Song of Sundering

War advances toward Prin's backyard, old knowledge of Source magic shatters, and the precarious hierarchy that keeps Prin stable is collapsing under the weight of refugees. While the leaders of Prin's Topside play games for power, the Underground factions are ready to take as much blood as they need to win."Song of the Sundering is an extraordinary tale of war, discovery, treachery, and mystery. In this debut fantasy novel, packed with epic action and magic, A. R. Clinton crafts a complex puzzle with intrigue and a dash of humor." — Leslie Watts, Editor in Chief, Story Grid PublishingFounded on the bones of a crashed generation ship, Prin is the only city that reclaimed some lost technology and built walls after the cataclysmic Sundering. Fortified by Terran knowledge and supported with Illaran magic (Source), the region thrived until the Xenai, a strange Source-wielding race, began to march from their home on the west coastlines to Prin.Ayna Shae races to save her beloved city from a series of resource and political threats. Controlling a new Source power is the best path to win the war, bring peace to the city, and keep her only child safe. But, does duty demand that she risk her Sourcemancer daughter's life to discover the crystal's secrets?After losing half of their forces in an ambush, General Hafi Boral faces the extinction of his army—unless he breaks his promises to Ayna. While his loyalty to the Shae family is of paramount importance, he must consider a return to his mercenary roots to secure a victory.Born and raised in the Prin Underground, Tani Grey is a talented mechanic. She spends her days repairing the old world bots and motos, selling what she can, and searching for food dumped by the Topsiders in the miles-wide ditch. But when strange schematics appear on the SatNet, Tani must use her pattern thinking to figure them out.Deployed with the army, Shara believes she can change the course of the war as the only Sourcemancer. She struggles to follow her orders and find her place as a future leader of Prin. The struggle between duty and her own intuition only hides the fact that Prin's survival lies in her own neglected self-preservation.Scarred by many misfortunes, including the loss of his wife to the Xenai and his own failing health, Kingston Cross must leave the small farming community he founded to seek safety for his people in Prin. Convinced that the Xenai he created will kill his son and his people, he searches for answers. If he can make a deal with the Xenai, he can save his town.

Independent Book Review

"Clinton's worldbuilding rises to the levels of J.R.R. Tolkien and Brandon Sanderson's epic tales. You can feel the author's creative passion seeping through its pages."

Independent Book Review

"Song of Sundering is an epic fantasy well worth reading. [...] It's strong and mysterious, and the world has a beautiful blend of advanced technology and arcane magic, making it one of those rare fantasies that feel wholly its own."

Reedsy Discovery

"Loved it! A menacing army of bizarre beings provokes a city to go to war in this epic fantasy novel about family, magic, technology, and secrets."

Independent Book Review

"Fantasy nerds are going to love Song of Sundering's unique and creative world."

Reedsy Discovery

"The main strength of Song of Sundering lies in excellent, well-developed character building, as the novel's plot is relayed through the eyes of a large, diverse cast."

Independent Book Review

"Author A.R. Clinton does an excellent job in writing multiple characters and keeping them engaging. You either care for them so much that you pray they achieve their goals (and stay alive), or you don't like a character but still care enough to know their fate."

Independent Book Review

"Clinton does a great job of writing imperfect characters, showing us that heroes can make awful decisions while villains might just have some heart left to do good deeds. The keynote: nobody's perfect."

Leslie Watts, Editor in Chief, Story Grid Publishing

"Song of the Sundering is an extraordinary tale of war, discovery, treachery, and mystery. In this debut fantasy novel, packed with epic action and magic, A. R. Clinton crafts a complex puzzle with intrigue and a dash of humor."

Reedsy Discovery

"A.R. Clinton excels at creating fascinating situations and descriptive scene settings, including bloody encounters between rival cultist groups, experimental surgeries in makeshift underground labs, and shocking revelations of secret plots and treachery."

About the Author

A R Clinton writes epic, grimdark science fantasy (with an emphasis on the fantasy!). The first novel of her epic fantasy series, Song of Sundering, is available now, along with the prequel short story. She currently lives in Denver, Colorado with her husband, daughter, two puppies, and cat. Besides writing, she plays video games, powerlifts, enjoys the occasional Magic the Gathering game, and is currently binge watching through Netflix comedy specials.

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