Tree of Life (Book of Light 1)

"Your god is sick."

A religio-political civil war destroyed democracy, and the fanatical usurpers closed the nation's borders and instituted a theocratic oligarchy. Two centuries later, a quiet rebellion brews.

Born hidden in the shadow of the forest, a young herbalist is abducted and swallowed by the toxic society that values her only for the pleasure she can provide.

Two brothers, raised in a privileged military family, struggle to turn a blind eye to the violence and injustice perpetrated by the powerful leaders they serve and are destined to become.

The survivor of a government massacre, a young man lives as a fugitive. A supernatural experience leads him into the arms of conspiracy theorists aiming for a religious coup.

Life's twisted road of suffering brings them together. Cultures clash, enemies become friends, faith and unbelief are challenged, and a body of leaders with the power to kill and withhold the afterlife leads the way to the light of an angry deity no one truly knows . . . but everyone hopes is on their side.

(adult / speculative fiction)