Zerfall awakens in an alley, wounded and unable to remember her past. Chased by an assassin out into the endless wastes of the desert, she is caught, disfigured, and left for dead. Her scabbard is empty, but the need for answers—and the pull of her sword—will draw her back to the city-states.

When Jateko, a naïve youth, accidentally kills a member of his own tribe, he finds himself outcast and pursued across the desert for his crimes. Crazed from dehydration, dying of thirst and hunger, he stumbles across Zerfall.

Hunted by assassins and bound by mutual need, both Zerfall and Jeteko will confront the Täuschung, an ancient and deranged religion ruled by a broken fragment of Zerfall’s mind. Swarm, the Täuschung hell, seethes with imprisoned souls, but where gods—real or imagined—meddle in the affairs of man, the cost is high.

In Swarm and Steel, the power of belief can manifest and shape reality, and for political and religious leaders, faith becomes a powerful tool. But the insane are capable of twisting reality with their delusions as well, turning increasingly dangerous as their sanity crumbles. It is here that a long prophesied evil will be born, an endless hunger. The All Consuming will rise.
 

¿To escape the hell she created, a woman must team up with a novice warrior and return to her homeland in this gritty epic fantasy where delusions are literally made real.

Praise for Swarm and Steel

“I have to hand it to Fletcher. . . [his] talent for characterization makes his work stand out from everything else this genre has to offer, not to mention the sheer depth of his imagination—which is as formidable as it can be frightening sometimes! All this makes him one of my must-read authors.”—The BiblioSanctum

“Swarm and Steel is one of the grimmest, darkest books in our beloved genre, combining the depths of depravity with heart-warming love in a tale that will leave you retching and chuckling in equal measure. If you like grimdark fantasy, then you need to check it out.”—Grimdark Magazine, review by Matthew Copley

"Fletcher has crafted a world and magic system that is wretched, repulsive, and absolutely fantastic in its depth and layering. But wonderful worldbuilding means diddly squat if the characters fall flat, and fortunately, they are equally well-rendered here as they struggle to find redemption or revenge or purpose in a mad, mad universe. Swarm and Steel is captivating and compelling."—Jeff Salyards, author of the Bloodsounder’s Arc Trilogy

“Fletcher's intricate and ingenuitive work results in a mesmerizing story that deserves to be praised. From eloquent and lucid prose to thought-provoking and humorous dialogues, from exciting action sequences to shocking plot-twists, and from compelling characters to an exceptionally developed magic system, Swarm and Steel has it all. . . . a book to be savored.”—booknest.eu

“Swarm and Steel is [Fletcher’s] best book yet. . . . [his] reputation as God of Grimdark is fully legitimate. This book cements it. Mortars it in blood.”—Anna Smith Spark, author of The Court of Broken Knives

“Edgy, brutal and hugely ambitious in scope, Swarm and Steel puts the grim in grimdark.”—Anna Stephens, author of Godblind

Praise for Michael R. Fletcher

"The Manifest Delusions novels are some of the greatest fantasy books I've ever read."—Petros of http://booknest.eu/