Traitor's Blade

Synopsis

Falcio had it all: serving as a beacon of justice for the people, two best friends and brothers in arms, fantastic skill with a sword, and a King set on righting the wrong in the world—until it all came crashing down one day.

After the King’s untimely demise, Tristia is on the verge of collapse as each Ducal house vies for supremacy. As chaos descends upon the land, Falcio and the rest of the King’s magistrates, also known as the Greatcoats, are forced to disband and are labeled traitors by the Dukes.

All Falcio has left are his two best friends, Brasti and Kent, the ridicule of the people he once protected, and a mysterious mission left by his beloved King. With his mission as his only solace, Falcio is willing to do anything to see it through—even if it means reuniting the Greatcoats and taking the Dukes head-on.

Says de Castell of the experience of writing TRAITOR’S BLADE, which has already drawn numerous rave reviews from bestselling authors and media outlets months before publication:

“I think that, as with most writers, every experience becomes a tool you can use in your storytelling. My degree is in archaeology and that inspired me to want to show Falcio’s own buried history inside Traitor’s Blade - so that events in the present are informed by the little pieces of evidence from his past.

The fight scenes are inspired in part by my experience as a sword choreographer for the theatre. Those jobs taught me that every fight has to be a story in and of itself, and every moment within the fight needs to be as specific to the character as their lines of dialogue.”

Sebastien de Castell has created a spectacular tale of hope, betrayal, love, and loss that keeps the reader on edge till the very last chapter… because in Tristia every noble is a tyrant, every knight is a thug, and the only thing you can really trust is a traitor’s blade.

Excerpted from Chapter 3 of Traitor’s Blade

By Sebastien de Castell

The fall from the second-floor window of the inn played against my strength. Kest was inhumanly coordinated; he could probably fall from the top of a tower without hurting himself. Brasti was unbelievably lucky and managed to hit a wide awning above the rear entrance. He slid down to the cobblestone courtyard. I was neither agile nor lucky, so I just kind of fell. Hard.

As I rose to my feet I saw eight men arrayed in front of us, all armed with pikes. I hate pikes almost as much as I hate magic. Twelve feet long with a sturdy wooden shaft and a wicked iron spearhead, properly grounded, a pike had enough stopping power to take down a Knight charging in on an armored warhorse. At the same time, it was a simple enough weapon that even an amateur could wield it effectively in battle. And the more men you had with pikes, the easier it was to take out a group of swordsmen, regardless of their skill.

About Jo Fletcher Books and Quercus

JO FLETCHER BOOKS, an imprint of Quercus Publishing, is quickly becoming a respected leader in the fields of science fiction, fantasy and horror. Jo Fletcher’s illustrious career has seen her work with authors including Sir Terry Pratchett, the late Sir Arthur C. Clarke, Charlaine Harris, Joe Hill, and Neil Gaiman.

Quercus Publishing, Inc. is a division of Quercus Publishing Plc—an international trade publisher with offices in London and New York. It specializes in commercial fiction, non-fiction and children’s publishing in digital and print formats and incorporates the prestigious Quercus, MacLehose Press, Jo Fletcher Books and Heron Books imprints.