The Song of the Tears Series by Ian Irvine

After ten years of servitude, Nish is about to be released from the blackest prison of his corrupt father, the maimed God-Emperor, Jal-Nish Hlar. Using the sorcerous Profane Tears, Gatherer and Reaper, Jal-Nish has crushed all opposition and is remaking Santhenar in his depraved image.The oppressed peoples of the world see Nish as a messianic figure, the Deliverer, who promised long ago to return and cast down his father... moreAfter ten years of servitude, Nish is about to be released from the blackest prison of his corrupt father, the maimed God-Emperor, Jal-Nish Hlar. Using the sorcerous Profane Tears, Gatherer and Reaper, Jal-Nish has crushed all opposition and is remaking Santhenar in his depraved image.The oppressed peoples of the world see Nish as a messianic figure, the Deliverer, who promised long ago to return and cast down his father. Unfortunately, Nish has no choice but to repudiate that solemn oath, for he's a broken man, powerless and alone. Even worse, his father is trying to seduce Nish into becoming his lieutenant and, faced with the unbearable alternative of another ten years in prison, Nish isn't sure he can resist the temptation.The one person who can help him is little Maelys, a shy, bookish dreamer forced by duty to use Nish for an ignoble purpose. But Maelys is the last woman he wants, and she carries a secret that is more likely to destroy Nish than save him. less

Beset by false friends and the weight of a world's expectations, Nish flees his father, the God-Emperor - always searching for the means to orchestrate his downfall. Nish's reluctant allies are Maelys, who believes he betrayed her family; former scrutator Xervish Flydd, now stripped of power; and Colm, whom Nish owes a favour he can never repay.If their fragile partnership survives, they may have a chance to save themselves, and their land... moreBeset by false friends and the weight of a world's expectations, Nish flees his father, the God-Emperor - always searching for the means to orchestrate his downfall. Nish's reluctant allies are Maelys, who believes he betrayed her family; former scrutator Xervish Flydd, now stripped of power; and Colm, whom Nish owes a favour he can never repay.If their fragile partnership survives, they may have a chance to save themselves, and their land. The group must find a hidden tower in a barren arctic wilderness, and somehow convince the dread Numinator, who despises all humanity, to come to their aid. And what of the different futures projected in the Pit of Possibilities? Can they, and should they, trust its portents? They have nothing to lose but their hope - a frail weapon in a war upon a god. less

NISH, HIS BATTERED LITTLE TROOP and his few remaining allies are trapped on the Range of Ruin by the God-Emperor's mighty army. Nish's only choices are a humiliating surrender to his father or a suicidal fight to the death.Yet Nish has to fight, and somehow he has to win, for the beautiful world of Santhenar is in peril and no one else can save it... moreNISH, HIS BATTERED LITTLE TROOP and his few remaining allies are trapped on the Range of Ruin by the God-Emperor's mighty army. Nish's only choices are a humiliating surrender to his father or a suicidal fight to the death.Yet Nish has to fight, and somehow he has to win, for the beautiful world of Santhenar is in peril and no one else can save it. Stilkeen, an all-powerful shape-shifting being from the void, has come to recover the stolen chthonic fire which once bound its physical and spirit aspects together, and it wants revenge for the mortal insult that was done to it.But it may be too late for Santhenar; chthonic fire has been released from its casket and is now eating away the Antarctic lands as it once devoured the planet of Aachan. Even if, by some miracle, Nish can win the battle with his father, there may be no way to stop the fire, or Stilkeen, before the whole world is consumed.Read first chapters: http://www.ian-irvine.com/destinydead...REVIEWS'Unbelievably, Irvine has managed to increase the pace of his story in this third and final volume – for sheer excitement, there's just no one like Irvine around at the moment.' SFX, 4 stars.'This precise and beautifully crafted novel blooms from its ascetic opening to a resonant and rewarding climax. Makes what's currently available on fantasy shelves seem hackneyed and formulaic. Utterly absorbing." Stephen Davenport, Independent Weekly. less