Crucible of Chaos
A Novel of the Court of Shadows
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Quercus Publishing
Published:7th Dec '23
Should be back in stock very soon
A mortally wounded magistrate faces his deadliest trial inside an ancient abbey where the monks are going mad and the gods themselves may be to blame!
Estevar Borros, one of the legendary sword-fighting magistrates known as the Greatcoats and the king's personal investigator of the supernatural, is no stranger to tales of ghosts and demons. When the fractious monks of the abbey rumoured to be the birthplace of the gods begin warring over claims of a new pantheon arising, the frantic abbot summons him to settle the dispute.
But Estevar has his own problems: a near-fatal sword wound from his last judicial duel, a sworn knight who claims he has proof the monks are consorting with demons, a diabolical inquisitor with no love for the Greatcoats, and a mysterious young woman claiming to be Estevar's ally but who may well be his deadliest enemy.
Armed only with his famed investigative talents, his faltering skill with a blade and Imperious, his ornery mule, Estevar must root out the source of the madness lurking inside the once-sacred walls of Isola Sombra before its chaos spreads to the country he's sworn to protect.
Investigate alongside Estevar and the most heroic mule ever to appear in print in this thrilling swashbuckling fantasy mystery by Sebastien de Castell, author of the Internationally acclaimed Greatcoats and Spellslinger series!
Crucible of Chaos may be read as a stand-alone fantasy novel and as a prelude to Play of Shadows, the first official novel in the Court of Shadows series!
Brilliant and vivid world-building . .. riveting * Chad Stahelski, director of John Wick on THE MALEVOLENT SEVEN *
The best book I've read in 2024 . . . if you like fantasy novels with a historical feel, an intricate mystery, and strong supernatural elements, you will love this * Joseph Finley, author of ENOCH'S DEVICE *
Think Agatha Christie, but with dark fantasy elements . . . De Castell does a brilliant job of writing a piece of classic feeling crime fiction within a fantasy setting * SFBook Reviews *
Extensive world building, [an] awesome magic system, and riveting action * FanFiAddict *
The author's prose, both beautiful and captivating, kept me enthralled throughout . . . This dark fantasy tale takes you on a journey of truth-seeking, filled with witty remarks, magic, action sequences, and even a touch of magic . . . If you're a fan of Richard Swan's Empire of the Wolf series, I would highly recommend giving this one a try * Before We Go Blog *
Right off the bat, this mystery is juicy. The suspects are interesting, the clues are bizarre, the setting is terrifying, and the twists are twisty . . . I had fun the entire way through * The Quill to Live *
Sebastien's handing of the plot is masterful . . . dark, complex, intelligent and detailed, Crucible of Chaos is a Fantasy novel that is a cut above the usual * SF2 Concatenation *
An interesting tale full of political intrigue, betrayal and some magical shenanigans * Books of My Heart *
Really good fantasy * Amazing Stories *
Swashbuckling, dark magic, and a mule. I was hooked from page one * Miles Cameron, author of The Red Knight *
ISBN: 9781529437003
Dimensions: 236mm x 162mm x 36mm
Weight: 560g
336 pages