Humanity has spread to the stars, a peaceful empire that spans a thousand suns. But Erick, Executor of Geneline Ollson, has attacked a rival without the Empress' permission. His enemies gather to crush him. There's just one problem. Erick gave no such orders. In a desperate bid to prove his innocence, Erick must join forces with an ancient evil, leaving his daughter Bryn to prepare for the coming war. Erick uncovers a secret that leaves him questioning his reality, and between the threat of annihilation by his enemies and the rot at the core of the Empire, the civilization he loves stands at the brink of anarchy. Will humanity rise, or fall to ashes? The story continues in Iron on the Tongue... Steel in the Blood is a sweeping exploration of myth and mankind, in the tradition of Dune and The Expanse.