In a city of majesty and brutality, of warring races and fragile alliances, a sacred Mermaid has been brutally murdered. An abomination, a soulless Orc is summoned to hunt the killer. As the world around the Orc drifts into war and madness, her search for justice leads her on a journey to discover redemption and even beauty in the midst of chaos.

"He said the Arukh only had one word. It was their word for rage and for pain, for fighting and dying. It was a word spoken in sorrow and anger. It was the word they said to a world that didn't want them, that had no place for them. It was loneliness and defiance and in the end it was sorrow and surrender. " Arrah" he told me, it was all the words the Arukh needed."

"This book is violent and brutal and haunting and beautiful. If I could give this a sixth star, I would"

Michael R. Fletcher, Author of Beyond Redemption

"D.G. Valdron is an utterly fearless writer. Frankly, I think he's one of the most original writers available today."

Amazing Stories Online

"The Mermaid's Tale is a fable of personhood wrapped in a murder mystery framed by a fantasy setting, peopled by familiar races that are presented in subtly original ways."

Melanie Martila

"I absolutely loved this book; it's already one I know I'll remember for a long time. I would never have thought a book about an orc would be one of the best existential works I've ever read."

Julia Pike-Kelly