Long ago, in the days of the first kings in the north, there were seven devils... And long ago, in the days of the first kings in the north, the seven devils, who had deceived and possessed seven of the greatest wizards of the world, were defeated and bound with the help of the Old Great Gods... And perhaps some of the devils are free in the world, and perhaps some are working to free themselves still… In a land where gods walk on the hills and goddesses rise from river, lake, and spring, the caravan-guard Holla-Sayan, escaping the bloody conquest of a lakeside town, stops to help an abandoned child and a dying dog. The girl, though, is the incarnation of Attalissa, goddess of Lissavakail, and the dog a shape-changing guardian spirit whose origins have been forgotten. Possessed and nearly driven mad by the Blackdog, Holla-Sayan flees to the desert road, taking the powerless avatar with him. Necromancy, treachery, massacres, rebellions, and gods dead or lost or mad, follow hard on the their heels. But it is Attalissa herself who may be the Blackdog’s—and Holla-Sayan’s—doom. "... Johansen's characters project believability, and her world is full of rich and vivid detail... High fantasy for lovers of mythology and of powerful beings in human form, this adult fantasy debut should appeal to fans of Robert Jordan's "Wheel of Time" series." - Library Journal , Aug. 2011 "...intelligently written and allows the reader to become a sympathetic co-traveller ... I like large books when the story is well told. The better the story, the longer I want the book to be. Blackdog was almost 600 pages long. It was much too short." - View from Valhalla, Nov. 2011 "This is a fantasy with a similar density to Steven Erikson's Malazan books, though with many fewer POVs ... It has that epic feel without bearing the cross of a million recycled tropes. Anyone who enjoyed the Malazan epic series will most likely enjoy this one as well ..." -Bookspotcentral.com, Nov. 2011 "The book is so thoroughly developed, its mythology so complete, that it often gives the impression of being a single chapter of a much larger story, a window into an actual living breathing world. A must read book for those who love high fantasy." - Elizabeth Goss, Portland Book Review K.V. Johansen is a successful author, editor, freelance journalist, and illustrator. Used Book in Good Condition