Dead of Veridon (#2)

The thrilling conclusion to Tim Akers’ hard-boiled steampunk-noir series, The Burn Cycle. The city of Veridon used Jacob Burn horribly. The Council, the Church, even his family betrayed his trust, and still Burn risked everything to save their lives. For his sacrifice, he lost his tenuous ties to lawful society, his place in the criminal underworld, and the only woman he ever loved.

Now, to survive, Burn runs small-time jobs, like his latest gig, delivering a seemingly innocuous package to the Fehn. The Fehn are a symbiotic race that live under the murky Reine River, colonizing any body that slips beneath its dark waters. Although unsettling to see, the Fehn dwell peacefully below Veridon. But moments after Burn makes his delivery, swarms of dead Fehn clog the Reine. More terrifying are the horde of pearl-white cogdead Fehn who still walk, crawling out of the river to violently ransack the city.

Once again, Burn is responsible for Veridon’s survival, and the Fehn are just one of many threats the city suddenly faces—old adversaries have returned, defunct factions resurfaced, and ancient feuds reignited. Behind it all, an enigmatic foreigner manipulates Veridon’s leaders toward a goal that would destroy Veridon and tear asunder the very essence of life. Burn thought he had nothing to lose, but protecting Veridon could cost him the one thing he has left… his life.