The fiend and the forge - Henry H. Neff

Reeling from a personal tragedy but determined to stop the demon Astaroth, 12-year-old Max McDaniel sets out from Rowan, where magic and nature flourish so long as the people do not oppose the demon, and travels through the pre-industrial nightmare Astaroth has created using the Book of Origins.

Rowan has lost the war, and while the Academy works to rebuild, outside its protected walls everything has changed.

Astaroth, using the Book of Thoth, has created a world where demons rule, chaos reigns, and humans toil like slaves .

and worse.

Outraged by Rowan's seeming complacency with the new order and reeling from personal tragedy, Max McDaniels sets out on his own for escape, for information, and for revenge.

In his travels, he will be forced to become many things: prisoner, gladiator, assassin.

But can he become the one thing mankind needs most--a hero? The Tapestry series continues to weave threads of fantasy, mythology, science fiction, and mystery into a wholly original adventure with appeal to fans of everything from Harry Potter to Lord of the Rings to The X-Men.

Genre-blending and fully illustrated, The Tapestry novels have caught the attention of middle-grade and young-adult readers alike.