Book 3 of the Tales of Fortannis.
 
One barbarian tribe has a prophecy saying the legendary hero Bishortu will unite the three warring tribes. Another has a prophecy that directly contradicts this, and they want Bishortu dead. And a third, which may or may not be comprised of werewolves, refuses to let anyone know what their prophecy says. Meanwhile, the Duke on whose land the barbarians live wants them all gone.
 
In the middle of all of this is squire Terin Ostler, who has been mistakenly identified as the great Bishortu. Under the Duke's orders to get rid of the barbarians, he heads to their lands without the slightest idea of what to do.
 
Along the way, he has to avoid assassins, werewolves, lovesick barbarian princesses, and confused goblins, while attempting to figure out the meaning of the magical and mysterious Wretched Axes.
 
Nobody said being a hero would be easy.
 
Reviews:
"Here Michael A. Ventrella takes up the mantle of Christopher Stasheff. Terin's exploits are as entertaining as those of Rod Gallowglass, and fans of The Warlock in Spite of Himself will hugely enjoy The Axes of Evil." —Gregory Frost, author of Shadowbridge and Lord Tophet
 
"The Axes of Evil is a taut nail-biter of a thriller. Edgy, funny and dark." —Jonathan Maberry, multiple Bram Stoker Award-winning author of V-Wars and Rot & Ruin
 
"Humor, danger and a twisted tangle of unlikely prophecies make for a page-turning adventure." —Gail Z. Martin, author of The Chronicles of the Necromancer series
 
Introduction to the New Edition:
Welcome to the reissue of The Axes of Evil, with a few minor changes here and there. This is the third book in the Terin Ostler series. If you picked this one up first, you can still enjoy this without having read the first two novels, but you'll miss some of the references and the character development.
 
And if you want to know what happens to Terin and the gang after this, you can get the short story collection Terin Ostler and the Zombie King (and other stories) as well as Derek Beebe's novel It's a Wonderful Death which has Terin, Darlissa and Rendal as featured guests although not the main characters.
 
Have fun, and be sure to tip your waitress!
 
—Michael A. Ventrella
Autumn 2020