In times past, the Grimm Horde-a cursed people corrupted and commanded the dread sorcerer Aihaab-were defeated and banished to the underground kingdom of Ash Ul M'on. Their master, Aihaab, was slain, and the world breathed a sigh of relief.

But now fell auguries whisper that the darkness has returned. Crows circle the skies. Men quarrel and worship the shadows. And a changeling warrior, Steeleye, adopted by the noble clans of the North, dreams of a vast field of destruction and death in which a beautiful red-headed woman calls to him.

Though Aihaab was defeated, his seven dark servants-great demons of old-were not. Called by the Goddess of Death, The Morriggu, Steeleye must now embark upon a quest to rid the world of these ancient terrors before their new master, a force far more terrifying than Aihaab, completes the work Aihaab left undone...

Grimmsbane is the startling first book in the intended Steeleye series, an epic sword and sorcery tale in the tradition of Robert E. Howard. Combining heroic fantasy with cosmic horror, Grimmsbane explores the psychological price of heroism, the meaning of fellowship, and what it means to face one's death with courage.

"Most fantasy is described as 'epic' but really isn't. Grimmsbane is. Somehow Nicholas Appleyard has resurrected the classical sense of epic heroism, and more than that, has combined it with profound, modern psychological insight. With rich characters and compelling mythology, Grimmsbane is a feverously passionate narrative of death and glory; page-turning fiction at its very finest." -Joseph Sale, author of The Book of Thrice Dead