The Flashfall Sword is a prequel to W.G. Hladky’s well-received debut novel, The Book of Ruin. Senior Chief Weir’s great grandsire, Ranger Lovecraft Weir, wields his Flashfall sword in the service of NATO at a time when a Dark Age torments the lands. A deadly pestilence spreads, mutating with terrifying efficiency. Shadowlanders flay enemies and ply women with potions to make them dimwitted and submissive. And young boys undergo grisly rites of passage to teach them to follow the Lord of Putridity. Only NATO keeps the Shadowlanders and pestilence at bay. But when a traitor betrays the alliance, and Shadowlander tribes come together to annihilate all those who are unseeded, NATO must overcome catastrophic losses and face its greatest challenge yet.