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The Ritual

The Ritual

Dark FantasyFantasy
Pages
137
Published
2018
Language
English

Synopsis

A devastating plague of unknown origin sweeps the continent of Greater Virren, and in times of grim desperation pestilence has given way to superstition. As cities fall to ruin and talk of witchcraft spreads, a zealous religious order rises to claim it knows the sickness's true source. The city of Rothenburg remains strangely untouched, but Lady Katarina Lorenz, a noblewoman and veteran of the civil war that scarred the continent, refuses to accept the order's account. With her companion Tannhauser, she slips beyond the city walls to learn what is really happening in the lands consumed by plague and fear. The short opening installment of the Plagueborne Trilogy, it sets a gritty, atmospheric tone and confronts some of the most unsettling impulses of medieval life: the search for someone to blame when death is everywhere and no one understands why.

Prose complexity
7/10

Vibe

DarkTenseMysteriousGrittyAtmospheric
QuestSurvivalCourt IntrigueMorally Grey

Genres

Dark Fantasy Fantasy High Fantasy Horror

About the author

M
Mitchell Lüthi

A South African writer and producer based in Cape Town, Mitchell Lüthi is known for dark, atmospheric medieval horror and grimdark fantasy. Before turning to long-form fiction he worked across scripts, short stories and radio plays, and his short story 'The Bone Fields' earned an honorable mention in the 2020 L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Competition. His debut full-length novel, Pilgrim: A Medieval Horror, follows a German knight's nightmarish return from the Crusades, while his Plaguebo...

Characters

Katarina LorenzProtagonist

A noblewoman of Rothenburg and a veteran of the continent's civil war who distrusts the religious order's claims and sets out to find the plague's real cause.

TannhauserSupporting

Katarina's companion, who leaves the safety of the city alongside her to investigate the lands beyond its walls.

All characters in The Ritual

Frequently asked questions

  • Is The Ritual a full-length novel or something shorter?

    It is the short opening installment of the Plagueborne Trilogy. The second book, The Zealot, is roughly three times its length, so The Ritual works as a fast, concentrated introduction to the world rather than a long novel.

  • Where and when does The Ritual take place?

    It is set on the fictional continent of Greater Virren during a continent-wide plague of unknown origin, with much of the action centered on the city of Rothenburg, which remains strangely untouched by the sickness.

  • Who is the main character?

    Lady Katarina Lorenz, a noblewoman and veteran of the civil war that scarred the continent. Unconvinced by the religious order's claims about the plague, she leaves the city with her companion Tannhauser to find the truth.

  • Is there an audiobook of The Ritual?

    Yes. It was released in audiobook through Sentinel Creatives, narrated by Scott Miller.

  • Do I need to read The Ritual before The Zealot?

    Yes. The Zealot picks up directly where The Ritual ends and continues Katarina and Tannhauser's story, so The Ritual is the intended starting point for the trilogy.

  • Is the Plagueborne Trilogy complete?

    Not yet. Two of the three planned books, The Ritual and The Zealot, have been published, along with a prequel novella, The Black Hussars. A third main installment has not yet appeared.

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