Four years have passed since the events of Dynamicist and Herald and war is on the horizon. 

Robert, Koria, Eloise, and Gregory went to the New School, hoping to change the world. They thought that mathematically based dynamics, the enlightened age’s answer to wizardry, would give them the power to make everything better. Their hopes were naive. 

Protestors are condemning the creation of a new vaccine. The city is seeing a series of hangings; is it murder or sacrament? The cloaked man is back stalking students. The long-absent demons Skoll and Hati reappear and begin slaughtering whoever they meet. But the real question is, will Nimrheal return? If he does, who will die first?

Uncertainty is inspiring fear, and inventions are not making the world better, only more complicated. The terrified civilians don’t want dynamics and reason. They want the word of Elysium and the return of the Methueyn Knights. 

Koria fears the world faces an awful conundrum: that if the Knights return, Nimrheal will stay.

Will Robert, Koria, Eloise, and Gregory choose to transform into angelic knights or, at the cost of such heavenly communion, instead banish Nimrheal? What price will be paid? If a new Methueyn Knight rises, will the age of invention disappear forever?

Book 3 in paperback, ebook and audiobook

knight in retrograde

⚡️Doubt, grief, and maturity now weigh upon the once-eager young science-magicians of Hunt's Dynamicist Trilogy (which opened with Dynamicist and Herald), but the thoughtful fantasy series' sprawling and ambitious final volume finds their creator telling their story with new confidence and clarity. As Robert Endicott and his cohort of dynamicists take up the ancient quest for a lost bridge and barrel toward a final showdown with Nimrheal, the demon that has turned the world against new ideas and technology, Hunt expands the scope of his saga to include a mature treatment of sex and loss. Several chapters chronicle gumshoe police work in a fantasy city so entertainingly that they could inspire their own novel.

This is the longest book of the series by far, but also as its most arresting and pleasurable. The characters seem more real now that they're no longer schoolkids, and Hunt cuts nimbly among this epic's many interwoven protagonists, quests, and mysteries.

The previous books plumbed complex ideas, with an emphasis on economics, agriculture, and the morality of the violence that fantasy films and games too often present as simple escapism. This volume adeptly balances Hunt's deeper interests with the pacing of an exciting story, and disquisitions on abstruse topics no longer slow the storytelling. The passages that probe Endicott's regrets over a fallen comrade, or that lay out the mathematical logic behind dynamicist techniques, rise compellingly from narrative and character. Rather than detract from the action, they illuminate it. This is a sterling end to a rich, concept-driven series. - Booklife Reviews (Editor's Pick)

"Strong characters face a maelstrom in this intense, intellectually rigorous fantasy series finale. This final volume of Hunt's fantasy trilogy bursts at the seams with notions of science, spirituality, and politics pertaining to the 21st-century political climate.  The unique pulse of this series remains the author's dedication to thematic sprawl and a hard-science magic system." - Kirkus Reviews Recommended Read

"This book doesn't pull any punches. It was an awesome rollercoaster of emotions, action, and serious moments." - Dab of Darkness

"A science fantasy vibe in an epic fantasy-like setting and story with amazing vocabulary, phraseology and incredible audio storytelling quality? This story offers a lot of concepts and things to keep track of, but it's not a bad thing! They're all so weird mixed together it's like they begged to be put together! I mean, they fit, they make an awesome whole and story! It's fantastic, clever, hilarious, and full of science & mathematical references (who'd have thought I'd like it? Not me!)" - Ad Librum Aeternam

“Memorable, heartbreaking, and entertaining, author Lee Hunt’s “Knight in Retrograde” is a must-read narrative and the best way to end such a powerful dark fantasy horror and magical realism series. The engaging way the author brought these characters to life both on the page and in the audiobook’s narration was well complimented by narrator Craig A. Hart really elevated the main story overall, and the haunting final chapter in this series will have readers on the edge of their seats. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!” - Author Anthony Avina’s Blog