The first novel in A Desolate Tale, a dark fantasy saga written by first-time author Zachery A. Hager.

​

When the world took everything from him, Lorian Glint rose from the ashes—dead in name but not in purpose.

​

Glend Haven has fallen. Count Varik’s forces raze the land in a conquest forged in fire and fear. Amid the wreckage, a farm boy is cast into the wilds, left to die. But death does not claim him. Instead, it whispers. Beneath the ruins of Ashenhold, Lorian discovers a forbidden legacy: the power to raise the dead, to bind the soul to the bone, and to reshape the world in his image.

 

Across the kingdom, Orianna Knotlen enters the Royal Academy, unaware her father’s rebellion is crumbling. As she studies divine magic and navigates the treacherous court, her prayers awaken something ancient—something watching.

 

And in the shadows of both war and court, Cassius Thorn struggles to endure the loss of his home. A boy once destined for the sword, he is forged instead by hardship—his grief sharpening into discipline, his loyalty binding him to those he cannot abandon. His path will cross both Lorian’s vengeance and Orianna’s light, but whether as ally or rival remains uncertain.

 

Their fates are woven by loss, vengeance, and the relics of a forgotten age. But as kingdoms rot and ghosts stir, one truth becomes clear:

 

Not all who rise are saved. Some are claimed.

 

Perfect for fans of dark fantasy, Of Land and Bone is a tale of gods, monsters, and the thin line between justice and ruin—written by a human, refined with AI tools.