Books with author P.M. Prior

Deacon Shader is a man of contradictions. Trained for holiness, he is also the deadliest warrior of his generation.When plague strikes at the heart of the city of Sarum and the Abbey of Pardes is attacked by an army of undead, Shader is thrust into the forefront of an ages-old conflict.After being hidden for millennia, the scattered pieces of the artifact that doomed the old world have resurfaced, and an ancient enemy comes to claim them.Armies clash, dark magic is unleashed, and devastating science threatens to unmake the whole of creation.These are the times of the Unweaving that Shader has been prepared for since a child; and these are the days that will test his faith to the limits.

For centuries, no one had heard a peep out of Verusia, the dark stain at the heart of the Templum’s empire.But when a messenger arrives in the Holy City of Aeterna, bearing news that the fortresses along the border have mysteriously been abandoned, and the three-hundred men of Trajinot’s garrison have been impaled outside the city walls, word is, the Lich Lord is on the move again.As an army of the dead waits within the shadow-black trees of the Schwarzwald, the Templum gathers its troops for war.Captain Deacon Shader leads the Seventh Horse, a heavy cavalry troop now deemed obsolete. One charge, one chance is their motto. Time it right, and the tide of any battle can be turned; get it wrong, and it could all be over.When the two forces face off outside the walls of Trajinot, it is not just the hordes of undeath the Templum must fight. Intangible terror poisons the air, driving seasoned warriors to panic.Only the Elect knights of the Seventh Horse have the discipline to stand their ground; yet facing a fear doesn’t mean it will do you no harm, and for Shader, there are worse things than wounds of the flesh.The Seventh Horse is the second Shader Origins novella (the first is Ward of the Philosopher). The Origins novellas provide an introduction to the bestselling Shader series:1. Sword of the Archon2. Best Laid Plans3. The Unweaving

Set in the world of the Nameless Dwarf...Shadrak the Unseen should have known better. Stealing from one wizard on behalf of another was the sort of job he’d sworn never to take. But times were tough and grief had left its mark.The thing that should have really warned him off, though, was that the artifact he’d been commissioned to retrieve was a ring crafted by none other than the Witch Queen of Thogani, the Desecrated City.With the job half-done, Shadrak is caught between the minions of one wizard and the threats of the other. If he could just get the ring back to Pellor and the Stygian sorcerer who’d hired him, he’d have enough money to appease his creditors and buy himself some time.But then his pockets are picked, the ring is taken, and the thief… is a ghost, silent, invisible.Not daring to return to Pellor without the prize, Shadrak has no choice but to follow a barely discernible trail toward the last place in the world he wants to go:New Londdyr, the greatest city on Aethir, where he once lorded it over the unified guilds.And where the Senate have named him wanted…DEAD OR ALIVE

Book 2 of the Shader series (Epic Fantasy)The reavers are swarming and this time their prey is the supreme ruler of the Templum, the Ipsissimus himself.With Shader dead and his piece of the Statue of Eingana in the hands of Shadrak the Unseen, the threat of the Unweaving of all Creation is one step nearer.Dr. Cadman realizes he’s in too deep and there’s nothing for it but to go on the offensive. If he’s to survive the coming war for the statue, what better allies could he have than an army of the living dead?As Sektis Gandaw closes in and a clash of cultures threatens the land of Sahul, the philosopher Aristodeus still has ideas of his own that could decide the fate of all existence.But with the passage to the heavenly realm of Araboth covered by the Abyss, nothing is as it should be. Aristodeus knows that even Shader’s death can be turned to his advantage; after all, it’s a long game, and he holds all the cards.But even the best laid plans …Best Laid Plans is the second book in the epic Shader series by D.P. Prior.Here's what readers are saying about book 1, Sword of the Archon:"This is the best full-length self-published fantasy I've yet to read." - Rex Jameson "Gritty and thought-provoking, Shader is an absolute triumph of fantasy." - Journal of Always"If you liked Abercrombie's trilogy I think you'll like this." - Ray Nicholson"This author has some major talent." - Readers Favourite

Shader has failed and Sektis Gandaw now holds all the pieces of the Statue of Eingana. Despair hangs like a pall over the battered armies of Sahul and Aeterna. It’s now just a matter of time …A sliver of hope comes in the form of Shadrak the Unseen, who has the means to travel to the source of the coming cataclysm, the black mountain at the heart of the Dead Lands on Aethir.But Shader, Shadrak, and Rhiannon discover that Aethir brings a new set of challenges: the Sour Marsh—an oozing malignancy from the nightmare realm of Qlippoth; an arrogant senate that seeks to appease rather than fight; and a volatile secret at the heart of the ravine city of Arx Gravis: a dwarf with no name who could prove the most stalwart of allies… or the deadliest of foes.Old love has turned sour and regrets run deep. Shader is sick of killing, but can see no other way. Rhiannon’s last defense against all she has lost is a self-destructive rage; and Shadrak’s niggling conscience is causing him more trouble than he needs. Loyalties are called into question, yet all three must bury their differences if they are to find a way into Sektis Gandaw’s impregnable base and prevent the Unweaving of all things.

