A Viral Imperium by Darren Joy

A plague‑born magic is awakening inside Threadfin Todder — hungry, volatile, and impossible to control. Exiled, undead, and hunted by a relentless shapeshifter, he races across the imperium to save his sister as a horde of armoured giants marches toward the capital. When the power inside him erupts, Threadfin becomes the only force capable of stopping a terror that turns cities to ash and stone to dust. At the heart of the empire, Princess Aiyana Todralan faces a usurper possessed by a fallen angel. With the throne stolen and her people trapped beneath a rising tide of monsters, Aiyana uncovers a truth older than the empire, one that could threaten existence itself. Two lives. One corrupted empire. A darkness older than the world. A Viral Imperium is a dark epic fantasy of ancient magic, monstrous legions, and a world on the edge of annihilation.

Adult • Fantasy/Dark • Fantasy/Epic and High • Fantasy/Mythic, Retelling, and Folklore

Length: 106,000 words (about 303 pages)

Content Warning: Violence Undead / body horror (mild) Dark themes Death Supernatural threat