Mazarkis Williams

There is a cancer at the heart of the mighty Cerani Empire: a plague that attacks young and old, rich and poor alike. Geometric patterns spread across the skin, until you die in agony, or become a Carrier, doing the bidding of an evil intelligence, the Pattern Master. Anyone showing the tell-tale marks is put to death; that is Emperor Beyon's law... but now the pattern is running over his arms. His body servants have been executed, he ignores his wives, but he is doomed, for soon the pattern will reach his face. While Beyon's agents scour the land for a cure, Sarmin, the Emperor's only surviving brother, awaits his bride, Mesema, a windreader from the northern plains. Unused to the Imperial Court's stifling protocols and deadly intrigues, Mesema has no one to turn to but an ageing imperial assassin, the Emperor's Knife. When Beyon's patterns are revealed and the Grand Vizier seizes the throne, the Knife spirits her to safety. As long-planned conspiracies boil over into open violence, the invincible Pattern Master appears from the deep desert. Now only three people stand in his way: a lost prince, a world-weary killer, and a young girl from the steppes who saw a path in a pattern once, among the waving grasses - a path that just might save them all.

The Emperor's Knife

Jason M. Hough

Harry Connolly

Mary Robinette Kowal

Terry Brooks

Brian McClellan

Seanan McGuire

Mark Lawrence

Anthony Ryan

Brian Staveley

Jim Butcher

Michael J. Sullivan

Kristen Britain

Rachel Caine

Joe Abercrombie

John Marco

Kat Richardson

Delilah S. Dawson

Sam Sykes

David Anthony Durham

Peter Orullian

Tim Marquitz

Not bound, as a book. Free. The new anthology from Shawn Speakman embodies that magical idea.

Tales by Masters of Fantasy

Unbound

Adrian Tchaikovsky

Shawn Speakman

Matthew Ward

Mark Alder

R. Scott Bakker

Bradley P. Beaulieu

Janny Wurts

Michael R. Fletcher

Kaaron Warren

Deborah A. Wolf

Marc Turner

Jeff Salyards

Alex Marshall

Teresa Frohock

Courtney Schafer

E. V. Morrigan

Step into the shoes of your favourite fantasy antagonists.Featuring stories by:R. Scott BakkerAdrian TchaikovskyMichael R. FletcherShawn SpeakmanTeresa FrohockKaaron WarrenCourtney SchaferMarc TurnerJeff SalyardsMazarkis WilliamsDeborah A. WolfBrian StaveleyAlex MarshallBradley P. BeaulieuMatthew WardMark AlderJanny Wurts

An Anthology of Antagonists

Evil is a Matter of Perspective

Emperor's Knife

Not bound, as a book. Free.Like Unfettered before it, the contributing writers of Unbound were allowed to submit the tales they wished fans of genre to read--without the constraints of a shackling theme. The result is magical. Twenty-three all-original stories are sure to captivate you--some will move you to tears while others will keep you turning the pages long into the night. The power of Unbound lies in its variety of tales and the voices behind them. If you are a fan of discovering new writers or reading the works of beloved authors, Unbound is for you.Return to Landover with Terry Brooks. Go to trial with Harry Dresden and Jim Butcher. Enter the Citadel and become remade with Rachel Caine. Survive a plague with John Marco and his robot companion Echo. Be painted among the stars by Mary Robinette Kowal. These tales and the others that comprise the anthology are only bound by how enchanting and enthralling they are.Unbound is filled with spectacularly wonderful stories, each one as diverse as its creator. You will be changed upon finishing it.And that is the point.

After spending most of his life in captivity, Sarmin now sits upon the Throne of Cerana. But his reign is an uneasy one. And the emperor’s own heart is torn between two very different women: Mesema, a Windreader princess, and Grada, a lowborn untouchable with whom Sarmin shares a unique bond. In times past, a royal assassin known as the Emperor’s Knife served to defend the throne from menace, but the last Knife has perished and his successor has yet to be named. Sarmin must choose his own loyal death-dealer . . . but upon whom can be he bestow the burden of the Knife-Sworn?

