The Codex of Ashen Lies

About this book

In a frozen, ash-choked North America 150 years after the Cascade Collapse, humanity survives in Scriptoriums—fortified citadels that worship fragmented histories as sacred law. Harlan Reyes, an illuminator in the Scriptorium of Lost Republics, has spent his life glorifying the 'Founding Legislators,' believing himself to be their direct descendant. When the Codex Prime, a map to the legendary Eden Archive, is lost to a seismic rift, Harlan leads a desperate expedition to retrieve it. Accompanied by Mira Voss, a battle-hardened tracker; Theo Lin, a trembling map-scribe; and Kael Thorn, a defecting priest from a rival hold, Harlan treks through the treacherous Appalachians. As they brave toxic storms and feral hordes, the group uncovers ancient stelae proving the Scriptoriums' founding myths are fabrications designed to entrench power. Harlan's own lineage is revealed to be of erased migrant laborers, not noble lawmakers. Facing betrayal from within and the threat of inter-factional war, Harlan must decide whether to uphold the comforting lies that bind his people or reveal the shattering truth to forge a new, inclusive future.