Stonewielder: Malazan Empire: 3

A must-read epic fantasy for fans of Steven Erikson, David Gemmell and Brandon Sanderson, Stonewielder capitalises further on Esslemont's mastery of world-building and fantasy storytelling.

Greymane believed he'd outrun his past. He was adjusting well to life outside the mercenary company, the Crimson Guard. However, it it is not so easy for an ex-Fist of the Malazan Empire to disappear, especially one under sentence of death from that same Empire.

For there is a new Emperor on the throne of Malaz and he is dwelling on the Empire's failed invasion of Korel. In the vaults beneath Unta, the Imperial capital, lie the answers to that disaster; out of this buried history surfaces the name Stonewielder.

In Korel, Lord Protector Hiam, commander of the Stormguard, faces the potential annihilation of all that he holds dear. With few remaining men and a crumbling stone wall that has seen better days, he confronts an ancient enemy: the sea-borne Stormriders have returned.

Stonewielder is an enthralling new chapter in the epic story of a brilliantly imagined world.