Whoever set Oren Trevaine up as Lord Captain of the Mountain Guard meant him to fail. The once-formidable army is undisciplined and determined not to allow an untried lordling of the plains to command them.

The spring thaw of the snow-capped Sansford Range will bring the yearly raids from neighboring Mirdon to pillage and plunder the villages under Oren’s protection, and he needs to get his men in line before time runs out.

But when the enemy finds a pass across the frozen mountains, Oren must decide whether to let them carve a blood path to the capital… or to lead a handful of men he can’t trust to their deaths.

If you like the grimness of Joe Abercrombie’s The First Law Trilogy and the ruthlessness of Mark Lawrence’s Broken Empire, Captain of the Guard will be your next favorite read.