The Steel Remains

Richard K. Morgan

Jan 2009 · A Land Fit for Heroes Book 1 · Sold by Del Rey

About this eBook

A dark lord will rise. Such is the prophecy that dogs Ringil Eskiath—Gil, for short—a washed-up mercenary and onetime war hero whose cynicism is surpassed only by the speed of his sword. Gil is estranged from his aristocratic family, but when his mother enlists his help in freeing a cousin sold into slavery, Gil sets out to track her down. But it soon becomes apparent that more is at stake than the fate of one young woman. Grim sorceries are awakening in the land. Some speak in whispers of the return of the Aldrain, a race of widely feared, cruel yet beautiful demons. Now Gil and two old comrades are all that stand in the way of a prophecy whose fulfillment will drown an entire world in blood. But with heroes like these, the cure is likely to be worse than the disease.

 

Ratings and reviews

Another fantastic work by Morgan. All three story arcs manage to remain distinct, while still contributing to the main plot. By the middle of the first book I found myself emotionally invested in all three POV characters. Both Ringil and Archeth are two of my favorite characters ever. They serve as the best examples of queer characters that I've encountered. It's important to them as characters, but it is never made a focus of their personalities.

I got hooked by altered carbon sifi but I like this book as well. I'll continue to read this series.

I've always loved the anti-hero stories. Interesting set of characters, great story.

About the author

Richard K. Morgan is the acclaimed author of Thirteen, which won the Arthur C. Clarke Award, Woken Furies, Market Forces, Broken Angels, and Altered Carbon, a New York Times Notable Book that also won the Philip K. Dick Award. Morgan sold the movie rights for Altered Carbon to Joel Silver and Warner Bros. His third book, Market Forces, has also been sold to Warner Bros. and was winner of the John W. Campbell Award. He lives in Scotland.