Domination, control, pain and death are as fundamental to Eru’s survival as breathing, for Eru is an archos. Bereft of any senses, it is only through enslaving others that Eru can see, hear, and feel the world around him. Eru knows all too well why the people of Deor hate the archos, why they hate even a lowly street wretch like him. Yet Eru knows that he is just as fully enslaved by his archos instincts as those he seizes. He is as much a slave as any other in Deor, living under the inescapable power of the archos goddess Aitrox.
For uncounted centuries, Aitrox has ruled Deor. Little in her kingdom escapes her notice, including Eru. To Aitrox, Eru’s quest for redemption is as amusing as his goal to free Deor, and equally as impossible. How could an archos, particularly a worthless street urchin, possibly escape the cruelty and violence bred into his very being? How could one below even the beggars ever threaten a goddess?
Also available as an audiobook!
Jim Dixon’s narration really brings the story to life. I couldn’t be happier with the results.
About Lifeweaver
Lifeweaver is a grim-dark epic fantasy tale, that draws heavy inspiration from R.A. Salvatore’s iconic character Drizt, and from a detail in Brandon Sanderson’s Hero of Ages that fascinated me. In Hero of Ages, the destructive deity could completely dominate some character’s free will, but one relatively minor character resisted in a pivotal moment that ultimately saved the world.
I wanted to explore magic that dealt with agency and stealing it from others. I built a world around a race I called the archos, parasitic humanoids without any of our standard senses. The archos survive by seizing others to give them sight, touch, taste, hearing and more. The book explores these themes through an archos protagonist who, like Drizt, strives to rise above the dark inclinations of his kind.
It is some of my older writing, and may get minor edits that come up during the audiobook production.