“Marco offers a sprawling tale of military battles, personal and political intrigue, magic, and star-crossed love set against a richly detailed land of warring kingdoms and hidden magic.”

—
Library Journal

“Mr. Marco has delivered an epic fantasy with heart and pathos. His characters are flawed and believable, wholly sympathetic to the reader. He paints a landscape of palace grandeur and desert desolation where magic is a reality and winning a battle is not winning the war.”

—
Romantic Times

“The greatest strength of this novel remains in the way in which the author manipulates and alters his original Arthurian-based landscape to serve very different ends, as well as his refusal at times to take his story where expected. The reader
will
be in for some surprises.”

—
SF Site

“Marco paints characters with a deft hand . . . all the plotlines are clearly thought out and interesting. Marco’s fans should look forward to his next installment.”

—
The Davis (CA) Enterprise

“It’s a classic tale of triumph and tragedy, well written with great depth of emotion. As I was reading this novel, I had the feeling I was reading something important. In 20 years, I wouldn’t be surprised to hear Marco, and this book, mentioned alongside the icons of the fantasy genre.”

—
The News Star
(LA)

“This epic fantasy novel, first in a brand new series, is a wellcrafted addition to a much-beloved genre. The book’s characters are well-drawn, and although the plot is fairly dense, the story moves along at a smart pace . . . the author creates a compelling and entertaining read.”

—
Voya

“This is no lightweight book. Marco’s characters are complex and multidimensional, and his seemingly simple story is a rich, complex exposition of high fantasy with an underlying brutal reality. This brutality is punctuated with Marco’s skill as a military writer—the battle scenes in
The Eyes of God
are massive in scale while remaining rich in exquisite, personal detail.”

—
Editors of
Amazon.com

DAW Titles by John Marco
The Eyes of God
The Devil’s Armor
¹

DAW Book Collectors No. 1208.

All characters and events in this book are fictious.

All resemblance to persons living or dead is coincidental.

First Paperback Printing, January 2003

eISBN : 978-1-101-46221-8

DAW TRADEMARK REGISTERED
U.S. PAT. OFF. AND FOREIGN COUNTRIES
—MARCA REGISTRADA
HECHO EN U.S.A.

S.A.

http://us.penguingroup.com

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Writing is a solitary business, but no book is truly born of a single person. This book had many midwives, some new to my life and some old, and I want to thank them all for their support and dedication.

Thanks—and love—go once again to my wife Deborah, and to my entire family. They are my staunchest defenders and most loyal fans.

As always, thanks goes to my agent, Russell Galen, who saw this book for what it could be and found a good home for it.

Thanks to fellow fantasist Kristen Britain, for exchanging ideas and an impressive number of emails, and for being there through frustrating times.

Thanks to Jack Bilello, a fine writer and a good friend, who constantly reminds me that the true value of books lies in their power to move the human heart.

Thanks to Debra Euler, Sean Fodera, and everyone else at DAW books. Though there are bigger publishers in the world, there are none with more dedicated, dependable people. It’s been a pleasure working with them.

Special thanks to my wonderful editor, Betsy Wollheim, for welcoming me into the DAW family and for always being gracious. No writer could have a better patron.

And finally, thanks to all of my readers, all around the world, for continuing to invite me into their lives and letting me tell my stories. Their support has been amazing, humbling, and greatly appreciated.

PART ONE