The Heroes – Abercrombie Joe (2023)

This fantasy novel follows three men drawn into one battle with no heroes. They say Black Dow has killed more men than winter and clawed his way to the throne of the North over a hill of skulls. The King of the Union, an ever-jealous neighbour, is not prepared to watch him rise any higher. Orders are given, and armies struggle through the northern mud toward a forgotten ring of stones on a worthless hill in an unimportant valley, carrying plenty of sharpened metal with them. Bremer dan Gorst, a disgraced master swordsman, has sworn to reclaim his stolen honour on the battlefield. Obsessed with redemption and addicted to violence, he no longer cares how much blood is spilled, even if it is his own. Prince Calder has no interest in honour, and even less in being killed. He wants power, and will tell any lie, use any trick and betray any friend to obtain it, provided he does not have to fight for it himself. Curnden Craw, the last honest man in the North, has gained only swollen knees and frayed nerves from a life of warfare. He scarcely cares who wins and only wants to do the right thing, but with the world burning around him, can he even tell what that is? Over three bloody days of battle, the fate of the North will be decided. Yet with both sides riddled with intrigues, follies, feuds and petty jealousies, it is unlikely that the noblest hearts, or even the strongest arms, will prevail.