We are judged. That is what the Sixth Law says. It says the gods are always watching. It says they can hear the whisper of our souls.

- Excerpt from The Blood of Whisperers

The Blood of Whisperers is the first book in The Vengeance Trilogy, a fantasy series made up of three books (obviously):

The Blood of Whisperers

The Gods of Vice

The Grave at Storm’s End

These books are finished. They are not merely first drafts. These books have gone through multiple drafts, an alpha read, more drafts, beta reads, and are, at this moment, in the hands of my editor.

This is a professional endeavour, and I will repeat this again because it's important - they are NOT FIRST DRAFTS. I am my own greatest critic and have refused to self-publish for years, until I had a product I was proud to put my name to. We hope this will be the first of many books we publish with an eye to only the best quality.

For evidence of my work ethic please read the following blog on my site. 

Also check out my website: www.devinmadson.com, or follow my crazy writing journey on Facebook.

What is it about?

The Vengeance Trilogy is first and foremost a story about people. The Imperial Expanse of Kisia is on the brink of civil war. Katashi Otako is out for Vengeance against the man who beheaded his father and stole his family's throne, and things are about to get messy. There are no traditional heros in this trilogy, no moral black and white. Intrigue, Empathy, tragedy, twists and turns - this trilogy is fast-paced. It grips and doesn't let go.

The Blood of Whisperers

They call him the Usurper.

A man of common blood sits on the throne. At his command the last emperor was executed, but now the empire is on the brink of war.

Vengeance is coming.

Endymion is an Empath. He was born with the ability to feel another’s emotions and reach inside their hearts for their deepest secrets. Often despised he lives a nomadic existence, but when he finds himself imprisoned for sorcery and facing death, it is his past that will condemn him. Born Prince Takehiko Otako, the only surviving son of the True Emperor, Endymion is already caught in the brewing storm. Fast losing control of his Empathy he seeks revenge against the man who betrayed him, but for Endymion the truth will come too late.

The fight for the Crimson Throne has begun.

Read an EXCERPT

The Gods of Vice

Two emperors. One empire.

The war for the Crimson Throne has split Kisia. In the north Otako supporters rally around their champion, but Katashi Otako wants only vengeance. Caught in the middle, Hana must decide between her family and her heart. Is the true emperor the man the people want? Or the one they need?

As the true heir to the throne, Endymion remains hidden in plain sight, but the Vices know his secret. Malice, scheming to restore the empire to the rule of gods, plans a coup that will tear Kisia apart, if Endymion does not find a way to escape. But he is running out of time. His Empathy is consuming him. It grows stronger with every use, spreading him so thin there will soon be nothing left – nothing except the monster he fears to become. When gods fight, empires fall.

The storm is coming.

The Grave at Storm's End

Vengeance has come.

Katashi Otako walks with the Vices, burning everything in his path. The Spirit of Vengeance, he will stop at nothing to destroy Emperor Kin and the empire that once condemned his father. Now a hunted man, Endymion is losing the battle against his Empathy, while Darius, driven to madness, leads the Vices to war.

Wanting nothing more than to fight, Hana is chafed by the restrictions placed on her as a woman of noble birth. Her family has already lost the empire once, in a night of bloodshed that will soon come back to haunt her, so when Emperor Kin is injured she will have to make the hardest decision of all - fight for the right to command his armies, or let the greatest threat the empire has ever faced march on the capital. A ruler does what is necessary, but the enemy is the cousin she once loved and the guardian she once trusted.

When gods fight, empires fall.

Where will the money go?

This $8,000 is for all three books. It includes the costs of cover art (for the second two books, since I sold my husband's video game collection to pay for the first... oops), professional editing, professional cover design, professional typesetting and printing. I will not be crowdfunding again for the second and third books in the series. $8,000 doesn't cover all the costs, as you can imagine, but I am willing to put more of my husband's belongings on sale. (Don't tell him I said so)...

Risks?

These books are finished. They have been through multiple drafts, an alpha read, a beta read, and, as you read this, are in the hands of a professional editor. I already have an artist, I have a typesetter, a designer and a printer. Nothing short of an epic disaster (think earthquakes and volcanoes) could stop these books going to press. The product you will receive will be of the highest quality in every way.

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