L'Anti-Magicien, 2: L'Ombre au noir

'Brilliant and vivid world-building . . . riveting' CHAD STAHELSKI, director of John Wick'A masterful blend of Sebastien de Castell's unique brand of wry humour, elegant prose, and wonderfully imaginative worldbuilding. I devoured this book and loved every page' NICK EAMES, bestselling author of Kings of the WyldeFrom the bestselling author of THE GREATCOATS: seven war mages with dark pasts must come together to fight an unknown enemy - but the stakes are higher than anyone can imagine . . . and someone's setting the seven up for a fall.Picture a wizard. Go ahead, close your eyes. There he is, see? Skinny old guy with a long straggly beard. The hat's a must, too, right? Big, floppy thing. Wouldn't want a simple steel helmet or something that might, you know, protect the part of him most needed for conjuring magical forces from being bashed in with a mace (or pretty much any household object).Yep. Behold the mighty wizard.Now open your eyes and let me show you what a real war mage looks like . . . but be warned: you're probably not going to like it, because we're violent, angry, dangerously broken people who sell our skills to the highest bidder and be damned to any moral or ethical considerations.My name is Cade Ombra, and though I currently make my living as a mercenary wonderist, I used to have a far more noble-sounding job title - until I discovered the people I worked for weren't quite as noble as I'd believed. Now I'm on the run and my only friend, a homicidal thunder mage, has invited me to join him on a suicide mission against the seven deadliest mages on the continent.Time to recruit some very bad people to help us on this job . . . Readers love The Malevolent Seven! 'I absolutely loved this book. Immediately engaging characters and great world building - the story runs along at a breakneck pace and is gripping from start to finish' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ reader review'Sassy and humourous . . . Sebastien makes characters that make you feel like you know them' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ reader review'Really inventive and satisfying fun fantasy' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ reader review'I honestly had so much fun reading this . . . easily one of my favorite reads of the year' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ reader review'Well-written, intriguing, and highly entertaining!' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ reader review'Never felt so good routing for the bad guys' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ reader review

'A spirited swashbuckling fantasy about family, revenge and the price of justice' - Silvia Moreno-Garcia, author of Mexican GothicTwo sisters: divided by tragedy, united by steel. The incredible new novel in the Court of Shadows series by the bestselling author of TRAITOR'S BLADE and THE MALEVOLENT SEVEN!Blood Week may have been banned in Rijou, but the streets still run red - and now murder is being sanctioned by the courts. Only a reckless fool would believe they can beat the system. But then, the Greatcoats have always been more than a little reckless . . .Rijou's notorious Court of Blades is as corrupt as it is cutthroat, destroying lives with impunity. Now the city's all-powerful Ascendant Houses have started buying and selling verdicts to enslave and even execute those who oppose them.Into this depraved world of licensed death comes a mysterious duellist who dares to foil the intrigues of the city's elite. They call her Lady Consequence, but years ago she had a different name, until her family was slaughtered and she was consigned to the hellish prison known as the House of Tears.Lady Consequence means to rescue her idealistic younger brother, restore their House and wreak vengeance upon those who betrayed them. But a far more dangerous game is unfolding in the shadows, one which threatens the freedom of the entire nation.

The third utterly compelling fantasy adventure in the ARGOSI trilogy, exploring the origins of the SPELLSLINGER series to enrapture devotees and newcomers alike.<BR><BR>While liberating a notorious thief from prison, Ferius Parfax encounters an inmate named Chedran, one of the last living members of her people, the Mahdek. Chedran is leading a group of young Mahdek who are determined to make a future for their people and Ferius agrees to help them find a place where they can live free from persecution.<BR><BR>Meanwhile, having repaid her debt to the thief, Ferius finds her feelings towards Arissa becoming more complicated as she decides what debt she owes the society into which she was born.

