First published 2023
Van swings his pickaxe in the depths of a salt mine, another day of forced labor stretching before him. The former soldier turned slave expects nothing but endless toil until a pack of diseased dogs tears through the mine. The attack leaves only Van and a young girl named Yuna alive among the corpses. Van seizes this brutal chance at freedom, fleeing with Yuna to build the quiet life he has longed for. But the same disease that freed them now spreads across the land like wildfire. Van finds himself pulled into a massive conflict as authorities and enemies alike hunt for answers about the plague. The escaped slave must protect Yuna while navigating a world where their survival has made them both valuable and dangerous. Van's dream of peace crumbles as he realizes the disease has thrust him into the center of a war unlike anything the world has witnessed.
Genres: historical-fiction, adventure, fantasy, action
Vibes: dark, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Africa
Period: 21st-century
368 pages · Hardcover · Yen On
Content warnings: violence