Politics can be hell. Politics in the Great Pit can be outright deadly. Throw in an exiled Ice Devil, a forgotten Azata, and some of the most dangerous Infernals to have survived the Great Reckoning, and you have a sure recipe for Hell. A prequel and a sequel of Hearts of Ice.

Heroes, kings, dragons, empires, and even gods have been undone by the words. What can a orphaned girl, a pair of guards, a ventriloquist and a bad singer do against such evil?

McKinly has killed goblins, orcs, giants, and even dragons, but he can't get any respect.