Tower and Knife
4 primary works
Book 1
Only a forgotten prince and a girl from the grasslands can stop the Patttern Master in this 'compelling and wholly convincing fantasy' (Ben Aaronovitch, author of The Rivers of London). Written under a pseudonym by a Sunday Times bestselling author and a critically acclaimed writer, this 'riveting and intense novel' (Publishers Weekly) is perfect for fans of Mark Lawrence and Brandon Sanderson.
There is a cancer at the heart of the mighty Cerani empire: a plague that first marks its victims, then covers their skin in geometric patterns until they die in agony - or are subsumed, their bodies now in thrall to the Pattern Master. Emperor Beyon's law is that any hint of the pattern means death, before they become another puppet for the sorcerer to use for his evil ends - to see the Cerani Empire reduced to dust and whispers.
No one but his mother knows the emperor himself is infected, and so she looks to her only other living son, Prince Sarmin, locked in a tower since Beyon ascended the throne. A bride is chosen, a girl from the grasslands quite unused to the politics and intrigue of the imperial court - but she is strong-willed and determined, and she once saw a path in a pattern in the waving grasses: a path that might just save them all.
Book 1
Book 2
After a lifetime locked in his tower room, Sarmin has come into his own. He is the crowned emperor; he has wed Mesema of the horse tribes; the Pattern-Master is dead. Everything should be happy-ever-after.
But war ignites in the north, and in the palace, Sarmin’s new baby brother is seen as a threat to Mesema’s unborn child. Scheming courtiers surround the Petal Throne, and when a peace envoy is invited, their plots blossom. Sarmin has no royal assassin as proof against their treachery; no one to whom he can give the twisted Knife.
Those whom Sarmin saved from the Pattern-Master’s curse, unsure how to live without the Many, turn to Mogyrk, the god of their ancient foe, for comfort. And Sarmin has not been left alone: the remnants of the Many haunt his thoughts; he hears their voices in the darkness of his room. The worst damage left by the Pattern-Master is about to take Sarmin unawares . . .
Skyhorse Publishing, under our Night Shade and Talos imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of titles for readers interested in science fiction (space opera, time travel, hard SF, alien invasion, near-future dystopia), fantasy (grimdark, sword and sorcery, contemporary urban fantasy, steampunk, alternative history), and horror (zombies, vampires, and the occult and supernatural), and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller, a national bestseller, or a Hugo or Nebula award-winner, we are committed to publishing quality books from a diverse group of authors.
Book 3
The final part of the 'twisty and enjoyable tale' (SFX) from Mazarkis Williams, the Sunday Times bestselling author and critically acclaimed American writer: a 'compelling and wholly convincing fantasy' Ben Aaronovitch, author of The Rivers of London, a 'riveting and intense novel which will keep fans of grim fantasy entirely enthralled' Publishers Weekly, perfect for fans of Mark Lawrence and Brandon Sanderson.
The walls of Cerana are crumbling; Emperor Sarmin and his wife believed the Pattern Master dead, but what he started is spreading across the desert: a vast nothing that is swallowing everything in its path. The last mage has vanished, seeking a mysterious pattern-worker, the Mage's Tower, symbol of Cerani invincibility, is cracked, and the Yrkman armies have arrived with conquest in mind - but they will spare Sarmin's people if they will convert to the Mogryk faith.
Time is running out for Sarmin and Mesema in this gripping climax to the Tower and Knife trilogy. . .