Publishers Weekly
11/04/2019
The epic, surreal second volume in Hanrahan’s Black Iron Legacy series (following The Gutter Prayer) mixes diplomacy, espionage, and religion to excellent effect. The politically neutral city of Guerdon serves as a refuge for odd saints and unclassifiable magical creatures during a raging war between unhinged deities. Terevant Erevesic, a lieutenant newly posted to Guerdon as guard captain at the embassy, is tasked with securing Guerdon’s god bombs, weapons powerful enough to level the field in the ongoing Godswar. Meanwhile, political operative Eladora Duttin works to drum up votes for the Industrial Liberal party in the upcoming parliamentary election in a new neighborhood formed during a recent alchemical disaster known as the Crisis. Through these various political machinations moves “the spy,” an unnamed man who has assumed the identity of Alic Nemon, a refugee from the Godswar and “father” to Emlin, a young saint. Hanrahan crafts a mind-blowingly complex world governed by capricious deities who actively alter reality. Series fans and new readers alike will delight entering this strange, immersive universe. Agent: John Jarrod, John Jarrod Literacy Agency. (Jan.)
From the Publisher
"Mixes diplomacy, espionage, and religion to excellent effect ... Series fans and new readers alike will delight entering this strange, immersive universe."—Publishers Weekly
"Readers who enjoy the intricate worldbuilding of Patrick Rothfuss, Mark Lawrence, Max Gladstone, and Steven Erikson should start with the first volume before tackling this satisfying sequel."—Library Journal
"I will buy any novel that Gareth Hanrahan ever writes. ... The Shadow Saint is a brilliant book."—Fantasy Inn
"The Gutter Prayer is captivating and complex. Guerdon is a city that seethes with history, horror, and hidden secrets, and Hanrahan's assured style is reminiscent of China Mievelle in the best way possible."—Nicholas Eames on The Gutter Prayer
"A gripping tale that meshes beautifully with its fascinating, darkly inventive setting."—James Islington on The Gutter Prayer
"Employing an enviable skill with both plotting and prose, Gareth Hanrahan has in The Gutter Prayer woven an intricate and finely crafted web of compelling characters navigating a city rich in dark and original wonders. I await the sequel with the keenest anticipation."—Anthony Ryan on The Gutter Prayer
"A groundbreaking and extraordinary novel . . . Ryder-Hanrahan has an astonishing imagination."—Peter McLean on The Gutter Prayer
"Beautifully written. Gripping. Guerdon is the city of my dreams."—Anna Smith Spark on The Gutter Prayer
"Laced with the blackest of humor and packed with magic and mayhem, this is fantasy turned up to 11."—Anna Stephens on The Gutter Prayer
"This is genre-defying fantasy at its very best. An absolutely stunning debut. Insanely inventive and deeply twisted. I loved it! Highly recommended."—Michael R. Fletcher on The Gutter Prayer
"With living candles, ancient ghouls, broken gods, and more, The Gutter Prayer brims with cool and often twisted ideas."—Peter Newman on The Gutter Prayer
"Hanrahan brings the sights, sounds, and smells of Guerdon to life with crisp, lyrical prose that moves swiftly between thrilling action sequences and imaginative worldbuilding."—Publishers Weekly on The Gutter Prayer
"A wonderfully bizarre vision, The Gutter Prayer reads like a collaboration between Hunter S. Thompson and H.P. Lovecraft."—The Guardian on The Gutter Prayer
"Hanrahan brings his city to life in lyrical prose, even as the plot leaps from action sequence to breathless chase and back again."—B&N Sci-Fi & Fantasy Blog on The Gutter Prayer
"Fans of dark fantasies like Brandon Sanderson's Elantris and Robert Jackson Bennett's City of Stairs will feel right at home in Guerdon's twisting cityscape. An inventive debut."—Booklist on The Gutter Prayer
Library Journal
12/01/2019
The labyrinthine city of Guerdon is on the edge of the Godswar, divided by internal politics, and coping with a self-aware "New City" district after the events of The Gutter Prayer. Guerdon is threatened by warring nations' new destructive military technology, incarnate deities, and monstrous destructive saints. Three individuals are caught in the chaos: a novice political aide and sorcerer who finds post-crisis elections complicated by sorcerous interference and her own diabolical family history; the neglected second son of a noble house bearing an enchanted sword to his war hero brother, tangled in more than one murder investigation; and a nameless spy with many identities, some at odds with each other, charged with watching over a foster son touched by a spider god. Hanrahan pulls a complex tapestry of plots and characters into an elaborate resolution, but Guerdon is left in a precarious state and it's clear the book's end is only a breathing space before the next volume. VERDICT Readers who enjoy the intricate worldbuilding of Patrick Rothfuss, Mark Lawrence, Max Gladstone, and Steven Erikson should start with the first volume before tackling this satisfying sequel.—Jason Puckett, Georgia State Univ. Lib, Atlanta
