The Empires of Varkal and Med’ariz have always been at war.
Alefret, the founder of Varkal’s pacifist resistance, was bombed and maimed by his own government, locked up in a secret prison and tortured by a ‘visionary’ scientist. But now they’re offering him a chance of freedom.
Ordered to infiltrate one of Med’ariz’s flying cities, obeying the bloodthirsty zealot Qhudur, he must find fellow anti-war activists in the enemy’s population and provoke them into an uprising against their rulers.
He should refuse to serve the warmongers, but what if he could end this pointless war once and for all? Is that worth compromising his own morals and the principles of his fellow resistance members?
About the Author :
Premee Mohamed is a Nebula, World Fantasy, and Aurora award-winning Indo-Caribbean scientist and speculative fiction author based in Edmonton, Alberta. She has also been a finalist for the Hugo, Ignyte, British Fantasy, and Crawford awards. She is an Assistant Editor at the short fiction audio venue Escape Pod and the author of the Beneath the Rising series of novels as well as several novellas. Her short fiction has appeared in many venues.
Review :
“Haunting and insightful... This is not for the faint of heart.” —Publishers Weekly
“Siege and Mohamed both seem like ones to watch.” —Kajal Magazine
“Premee Mohamed has quickly become one of my auto-buy authors.” —Book Riot
“Superb.” —Locus
“A raging treatise, fascinating fantasy, and bittersweet character study; the fact that it’s delivered in beautiful prose is truly the cherry on top.” —Reactor
“A feat of worldbuilding, moral complexity, and taut, precisely paced storytelling. After this, I’m ready to hunt down everything else Mohamed has ever written.” —Esquire
“Gritty yet poetic.” —New Scientist
