C. M. Caplan

You never want to ruin a really good dramatic exit. When you flee home on a cyborg horse the exact second you turn eighteen, you don't really expect to go back to the place you fled from, you know? But sometimes your old life hits you from behind. Sometimes you spend years away from home, killing dangerous people who had the bad luck to get infected by a lungful of ghostfog, only to find out that your dad, the king, is dead, and now your siblings are ordering you back home for a high stakes family reunion. But when you've got four heirs who are all the same age, the line of succession tends to get a wee bit murky. So in order to regain your independence, you've got to navigate a deadly web of intrigue, where every sibling wants your allegiance, and any decision might tear your country-and your family-apart. Gideon the Ninth meets Realm of the Elderlings in this post-apocalyptic science fantasy featuring court intrigue, thyroid-powered swords, and cyborg horses!

The Fall is All There Is

Fall Is All There Is

The Sword in the Street

The Diplomacy of the Knife

Trial by battle is a holy rite on Hillside. Hired blades bleed their foes in savage duels, settling everything from petty grievances to the corporate laws that keep their citizens in line. Embroiled in these cutthroat political games is John Chronicle, an impoverished swordsman with no better prospects, seeking the duel that will free him from the Dregs. Meanwhile, John's boyfriend Edwin, an autistic university student, befriends a fellow scholar who claims to study the arcane art of thaumaturgy. When she offers to teach Edwin this subtle magic, he hopes that he can use it to bolster John's skill with a blade. But thaumaturgy is a dangerous magic, and the forces that drive it have other plans. The couple soon find themselves entangled in the web of intrigue surrounding the swordsmen and their sponsors, and they're forced to question how bloody they're willing to get to escape poverty - and they don't come away with the same answer. "A remarkably human and complex fantasy novel, The Sword in the Street draws you in with its evocative atmosphere and keeps you reading with its superb storytelling and characters you come to genuinely care about." -Jonathan Oliver, British Fantasy Award winner "Gritty and sweet... as much about the relationships as it is about the action. It's a sword-filled story of desperation and hope, and a man fighting for his passion - and his love." -Kate Coe, Writing&Coe

C. M. Caplan

About

Books

Join the club