The Knave of Secrets
by Alex Livingston
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Pub Date Jun 07 2022 | Archive Date May 31 2022
Rebellion | Solaris
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Description
A twisty tale of magicians, con artists and card games, where secrets are traded and gambled like coin, for fans of The Lies of Locke Lamora andThe Mask of Mirrors.
Never stake more than you can afford to lose.
When failed magician turned cardsharp Valen Quinol is given the chance to play in the Forbearance Game—the invitation-only tournament where players gamble with secrets—he can’t resist. Or refuse, for that matter, according to the petty gangster sponsoring his seat at the table. Valen beats the man he was sent to play, and wins the most valuable secret ever staked in the history of the tournament.
Now Valen and his motley crew are being hunted by thieves, gangsters, spies and wizards, all with their own reasons for wanting what’s in that envelope. It’s a game of nations where Valen doesn’t know all the rules or who all the players are, and can’t see all the moves. But he does know if the secret falls into the wrong hands, it could plunge the whole world into war…
Advance Praise
“A fantastic foray into a cutthroat world where Casino Royale meets Games of Thrones.” -- Mark de Jager
“A rollicking great adventure, written with verve and humour, and populated with scoundrels you’d love to go drinking with, but would never, ever, challenge to a game of cards.” -- George Mann
“An immersive story of living on the edge, playing the odds, going for the highest stakes and taking the direst of consequences – there’s no part of Alex Livingston’s fascinating fantasy world that doesn’t turn on the deadly combination of skill and chance. Fresh, fun and thoroughly enjoyable.” -- Justina Robson
Marketing Plan
Solaris Lead title for Summer 2022
Solaris Lead title for Summer 2022
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781786186072 |
| PRICE | $24.99 (USD) |
| PAGES | 400 |
Featured Reviews
Agathe C, Reviewer
4.25 stars
(ARC from Netgalley)
I really enjoyed this book! The writing keeps you hooked and the story and word-building are really interesting and that I haven't really read about before.
It is a unique world with gambling crooked thiefs who get entangled in a situation bigger than themselves as a secret involving the magicians of this world gets out.
I want to read more about this story as I am still a little lost with all the complex characters and different political intrigue. The end also lets you wanting more and is open for a second book, which I would gladly read!
Thank you to the publishers for this ARC !
Alexandra O, Reviewer
"A criminal is always well-versed in the precise details of the law she breaks".
If I was asked to describe this book with one word I'd use "clever". Multi-layered story, the vocabulary, plot twists, the importance of details - everything feels well-structured, thought-through, wise and clever to extremity. Experience and language give a strong impression that "The Knave of Secrets" is not the author's first big novel, although I haven't found any other complete works by Alex Livingston. At first I had some difficulties with the complicity of the phrases, but I soon got used to the language (I'm not a native English-speaker, so this comment shouldn't matter much).
The title suits the story very much, I think it is a great choice. I also like how the cover reflects the events and atmosphere of the book, the colours remind us about the more archaic times where the story might take place. The design caught my attention at once.
Throughout the book we come across a lot of great remarks on many subjects, I found myself surprised at how I'd never given thought to certain things which are so clearly and wittily described here.
"...Jaq fought like a sailor. That was not to say that sailors have some particular style of fisticuffs <...>. Rather, Jaq fought as if a whole crew of shipmates would soon be by to pull him out of the worst of it, and that he wouldn't be back to this port for months if ever".
"Doubt was for a quiet room, a scrying bowl, and a complicated question, not for a scrap of terror in dark city streets".
The deeper in the story I dove the more epic it felt. Even though I still find the magic system in this world a bit unclear, hopefully there will be sequels and more adventures to explain it all in more details.
I want to wish all the luck to this book and its smart author! I hope "The Knave of Secrets" gains all the attention, hype and credit it deserves!
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the team behind this release for giving me the opportunity to read and review "The Knave of Secrets" by Alex Livingston. #TheKnaveofSecrets #NetGalley
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