The Dead Empire

Description

An ambitious woman seeks to carve out a great destiny in an empire in turmoil in this rich and multi-layered sequel to Black Wolves. Marshal Dannarah devoted her life to her father's legacy of stable rule in the Hundred, only to find it betrayed by people she thought she could trust. As Captain Kellas and his rebel Black Wolves struggle to overthrow the last heirs of the palace regime she was once part of, Dannarah abandons her homeland to fight for the throne of the Sirniakan Empire.But the fates of the Hundred and the Empire are linked in a way no one, not even Dannarah and Kellas, could ever expect, when stolen magic rouses an enemy long ago left for dead.

Elliott has concocted something very special and original here, with elements to tweak sci-fi and fantasy fans of nearly any stripe -- NEW YORK JOURNAL OF BOOKS on COLD MAGIC Elliott pulls out all the stops in a wildly imaginative narrative that will ring happy bells for fans of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy -- Publishers Weekly on COLD MAGIC The concept got me shivering. . . . the characters, the mysteries, the background history, the cultural complexity, were all so intriguing I couldn't stop reading. -- Elizabeth Moon on COLD MAGIC On a vast, colorful canvas, Kate Elliott has drawn dozens of characters who act and react with poetry and grit. Lush and textured, by turns moving, exciting, playful, and contemplative, Black Wolves is a masterpiece that soars with an epic soul -- Ken Liu on BLACK WOLVES Intricate, fascinating worldbuilding, twisty political intrigue, vivid characters to love and hate - this is Kate Elliott at the top of her epic fantasy game -- Karen Miller on BLACK WOLVES Black Wolves is a sweeping tale of loyalty and betrayal, ambition and intrigue, impelled by the mysteries that lie at its heart -- Jacqueline Carey on BLACK WOLVES Sophisticated, multifaceted worldbuilding sparked by original flourishes, populated by characters we quickly come to care about . . . a stellar performance -- KIRKUS on BLACK WOLVES Characters, their relationships and motivations are intricately woven, and the sympathy one feels for each is a testament to how well they are written . . . The reader will gasp in surprise and amazement at each revelation -- RT BOOK REVIEWS on BLACK WOLVES