"Still alive?" Enter the cursed Kingdom of Allamar and follow a young soldier as he confronts his fate, and faces the consequences of entering the fray, by debut novelist Lawrence Davidson.

Fate has spoken. A brutal curse afflicting two war-torn Kingdoms is to come to an end, and with it, their generations-long war. The first to succeed in finding a gemstone of power, and using it against the other nation, shall prevail. While nobody is destined for victory, there is one who could tip the scales in Allamar's favor...

When young trainee Vidalm is imprisoned for killing a fellow soldier, he is certain that death is the only path left for him. But the Fates have been kind, and have named him to the King as the only one who can turn the tide in the war against Jaaltrup, and against the monsters that roam free. Average in stature, ability, and intelligence, Vidalm knows that this is an assignment way out of his league. But it is also a chance for him to pursue the life he has always desired: the life of a hero.

Alongside Allamar's famed Spymaster, the Kingdom's two best warriors, an erudite outsider, and a loyal friend, Vidalm sets off on a quest for the only force powerful enough to break the curse in their Kingdom.

Will Vidalm be able to face his flaws and set aside his own ideals of heroism to save his Kingdom? Or will be buckle under the weight of fate?

From debut author Lawrence Davidson comes an adventure for the ages, begging the question: can just anyone become a hero?