Bones and Runes - by Stephen Embleton (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Three friends have their loyalty, beliefs and ancestral magic pushed to the limit.

Mlilo, a young isangoma, is forced to call on his friend Dan, a Druid apprentice, to help him retrieve his sacred amathambo (bones) from the clutches of evil. Taking us on an unprecedented journey through the magical realms of his ancestry and traditional beliefs, Mlilo's emerging skills are tested in life or death encounters with beings from the realm of Abaphansi. Amira, a close friend of Dan's, has her own independent path to forge but will soon find that her personal quests are inextricably linked to the two men.

The solitary isangoma, self-reliant to the extreme, will learn the importance of friendships, alliances and the meaning of living life in the real.

Review Quotes

"Confident in its use of language to
engage with the themes of unity, friendship, heritage, and culture
while still delivering on the action (especially in its third half),
this is a vivid and fun urban fantasy quest."

--Wole Talabi, author of Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon

"Embleton's portrayal overflows with imagination, filling it to the brim with all manner of beings and deities from Zulu tradition. Richly imagined and powerfully authentic."

--Damien Lawardorn, AUREALIS

"Highly original and compelling.
Embleton's strange world is immersive and intriguing. This is a novel
of adventure and ideas."

--T.L. Huchu, author of The Library
of the Dead