Ustilam: Anturia
A house divided against itself cannot stand.
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The first installment in a grand trilogy.
Ustilam: Anturia opens the door to an epic saga spanning three tomes. Read its dramatic genesis now.
Book Description
If might is the currency of nations, unity is their lifeblood. If anything beats great power competition, it is a superpower tearing itself to pieces.
Since the last great war, the Anturian Empire calls the shots in central Ustilam, to the chagrin and envy of other lands. At home, not all have shared in the triumph – as the marginalized grind their teeth, the iron-willed become convinced this is not the Anturia they have fought and bled for.
While her glory still dazzles the world, the knowing peer into the shadows, where players already make their moves. While the worried gaze at the ailing Emperor and call for accord, the smart already count their guns, but infighting is a costly endeavor. Foreign sharks will smell blood, even as darker, more ancient minds plot their hour of vengeance.
Step into a monumental tale of war, romance, and adventure; of a nation at the crossroads, wobbling on the pedestal as its chronic disease relapses, and a fire from outside puts it to the test. Caught in a storm brewing across Ustilam, Anturians of every creed and station face their ultimate fear: the question of who they really are and how they will stand – together, apart, or against one another.
Inside this edition:
- an epic 270,000-word literary image of a continent on the move, guided by interest, driven by beliefs, and shaped with steel
- over a dozen maps and graphics, which lock this story of eternal truths into its own time and space
- a painstakingly crafted parallel world, exotic yet familiar, filled with complexity born of festering wounds; with rage born of clashing doctrines; with loyalty born of companionship, and with sacrifice born of hope against all hope.
Trilogy Overview
When the heart becomes sick, the whole body is in danger. When a dormant volcano that is the Anturian Empire begins to rumble, ripples will spread throughout Ustilam.
Some say great powers rise and fall, and once they have reached their peak, the way forward can only lead down, into decadence and decline. Tell that to Terestyen, a retired Anturian general with a mission few understand.
Some say gods and demons do not exist, good and evil are subjective, and earthly realities do not bend to the divine will. Tell that to Catalin, a mystic on the Ispandarian throne, as he feels the hand of the Abyss in his grandiose plans.
Some say hatred leads to self-destruction, and as time cannot be turned back, it is pointless to seek revenge, which only brings about more pain. Tell that to Ankor, a leader of a race which once ruled the earth, and now has nothing to lose.
Some say one’s future is determined at their birth – by the culture, the place – and charting one’s own course is an illusion. Tell that to Serena, the self-made ‘Duchess of Almesa’ and the deadliest crime lady in living memory.
Some say we are but dust on the wind of history, which is impersonal, unstoppable, and cares little for our actions. Tell that to Gabriel and other ordinary Anturians who – with their home falling apart and the fate of realms at stake – will prove they are anything but ordinary.
In this vast world so much like our own, more supposed truths will be challenged, and more challenges will reveal the truth. As the present faces the past, as societies break down and the flames of war devour the old order, a troubled nation – one of a kind – must look in the mirror, come to terms with itself, and clean house. For better or for worse, Ustilam cannot live without its beating heart.
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