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Crusader, Book 1
He can't use magic. An ancient god just moved in anyway.
Ishmael Smith has spent his life compensating for the one thing everyone on Aerth is supposed to have: magic. Born a Void, Ishmael cannot use aether, and ordinary magic cannot function through him, so he survives with nerve, preparation, deception, and a talent for acquiring things that don't belong to him. Then someone hires him to steal an ancient statue. The job is a trap. The statue contains Marduk, an imprisoned god, and the cult behind the theft has spent generations preparing to give him a living body. To them, Ishmael's lack of magic makes him the perfect empty vessel. Their theory is catastrophically wrong. The ritual collapses, the cult loses control, and Ishmael escapes with Marduk partially bound to him. Now the cult wants its failed experiment back, Marduk wants a better body, and Ishmael would settle for getting his own life back. First, they're going to have to survive each other.