Zem'Alam is a violent world. Around eighteen years old, the power which sustains life matures within a person. It is called the e'lan, and when it runs out, the person dies. One may extend their life by killing another person and stealing their e'lan.

The Keen Blade Chronicle follows the adventures of Glaive Grimstone: mercenary, friend, father. After Book 1 (Blade of a Flower), Glaive had thought his troubles were over.

He had settled into a humdrum normal life at Cleaver's Tavern. It was a place that Glaive had twice revived with sweat and blood. A place where drinks flowed, music played, stories were told, and laughs were frequently heard and had. A place he thought he could finally live comfortably.

Everything is turned upside down when he receives a letter that sends him on a journey across open seas and into foreign lands.

He encounters monsters, both of man and beast, and discovers that the world of Zem'Alam is vastly different than what he had believed his entire life.

He'll have to adapt quickly to these new truths to save his friends, his family, his country, and maybe even the entire world.