Bones and Runes - by Stephen Embleton (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Mlilo's bag of bones has gone
missing--and it'll take all the magic he can muster, and all the
help his friends can give, to get them back.

Mlilo is an isangoma -- a traditional
Zulu healer and magic-worker whose power comes from his sacred
amathambo. But when it goes missing, he starts to think that some of
the bones he's inherited may have more power, and more secrets, than
he realized.

On an unprecedented journey through the
magical realms of his ancestry and traditional beliefs, Mlilo must
team up with his friend Dan, a druid apprentice, and Amira, Dan's
ex-girlfriend who's on the hunt for the legendary sword of Lord
Shiva.

Confronting spirits and beings
from the realm of Abaphansi who would like the power of the bones for
their own, Mlilo, Dan, and Amira begin to recover his amathambo piece
by piece. But each fight is tougher than the last, and each new
battle might mean life or death. . . .

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