The Painted Man (titled The Warded Man in the US) is a fantasy novel written by American writer Peter V. Brett. It is the first part of the Demon Cycle. …

… a world plagued by the attacks of demons known as corelings, which rise from the planet’s core each night to feast upon humans. …

The ongoing attrition of these attacks have reduced humanity from an advanced state of technology to a ‘dark age’. The only defense against the corelings are wards (magical runes) that can be drawn, painted, or inscribed to form protective barriers …

As the novel progresses, the protagonists each embark upon their own “hero’s journey” in an effort to save humanity. …

As of now the series is planned to be 5 books long. …

It has been confirmed that the Demon Cycle has been optioned for film production by director Paul W. S. Anderson …

Ambitious.

I can’t really compare it to anything else I’ve read.

There are many things you could complain about in book 1. But I’ll be downloading book 2 – The Desert Spear. The main characters have got me interested. And the plot of book 2 sounds fascinating. Almost something out of Dune.