After the fall of Macbeth (yes, that Macbeth), Scotland is left with a young, conniving, and ineffectual king in the form of young Malcolm. Macduff, the Thane of Fife and man born of no woman, finds himself a relic of the old world, with no obvious place in the new. Fearful of his Thane’s heroic code, bluff charisma, and martial prowess, Malcolm tries to have Macduff killed, despite the latter’s assurance that he wants nothing better than to leave Scotland.

But fate has other things in store for the Thane of Fife. The Erl-King, ancient prince of hell and devourer of the souls of human children, has decided he wants to kill the humans . . . all of them . . . starting with Scotland. He begins with the Land Fit for Heroes because he has a half-mortal son there, and as he drops an impenetrable wall of fog around Scotland and invades it with his Darkling hordes, he also kidnaps his son and tries to win him over.

So with an unlikely collection of allies natural and supernatural, Macduff once again has to take a stand on behalf of his land.

The Iron Thane begins a folkloristic epic fantasy series that is both vigorous action story-telling and also literary in scope, drawing in Shakespeare, Goethe, and other early modern and older sources to form a potent and unforgettable brew.

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