Hawkwoods Voyage by Paul Kearney

This book was excellent although in the beginning the book is a bit confusing and there is too much switching between charechters to get a feel for any charechter in the beginning. As the story progresses though you will find yourself captivated, a war so vivid you can hear the clash of battle and the screams of men dying.
This is for the adult reader,the sex is very vivid and nasty and so are the battles. I am very picky with who I read, I can not stand dribble such as terry goodkind or even tolkien with its detailed descriptions of nothing that does anything to progress the plot. Luckily this book is exciting the whole way through with charechters who are flawed and actually have faults just like anyone else.
Religion is corrupt and the magic is well thought out in this book, for a reader looking for a more adult take on fantasy this is the book for you and don't give up on it easily keep reading it will not dissapoint you....also look for herectic kings the second novel in this series it was even better than the last and I can't wait to read the third.

This author has been released in the UK and Australasia, although I think not in the USA of yet (A great pity for them!)

The series is set in a mediaeval time with parallels to real history, along with a hodge-podge of magic, religions, and a sense of great history. It is a story of two great religions....those who worship Ramusio (parallels the Western world of Earth) and those who worship the Prophet (parallels the Islamic world) who dwell on a great eastern continent. The great city that marked the westernmost kingdom of the Ramusians has fallen after hundreds of years of warfare and the eastern armies are held back only at a great defensive dike. However, the western kingdoms are in turmoil and not willing to face the outer threat. The leader of the 'church' fell in the great city and powerhungry fundamentalist clerics have seized power. Secular authorities (kings) are barely able to withstand the political battles for control of their kingdoms by the church. Workers of magic are also persecuted and harried by the church.
Into all this, add a dimension of lycanthropy (werewolves) and a mysterious continent that is alluded to in only one remaining record. There are several tales within the book: the search for the lost continent, the last surviving defender of the armies of the great city, the capture (and all that went with it) of his beloved wife and her fate, the travails of a King who seeks to retain his throne, the power hungry dealings of the top cleric, and the greed and power of the leader of the eastern continent.

The first two books of this series were surprisingly good and convey a great sense of history while the story unfolds. Some of the material is probably not for the younger reader, however.
The closest comparison I can make is a combination of George Martin and Katherine Kerr but with elements all his own.