Nicholas Valiarde is a passionate, embittered nobleman with an enigmatic past. Consumed by thoughts of vengeance, he is consoled only by thoughts of the beautiful, dangerous Madeline. He is also the greatest thief in all of Ile-Rien...
On the gas light streets of the city, he assumes the guise of a master criminal, stealing jewels from wealthy nobles to finance his quest for vengeance the murder of Count Montesq. Montesq orchestrated the wrongful execution of Nicholas's beloved godfather on false charges of necromancy--the art of divination through communion with spirits of the dead--a practice long outlawed in the kingdom of Ile-Rein.
But now Nicholas's murderous mission is being interrupted by a series of eerie, unexplainable, even fatal events. Someone with tremendous magical powers is opposing him. Children vanish, corpses assume the visage of real people, mortal spells are cast, and traces of necromantic power that hasn't been used for centuries are found. And when a spiritualist unwittingly leads Nicholas to a decrepit mansion, the monstrous nature of his peril finally emerges in harrowing detail.Nicholas and his compatriots must destroy an ancient and awesome evil. even teh help of Ile-Rien's greatest sorcerer may not be enough, for Nicholas faces a woefully mismatched battle--and unthinkable horrors await the loser.
Review
"A chillingly convincing tale that will entrap genre readers." -- --Booklist
"A fabulous read . . . A stunning achievement . . . utterly captivating". -- --SF Site
"A seamless blend of fantasy, history, magic and mystery. The kind of world that you come to believe exists, somewhere; a place you leave only reluctantly." -- Sean Russell
"A thoroughly entertaining high adventure". -- --Locus
"Charming characters, a twisty plot . . . a colorful alternate-world setting . . . thoroughly entertaining high adventure". -- --Locus
"One of the best new writers the field has to offer." -- C.J. Cherryh
"Splendid plotting and characters. . .Thoroughly engaging." -- --Kirkus Review
"The vivid setting of a gas-lit city, equal parts decadence and elegance, would eclipse lesser characters than these. Character construction and setting are so deftly interwoven with the swiftly moving plot that the prose literally swept me away. The reader should be warned in advance, it is difficult to close the covers of this book." -- Robin Cobb
About the Author
Martha Wells is the author of fourteen fantasy novels, including The Wizard Hunters , The Ships of Air,The Gate of Gods , The Element of Fire , and the Nebula-nominated The Death of the Necromancer. Her newest novel, The Cloud Roads , was published in March 2011 by Night Shade Books, and the sequel, The Serpent Sea , in January 2012. Her next fantasy novels will be The Siren Depths , to be published by Night Shade in December 2013, and Emilie and the Hollow World , to be published by Strange Chemistry Books in April 2013. She has had short stories in the magazines Black Gate , Realms of Fantasy , Lone Star Stories , and Stargate Magazine , and in the Tsunami Relief anthology Elemental. She has also written two media-tie-in novels, Stargate Atlantis: Reliquary and Stargate Atlantis: Entanglement.
Description:
Nicholas Valiarde is a passionate, embittered nobleman with an enigmatic past. Consumed by thoughts of vengeance, he is consoled only by thoughts of the beautiful, dangerous Madeline. He is also the greatest thief in all of Ile-Rien...
On the gas light streets of the city, he assumes the guise of a master criminal, stealing jewels from wealthy nobles to finance his quest for vengeance the murder of Count Montesq. Montesq orchestrated the wrongful execution of Nicholas's beloved godfather on false charges of necromancy--the art of divination through communion with spirits of the dead--a practice long outlawed in the kingdom of Ile-Rein.
But now Nicholas's murderous mission is being interrupted by a series of eerie, unexplainable, even fatal events. Someone with tremendous magical powers is opposing him. Children vanish, corpses assume the visage of real people, mortal spells are cast, and traces of necromantic power that hasn't been used for centuries are found. And when a spiritualist unwittingly leads Nicholas to a decrepit mansion, the monstrous nature of his peril finally emerges in harrowing detail.Nicholas and his compatriots must destroy an ancient and awesome evil. even teh help of Ile-Rien's greatest sorcerer may not be enough, for Nicholas faces a woefully mismatched battle--and unthinkable horrors await the loser.
Review
"A chillingly convincing tale that will entrap genre readers." -- -- Booklist
"A fabulous read . . . A stunning achievement . . . utterly captivating". -- -- SF Site
"A seamless blend of fantasy, history, magic and mystery. The kind of world that you come to believe exists, somewhere; a place you leave only reluctantly." -- Sean Russell
"A thoroughly entertaining high adventure". -- -- Locus
"Charming characters, a twisty plot . . . a colorful alternate-world setting . . . thoroughly entertaining high adventure". -- -- Locus
"One of the best new writers the field has to offer." -- C.J. Cherryh
"Splendid plotting and characters. . .Thoroughly engaging." -- -- Kirkus Review
"The vivid setting of a gas-lit city, equal parts decadence and elegance, would eclipse lesser characters than these. Character construction and setting are so deftly interwoven with the swiftly moving plot that the prose literally swept me away. The reader should be warned in advance, it is difficult to close the covers of this book." -- Robin Cobb
About the Author
Martha Wells is the author of fourteen fantasy novels, including The Wizard Hunters , The Ships of Air, The Gate of Gods , The Element of Fire , and the Nebula-nominated The Death of the Necromancer. Her newest novel, The Cloud Roads , was published in March 2011 by Night Shade Books, and the sequel, The Serpent Sea , in January 2012. Her next fantasy novels will be The Siren Depths , to be published by Night Shade in December 2013, and Emilie and the Hollow World , to be published by Strange Chemistry Books in April 2013. She has had short stories in the magazines Black Gate , Realms of Fantasy , Lone Star Stories , and Stargate Magazine , and in the Tsunami Relief anthology Elemental. She has also written two media-tie-in novels, Stargate Atlantis: Reliquary and Stargate Atlantis: Entanglement.