Zenith: The First Book of Ascension by Dirk Strasser (
ISFDB) is the 1st in the German-born co-founder of Australia's prestigious
Aurealis (
Wikipedia) speculative fiction magazine's epic magical mountaineering high fantasy quest saga series, free courtesy of publisher Pan Macmillan Australia's Momentum imprint.
This was originally published by them
long, long ago in a galaxy far away in Australia in 1993 and has now been revived in an e-edition with some kind of newly-written wrap-up to the original duology, the 2nd of which was nominated for an Australis Award (though technically since that's from his own magazine it probably doesn't really count).
Technically, the freebie for this was apparently supposed to expire on the 19th, and it's no longer free @ either Amazon or iTunes since I checked on it last night, but if you hurry, you may still be able to pick it up at the two remaining stores where the price has not adjusted quite yet.
And this has been the selected-by-default-because-I-just-noticed-it-started-going-unfree and-thus-it-got-bumped-up-the-priority-posting-queue 3rd (non-repeat) free ebook alert thread for today.
Enjoy!
Currently free for who knows how much longer @
B&N &
Kobo (available to Canadians).
Description
Can you see the story breathing?
Imagine
A mountain so great it takes a year to travel from base to summit
A sun so powerful it drives you into madness if you look at it
An ascent so vital it determines the fate of the world
A summit so precious it holds the key to the divine
The world of the great Mountain is unstable. Giant pillars erupt from the surface and yawning chasms form unpredictably underfoot. Since the Maelir first stood on its slopes in the distant past, they have sought to still its anger and control its power. Each year, twin brothers are chosen to make a perilous journey to the summit. If they survive they will be witness to Zenith, and the secrets will be revealed to them.
When Atreu and Teyth embark on their Ascent, their Talismans lead them onto conflicting paths that will ultimately set brother against brother. And this time the Ascent itself is in peril as unknown forces that have long craved the power of Zenith will stop at nothing to make it their own … even if it means destroying the very thing that sustains all life – the Mountain itself.