Damiano

This alternate history fantasy by a Nebula Award nominee follows a young alchemists quest in Renaissance Italy under the wing of an archangel. Set against the turbulent backdrop of the Italian Renaissance, this alternate history takes place in a world where real faithbased magic exists. Our hero is Damiano Dalstrego. He is a wizards son, an alchemist, and the heir to dark magics. But he is also an innocent, a young scholar and musician befriended by the Archangel Raphael, who instructs him in the lute. To save his beloved city from war, Damiano leaves his cloistered life and sets out on a pilgrimage, seeking the aid of the powerful sorceress Saara as he must walk the narrow path between light and shadow, accompanied only by his talking dog. But his road is filled with betrayal, disillusionment, and death, and Damiano is forced to confront his dark heritage, unleashing the hellish force of his awesome powers to protect those he loves. The further volumes of this tale are Damianos Lute and Raphael.