Sebastien de Castell

The third utterly compelling fantasy adventure in the ARGOSI trilogy, exploring the origins of the SPELLSLINGER series to enrapture devotees as well as newcomers alike. Ferius Parfax is at long last ready to begin her life as an Argosi, a wandering philosopher and righter of wrongs. But she has debts to pay, and while breaking out a notorious thief from prison, she encounters one of the remnant of her people, the Mahdek. Chedran leads a group of young Mahdek who are determined to fight for a future for their people, free from persecution by Jan'Tep mages. Having repaid her debt to the thief Arissa, who had befriended her many years before, Ferius must now decide what debt she owes the society into which she was born. Meanwhile, she finds her feelings towards Arissa becoming more complicated.

Welcome to the Ooperato Belleza . . . it might save his life, or it just might be the end of him! Damelas Chademantaigne picked a poor night to flee a judicial duel. He has precious little hope of escaping the wrath of the Vixen, the most feared duellist in the entire city, until he stumbles through the stage doors of the magnificent Operato Belleza and tricks his way into the company of actors. An archaic law provides a temporary respite from his troubles - until one night a ghostly voice in his head causes Damelas to fumble his lines, inadvertently blurting out a dreadful truth: the city's most legendary hero may actually be a traitor and a brutal murderer. With only the help of his boisterous and lusty friend Bereto, a beautiful assassin whose target may well be Damelas himself, and a company of misfit actors who'd just as soon see him dead, this failed grandson of two Greatcoats must somehow find within himself the courage to dig up long-buried truths before a ruthless band of bravos known as the Iron Orchids come for his head. Oh, and there's still that matter of the Vixen waiting to duel him . . . Readers love Play of Shadows!'An impressive tale with a fantastic plot, intriguing characters, and wondrous storybuilding. Another masterpiece' - reader review ????? 'If you are looking for a swashbuckling adventure with a dash of romance and a leaven of humour, then go out and get a copy of this book' - reader review ????? 'Swashbuckling, emotional rollercoaster, a hero to root for and a great cast of characters' - reader review ?????

'Brilliant and vivid world-building . . . riveting' CHAD STAHLESKI, director of John Wick'A masterful blend of Sebastien de Castell's unique brand of wry humour, elegant prose, and wonderfully imaginative worldbuilding. I devoured this book and loved every page' NICK EAMES, bestselling author of Kings of the WyldeFrom the bestselling author of THE GREATCOATS: seven war mages with dark pasts must come together to fight an unknown enemy - but the stakes are higher than anyone can imagine . . . and someone's setting the seven up for a fall. Picture a wizard. Go ahead, close your eyes. There he is, see? Skinny old guy with a long straggly beard. The hat's a must, too, right? Big, floppy thing. Wouldn't want a simple steel helmet or something that might, you know, protect the part of him most needed for conjuring magical forces from being bashed in with a mace (or pretty much any household object). Yep. Behold the mighty wizard. Now open your eyes and let me show you what a real war mage looks like . . . but be warned: you're probably not going to like it, because we're violent, angry, dangerously broken people who sell our skills to the highest bidder and be damned to any moral or ethical considerations. My name is Cade Ombra, and though I currently make my living as a mercenary wonderist, I used to have a far more noble-sounding job title - until I discovered the people I worked for weren't quite as noble as I'd believed. Now I'm on the run and my only friend, a homicidal thunder mage, has invited me to join him on a suicide mission against the seven deadliest mages on the continent. Time to recruit some very bad people to help us on this job . . . Readers love The Malevolent Seven! 'I absolutely loved this book. Immediately engaging characters and great world building - the story runs along at a breakneck pace and is gripping from start to finish' ????? reader review'Sassy and humourous . . . Sebastien makes characters that make you feel like you know them' ????? reader review'Really inventive and satisfying fun fantasy' ????? reader review'I honestly had so much fun reading this . . . easily one of my favorite reads of the year' ????? reader review'Well-written, intriguing, and highly entertaining!' ????? reader review'Never felt so good routing for the bad guys' ????? reader review

