by breeding enough malice and hatred to last a hundred lifetimes. Yet here, too, the beleaguered Tree Cultists, led by the mysterious Veiled Lady, endeavour to practise their philosophy of love. By now seeking the ultimate vengeance, Bane the Bastard prepares to join battle to destroy the Myth of Stone. The days of blood are drawing near, and this son of an undefeated warrior king - Connovar, the fabled Demonblade - must fight to save his world. "Midnight Falcon" continues the compelling tale of the Rigante, which began in "Sword in the Storm", and confirms David Gemmell as one of the most absorbing contemporary writers of heroic fantasy.