With Mercy to None

Note that this is now back in print as part of the omnibus edition A Fortress in Shadow, covering the 2 Dread Empire prequels. this book is the second prequel to the dread empire trilogy, and follows directly the events of The Fire In His Hands. It continues describing the rise of El Murid, the development of the relationship of bin yousif and ragnarson, and introduces the background of Mocker at some point after his kidnapping as an infant (in the original trilogy), as well as his introduction to bin yousif and bragi. the book deals with the war and politics between the quasi-islamic state founded by el murid and the various quasi-christian states directly and indirectly threatened by him, as well as character development and exposition of many things shown in later books. Enjoyable to read, and worth buying used if you enjoy cook's in-print books. It helps to have read the original dread empire trilogy, and is almost necessary to have read The Fire in His Hands.

This book is a sequel to The Fire in His Hands. It stands alone as a novel, but some of the character interaction is lost without reference to the first book. With Mercy Towards None continues the saga of El Murid, a prophet whose rise threatens to burst forth from the dessert and plunge the nations of the west into religious war. Bragi, Haroun and Mocker each take their places in the forces opposing El Murid, and the novel provides interesting insights into these characters for anyone who has enjoyed the other novels of the Dread Empire series. While the book deals with dessert warfare, religious zeal and shadowy manipulations of history, it is at heart a character piece detailing how ties of friendship and duty can bind men together and drive them apart. A good read.