Thanks to Berkley, Irish fantasy novelist Paul Kearney's popular Monarchies of God series is finally available in the United States. The saga, which began with the release of Hawkwood's Voyage by U.K. publisher Gollancz in 1995, is an epic alternate history of quasi-medieval Europe and the Middle East. The Merduks are invading the Ramusian kingdoms and destroying cities in a religious war. The holy city of Aekir has fallen and, as the chaos spreads, Ramusian leaders begin to persecute magic users in an effort to cleanse their cities. As the Merduk invasion intensifies, a nobleman named Murad discovers an ancient logbook uncovering the existence of a western continent beyond the great sea, and, along with Captain Richard Hawkwood, mounts a two-ship expedition to find it. Not only has Kearney created a complex and utterly believable world, he has filled that world with a cast of unforgettable characters and masterfully woven plotlines. This is a novel not to be missed.