"Derek Prior always produces masterpieces of storytelling, with great characters full of life, relentless plots, and gripping and intense fight scenes." (Mitchell Hogan)
When a powerful artifact is stolen from the Abbey of Pardes, the holy knight Deacon Shader is sent to retrieve it. But events have already spiraled out of control: plague spreads across the land, the dead rise from their graves, and an ancient evil has awakened. As Creation itself hangs by a thread, Shader must confront the contradiction that defines him: Either he is a man of prayer with a wavering faith, Or the deadliest warrior of his generation. The fate of all the worlds will be decided by his answer. "Like Bernard Cornwell on 'shrooms " (Dinorah Wilson) "Shader is a triumph of fantasy " (Journal of Always)