The Bone Maker Book Cover

The Bone Maker


A Fantasy Novel


Subgenres & Tropes:

  • Necromancy,
  • Forbidden Magic,
  • Second Chance,
  • Older Heroes,
  • Reunion Quest
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This book is for you if you're into...

  • Bone magic that trades years of life for resurrection
  • Heroes reuniting decades after their world-saving quest
  • Fantasy about grief, love, and second chances

From Little Stack

If you’re looking for a fantasy that flips the usual “save the world” story on its head, The Bone Maker by Sarah Beth Durst should absolutely land on your reading list. The twist? The heroes already saved the world… twenty-five years ago. Now they’re older, scattered, and carrying the scars of that victory.

At the centre of this story is Kreya, a bone-magic wielder secretly breaking the law to resurrect her dead husband, one day at a time, using forbidden magic that literally trades her lifespan for his. But when signs appear that the ancient enemy they defeated might be returning, the old team has to reunite for one last adventure.

Why pick this one up? Because it’s an epic fantasy with heart. You get a wonderfully weird bone-magic system, a “get the gang back together” quest, sharp banter between old friends, and a story about grief, love, and second chances. If you enjoy fantasy that’s emotional, inventive, and a little bit spooky, this one’s a must-read.

Publisher Description

Twenty-five years ago, five heroes risked their lives to defeat the bone maker Eklor—a corrupt magician who created an inhuman army using animal bones. But victory came at a tragic price. Only four of the heroes survived.

Since then, Kreya, the group's leader, has exiled herself to a remote tower and devoted herself to one purpose: resurrecting her dead husband. But such a task requires both a cache of human bones and a sacrifice—for each day he lives, she will live one less.

She'd rather live one year with her husband than a hundred without him, but using human bones for magic is illegal in Vos. The dead are burned—as are any bone workers who violate the law. Yet Kreya knows where she can find the bones she needs: the battlefield where her husband and countless others lost their lives.

But defying the laws of the land exposes a terrible possibility. Maybe the dead don't rest in peace after all.

Five warriors—one broken, one gone soft, one pursuing a simple life, one stuck in the past, and one who should be dead. Their story should have been finished. But evil doesn't stop just because someone once said, 'the end.'

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