The Shadow and Scepter
By Shawn McMichael and Timothy Manley
Publisher: Chartis Media, LLC
Published: May 19, 2026
ISBN: 9798995095705
Genre: Low Fantasy, Greek Mythology & Legend, and Dark Fantasy
When the gods went to war, they shattered the world.
Kingdoms burned. Ancient powers fell. And in the ruins they left behind, the shadow of Coruk-Azul the one-eyed god of death still lingers.
Hidden among the remnants of that forgotten age lies the Scepter of Selene, a divine relic once capable of maintaining balance between gods and mortals. Now broken into scattered fragments, the scepter has become the center of a brutal race that could reshape the fate of the world.
Endymion, a healer from distant Miletus, never sought glory or war. But after arriving in the Greek colony of Phanagoria at the edge of civilization, he is drawn into a deadly conflict alongside warriors, exiles, and survivors bound together by prophecy, secrets, and survival.
Because something ancient is rising.
Vädumir.
Undying conqueror. Cursed warlord. A tyrant who has outlived kingdoms and buried entire empires beneath blood and ash. For centuries, Vädumir has hunted the fragments of the scepter, and he will destroy anyone standing in his path.
If the relic is restored, balance may return to a dying world.
If it fails, something far worse may awaken beneath the ruins of the gods.
Blending dark fantasy, Greek mythology, celestial magic, vampires, giants, and ancient Black Sea civilizations, The Shadow and Scepter is a fast-paced historical fantasy epic perfect for readers of John Gwynne, Joe Abercrombie, and Jay Kristoff.
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About the Authors
Long before they began writing epic fantasy together, Timothy Manley and Shawn McMichael were Navy brats growing up on Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay. They filled their youth with adventures, imagination, and late nights lost in role-playing and strategy games where heroes, monsters, and distant worlds first took shape. Decades later, that shared love of storytelling became The Shadow and the Scepter, the first novel set in the mythic world of Méhns Móri: a realm forged from ancient history, forgotten legends, and the sweeping traditions of heroic fantasy.
Shawn McMichael is a storyteller who draws inspiration from history, mythology, and a lifelong hunger for discovery, having traveled to over thirty countries. With degrees in communications and history education and a long career spanning the software and gaming industries, he has spent decades in pursuit of the stories only the past can tell. Shawn lives in Washington State with his wife and family.
Timothy Manley is the author of multiple science fiction and fantasy works, including the Earthborn Saga. A veteran of the software and gaming industries, he brings deep experience in world-building and narrative design to everything he writes. Tim holds a BA in English from San Francisco State University and an MBA from Western Governors University, and lives in Oregon with his wife and two of his five children.
