How does a world equipped with bows, arrows and catapults, where steam power is just beginning to replace horses and sailing ships, avert conquest from beyond the stars? Prince Regilius has been engineered to combat the Dalthin, a predatory alien species that enslaves worlds telepathically, and to do so he must unite his people. But when his mother murders his father, the land descends into chaos and his task may prove impossible. Faced with slaying the one who gave him life in order to protect his world, he seeks a better way. Set in a vast and varied land where telepaths and those with unusual metal abilities tip the course of events, Awakening goes to the heart of family, friendship and betrayal.