Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Farlander | 2010 | Col Buchanan | Buy |
| 2 | Sea of Plague | 2003 | Col Buchanan | N/A |
| 3 | Stands a Shadow | 2011 | Col Buchanan | Buy |
| 4 | The Black Dream | 2015 | Col Buchanan | Buy |
| 5 | Fierce Gods | 2017 | Col Buchanan | Buy |
The Heart of the World series is an epic fantasy set in a world dominated by the expansionist Holy Empire of Mann, a militant theocracy bent on conquering everything in its path. The free city of Bar-Khos has held out against the empire’s siege for a decade, and the conflict between imperial ambition and the defenders of freedom drives the series forward.
Farlander (2010) introduces Ash, an aging assassin from a secretive order called the Roshun, who takes on a young apprentice named Nico. When the empire kills someone under the Roshun’s protection, Ash and Nico are drawn into a mission of vengeance that takes them behind enemy lines. Sea of Plague (2003), Stands a Shadow (2011), The Black Dream (2015), and Fierce Gods (2017) expand the conflict across continents, raising the scale from personal revenge to the fate of entire nations. Buchanan’s world-building pulls from a mix of historical cultures, giving the setting a texture that feels distinct from typical Western-medieval fantasy.