One of my favorite books of 2010 was Anthony Huso's debut The Last Page. It was dark, weird, and all together beautiful. Truly one of the most accomplished novels I read last year amid myriad good novels and quickly established Huso as a an author to watch. The Last Page though is a duology so we've only seen half the story. The second half Black Bottle will be released in August, which can't get here soon enough for me. I'm not as enamored with the cover for Black Bottle as I was with The Last Page, but it does beautifully depict the city-state of Sandren. Here is the description for Black Bottle:
Tabloids sold in the Duchy of Stonehold claim that the High King, Caliph Howl, has been raised from the dead. His consort, Sena Iilool, both blamed and celebrated for this act, finds that a macabre cult has sprung up around her.You Might Also Like:
As the news spreads, Stonehold—long considered unimportant—comes to the attention of the emperors in the southern countries. They have learned that the seed of Sena’s immense power lies in an occult book, and they are eager to claim it for their own.
Desperate to protect his people from the southern threat, Caliph is drawn into a summit of the world’s leaders despite the knowledge that it is a trap. As Sena’s bizarre actions threaten to unravel the summit, Caliph watches her slip through his fingers into madness.
But is it really madness? Sena is playing a dangerous game of strategy and deceit as she attempts to outwit a force that has spent millennia preparing for this day. Caliph is the only connection left to her former life, but it’s his blood that Sena needs to see her plans through to their explosive finish.
Dark and rich, epic in scope, Anthony Huso has crafted a fantasy like no other, teeming with unthinkable horrors and stylish wonders.
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Best Books of 2010 (That I've Read)
About time! Huso's first book was awesome.
ReplyDeleteIt is nice, but not to the same level as The Last Page was.
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