Lachlei

Lachlei, M.H. Bonham, Dragon Moon Press, 2008

This story is set in a universe where there are nine separate worlds, connected to each other through the World Tree. This is the source of the Web of Wyrd, which runs through the Nine Worlds. A millennia ago, the three warring gods nearly destroyed mankind. Now one of them, Areyn Sehduk, the god of death, has returned to finish the job.

He kills Fialan, leader of the lochvaur, hoping to tip the balance of power in his favor. Sehduk does not take into account that he has created a powerful enemy in Lachlei, queen of the lochvaur. Vowing vengeance against the rival clan led by Sehduk, Lachlei leads her people into a fight against demons and the undead.

Rhyn'athel, another of the three gods, is the only being powerful enough to defeat Sehduk. He takes human form, and joins Lachlei's warriors, in order to stop Sehduk, once and for all. He doesn't reveal his identity to Lachlei, but his abilities are not those of the average mortal. Rhyn'athel also falls in love with Lachlei.

Meantime, Fialan is not exactly dead. He finds himself on Tarentor, another of the Nine Worlds, part of an army of the dead. It's controlled by Sehduk, so the warriors have no free will, and are forced to fight against their own people. Once on Elren, where this takes place, they must eat real food, and they have corporeal form. Every minute they are there, they become more of Elren, and less of Tarentor.

This is an excellent sword and sorcery novel that is pretty heavy on the sorcery part. It's got good characters, led by a very strong female warrior, it's got an exciting story, and it is very much recommended.