A Betrayal in Winter

Daniel Abraham delighted fantasy readers with his brilliant, original, and engaging first novel, A Shadow in Summer. Now he has produced an even more powerful sequel, a tragedy as darkly personal and violent as Shakespeare's Macbeth.

A tragedy born of one woman's demons and the unchecked aggression of an empire bent on conquest, A Betrayal in Winter chronicles with unflinching clarity the destruction of a noble family and its ultimate redemption.

As a boy, Otah Machi was exiled from his family, which rules the city-state of Machi. Decades later he has witnessed and been part of world-changing events. Yet, he has never returned to his childhood home. Now his father, the reigning Khai, is dying, and Otah's eldest brother, Biitrah, has been assassinated. Otah realizes that he must go home, for reasons not even he understands.

Tradition dictates that the sons of a dying Khai must fall upon each other until only one remains to succeed his father. But something even worse is occurring in Machi. The Galts, an expansive empire, have allied with someone in Machi to bring down the ruling house. Otah himself is caught and accused, the long-missing brother with an all-too-obvious motive for murder.

With the subtlety and wonderful storytelling skill of his first novel, Abraham has created a masterful drama filled with a unique magic, a suspenseful thriller of sexual betrayal, Machiavellian politics, and behind it all, the machinations of the ambitious, bloodthirsty Galts.

Danie Abraham, fulfilling the promise of his brilliant debut, dazzles with this mature, heartbreaking novel.

"A Betrayal in Winter is exactly the kind of book I love: dynamic characters, sharp plotting, and an original, thoughtful take on magic." – Brandon Sanderson, author of Mistborn