To thwart a curse, a fake king enters a fake marriage—but his sacrificial death will be all too real.

As the king of Sippar, Ahsan is surrounded by unparalleled luxury, fawning attendants, and a gorgeous wife. It's the life he's always dreamed of, except for three small problems.

One, the palace oracle foretells of a threat that could leave the king dead and the city in ruins.

Two, his marriage to the sharp-tongued priestess Nirah is already in trouble—and they aren't even really married.

Three, Ahsan is not the real king, but a criminal condemned to die in his place. Selected for the role of imposter king, Ahsan must take the fates' wrath and assassins' knives upon himself, and while his crown may be fake, the danger he faces is all too real.

A self-proclaimed coward cursed with a monster living in his skin, Ahsan wants nothing more than to escape the deadly intrigue of Sippar's royal court. But if he doesn't stop the king's would-be killer, it won't just be one man dead: It will be everyone Ahsan knows and loves—including the pretended queen he might just be coming to care for.

An ancient fantasy novel, The Imposter King is first in a richly imagined five-book series spanning empires and eons, myths and monsters. Begin the saga today.