Funny, exciting, pacy and gory, this terrific debut promises greater things to come

"The exciting beginning of a promising new epic fantasy series. Prepare for ancient mysteries, innovative magic, and heart-pounding heists."--Brandon Sanderson Complex characters, magic that is tech and vice versa, a world bound by warring trade dynasties: Bennett will leave you in awe once you remember to breathe!--Tamora Pierce In a city that runs on industrialized magic, a secret war will be fought to overwrite reality itself--the first in a dazzling new series from City of Stairs author Robert Jackson Bennett. Sancia Grado is a thief, and a damn good one. And her latest target, a heavily guarded warehouse on Tevannes docks, is nothing her unique abilities cant handle. But unbeknownst to her, Sancias been sent to steal an artifact of unimaginable power, an object that could revolutionize the magical technology known as scriving. The Merchant Houses who control this magic--the art of using coded commands to imbue everyday objects with sentience--have already used it to transform Tevanne into a vast, remorseless capitalist machine. But if they can unlock the artifacts secrets, they will rewrite the world itself to suit their aims. Now someone in those Houses wants Sancia dead, and the artifact for themselves. And in the city of Tevanne, theres nobody with the power to stop them. To have a chance at surviving--and at stopping the deadly transformation thats under way--Sancia will have to marshal unlikely allies, learn to harness the artifacts power for herself, and undergo her own transformation, one that will turn her into something she could never have imagined.
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An eccentric detective and her long-suffering assistant untangle a web of magic, deceit, and murder in this sparkling fantasy reimagining of the classic crime novel--from the bestselling author of The Founders Trilogy.

In Daretanas greatest mansion, a high Imperial officer lies dead--killed, to all appearances, when a tree spontaneously erupted from his body. Even here at the Empires borders, where contagions abound and the blood of the Leviathans works strange magical changes, its a death both terrifying and impossible.

Assigned to investigate is Ana Dolabra, a detective whose reputation for brilliance is matched only by her eccentricities. Rumor has it that she wears a blindfold at all times--and that she can solve impossible cases without even stepping outside the walls of her home.

At her side is her new assistant, Dinios Kol. Din is an Lire la suite Fermer

NATIONAL BESTSELLER The jaw-dropping conclusion to the acclaimed Founders Trilogy, from the Hugonominated author of Its so rare to love every single book in a trilogy, to admire the aim, precision, and storytelling stamina this much.-- Sancia, Clef, and Berenice have gone up against long odds in the past. But the war theyre fighting now is one even they cant win.

This time, theyre not facing robber-baron elites or even an immortal hierophant, but an entity whose intelligence is spread over half the globe--one that uses the magic of scriving to control not just objects but human minds.

To fight it, theyve used scriving technology to transform themselves and their allies into an army--a society--unlike anything humanity has seen before. With its strength at their backs, theyve freed a handful of their enemys hosts from servitude, and even defeated some of its fearsome, reality-altering dreadnoughts.

Yet despite their efforts, their enemy marches on. Implacable. Unstoppable.

Now, as their opponent closes in on its true prize--an ancient doorway, long buried, that leads to the chambers at the center of creation itself--Sancia and her friends glimpse a last opportunity to stop this unbeatable foe. To do so, theyll have to unlock the centuries-old mystery of scrivings origins, embark on a desperate mission into the heart of their enemys power, and pull off the most daring heist theyve ever attempted.

But their adversary might have a spy in their ranks--and a last trick up its sleeve.

And to have a chance at victory, Sancia, Clef, and Berenice will have to make a sacrifice beyond anything thats come before. Lire la suite Fermer