Sipstrassi Books in Order

The Sipstrassi novels are tied together less by a single hero than by a strange kind of magic. Sipstrassi stones fall from the sky as golden meteors that can heal wounds, conjure food and light and reshape the world. Each stone carries only so much power, turning black as it is drained, yet it can be recharged with blood, at the cost of twisting both the stone and its wielder toward cruelty and hunger.

In Ghost King and Last Sword of Power, that magic is loose in a version of Dark Age Britain where Saxons, Angles and Jutes are carving up the island. A ruthless Witch Queen and the chaos spirit known as Wotan use Sipstrassi to raise undead warriors and monstrous servants, trying to open the very gates of Hell. Opposing them are a young prince with royal blood, the mountain fighter Culain and the mysterious warrior Revelation, who must recover the Sword of Power and rally scattered tribes before the land is overrun.

The same stones, under different names, resurface thousands of years later in the Jon Shannow books, where they help explain how Atlantis fell, how the world was shattered and why gunslingers in dusters walk beside priests who can work miracles. In that far future the blood fed stones can no longer heal, only kill, turning battles into feeding frenzies for those who cling to them.

Across these very different eras the Sipstrassi cycle asks the same questions. What happens when absolute power is literally in the palm of your hand. Do you use it to mend, to rule or to destroy. And if a tool can be used for good or evil, how long can anyone keep their own hands clean. Gemmell answers with siege battles, duels and chase scenes, but the glittering stones at the center of it all remain a constant, dangerous temptation.