"Pulls no punches (emotional or literal)." - Fantasy Book Critic War makes monsters and corpses of us all. For generations the blooded have ruled the Wilds, cultivating a lawless frontier and bleeding the good folk dry. The Black Thorn, once the most wanted outlaw the world has ever seen, is set on stopping them, and bringing an end to the great game that oppresses them all. Crucible is the only blooded fortress left, but not for nothing is it called the City of Kings. Its defences are unbreakable, its walls unassailable, all built so one hundred can hold back a thousand. Worse yet, the Black Thorn is running out of time and there are darker things hiding underground, looking to turn the city into a tomb. City of Kings is a stand alone novel set in Rob J. Hayes award winning First Earth setting. It is designed to be read independently of the other books in the setting, and is a fast paced look at a kingdom on the verge of regime change.