A mortally wounded magistrate faces his deadliest trial inside an ancient abbey where the monks are going mad and the gods themselves may be to blame! Estevar Borros, one of the legendary sword-fighting magistrates known as the Greatcoats and the king's personal investigator of the supernatural, is no stranger to tales of ghosts and demons. When the fractious monks of the abbey rumoured to be the birthplace of the gods begin warring over claims of a new pantheon arising, the frantic abbot summons him to settle the dispute. But Estevar has his own problems: a near-fatal sword wound from his last judicial duel, a sworn knight who claims he has proof the monks are consorting with demons, a diabolical inquisitor with no love for the Greatcoats, and a mysterious young woman claiming to be Estevar's ally but who may well be his deadliest enemy. Armed only with his famed investigative talents, his faltering skill with a blade and Imperious, his ornery mule, Estevar must root out the source of the madness lurking inside the once-sacred walls of Isola Sombra before its chaos spreads to the country he's sworn to protect. Investigate alongside Estevar and the most heroic mule ever to appear in print in this thrilling swashbuckling fantasy mystery by Sebastien de Castell, author of the Internationally acclaimed Greatcoats and Spellslinger series! Crucible of Chaos may be read as a stand-alone fantasy novel and as a prelude to Play of Shadows, the first official novel in the Court of Shadows series!'So. Much. Fun.' ????? Goodreads review'Wish I'd discovered this author years ago' ????? Goodreads review'This has prompted me to reread everything Greatcoats' ????? Goodreads review

The third utterly compelling fantasy adventure in the ARGOSI trilogy, exploring the origins of the SPELLSLINGER series to enrapture devotees and newcomers alike. While liberating a notorious thief from prison, Ferius Parfax encounters an inmate named Chedran, one of the last living members of her people, the Mahdek. Chedran is leading a group of young Mahdek who are determined to make a future for their people and Ferius agrees to help them find a place where they can live free from persecution. Meanwhile, having repaid her debt to the thief, Ferius finds her feelings towards Arissa becoming more complicated as she decides what debt she owes the society into which she was born.

The third utterly compelling fantasy adventure in the ARGOSI trilogy, exploring the origins of the SPELLSLINGER series to enrapture devotees as well as newcomers alike. While liberating a notorious thief from prison, Ferius Parfax encounters an inmate named Chedran, one of the last living members of her people, the Mahdek. Chedran is leading a group of young Mahdek who are determined to make a future for their people and Ferius agrees to help them find a place where they can live free from persecution. Meanwhile, having repaid her debt to the thief, Ferius finds her feelings towards Arissa becoming more complicated as she decides what debt she owes the society into which she was born.

'Brilliant and vivid world-building . . . riveting' CHAD STAHLESKI, director of John Wick'A masterful blend of Sebastien de Castell's unique brand of wry humour, elegant prose, and wonderfully imaginative worldbuilding. I devoured this book and loved every page' NICK EAMES, bestselling author of Kings of the WyldeFrom the bestselling author of THE GREATCOATS: seven war mages with dark pasts must come together to fight an unknown enemy - but the stakes are higher than anyone can imagine . . . and someone's setting the seven up for a fall. Picture a wizard. Go ahead, close your eyes. There he is, see? Skinny old guy with a long straggly beard. The hat's a must, too, right? Big, floppy thing. Wouldn't want a simple steel helmet or something that might, you know, protect the part of him most needed for conjuring magical forces from being bashed in with a mace (or pretty much any household object). Yep. Behold the mighty wizard. Now open your eyes and let me show you what a real war mage looks like . . . but be warned: you're probably not going to like it, because we're violent, angry, dangerously broken people who sell our skills to the highest bidder and be damned to any moral or ethical considerations. My name is Cade Ombra, and though I currently make my living as a mercenary wonderist, I used to have a far more noble-sounding job title - until I discovered the people I worked for weren't quite as noble as I'd believed. Now I'm on the run and my only friend, a homicidal thunder mage, has invited me to join him on a suicide mission against the seven deadliest mages on the continent. Time to recruit some very bad people to help us on this job . . . Readers love The Malevolent Seven! 'I absolutely loved this book. Immediately engaging characters and great world building - the story runs along at a breakneck pace and is gripping from start to finish' ????? reader review'Sassy and humourous . . . Sebastien makes characters that make you feel like you know them' ????? reader review'Really inventive and satisfying fun fantasy' ????? reader review'I honestly had so much fun reading this . . . easily one of my favorite reads of the year' ????? reader review'Well-written, intriguing, and highly entertaining!' ????? reader review'Never felt so good routing for the bad guys' ????? reader review

A brilliant story of adventure, wit and philosophy from the origins of the SPELLSLINGER series to enrapture devotees as well as newcomers alike. New to the ways of the Argosi, the tribe of wandering philosophers who seek to defeat evil by wit and guile, Ferius Parfax encounters a hideous plague - the Red Scream. Highly contagious, caught by the hearing of a deadly verse, it turns its victims into mindless monsters that destroy all human life they come into contact with. With the help of a deaf boy whom she has saved from two horrifying victims of the plague, Ferius sets out to find the source of the Red Scream and overcome its terrifying power. Along the way she is joined by another Argosi, Rosie, who purports to be so much wiser and more adept than Ferius, but who turns out to have her own dark secrets. Peopled with extraordinary characters and gut-wrenching drama, Ferius's story teaches her hard lessons about the limits of the Argosi's ways. Readers will delight not just in this amazing masterclass in plot pacing and narrative drive, but in the seemingly bottomless well of wit, thought and wisdom that the story brings up and that has changed lives across the globe. It takes the reader on a journey like no other.

