As the trail of the relic leads into the lawless cordon of Ten Ways, and to a man who inconveniently turns out to be dead just before Drothe is meant to kill him, Drothe realises that he might have bitten off slightly more than he can chew. And this is why, as the book opens, we find him trying to get some information about a missing relic. This keeps him busy, but not so busy that he can’t pursue a few little leads on his own. It’s his job to keep an eye on his chief Nicco’s territory: to listen out for rumours about what’s going down and who’s playing false to preempt any muscling in from the gang bosses of nearby cordons and to maintain his network of spies. Best described as historical urban fantasy, it’s a tale of deals and double-crossing, spiced with the smallest hint of magic, and it’s enormous fun.ĭrothe is an intelligencer, known in the cant of the streets as a Nose. Full of spies, crime lords, twisted emperors and swashbucklers, it takes you deep into the seething heart of the city of Ildrecca: the kind of place you might come across Locke Lamora having a drink with Don Corleone, Captain Alatriste and Sam Vimes. A brief flick through the novel convinced me it was worth a punt. It’s designed by Larry Rostant, an artist whose work is often informed by some form of historical costume, and which always catches my eye. I hadn’t heard of either the author or the series when I stumbled across this book, but I just couldn’t resist the cover.
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