The Hanged Man

by K. D. Edwards

Overview

Rune Saint John, heir to the fallen Sun Court, finds clues to his Companion Brand’s past on a mission into the ruins of his family estate. But while he’s still agonizing over whether to tell Brand, a more pressing matter arises.

Rune’s ward, Max, is nearly kidnapped by the Hanged Man, who has asserted a marriage claim on the young man. Rune isn’t about to lose Max to the Hanged Man and his court, the Gallows, which is known to have unhealthy interests in necromancy and mutilation magics. Urgency will lead Rune and Brand to the family of an old servant, whose own son has fallen into the Hanged Man’s orbit. In going to her aid, Rune may find a way to free both young men, but only if he’s willing to gamble everything on a decision that will change his life forever.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781633884922
Publisher:	Pyr
Publication date:	12/17/2019
Series:	The Tarot Sequence , #2
Pages:	387
Sales rank:	148,667
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

K.D. Edwards is the author of The Last Sun, book one of the Tarot Sequence. He lives and writes in North Carolina, but has spent time in Massachusetts, Maine, Colorado, New Hampshire, Montana, and Washington State. (Common theme until NC: Snow. So, so much snow.) Mercifully short careers in food service, interactive television, corporate banking, retail management, and bariatric furniture have led to a much less short career in higher education, currently for the University of North Carolina System.

Editorial Reviews

10/28/2019

Edwards skillfully blends rigorous characterization with political intrigue, action, and haunting worldbuilding in the exciting follow-up to 2018’s The Last Sun. The remnants of the Atlantean peoples have settled on the island formerly known as Nantucket after a devastating war with humanity. Rune St. John, reluctant heir to the Sun Throne, a fallen noble house, must protect his ward, Max, when the vicious Hanged Man attempts to claim him in marriage. Breaking Max from the Hanged Man’s claim will require complex political maneuvering and magical battles. In the process, Rune and his allies—including Brandon St. John, who is linked to Rune by a magic bond, and Rune’s boyfriend, Addam—discover the true depths of the Hanged Man’s perversions. To survive the conflict, Rune must embrace the true power of his family legacy. Edwards conjures a believably dangerous setting filled with tarot imagery and supernatural menaces. The strength of the story rests in the characters’ emotional bonds; Rune’s bromance with Brandon is just as strong as his romance with Addam. Series fans and new readers alike will be hooked. Agent: Sara Megibow, KT Literary. (Dec)

Publishers Weekly

"Edwards is able to masterfully interweave these plot points into the fabric of the larger narrative in a way that makes it one of the most compelling novels I’ve recently read."

Prismatica Magazine

K.D. Edwards raises the bar for fantasy to incredible heights with The Hanged Man, a story full of life, thrills, and deep compassion, set within a world so utterly convincing and fabulous, it took my breath away. I will read everything Edwards writes.

Julie E. Czerneda

I devoured this book in under a day. This book just set the new standard for fantasy fiction, and the bar is now set so high you can't see it from the ground.

Every Book a Doorway

Edwards takes a startling debut and plunges us headfirst into an even better sequel. All of our favorite characters are back, but now they're evolving to face an even darker threat. The story is fueled by political intrigue, devastating consequences, and fascinating magic. So much for the supposed sophomore slump; Edwards is here to stay.

Scott Reintgen

KD Edwards plays to his audience in the best possible ways, crafting a fun, engaging narrative that will tug on your heartstrings.

Black Forest Basilisks

This book takes everything you loved about The Last Sun and takes it up a level. And another. And another. And then just when you think, 'Well, that has to be the peak,' it smiles and takes you up into another building stacked on top of this one. Because the last 1/3 of the book? F*cking brace yourselves.

Pages Below the Vaulted Sky - Kathy Shin

It fulfilled every promise made by The Last Sun and set the entire series into an even more exciting direction.

Fantasy Inn

K.D. Edward’s The Hanged Man is imaginative, vivid, and quite hard to put down when one needs to complete chores or other of life’s necessities.

FanGirl Nation

A thrilling and satisfying follow-up to The Last Sun, The Hanged Man proves that K.D. Edwards is the real deal. The story shines with unique and complex world-building, stellar writing, and a fast-paced plot that is rounded out with humor and heart-felt emotional moments. I didn’t want the book to end!

Bones & Buffy Books

This book was phenomenally written, and it gave me the entire gamut of emotions throughout its course. This is one of those books where I come for the characters but stay for the action. This is, within a day, easily my favorite book of the year. If I could give this book all of the stars in the night sky, I would do that. That's how special it was to me.

superstardrifter.com

After finishing, I had precicely one word: Wow. It's a perfect blend of action-y and character-focused and offers something for just about everyone.

