Reaper's Gale

The Letherii Empire – driven by the corrupt and self-interested – is crumbling. Surrounded by sycophants and agents of his venal chancellor, the Emperor Rhulad Sengar descends into madness. Conspiracies abound. The imperial secret police conduct a campaign of terror against its own people. The Errant, once a farseeing god, is suddenly blind to the future. Scenting chaos, dread forces are closing in from all sides.

Against this turbulent, treacherous backdrop, a band of fugitives are trying to flee the empire. One of them, Fear Sengar, seeks the soul of Scabandari Bloodeye, for this might save his brother, the emperor. However, with them travels Scabandari’s most ancient and bitter foe: Silchas Ruin, brother of Anomander Rake. The still-fresh wounds he carries on his back were made by the blades of Scabandari; his motives are anything but certain.

And the great Edur fleet – its warriors selected from countless peoples – draws ever closer to home. Among its number are Karsa Orlong and Icarium Lifestealer – each destined to cross blades with the emperor himself. But in crossing half the world, the Tiste Edur have left behind a tide of blood. Such brutality cannot go unanswered. For some there must be a reckoning, for some this is far from over...

A brutal, harrowing tale of war, betrayal and dark, uncontrollable magic, this is epic fantasy at its most imaginative, storytelling at its most thrilling.

"I stand slack jawed in awe of The Malazan Book of the Fallen. This masterwork of imagination may be the high watermark of epic fantasy." – Glen Cook, author of The Black Company series