The Ring and the Ruin

by Michael Livingston Book 3 in the The Shards series.

First published 2017

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2.5(5)

The Ark of the Covenant has been removed from Egypt to Petra, but the guardians who protect it are pursued by enemies who already possess other Shards. Juba II and Cleopatra Selene confront the consequences of powers released during the earlier struggle, while Tiberius, heir to Augustus, becomes an ally of demonic forces. The contest extends from Roman political intrigue to the kingdoms and sacred landscapes of the eastern Mediterranean.

War and assassination carry the characters through Rome, Judaea and Jerusalem towards a final confrontation over the relics and the boundaries between mortal and divine realms. The series’ historical rulers remain constrained by succession, imperial expansion and family loyalty even as supernatural forces attempt to direct their choices. First published as The Realms of God, the novel concludes the trilogy begun with The Shards of Heaven.