To Other Worlds

A superb combination of engaging characters, witty banter, and edge-of-your-seat action, The Hanged Man moves like a buddy-cop film—think Lethal Weapon but with magic. The story is a grand mix of noir and urban fantasy and kept me turning the pages deep into the night.

T. Frohock

Much like The Last Sun, The Hanged Man is a quest story, and yet it is much more than that. It is theater of the mind. It is the finest form of escapism I have ever read. There are no proper terms to express how powerfully this book affected me...The Hanged Man receives 5 out of 5 Sigils!!!

TG Geeks podcast - Ben Ragunton

"Edwards is able to masterfully interweave these plot points into the fabric of the larger narrative in a way that makes it one of the most compelling novels I've recently read."--Prismatica Magazine

A thrilling and satisfying follow-up to The Last Sun, The Hanged Man proves that K.D. Edwards is the real deal. The story shines with unique and complex world-building, stellar writing, and a fast-paced plot that is rounded out with humor and heart-felt emotional moments. I didn't want the book to end!--Books, Bones & Buffy

After finishing, I had precicely one word: Wow. It's a perfect blend of action-y and character-focused and offers something for just about everyone.

--To Other Worlds

Edwards skillfully blends rigorous characterization with political intrigue, action, and haunting worldbuilding in the exciting follow-up to 2018's The Last Sun. Edwards conjures a believably dangerous setting filled with tarot imagery and supernatural menaces. Series fans and new readers alike will be hooked.--Publishers Weekly

I devoured this book in under a day. This book just set the new standard for fantasy fiction, and the bar is now set so high you can't see it from the ground.--Every Book a Doorway

It fulfilled every promise made by The Last Sun and set the entire series into an even more exciting direction.--Fantasy Inn

K.D. Edward's The Hanged Man is imaginative, vivid, and quite hard to put down when one needs to complete chores or other of life's necessities.--FanGirl Nation

KD Edwards plays to his audience in the best possible ways, crafting a fun, engaging narrative that will tug on your heartstrings.

--Black Forest Basilisks

This book was phenomenally written, and it gave me the entire gamut of emotions throughout its course. This is one of those books where I come for the characters but stay for the action. This is, within a day, easily my favorite book of the year. If I could give this book all of the stars in the night sky, I would do that. That's how special it was to me.--superstardrifter.com

Much like The Last Sun, The Hanged Man is a quest story, and yet it is much more than that. It is theater of the mind. It is the finest form of escapism I have ever read. There are no proper terms to express how powerfully this book affected me...The Hanged Man receives 5 out of 5 Sigils!!!--Ben Ragunton "TG Geeks podcast"

This book takes everything you loved about The Last Sun and takes it up a level. And another. And another. And then just when you think, 'Well, that has to be the peak, ' it smiles and takes you up into another building stacked on top of this one. Because the last 1/3 of the book? F*cking brace yourselves.--Kathy Shin "Pages Below the Vaulted Sky"

A superb combination of engaging characters, witty banter, and edge-of-your-seat action, The Hanged Man moves like a buddy-cop film--think Lethal Weapon but with magic. The story is a grand mix of noir and urban fantasy and kept me turning the pages deep into the night.--T. Frohock, author of the LOS NEFILIM series

Edwards takes a startling debut and plunges us headfirst into an even better sequel. All of our favorite characters are back, but now they're evolving to face an even darker threat. The story is fueled by political intrigue, devastating consequences, and fascinating magic. So much for the supposed sophomore slump; Edwards is here to stay.--Scott Reintgen, author of ASHLORDS

K.D. Edwards raises the bar for fantasy to incredible heights with The Hanged Man, a story full of life, thrills, and deep compassion, set within a world so utterly convincing and fabulous, it took my breath away. I will read everything Edwards writes.--Julie E. Czerneda, award winning author of THE GOSSAMER MAGE

From the Publisher

This book was phenomenally written, and it gave me the entire gamut of emotions throughout its course. This is one of those books where I come for the characters but stay for the action. This is, within a day, easily my favorite book of the year. If I could give this book all of the stars in the night sky, I would do that. That's how special it was to me.

superstardrifter

A thrilling and satisfying follow-up to The Last Sun, The Hanged Man proves that K.D. Edwards is the real deal. The story shines with unique and complex world-building, stellar writing, and a fast-paced plot that is rounded out with humor and heart-felt emotional moments. I didn’t want the book to end!

Books, Bones & Buffy - Tammy