“The series has clearly established itself as the most significant work of epic fantasy since Stephen R. Donaldson’s Chronicles of Thomas Covenant.” —SF SiteAfter decades of internecine warfare, the tribes of the Tiste Edur have at last united under the Warlock King of the Hiroth. There is peace, but it has been exacted at a terrible price: a pact made with a hidden power whose motives are at best suspect, at worst deadly.To the south, the expansionist kingdom of Lether, eager to fulfill its long-prophesied renaissance as an empire reborn, has enslaved with rapacious hunger all its less civilized neighbors. All, that is, save one—the Tiste Edur. And it must be only a matter of time before they, too, fall—either beneath the suffocating weight of gold or by slaughter at the edge of a sword. Or so destiny has decreed.Yet as the two sides gather for a pivotal treaty neither truly wants, ancient forces are awakening. For the impending struggle between these two peoples is but a pale reflection of a far more profound, primal battle—a confrontation charged with the still-raw wound of an old betrayal and the craving for revenge at its seething heart. “Erikson ranks near the top of the epic fantasy pantheon.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)'This novel and all others in the Malazan Book of the Fallen series follow my own pronunciations of 'Malazan' words and names. My thanks to Michael and Jane and everyone at Brilliance Audio.' —Steven Erikson, Victoria, B.C. Canada, January, 2014