Blood and Ash is a modern day fantasy novel. The lead character, Ash, is a MIT student whose life is in a bit of a rut. He is drawn into a world he never knew existed, one in which magic is real. Two mystical factions, the Blessed and the Touched, are waging a war. The Touched, powerful dark humans, are gifted with supernatural abilities, while the Blessed have the power to channel arcane spells into reality. Ash possesses an enormous amount of latent magical power and takes to his training quickly, but must overcome his own ego if he is to succeed on his first mission. Blood and Ash is told through several seemingly separate plotlines and characters, all of which converge in a story filled with action, suspense, and adventure. "With an equal balance of action and character growth, Manuel Perez's Blood and Ash has fresh appeal in the world of fantasy realism with, hopefully, more to come." - Foreword Clarion Reviews "A hearty introduction to a world of magic and its equally enchanting inhabitants." - Kirkus Reviews "Online gaming; secret, subterranean command centers; arcane languages; exotic backdrops... all collectively give this storyline a welcome freshness." - BlueInk Reviews