THE ALCHEMIST meets THE THREE MUSKETEERS- with card tricks. A brilliant origin story of adventure, wit and philosophy to enrapture devotees as well as newcomers to the SPELLSLINGER series.<BR><BR>Ferius Parfax has a simple plan: kill every last inhabitant of the spell-gifted nation that destroyed her people, starting with the man who murdered her parents. Killing mages is a difficult and dangerous business, of course, but when she meets the inimitable and extraordinary Durrall Brown she discovers that physical strength is not the only way to defeat evil of all kinds.<BR><BR>So Ferius undertakes to study the ways of the Argosi: the loosely-knit tribe of tricksters known for getting the better of even the most powerful of spellcasters. But the Argosi have a price for their teachings, and by the time Ferius learns what it is, it may be too late.<BR><BR>Perfect for fans of The Dark Tower, Firefly, Guardians of the Galaxy, Terry Pratchett, Ben Aaronovitch and Jim Butcher.

A brilliant story of adventure, wit and philosophy from the origins of the SPELLSLINGER series to enrapture devotees as well as newcomers alike.<BR><BR>New to the ways of the Argosi, the tribe of wandering philosophers who seek to defeat evil by wit and guile, Ferius Parfax encounters a hideous plague - the Red Scream. Highly contagious, caught by the hearing of a deadly verse, it turns its victims into mindless monsters that destroy all human life they come into contact with. With the help of a deaf boy whom she has saved from two horrifying victims of the plague, she sets out to find the source of the Red Scream and overcome it's terrifying power. Along the way she is joined by another Argosi, Rosie, who purports to be so much wiser and more adept than Ferius, but who turns out to have her own dark secrets. <BR>Peopled with extraordinary characters and gut-wrenching drama, Ferius's story teaches her hard lessons about the limits of the Argosi's ways. Readers will delight not just in this amazing masterclass in plot pacing and narrative drive, but in the seemingly bottomless well of wit, thought and wisdom that the story brings up and that has changed lives down the ages. It takes the reader on a journey like no other.

Swordplay, magic, intrigue and friendships stronger than iron: the first book in a new swashbuckling fantasy series by the bestselling author of The Greatcoats.<BR>Damelas Shademantaigne picked a poor night to flee a judicial duel.<BR>He has precious little hope of escaping the wrath of Vixen, the most feared duelist in the entire city, until he stumbles through the stage doors of the magnificent Operato Belleza and tricks his way into the company of actors. An archaic law provides temporary respite from his troubles--until one night a ghostly voice in his head causes Damelas to fumble his lines, inadvertently blurting out the dreadful truth: the city's most legendary hero may actually be a traitor and a brutal murderer.<BR>With only the help of his boisterous and lusty friend Bereto, a beautiful assassin whose target may well be Damelas himself, and a company of misfit actor who'd just as soon see him dead, this failed son of two Greatcoats must somehow find the courage within himself to dig up long-buried truths before a ruthless band of bravos known as the Iron Orchids comes for his head.<BR>Oh, and there's the that matter of the Vixen waiting to duel him...

The third utterly compelling fantasy adventure in the ARGOSI trilogy, exploring the origins of the SPELLSLINGER series to enrapture devotees as well as newcomers alike.<BR><BR>While liberating a notorious thief from prison, Ferius Parfax encounters an inmate named Chedran, one of the last living members of her people, the Mahdek. Chedran is leading a group of young Mahdek who are determined to make a future for their people and Ferius agrees to help them find a place where they can live free from persecution.<BR><BR>Meanwhile, having repaid her debt to the thief, Ferius finds her feelings towards Arissa becoming more complicated as she decides what debt she owes the society into which she was born.

Would you - could you? - uphold the law at the cost of those you love?Falcio val Mond, First Cantor of the Greatcoats, is on the brink of fulfilling his dead King's dream: Aline is about to take the throne and restore the rule of law once and for all.'I will cherish this amazing quartet for as long as I live' Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐But for the Greatcoats, nothing is ever that simple. In neighbouring Avares, an enigmatic new warlord is uniting the barbarian armies and even worse, he is rumoured to have a new ally: Falcio's old nemesis Trin. With the armies of Avares at her back, she'll be unstoppable.'This is the best book of the series' Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Falcio, Kest and Brasti go racing north to stop her, but in those cold, treacherous climes they discover something altogether different - and far more dangerous: a new player plans to take the throne of Tristia, and the Greatcoats, for all their determination and skill, may not be able to stop him.'Sebastien de Castell is among my favorites authors; his Greatcoats series listed among my most beloved fantasy series ever, resting proudly next to those of Tolkien, Donaldson, and many more' Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