Like the best fantasy fiction, “Sleep of Empires” depicts a world in crisis. But as Alisteyr and Latanna struggle to right their lives and contend with a cruel family history in Waramzin, the curtain on that crisis draws back to reveal a cosmic terror found in a forbidden book. At every turn, the disturbances in everyday life point to a deeper, impersonal darkness, whether in the striving between the great families of Korvas or the corrosive street drug called Cloudblossom, unexpected magic or the transformation of bodies into monsters. As Alisteyr confronts corruption, heartbreak, and war, he finds himself drawn to this darkness—and unable to look away from it.
Description
Eloran is a world of imperious elves, fractious human realms, and the hated, skeletal kaul—with each nation poised to grasp at any advantage over the others.
When Latanna Forgrym’s despised father tries to engage her to the youngest son of a powerful, manipulative family, she forges a new path by marrying instead a man she respects but doesn’t love. A chance encounter with a pair of mercenaries leads Latanna to a lost crown, a relic of forces the world has tried desperately to forget, and gives her the means to break free from her corrupt family—but at a terrible price.
A kaul mercenary travels through the human realms with a companion of no nation, no identifiable species, and no memories—not even the memory of his own name. Latanna’s crown sets the man on the path to recovering first his name—Vorykas—and then fragments of his past. As he searches for clues to himself, his connection to the crown and the suppressed lore it represents becomes clear. When a forbidden book resurfaces, threatening to reveal the knowledge Vorykas seeks, enemy forces move to conceal the book and any hint of its contents, by whatever means necessary.
Latanna and Vorykas must unite to defend the realm and reveal the truth. But what they learn has the power to shake the world . . . and make the gods tremble.
Reviews
“The Sleep of Empires” is a grimly satisfying chiaroscuro; Annandale alternates moments of hope and despair for his beleaguered characters with the consummate skill of a master of the form. The book is that rarest of beasts—a truly gripping read.
"The Sleep of Empires” is a mesmerizing noir fantasy. Its protagonists are deftly characterized, lively, and never quite what you expect. The setting is fantastic and fresh, but eerily relevant. Let Annandale’s masterful writing draw you into the dark embrace of The Book of the Null.
The gritty and versatile style of David Annandale has struck. The grim intrigue and creeping horror that has characterized his Warhammer novels is given free rein in "The Sleep of Empires," his first novel in The Book of the Null saga. A thrilling story set in a new fantasy world from a master of epic duels and chilling terror, this novel had me eagerly reading on into the dark, lonely hours of the night. The best time for dark deeds and sinister skullduggery.