Knife Sworn

There is a cancer at the heart of the mighty Cerani Empire: a plague that attacks young and old, rich and poor alike. Geometric patterns spread across the skin, until you die in agony, or become a Carrier, doing the bidding of an evil intelligence, the Pattern Master. Anyone showing the tell-tale marks is put to death; that is Emperor Beyon's law...but now the pattern is running over the Emperor's own arms. His body servants have been executed, he ignores his wives, but he is doomed, for soon the pattern will reach his face. While Beyon's agents scour the land for a cure, Sarmin, the Emperor's only surviving brother, awaits his bride, Mesema, a windreader from the northern plains. Unused to the Imperial Court's stifling protocols and deadly intrigues, Mesema has no one to turn to but an aging imperial assassin, the Emperor's Knife. As long-planned conspiracies boil over into open violence, the invincible Pattern Master appears from the deep desert. Only three people stand in his way: a lost prince, a world-weary killer, and a young girl from the steppes who once saw a path in a pattern — a path that might save them all. 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 One of the Tower and Knife Trilogy

There is a cancer at the heart of the mighty Cerani Empire: a plague that marks each victim with a fragment of a greater design. Geometric patterns spread across the skin, until the victim dies in agony or becomes a Carrier, doing the bidding of an evil intelligence. The lost prince Sarmin, the emperor's only surviving brother, lies locked in a hidden room. As the pattern draws closer to the palace he is at last remembered: now he awaits a bride, Mesema, a Windreader from the northern plains. She is accustomed to riding free across the grasslands and finds the Imperial Court stifling, but she soon realizes the politicking is not a game. It is in deadly earnest. Eyul, the imperial assassin, is burdened by the atrocities he has committed. As commanded, he bears the emperor's Knife to the desert in search of a cure for the pattern-markings. As long-planned conspiracies boil over into open violence, the enemy moves towards victory. Now only three people stand in his way: a lost prince, a world-weary killer, and a young girl from the steppes who saw a path in a pattern once, among the waving grasses.

The Emperors Knife

Only a forgotten prince and a girl from the grasslands can stop the Pattern Master in this 'compelling' (Publishers Weekly starred) fantasy trilogy, perfect for fans of Mark Lawrence and Brandon Sanderson. This omnibus edition includes The Emperor's Knife, Knife-Sword and The Tower Broken. There is a cancer at the heart of the mighty Cerani empire: a plague that first marks its victims, then covers the skin in geometric patterns until they die in agony - or are subsumed, their bodies now in thrall to the Pattern Master, a sorcerer of immense power. Emperor Beyon's law is that any hint of the pattern means death, before they become another puppet for the Pattern Master to use for his own evil ends - for he will see the Cerani Empire reduced to dust and whispers. No one but his mother knows the emperor himself is infected. Now 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. 'I highly recommend this series: tight storytelling, several interesting viewpoints, complex characters' SciFi Fan Letter

The Patternmaster is bent on destroying the mighty Cerani Empire – and all that stands in the way is a forgotten prince, a world-weary killer and a naïve young woman from the steppes

The Tower and Knife Trilogy

There's a murderer loose in the Imperial Court: it could mean war in this 'twisty and enjoyable tale' (SFX) and 'wholly convincing fantasy world' says Ben Aaronovitch, bestselling author of Foxglove Summer. After years locked in a tower, Sarmin has come into his own: he has been crowned emperor, he has wed Mesema of the grasslands, and the Pattern Master is dead. Everything should be happy-ever-after. But war is threatening, Sarmin has no royal assassin and both Mesema and his mother have given birth to sons, throwing the succession into question. The last thing anyone needs is for the Yrkman peace envoy to be murdered in his bed. There are numerous possible killers, and it's up to Grada, Sarmin's trusted investigator, to follow the clues - no matter how close to the throne they lead her. Conspiracies, secret agendas and betrayals abound in this riveting sequel to The Emperor's Knife.

Tower and Knife Book II

Knife-Sworn

The Cerani Empire reaches a tipping point in the thrilling conclusion to the Tower and Knife trilogy. The world is at its breaking point. The nothing, a terrible darkness caused by the festering wounds of a god, bleeds out the very essence of all, of stone, silk—and souls. Emperor Sarmin thought he had stopped it, but it is spreading toward his city, Cerana—and he is powerless to halt the destruction. Even as Cerana fills with refugees, the Yrkmen armies arrive with conquest in mind, but they offer to spare Sarmin’s people if they will convert to the Mogyrk faith. Time is running out for Sarmin and his wife, Mesema. The Mage’s Tower is cracked; the last mage, sent to find a mysterious pattern-worker in the desert, has vanished; and Sarmin believes his kidnapped brother, Daveed, still has a part to play. The walls are crumbling around them . . . As the Tower and Knife trilogy thunders to the finish line, author Mazarkis Williams expands his masterful world-building a final time, putting the pieces in place for an explosive conclusion. 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 Three of the Tower and Knife Trilogy

The Tower Broken

Mazarkis Williams

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