'This is true myth in the making, a drawing upon fantasy to recreate histories and legends as rich as any found within our culture' INTERZONE

Setting the scene for the pulse-pounding fourth chapter in Steven Erikson's acclaimed The Malazan Book of the Fallen . . .

In Northern Genabackis, a raiding party of tribal warriors descends from the mountains into the southern lands.

Their intention is to wreak havoc amongst the despised lowlanders, but for the one named Karsa Orlong it marks the beginning of what will prove an extraordinary destiny.

Years pass and in the aftermath of the Chain of Dogs, Tavore, the new Adjunct to the Empress, has arrived in the last remaining Malazan stronghold on Seven Cities. She is faced with a seemingly impossible task - to hone twelve thousand soldiers, but for a handful of veterans of Coltaine's legendary march mostly raw recruits, into a force capable of challenging the massed legions of the seer Sha'ik that lie in wait in the Holy Desert.

But waiting is never easy. While her warlords are locked in a power struggle that threatens the very soul of the rebellion, the Sha'ik suffers - haunted by the knowledge that her nemesis is her own flesh and blood: her sister, Tavore . . .

'Erikson's magnum opus . . . sits in pole position as the very best and most ambitious fantasy saga ever written' PAT'S FANTASY HOTLIST

'The most masterful piece of fiction I have ever read. It has single-handedly changed everything we thought we knew about fantasy literature and redefined what is possible.' SF SITE

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