The Heretic series by Sarah Macklin is an exciting sword and soul epic fantasy about an empire thrown into turmoil because of its leader's fateful decree. After the death of his son, Bakari, the ruler of the Ega Empire, declares the gods do not exists and bans the empire's religion. But the people, and the gods, do not accept his decree, leading to reactions and decisions that expose long simmering rivalries and rebellions.