AustLit

'Rawk is one of the great Heroes. He has travelled the world for forty years, hunting exotic creatures, battling magic and fighting evil wherever he found it. But he has been fighting mostly mundane battles since Prince Weaver outlawed magic. And with no great deeds left to be done, Rawk is afraid he’ll soon be the old man in the corner of the tavern, dreaming of the good old days and telling tales for anyone who will buy him a drink.

'But when a huge wolden wolf is spied from the walls of Katamood for the first time in a decade, Rawk is the man the city looks to once more. He’ll save them. He always has.

'Rawk will fight to ensure the Age of Heroes doesn’t slip away into history, but what if the good old days aren’t quite as good as he remembers?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Katamood is the center of the world once more.

'Magical creatures are crossing from other worlds and Rawk is hunting them through the streets of the city, like the good old days. But Rawk, the last of the great Heroes, can't keep up. Even with Heroes returning to the city to help and claim their rewards, innocent people are dying every day.

'But when Prince Weaver decides that sorcerers are opening portals to let the creatures through, Rawk and Silver Lark-- healer, sorcerer, arch-nemesis from the past-- find themselves in a race against time to find those responsible. If the prince had his way every sorcerer in the city would be locked up, but Rawk can't let that happen because he knows only too well how hard it is to find a good healer.

'Add an actual grown-up relationship plus a new business venture into the mix and Rawk is busier in retirement than he has ever been.'  (Publication summary)

'The sorcerous cabal has been sundered and Lady Tapalar has finally been avenged. The Hero's Rest is raking in more money than ever before. Everything should be perfect; Rawk, the last of the great Heroes, should be able to put his feet up, eat pastries and listen to some music.

'But the city still needs a Hero. Somehow, the magical portals continue to open, filling Katamood with deadly creatures from other realms. And then there's Prince Weaver, stirring up problems of a more mundane nature as he sends out the City Guard to curb the tensions rising in the south of the city. So Rawk and Silver Lark don't have time to rest. They are trawling through the back alleys of Katamood and through the pages of ancient books, looking for signs of a spence, a mythical hoarder of magic, while the city falls apart around them.

'Rawk doesn't have time to think about the good old days; he just wants to make it through the week.'  (Publication summary)