An atmospheric and intrigue-filled novel of dead gods, buried histories, and a mysterious, protean city—from one of America's most acclaimed young science fiction writers.
The city of Bulikov once wielded the powers of the gods to conquer the world, enslaving and brutalizing millions—until its divine protectors were killed. Now Bulikov has become just another colonial outpost of the world's new geopolitical power, but the surreal landscape of the city itself—first shaped, now shattered, by the thousands of miracles its guardians once worked upon it—stands as a constant, haunting reminder of its former supremacy.
Into this broken city steps Shara Thivani. Officially, the unassuming young woman is just another junior diplomat sent by Bulikov's oppressors. Unofficially, she is one of her country's most accomplished spies, dispatched to catch a murderer. But as Shara pursues the killer, she starts to suspect that the beings who ruled this terrible place may not be as dead as they seem—and that Bulikov's cruel reign may not yet be over.
ROBERT JACKSON BENNETT is the author of American Elsewhere, The Troupe, The Company Man, and Mr. Shivers. His books have been awarded the Edgar Award, the Shirley Jackson, and the Philip K. Dick Citation of Excellence. He lives in Austin with his wife and son.
Read an Excerpt
And Olvos said to them: “Why have you done this, my children? Why is the sky wreathed with smoke? Why have you made war in far places, and shed blood in strange lands?” (Continues…)
Across five published novels, Robert Jackson Bennett has made it a point to never write the same book twice. His debut, Mr. Shivers, won the 2010 Shirley Jackson Award for best horror novel. A year later, The Company Man picked up the Philip K. Dick Award for best sci-fi novel and the Edgar Award for […]
We’re launching a new feature: a monthly roundup chronicling the best books our stable of bloggers has read over the previous month. Old or new, it doesn’t matter—these are the ones that will stick with us.
It’s a busy time for SF/F fans. Between the tsunami of superhero movies and TV shows, the revival of old-school classics like Twin Peaks and The X-Files, and the infinite supply of fantastic books hitting the shelves (physical and digital) every week, we’re living through a Golden Age of speculative fiction. But there’s an unfortunate side […]
As if from the head of Zeus, Wesley Chu sprung forth fully formed onto the genre scene in 2013 with the release of his debut novel The Lives of Tao, and it’s hard to believe it’s only been two years. He’s a convention mainstay, a non-stop tweeter, and he’s just released his third book, The Rebirths […]
Golden Princess: A Novel of The Change, by S.M. Stirling Stirling has now written 11 novels in the Emberverse, his sci-fi/fantasy mashup series that explores an alternate timeline in which a mysterious event in 1998 caused all electricity, gunpowder, and advanced machinery to simply stop working, leaving the U.S. as we know it in shambles. The books focus […]
