A god’s chosen champion. A town on the brink. A storm nobody’s ready for—least of all, the paladin of ReckNor himself.
Krell never asked for godhood. As a shipwreck survivor and apprentice warrior, he was content with the simplicity of battle and survival. But the world had other plans. Or rather, ReckNor did. A god known for his capricious cruelty and boundless storms, ReckNor doesn’t ask— he takes. And he’s taken Krell as his paladin, whether or not the young warrior is ready.
When the dead claw onto Watford’s shores and cause havoc, the town council thinks it’s a mere threat to be vanquished. Krell knows better. Something grim is stirring, and the god in his head demands action. But ReckNor’s will is a storm, and storms do not guide – they are feral and unreliable.
The fear in Watford only magnifies as rumors of strange vanishings, lost miners, and an unknown terror in the sea start spreading. And when the sahuagin—the vicious sea devils of the deep—begin to attack with a cunning far superior to their breed, Krell realizes that the attacks are no longer random. This is the start of a war.
Krell now assembles an unconventional group: a brutish orc who depends on nothing so much as his fists, a mage who thinks he’s far smarter than any of them will ever be, a bard sharper with words than wits, a small venomous dragon and more. But ReckNor demands more than victory—he demands blind obedience. And when the storm finally erupts, Krell won’t just be fighting to survive—he’ll be fighting for control. Over his god. Over his fate. And over the man ReckNor compels him to become.
Beginning of Arrogance is the first book in A Paladin’s Journey, a heart-stopping fantasy series filled with divine power struggles and raw battle combat. With morally complex gods and the tension of a man caught between free will and divine command, this novel is great for readers of The First Law trilogy or the god wars of The Black Company.
