Bridge of Dreams

British Fantasy Society: Best Novel nominee (2007).

For a thousand years, the great city of Sund stood impregnable while its enemy, Maras, remained outside the walls. Then the Marasi harnessed the powers of magic. Erecting an otherworldly bridge whose foundations were rooted in sorcery, the Marasi overran the walls of Sund, and threw them down.

In the city of Maras-Sund, magic has been outlawed. Yet there are children being born with raw magical talent-and there are those who would rally behind them to rebel against their hated overlords. Issel, a young water-seller from the poorest part of the city, possesses the gift for magic. And when he is recognized for his talents, recruited, and trained in the arts, his abilities may hold the key to his people's salvation.