The second and final book in the Dread Empire Box Set Series Ideal for fans of Diamonds in the Shadow, Harriet Steel, In the Shadow of the Sword, and Black Raven Chronicles Follows the journey of El Murid, the Disciple, while trying to uncover his vision for a desert empire While once, long ago, a mighty kingdom reigned, all is now chaos. Deep in the desert, a young heretic narrowly escapes certain death and leaves for a mission of glory and madness. He is El Murid, also called the Disciple. He promises to bring prosperity, righteousness, and order to the desert people of Hammad al Nakir. They have waited for El Murid for 400 years. They have wanted a savior who can build a new empire by defeating their enemies. But El Murid is not everything he appears to be, and the dark and evil forces pulling the strings of empire come into the forefront. Who and what lie behind El Murid's vision of a desert empire?  The Dread Empire is a gritty world filled with larger-than-life plots, maddening magic, bizarre creatures, nation-shattering conflict, and painfully honest and flawed heroes. All of this is when through the remarkable filter of Glen Cook's war-correspondent prose. Shadows linger in the Dread Empire, and people live in sorcery's shadow. Glen Cook's brilliant writing brings the Dread Empire to life and pulls the reader into this dark world.  Skyhorse Publishing, under our Night Shade and Talos imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of titles for readers interested in science fiction (space opera, time travel, hard SF, alien invasion, near-future dystopia), fantasy (grimdark, sword and sorcery, contemporary urban fantasy, steampunk, alternative history), and horror (zombies, vampires, and the occult and supernatural), and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller, a national bestseller, or a Hugo or Nebula award-winner, we are committed to publishing quality books from a diverse group of authors.