Plague strikes the city of Sarum, and the dead rise from their graves.The liche, Dr. Cadman, has discovered a long-hidden artifact and perverted its power for his own selfish ends.But an ancient evil from beyond the stars is drawn by its use and turns hungry eyes upon the Earth. These are the times of Unweaving, the times Deacon Shader has been prepared for since the day he was born.A man of prayer, deeply troubled by a contradictory faith, he is also the deadliest warrior of his generation.As events spiral out of control, and Creation itself hangs by a thread, the paradox at the heart of Shader’s life may just be the last desperate hope of all the worlds.Contains:Book 1: Sword of the ArchonBook 2: Best Laid PlansBook 3: The Unweaving

Plague strikes the city of Sarum, and the dead rise from their graves.The liche, Dr. Cadman, has discovered a long-hidden artifact and perverted its power for his own selfish ends.But an ancient evil from beyond the stars is drawn by its use and turns hungry eyes upon the Earth. These are the times of Unweaving, the times Deacon Shader has been prepared for since the day he was born.A man of prayer, deeply troubled by a contradictory faith, he is also the deadliest warrior of his generation.As events spiral out of control, and Creation itself hangs by a thread, the paradox at the heart of Shader’s life may just be the last desperate hope of all the worlds.

One by one, the guilds of New Jerusalem fall to Shadrak the Unseen and his accomplice, the poisoner Albert. But as the battle for supremacy comes to a head, Shadrak is given a new order by the mysterious Archon: kill his closest living friend, the Nameless Dwarf.The philosopher Aristodeus persuades the Archon to stay his hand, proposing instead three quests that will free Nameless from the curse of the black axe that led him to slaughter his own people.But the plan has perils of its own: a visit to the fire giant’s lair at the heart of a volcano; a daring raid on the Liche Lord’s castle in darkest Verusia; and a confrontation with the son of the Demiurgos in the depths of the Abyss.Even with the incomparable partnership of Shadrak and Nameless, the quests seem doomed to failure, and so Aristodeus tries once more to entice Deacon Shader back to the fight.But Shader is a changed man, more given to drink than the sword, and if he should discover the secret Rhiannon and Aristodeus have kept from him these past four years, the quests are sure to come to a crashing halt before they even get off the ground.Friendship, scheming, and the worst horrors imaginable combine to test the companions to the limits, and despair dark enough to corrode even the most unwavering faith awaits those not destined to return.

Deacon Shader is a child out of time, removed as a baby from his Ancient world parents and raised on the Isle of Maranore.On his seventh birthday, the philosopher Aristodeus arrives to commence the boy’s training with sword and mind. Nothing short of excellence will suffice, if Deacon is to fulfill his destiny and avert the Unweaving of all things.But as Aristodeus pushes him to the limits, reavers are spotted approaching the coast, and a cloud of horror descends upon the village.For these are no ordinary pirates. They sail under the Impaled Man, the grisly flag of Verusia, land of the undead and realm of the Lich Lord.

Shadrak the Unseen should have known better. Stealing from one wizard on behalf of another was the sort of job he’d sworn never to take. But times were tough and grief had left its mark.The thing that should have really warned him off, though, was that the artifact he’d been commissioned to retrieve was a ring crafted by none other than the Witch Queen of Thogani, the Desecrated City.With the job half-done, Shadrak is caught between the minions of one wizard and the threats of the other. If he could just get the ring back to Pellor and the Stygian sorcerer who’d hired him, he’d have enough money to appease his creditors and buy himself some time.But then his pockets are picked, the ring is taken, and the thief… is a ghost, silent, invisible.Not daring to return to Pellor without the prize, Shadrak has no choice but to follow a barely discernible trail toward the last place in the world he wants to go:New Londdyr, the greatest city on Aethir, where he once lorded it over the unified guilds.And where the Senate have named him wanted…DEAD OR ALIVE

The reavers are swarming, and this time their prey is the supreme ruler of the Templum, the Ipsissimus himself.With Shader dead and his piece of the Statue of Eingana in the hands of Shadrak the Unseen, the threat of the Unweaving of all Creation is one step nearer.Dr Cadman realizes he’s in too deep and there’s nothing for it but to go on the offensive. If he’s to survive the coming war for the statue, what better allies could he have than an army of the living dead?As Sektis Gandaw closes in and a clash of cultures threatens the land of Sahul, the philosopher Aristodeus still has ideas of his own that could decide the fate of all existence.But with the passage to the heavenly realm of Araboth covered by the Abyss, nothing is as it should be. Aristodeus knows that even Shader’s death can be turned to his advantage; after all, it’s a long game, and he holds all the cards.But even the best laid plans …Best Laid Plans is Book 2 of the epic Shader series by D.P. Prior.