The Shadow Throne

Zusatztext Praise for the Shadow Campaigns novels : A world of dust and bayonets and muskets...and magic. S. M. Stirling! New York Times bestselling author I absolutely loved it. Taylor Anderson! National Bestselling Author of The Destroyerman Series [An] audacious and subversivemash-up of 17th-century technology and demon-summoning assassins. Publishers Weekly "One of my favorite fantasy series out right nowCertainly my favorite military fantasy."Bibliosanctum.com "This is an immensely entertaining novel.Tor.com Will hook epic fantasy fans and leave them anxiously waiting for the next book in the series. Bookworm Blues A spectacular epic fantasy. Fantasy Book Critic Informationen zum Autor Django Wexler Klappentext "An immensely entertaining novel (Tor.com) from the author of The Thousand Names... The King of the Vordan is on his deathbed. Soon his daughter, Raesinia will be the first Queen Regnant in centuriesand a target for those who seek to control her. The most dangerous is Duke Orlanko, Minister of Information, and master of the secret police. He is the most feared man in the kingdom, and he knows an arcane secret that puts Raesinia completely at his mercy. But Raesinia has found unlikely allies in the returning war hero Janus bet Vhalnich, and his loyal deputies, Captain Marcus d'Ivoire and Lieutenant Winter Ihernglass. As Marcus and Winter struggle to find their places in the home they never thought they would see again, they help Janus and Raesinia set in motion events that could shatter Orlanko's powers, but perhaps at the price of throwing the nation into chaos. But with the people suffering under the Duke's tyranny, they intend to protect the kingdom with every power they can command, earthly or otherwise. PROLOGUE THE LAST DUKE There were stories about what went on inside the Ministry of Information. The buildingdubbed the Cobwebwas innocuous enough on the outside, another example of Farus VI's fondness for marble, classical columns, and elaborately decorated facades. Inside, the stories ran, it was a place of dust and shadows, full of hidden archives, rat-infested cells, and elaborate death traps. More than one adventure serial had featured some hero rescuing his ladylove from its forgotten oubliettes. Duke Mallus Kengire Orlanko, Minister of Information and head of the Concordat, found all of this faintly offensive. In reality the Cobweb was lit by thousands of standing lamps, day and night, and a whole corps of junior servants was employed refilling oil and replacing wicks. There was no point in having the clerks ruin their eyesight trying to squint by candlelight, after all. And if one thought about it logically for a moment, it would be much harder to sneak into a brightly lit building bustling with activity than a moldering dungeon full of death traps. As for cells, there were a few, of course, but they were hardly rat-infested. Orlanko tolerated no vermin in his domain. It was yet another example of the popular taste for colorful fantasy over prosaic reality. In Orlanko's opinion, if the Vordanai as a people could be said to have a fault, it was an excess of imagination outweighing proper sense. Not that the duke was complaining. He'd become an expert at playing on that imagination over the years. His private office, at the top of the building, was a remarkably small and well-organized one. If an outsider had wandered inthough of course none were ever allowed to do sohe might have wondered where all the books and papers had gotten to. This was, after all, the heart of the Ministry of Information, the nerve center of the Concordat, the omniscient (again, in the popular imagination) secret police who knew everything about everyone. And yet here was the Last Duke himself, sitting behind a modest oak desk...

Praise for the Shadow Campaigns novels:

“A world of dust and bayonets and muskets...and magic.” —S. M. Stirling, New York Times bestselling author

“I absolutely loved it.” —Taylor Anderson, National Bestselling Author of The Destroyerman Series

“[An] audacious and subversive…mash-up of 17th-century technology and demon-summoning assassins.”—Publishers Weekly

"One of my favorite fantasy series out right now…Certainly my favorite military fantasy."—Bibliosanctum.com

"This is an immensely entertaining novel.”—Tor.com

“Will hook epic fantasy fans and leave them anxiously waiting for the next book in the series.”—Bookworm Blues

“A spectacular epic fantasy.”—Fantasy Book Critic

Auteur

Django Wexler

Texte du rabat

"An immensely entertaining novel” (Tor.com) from the author of The Thousand Names...

The King of the Vordan is on his deathbed. Soon his daughter, Raesinia will be the first Queen Regnant in centuries—and a target for those who seek to control her. The most dangerous is Duke Orlanko, Minister of Information, and master of the secret police. He is the most feared man in the kingdom, and he knows an arcane secret that puts Raesinia completely at his mercy.

But Raesinia has found unlikely allies in the returning war hero Janus bet Vhalnich, and his loyal deputies, Captain Marcus d'Ivoire and Lieutenant Winter Ihernglass. As Marcus and Winter struggle to find their places in the home they never thought they would see again, they help Janus and Raesinia set in motion events that could shatter Orlanko's powers, but perhaps at the price of throwing the nation into chaos. But with the people suffering under the Duke's tyranny, they intend to protect the kingdom with every power they can command, earthly or otherwise.

Résumé
“An immensely entertaining novel” (Tor.com) from the author of The Thousand Names...

The King of the Vordan is on his deathbed. Soon his daughter, Raesinia will be the first Queen Regnant in centuries—and a target for those who seek to control her. The most dangerous is Duke Orlanko, Minister of Information, and master of the secret police. He is the most feared man in the kingdom, and he knows an arcane secret that puts Raesinia completely at his mercy.

But Raesinia has found unlikely allies in the returning war hero Janus bet Vhalnich, and his loyal deputies, Captain Marcus d’Ivoire and Lieutenant Winter Ihernglass. As Marcus and Winter struggle to find their places in the home they never thought they would see again, they help Janus and Raesinia set in motion events that could shatter Orlanko’s powers, but perhaps at the price of throwing the nation into chaos. But with the people suffering under the Duke’s tyranny, they intend to protect the kingdom with every power they can command, earthly or otherwise.

Échantillon de lecture

PROLOGUE

THE LAST DUKE

There were stories about what went on inside the Ministry of Information. The building—dubbed “the Cobweb”—was innocuous enough on the outside, another example of Farus VI’s fondness for marble, classical columns, and elaborately decorated facades. Inside, the stories ran, it was a place of dust and shadows, full of hidden archives, rat-infested cells, and elaborate death traps. More than one adventure serial had featured some hero rescuing his ladylove from its forgotten oubliettes.

Duke Mallus Kengire Orlanko, Minister of Information and head of the Concordat, found all of this faintly offensive. In reality the Cobweb was lit by thousands of standing lamps, day and night, and a whole corps of junior servants was employed refilling oil and replacing wicks. There was no point in having the clerks ruin their eyesight trying to squint by candlelight, after all. And if one thought about it logically for a moment, it would be much harder to sneak into a brightly lit building bustling with activity than a moldering dungeon full o…