Visitors to an emerald-green island off the coast of Mumbai are reminded of these dramatic episodes by the work of skilful, dedicated sculptors, who lived more than 1,300 years ago! Their carvings have survived in the caves of Elephanta, despite the ravages of time and vandals and destroying armies.

    Despite that he is an infidel, Haru is chosen to be the next Oradhé, the holy man who must act as a dragon god's conscience. To Haru's dismay, the price exacted for this duty will be his eyes burned from his sockets.Haru's struggle to retain his sight becomes a profound battle to preserve his spirit, for he must resist not only Verdant tradition, but the questionable advances of Intana, the dragon god. All the while, Vaal, the shark deity of Haru's people, lurks in the water and observes. Vaal of the Depths has plans for Verdant, for Intana, and for Haru.

    It now arrives in a print edition, expanded and revised.Red Wolf was the strongest of the Nine Great Chiefdoms of the lycan clans, which had long suffered under the yoke of the blood-drinking sa'necari necromancers. Thirty years ago, the realm of the sa'necari, Waejontor, was conquered by the amazon nation, Shaurone. The Sharani brought the lycan people three decades of peace and freedom that is now threatened by the sudden rise to power of a young Waejontori Queen.Clan Redhand, the family that rules Red Wolf, is plunged into danger when a sa'necari bounty hunter and mercenary named Malthus Estrobian arrives in their valley, posing as a human refugee from the battles beyond their borders. Unknown to them, Malthus is the "Butchering Serpent," the genocidal mastermind behind the hidden laboratories where hundreds of lycans perished in vicious experiments. He infilitrates Red Wolf with two goals in mind: find out what happened to his brother, Troyes, who disappeared in the valley several years ago; and destroy the Redhand family in order to subjugate Red Wolf for his queen.The only person standing between Malthus and his objectives is a young guardsman with a concealed heritage: Kynyr Maguire. Trained by the greatest armsmaster the lycans have ever known, and educated well beyond the norm for his kind, Kynyr must find a way to defeat the dark arts of the Butchering Serpent or see his people destroyed, including the woman he loves.Praise for Serpent's Quest: "Janrae Frank is more than a writer, she is a world-builder. Serpent's Quest defies the limitations of genre because it is bigger than any one label can contain. It's an epic adventure, filled with unbridled horrors and sweeping romance, but more than that, Serpent's Quest is populated by characters who are visceral and alive. Serpent's Quest captivates you not only because of its larger than life drama, but because you become invested in the world as a living and breathing place."Bob Freeman, Author of the Cairnwood Manor series Janrae Frank's books are always something I grab the moment I have the chance. They are wonderful reads, well written, dense and richly evocative. She makes the reader see the worlds and characters which she has created and want always to see more of them as well. Her work is brilliant, hard-hitting, and the sort of thing I for one tend to be reading still at 2am since I can't put it down until I know how things are going to turn out."Lyn McConchie, Author of Beast Master's ArkThree time winner of the Sir Julius Vogel Award for Best Science Fiction Novel "The prose is tight, the characters utterly believable, and the plot is so fast and slick it threatens to run you over like a steamtrain. An incredible piece of storytelling."Gareth Owens, Author of "Fun With Rainbows"