BOOK THREE OF BLOODSOUNDER’S ARC
Men are more easily broken than myths.
Emperor Cynead has usurped command of the Memoridons—Tower-controlled memory witches—and consolidated his reign over the Syldoonian Empire. After escaping the capital city of Sunwrack, Captain Braylar Killcoin and his Jackal company evade pursuit across Urglovia, tasked with reaching deposed emperor Thumarr and helping him recapture the throne. Braylar’s sister, Soffjian, rejoins the Jackals and reveals that Commander Darzaak promised her freedom if she agreed to aid them in breaking Cynead’s grip on the other Memoridons and ousting him.
Imperial forces attempt to intercept Braylar’s company before they can reach Thumarr. The Jackals fight through Cynead’s battalions but find themselves trapped along the Godveil. Outmaneuvered and outnumbered, Braylar gambles on some obscure passages that Arki has translated and uses his cursed flail, Bloodsounder, to part the Godveil, leading the Jackals to the other side. There, they encounter the ruins of human civilization, but they also learn that the Deserters who abandoned humanity a millennium ago and created the Veil in their wake are still very much alive. But are they gods? Demons? Monsters?
What Braylar, Soffjian, Arki, and the Jackals discover beyond the Godveil will shake an empire, reshape a map, and irrevocably alter the course of history.
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Reviews and Accolades
“Chains of the Heretic is the longest and best book of a trilogy that has continually made me root for Jeff Salyards to become my favorite fantasy author. He has so much going for him: his dialogue is hilarious in ways unmatched by the peers I’ve read; his action is top-notch, and continues to improve with each book; and his worldbuilding with the Bloodsounder weapon, the Godsveil, Memoridons, etc… This is my new favorite fantasy trilogy. Chains of the Heretic is the best book yet, probably the most flawlessly entertaining and satisfying delivery I could have hoped for from Salyards.”
—Timothy C. Ward
“Nonstop action, great twists, terrible perils, intriguing interplay. A Must Read.”
—Richard Auffrey
“With Chains of the Heretic, Jeff Salyards presents an engrossing tale of a military company forced to flee their homes. This is a journey of survival and personal ambition you don’t want to miss.”
—Jon Sprunk, author of the Shadow Saga
“Jeff Salyards’ great conclusion to his Bloodsounder’s Arc trilogy. Continues the gritty realism of the military action of the first two books while adding in a whole new creepy and very cool element that I don’t want to spoil for anyone. If you enjoy military fantasy, jump on these books.”
—Courtney Schaefer, author of the Shattered Sigil series
“Where that second volume expanded upon the world and the story of the first, this one rips that world wide open and shoves us headlong into a whole new heap of betrayals. More importantly, where that second book was a textbook example of how you build to a climax, Chains of the Heretic schools the genre on how you successfully deliver it. Seriously, it’s that good.”
—Beauty in Ruins
“If you haven't read this book yet, you totally need to go out and buy it. Like now. . . . personal and epic and fantastic, all. It kind of blows my mind that this series was so good. 5/5 Stars.”
—Elitist Book Reviews
“I give Chains of the Heretic and Bloodsounder’s Arc my highest recommendations; it really is one of my favorite grimdark fantasy series.”
—Bookwraiths
“To call Chains of the Heretic one of the finest pieces of dark fantasy I have ever read would be a gross understatement. It is simply phenomenal, an incredible masterpiece and outstanding achievement for Jeff Salyards. 5/5.”
—BiblioSanctum
“Salyards is among the best and brightest the Sword & Sorcery sub-genre has to offer and Chains of the Heretic silences any debate. It’s a thrilling finale filled with unexpected reversals and constantly raising stakes.”
—SF Signal
“Salyards skillful use of literary language and plot structure elevates the novel and shines a spotlight on the human element, allowing the rest of the world to fade into the backdrop. I cannot recommend Chains of the Heretic and the Bloodsounder’s Arc enough. It is simply one of the best examples of modern genre and hopefully foreshadows where it is going.”
—WordTipping
“Chains of the Heretic is a spectacular denouement to a spectacular(-ly underrated) series, each installment of which is more thoughtful, more entertaining, and more accomplished than the last. Bloodsounder’s Arc is a work of art, a masterful tapestry of tension and momentum.”
—Fantasy Faction
“[T]he Bloodsounder’s Arc really is an unsung gem in the fantasy genre. If you haven’t treated yourself to this series, you are missing out on one of the greatest Grimdarkesque fantasy novels out there.”
—Deviant Worlds
“This is grimdark fantasy at its best, which means it’s not going to be for everybody. Salyards doesn’t shy away from killing off major characters, but it’s never done in a casual way. The losses are mourned; the men and women deal with their grief rather than just shrugging it off. There’s plenty of action, intrigue, betrayal, revenge, and good storytelling. I couldn’t put it down.”
—Adventures Fantastic
“If you’ve skipped out on reading any of this series you are seriously missing out. The novels in Bloodsounder’s Arc are typically lumped into the category of grimdark fantasy. I think the notion of grimdark is fairly reductive in nature and in Salyards’s work I’ve found that his attention to detail when building both characters and the world they live in a trait that far eclipses any amount of grit and violence (of which there is no small amount).”
—King of the Nerds
“Chains of the Heretic is, hands down, the best novel of the trilogy and a more than adequate ending to the adventures of Arkamondos, Captain Braylar Killcoin, and the rest of the characters.”
—Sense of Wonder
“Jeff’s largest and most detailed book to date. Each consecutive book in this series has gotten better, longer, more vivid, more gut-wrenching. After the strong showing in Veil, I had huge expectations for this novel, and it delivered in every way possible.”
—Total Inability to Connect
“The Bloodsounder’s Arc is one of the most unsung fantasy trilogies I know of. Chains of the Heretic captured everything I could have wanted in an ending. This series remains one of my favorite trilogies in all of fantasy fiction and Jeff Salyards, though unsung now, is one of the masters of the genre.”
—Grimdark Alliance
“My favorite aspect of Chains of the Heretic is that I think Salyards achieves incredible humanization of his characters, much more so than his previous novels, and while their stories are dark and tragic they still feel real and relatable.”
—The Quill to Live
“Chains of the Heretic is a spectacular denouement to a spectacular(-ly underrated) series, each installment of which is more thoughtful, more entertaining, and more accomplished than the last. Bloodsounder’s Arc is a work of art, a masterful tapestry of tension and momentum.”
—Fantasy Faction