Vacillian (The Illuminariad, Book One)

VACILLIAN is the opening installment of the Illuminariad, an epic fantasy series that chronicles the rise of King Nical of Estneva and his campaign to conquer all of Messano, a world devastated by a long-ago plague that left most people incapable of "fellow feeling" but also spawned different mutants with unusual powers.

oCharismatic Rassitans, who live forever by draining life from those who love them.

oMoody Binarians, able to fly when elated but prone to a hopeless gloom that breeds despair around them.

oHaughty Orsalins, living in convents where they strive to shed their bodies and ascend to a superior spiritual realm.

oFeared and hated Vacillians, who shift back and forth between genders.

For centuries, the secret order of Promultans has been working to heal the world. As itinerant bards, they carry inspirational tales of the glorious past from kingdom to kingdom; in secret, they cure suffering by absorbing it into themselves.

As King Nical's despotic ambitions grow and his mute brother Tavi revives the lost art of sword making, the Promultan mission appears doomed to failure.

The Illuminariad is an epic battle between dark tyranny and the forces of enlightenment.