Iron Axe

Book excerpt: Death asks a half-troll and his friends to save the world in this epic fantasy series debut by the author of the Clockwork Empire series. Although Danr is the son of a human mother, his father was one of the hated Stanes, trolls from the mountains. Now the barrel-chested teenager is condemned to hard labor on a farm where he endures taunts of “Troll boy” from the others. Yet no matter how bad things get, he always remembers the advice of his recently departed mother: be gentle and do not unleash the monster inside. One of Danr’s few friends in the village, Aisa, was sold into slavery by her father and is now controlled by an abusive man. She keeps herself covered from head to toe and dreams of a better future. She and Danr hope to escape and make their way to freedom, but a series of dark events soon stirs up chaos. Strange creatures come down from the mountains, slaughtering villagers. Spirits of the dead haunt the land, terrifying those that are still alive. As rumors spread about the Stanes’ involvement, Danr decides to find out the truth, taking Aisa and an amnesiac new friend with him. Soon they are called up by Death herself to set things right. At Death’s request, the group sets out to recover the Iron Axe. Crafted by the dwarves, it is capable of restoring balance in the world—and destroying it, too. Along the way, Danr must call upon the monster within to face fierce and fantastic creatures while discovering truths that will change their lives forever. “[Turns] common tropes on their heads. . . . [Harper’s] reinterpretations of trolls, giants, and fae folk give this series opener a fresh feeling, while his nods to Norse mythology and folklore root it strongly in fantasy tradition.Readers will be eager to see what’s in store for Aisa and Danr.” —Publishers Weekly “Brought back fond memories of a classic fantasy book while still offering a wonderfully unique take on the genre. . . . Steven Harper created a world that I never got tired of exploring.” —The Qwillery “The story holds all of the adventure, magic, and mystery I have come to expect from the genre. . . .[It] follows a hero’s journey . . . with energy and artfulness.” —Wicked Little Pixie