Wreck of the Frost Finch (Aetherium, Book 0 of 7)

Omar Bakhoum, a man with many lives and many names, leaves his vast and mysterious empire behind to join a dangerous airship expedition to the glaciers of Europa. There, he hopes to find a mythical island where he can continue his studies of the aether mist that reveals the souls of the dead to unlock the secrets of immortality.Omar Bakhoum, a man with many lives and many names, leaves his vast and mysterious empire behind to join a dangerous airship expedition to the glaciers of Europa. There, he hopes to find a mythical island where he can continue his studies of the aether mist that reveals the souls of the dead to unlock the secrets of immortality. But howling storms, rampaging beasts, and a deadly samurai stand between him and his goal. Armed only with an aetherium blade, Omar has more than a weapon, he has an army. Locked within the sword are the souls of countless warriors and scholars, each of whom lend Omar their knowledge or skills when asked... or when forced. But when Omar is accused of murder over the north sea, his quest for answers may end in a watery grave. Welcome to the world of AETHERIUM, where strange machines sail the seas and the skies, enormous prehistoric beasts roam the earth, and the restless dead whisper to the living. Similar to our own world in the sixteenth century, AETHERIUM explores a reality in which many of the megafauna did not die out, including terror birds and saber-toothed cats, and in which a devastating Ice Age continues to ravage Europe while Africa enjoys cool rains and the Sahara is no desert at all. But strangest of all may be the science of seeing, hearing, and controlling the souls of the dead using a golden metal with many names: sunsteel, orichalcum, and... AETHERIUM!