It falls to Jovan and Kalina to protect the heir and save their homeland - but first they must make their way through a new world of unexpected treachery, a world where the ancient spirits are rising. But when the Chancellor succumbs to an unknown poison and an army storms the gates, the so-called Bright City is completely unprepared. Until now, peace has reigned in Silasta for hundreds of years. While other women of the city hold positions of power and responsibility, her path is full of secrets and lies - some hidden even from her own brother. His sister Kalina is too frail to share in their secret family duty. In reality, Jovan has been trained for most of his life to detect, concoct and withstand poisons in order to protect the ruling family. The quiet, forgettable friend of the Chancellor's charming, irresponsible heir. To most, he is just another son of the ruling class. Only a handful of people in Silasta know Jovan's real purpose in life.

I was seven years old the first time my uncle poisoned me.

'A compelling fantasy whodunit - imagine Agatha Christie channelled through Robin Hobb - and a page-turning coming-of-age tale' Guardian THE ACCLAIMED, AWARD-WINNING DEBUT FANTASY You can get it here.Set in a world of subterfuge, treachery and the poisoner's art, this bold and exciting debut epic fantasy introduces a remarkable new talent to the genre and is a must-read for fans, from Joe Abercrombie and Terry Brooks to Robin Hobb and Scott Lynch. A bit long, but I did find myself turning the pages enthusiastically. There's a tight intersection between palace politics and territorial politics, some impressive plot twists and just enough supernatural for it to qualify as fantasy. It's a big fantasy tale, but the story is tightly focussed on a brother and sister, where the brother is a master of poison (the poison theme is run rather well through the book) and the sister has a chronic and unspecified health problem. So the book is in the Hugo voter packet, but I already had a paper copy. “Is there anything else that can be done to secure the gate?”I originally bought this because I had ended up on the same panel as Sam Hawke at the Dublin 2019 Worldcon, and then counting the votes in the Hugo nominations in March, I was pleased to discover that she had made the final ballot for the newly renamed Astounding Award (formerly the John W. NwhyteSecond paragraph of third chapter: The great west road gate we stood before was closed for the funeral, but I had no idea what it could withstand.

Sam hawke city of lies