Reed is about to snap - and this time, nothing is going to stand in his way when it comes to getting answers for Elise, not even a supposedly long-vanished Sumerian God.
Or so Reed thinks.
But summer in the city isn't going to be like the others. The city itself isn't quite the same either, and even if you're lucky (or cursed) enough to count the children of Gods among your friends, nothing is ever simple...
Things aren’t exactly getting easier for Reed Lavender.
Old obligations and new cases are piling up but in the aftermath of Feronia’s defeat, answers are still too thin on the ground.
But one clue – his father’s knucklebone – might just lead to something big.
To learn the truth about his parents’ disappearance, Reed will have to take the fight to whoever is behind the growing turmoil in his city. And if the rising number of Spirit-Worms, needy Gods, vindictive lawmen and only somewhat-helpful cousins don’t stop Reed, then his sense of duty might do what the others cannot.
Because Reed now finds himself caught between two goals – solving the murder of Elise or chasing down whoever stole the Goddess’ hand, an unfathomable thief who might hold answers about his parents…
At least when you’re Death’s nephew the bad guys literally have no-where to hide, right?
Meet Reed Lavender, a mostly-human detective with the uncanny ability to hear the final words of the dead. But on this case he’ll need more than his usual tricks to solve the murder of a teen runaway – he’ll need something that just might be more trouble than it’s worth – the help of his ragtag Reaper-cousins.
But the deeper Reed digs the more he realises there’s something far bigger and darker beneath his city, something vast, something that is ripening to rot...
Spoken word poetry from Australian poet Ashley Capes - commissioned and recorded during the early stages of the pandemic. Poems are drawn from Ashley's collections, released in various forms over the last 15 or so years.
Words, voice - Ashley Capes
Piano - Sean Foran
Drums - John Parker
Acoustic Bass - Samuel Vincent
I find myself deeply indebted to everyone who helped, from offering moral or studio support, and of course, the musicians who helped and inspired me, thank you!
Ashley
From the moment a fairy wren drops his lost wedding ring at his feet, Paul realises there's more magic to the world than he thought...
When Paul Fischer receives a strange phone call asking for help, from a woman who might be his estranged wife Rachel, he's drawn into a mysterious search that threatens not only his struggling bookstore, but long-buried dreams too.
Unfortunately, the only help comes from a shady best friend, an Italian runaway and a strange blue fairy wren that seems to be trying to tell him something - yet the further he follows the clues it leaves the less sense the world seems to make. Is he on the verge of a magical, beautiful discovery or at the point of total disaster?
The Burnished King has escaped his tomb.
In the demi-god's wake, a stone-plague creeps across the lands and Never must stop the ancient decay before it swallows everyone he cares for.
Despite his determination, there is no cure and no guarantee that even his Amouni blood will be enough. Never's search for the means to fight back leads him to the Amber Isle once more, where the island continues to hold its secrets close.
But it is there that Never encounters the beautiful and mysterious Rikeva, a Quisoan Weaver on her own quest, and realises that together, there might be a way to stop the plague after all...
Adventure? Check. Magic? Check. Sarcasm? You bet.
After years of running down dead-end clues, the rogue Never has nearly given up his quest for answers; his blood is cursed and his true name a mystery, yet no library, no healer and none who claim to know dark magics have ever been able to help.
Until he steals a map to the mysterious Amber Isle, which might just hold the answers he needs.
But Never isn't the only one who wants the map - his enemy, Commander Harstas, also seeks it and Harstas craves revenge for the deaths of his men.
Forced to flee through a war zone, Never soon stumbles across a group of treasure-hunters hoping to discover the wonders of the Amber Isle for themselves. But the deeper they venture into the Isle, the more deadly it grows.
Trapped between the greed of the treasure hunters, cunning traps in the Isle itself, the threat of Harstas' fury and his own desperation to finally uncover answers, Never must find a way to unlock the Isle's ancient secrets and escape - or perish without ever learning the truth.
The Book of Never (1-5) brings together Never's first adventures as he searches for the truth behind his mysterious heritage and the curse on his blood.
Darkness is gathering deep within the land of Vadiya as the Red Seed Cult perform twisted experiments on human flesh.
Never has already tangled with the foul creatures and knows no-one else can stop them... but if he charges into enemy territory now, he will have to face old flame Sacha, who has promised to kill him should they meet again.
Yet when he learns that she has been captured by the creatures he sets out with unlikely allies on a quest to uncover the truth behind the cult and hopefully save – and then survive – Sacha.
Rejoin Never as he searches for his father's legacy and the sister he hadn't known existed.
In The Phoenix of Kiymako Never must navigate a secretive new culture ruled by warrior monks. Distrusted and hunted for his blood, he must forge new alliances while following the dark trail his father has left. If Never can survive, it will lead to both his long lost sister and - finally - the truth about his mysterious name.
Adventure? Check. Magic? Check. Sarcasm? You bet.Roguish Never is sure he has hunted down every relic and every clue possible on his quest to finally lift the curse on his blood and hopefully learn his true name. However, convincing the wealthy Lord Firmita to part with a map to the sunken city proves to be far more dangerous than he first imagined.
Only one thing stands between Never and answers – his brother.
Driven toward the enemy-occupied Imperial City, Never’s doubts grow. Even with new knowledge about his powers, can he truly keep his friends safe in a warzone? Or, like too many times before, will he end up responsible for the deaths of those he should have protected?
Never faces a bitter choice between finally winning the answers he has searched for all his life and stopping his brother once and for all. Worse, he knows that if he hesitates, Snow’s sinister vision for the world will come to pass.
Only one thing stands between Never and answers - his brother.Driven toward the enemy-occupied Imperial City, Never's doubts grow. Even with new knowledge about his powers, can he truly keep his friends safe in a warzone? Or, like too many times before, will he end up responsible for the deaths of those he should have protected?Never faces a bitter choice between finally winning the answers he has searched for all his life and stopping his brother once and for all. Worse, he knows that if he hesitates, Snow's sinister vision for the world will come to pass.
