The Boy with the Porcelain Blade (Erebus Sequence) - Hardcover

Patrick, Den

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 057513383X ISBN 13: 9780575133839

Publisher: Gollancz, 2014

Synopsis

An ornate yet dark fantasy, with echoes of Mervyn Peake, Robin Hobb and Jon Courtenay Grimwood. An original and beautifully imagined world, populated by unforgettable characters.

Lucien de Fontein has grown up different. One of the mysterious and misshapen Orfano who appear around the Kingdom of Landfall, he is a talented fighter yet constantly lonely, tormented by his deformity, and well aware that he is a mere pawn in a political game. Ruled by an insane King and the venomous Majordomo, it is a world where corruption and decay are deeply rooted - but to a degree Lucien never dreams possible when he first discovers the plight of the 'insane' women kept in the haunting Sanatoria.

Told in a continuous narrative interspersed with flashbacks we see Lucien grow up under the care of his tutors. We watch him forced through rigorous Testings, and fall in love, set against his yearning to discover where he comes from, and how his fate is tied to that of every one of the deformed Orfano in the Kingdom, and of the eerie Sanatoria itself.

About this title

Review:

- The Boy with the Porcelain Blade displays an impressive talent for character and story (We Love This Book)

If you enjoy your buckle being swashed with a healthy side order of conspiratorial plotting this could well be the book for you (The Eloquent Page)

a solid and brilliant book with a unique and engaging voice (Starburst Magazine)

The story is brimming with abductions, assassination attempts and internal politics (Lynns Books)

The Boy with the Porcelain Blade is an intriguing novel that opens like a flower to reveal all to those who choose to read it (Fantasy Book Review)

This is a rollicking tale of feuding families, vendettas, politics, deception and rivalry...The Boy with the Porcelain Blade is a rich and satisfying novel, and a surprisingly assured novel from this relatively new writer (SFF World)

a tale that left me hanging for more (Falcata Times)

Patrick manages to blend two intertwining narratives masterfully (Nerd Like You)

a strong and confident first novel with a great mix of romance, skulduggery, swashbuckling and intrigue (Geek Planet Online)

Den Patrick has offered up a bold an immersive introduction to his Landfall trilogy that deserves to duel its way onto the bookshelves of many readers (Film in Words)

Book Description:

A world of betrayals and deceit. A hero alone. A delicate sword. A thrilling new fantasy from an exciting new voice.

About this edition

• Publisher: Gollancz
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 057513383X
• ISBN 13: 9780575133839
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 336