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Synopses & Reviews
There is no escaping the Empire.
Even in death, you will serve.
In an Empire run on necromancy, dead sorcerers are the lifeblood. Their corpses are wrapped in chains and drained of magic to feed the unquenchable hunger for imperial conquest.
Born with magic, Arienne has become resigned to her dark fate. But when the voice of a long-dead sorcerer begins to speak inside her head, she listens. There may be another future for her, if she’s willing to fight for it.
Miles away, beneath a volcano, a seven-eyed dragon also wears the Empire’s chains. Before the imperial fist closed around their lands, it was the people’s sacred guardian.
Loran, a widowed swordswoman, is the first to kneel before the dragon in decades. She comes with a desperate plea, and will leave with a sword of dragon-fang in hand and a great purpose before her.
In the heart of the Imperial capital, Cain is known as a man who gets things done. When his best friend and mentor is found murdered, he will leave no stone unturned to find those responsible, even if it means starting a war.
Review
"Thrilling, inventive, and fierce—a tale of chained magic and giant mechs, of malevolent empire and those who stand against it. Not to be missed."—Max Gladstone, New York Times bestselling co-author of This Is How You Lose the Time War
"Epic underdog fantasy in which choice outweighs destiny. . . Readers seeking an exciting new fantasy world to sink into will find this hits the spot."—Publishers Weekly
"A woman's burning quest for vengeance and power leads to a thrilling magic-filled adventure. Absolutely captivating."—K.S. Villoso, author of The Wolf of Oren-Yaro
About the Author
SUNG-IL KIM was born in Seoul in 1974. Despite his lifelong dream of writing fiction, he only got around to it in his forties. He writes science fiction, fantasy, Lovecraftian horror, or some blend of those. In South Korea, he is known for Star of Mercia, I Will Go to Earth to See You, and “The Knight of La Mancha,” the last of which earned him an Excellence Award in SF Awards 2018. He spends most of his time in his downtown Seoul apartment, with his wife and two cats.
ANTON HUR is the author of Toward Eternity. He has translated several books including Bora Chung's Cursed Bunny, which was nominated for both the International Booker Prize and the National Book Award for Translated Literature. He lives in Seoul.