Tales of the Soul Weapons — Kenneth McDonald

“Tales of the Soul Weapons” is a collection of novella-length stories about a mercenary company tasked with tracking down a deadly collection of quasi-intelligent magical artifacts. This book expands the story begun in my novels “Wizard's Shield,” “Soul of the Sword,” and “Wizard's Stone.”

When the Wolves encounter a basilisk on the road to Evachor, Surah is transformed into a living statue. Desperate to find a magical cure before the effects become permanent, Valen Wolvren and the other Wolves travel to the library of Havenstone, where a handful of monks preserve ancient lore. But there is something strange going on at the library, and the Wolves find themselves fighting for more than the life of their friend in “The Unexpected Urn.”

“A Wolf Is Born” tells the story of how Surah came to join the Wolves. Still new to the role of leader, Valen has been tasked with infiltrating a gang of brigands that has been terrorizing travelers and settlers in the vast Greenwyld Forest. But he finds that there is more going on than just simple raiding. A powerful magic is rising within the depths of the wood, one that even Valen's skills and wits and the talents of Tarnas the Mighty might not be able to overcome.

Ianos and Urch have traveled to the monastery at Nal Suriyas for some rest and relaxation after a year of hunting soul weapons. Urch isn't looking forward to the boredom of a week spent among soul priests, but when the boy finds a dead body in the abandoned sewers under the monastery both he and Ianos are thrust into the center of “The Monastery Mystery.”