BLACKDOG
Gods of the Caravan Road, Book One
Pyr, 2011. Cover art by Raymond Swanland.
Long ago, in the days of the first kings in the north, there were seven devils ...
And long ago, in the days of the first kings in the north, the seven devils, who had deceived and possessed seven of the greatest wizards of the world, were defeated and bound with the help of the Old Great Gods ...
And perhaps some of the devils are free in the world, and perhaps some are working to free themselves still ...
In a land where gods walk on the hills and goddesses rise from river, lake, and spring, the caravan-guard Holla-Sayan, escaping the bloody conquest of a lakeside town, stops to help an abandoned child and a dying dog. The girl, though, is the incarnation of Attalissa, goddess of Lissavakail, and the dog a shape-changing guardian spirit whose origins have been forgotten. Possessed and nearly driven mad by the Blackdog, Holla-Sayan flees to the desert road, taking the powerless avatar with him.
Necromancy, treachery, massacres, rebellions, and gods dead or lost or mad follow hard on their heels. But it is Attalissa herself who may be the Blackdog's -- and Holla-Sayan's -- doom.
• Sunburst Award shortlist, 2012
Reviews
"Blackdog is everything high fantasy should be: a tale of wars among gods, demons and wizards that also works as an oddly compelling social-cultural coming-of-age novel. ... The characterizations of the young girl and her anguished, shape-shifting protector, as well as other gods, friends, and a demonic enemy, are profound & moving. This is a strongly imagined fantasy world, its peoples rendered with both wit and insight." ~ The Sunburst jury
"Blackdog is ... an absorbing story of a man and a goddess on the run, struggling to survive against impossible odds -- all in one can't-put-it-down volume." ~ io9