A disgraced magistrate on the run. A daring swashbuckler hunted by an unstoppable assassin. An investigator of the supernatural faced with a corpse that won't stop dancing. Here are eight tales of the Greatcoats, legendary sword-fighting magistrates brought together by an idealistic young king and disbanded after his execution as a tyrant. Follow along through their swashbuckling adventures, their triumphs and defeats, their darkest hours and their moments of shining redemption as they struggle to bring justice to a corrupt kingdom. Praise for the Greatcoats"First-rate fiction, first-rate adventure, first rate full stop."-Conn Iggulden, Bestselling Author of the Wars of the Roses"This is a One-in-a-million Series"-Fantasy Faction"Great rollicking fun combined with an emotional punch."-John Gwynne, Bestselling Author of Malice

A brilliant story of adventure, wit and philosophy from the origins of the SPELLSLINGER series to enrapture devotees as well as newcomers alike. New to the ways of the Argosi, the tribe of wandering philosophers who seek to defeat evil by wit and guile, Ferius Parfax encounters a hideous plague - the Red Scream. Highly contagious, caught by the hearing of a deadly verse, it turns its victims into mindless monsters that destroy all human life they come into contact with. With the help of a deaf boy whom she has saved from two horrifying victims of the plague, she sets out to find the source of the Red Scream and overcome it's terrifying power. Along the way she is joined by another Argosi, Rosie, who purports to be so much wiser and more adept than Ferius, but who turns out to have her own dark secrets. Peopled with extraordinary characters and gut-wrenching drama, Ferius's story teaches her hard lessons about the limits of the Argosi's ways. Readers will delight not just in this amazing masterclass in plot pacing and narrative drive, but in the seemingly bottomless well of wit, thought and wisdom that the story brings up and that has changed lives down the ages. It takes the reader on a journey like no other.

THE ALCHEMIST meets THE THREE MUSKETEERS- with card tricks. A brilliant origin story of adventure, wit and philosophy to enrapture devotees as well as newcomers to the SPELLSLINGER series. Ferius Parfax has a simple plan: kill every last inhabitant of the spell-gifted nation that destroyed her people, starting with the man who murdered her parents. Killing mages is a difficult and dangerous business, of course, but when she meets the inimitable and extraordinary Durrall Brown she discovers that physical strength is not the only way to defeat evil of all kinds. So Ferius undertakes to study the ways of the Argosi: the loosely-knit tribe of tricksters known for getting the better of even the most powerful of spellcasters. But the Argosi have a price for their teachings, and by the time Ferius learns what it is, it may be too late. Perfect for fans of The Dark Tower, Firefly, Guardians of the Galaxy, Terry Pratchett, Ben Aaronovitch and Jim Butcher.

THE ALCHEMIST meets THE THREE MUSKETEERS- with card tricks. A brilliant origin story of adventure, wit and philosophy to enrapture devotees as well as newcomers to the SPELLSLINGER series. Ferius Parfax has a simple plan: kill every last inhabitant of the spell-gifted nation that destroyed her people, starting with the man who murdered her parents. Killing mages is a difficult and dangerous business, of course, but when she meets the inimitable and extraordinary Durrall Brown she discovers that physical strength is not the only way to defeat evil of all kinds. So Ferius undertakes to study the ways of the Argosi: the loosely-knit tribe of tricksters known for getting the better of even the most powerful of spellcasters. But the Argosi have a price for their teachings, and by the time Ferius learns what it is, it may be too late. Perfect for fans of The Dark Tower, Firefly, Terry Pratchett, Ben Aaronovitch and Jim Butcher.

THE ALCHEMIST meets THE THREE MUSKETEERS- with card tricks. A brilliant origin story of adventure, wit and philosophy to enrapture devotees as well as newcomers to the SPELLSLINGER series. Ferius Parfax has a simple plan: kill every last inhabitant of the spell-gifted nation that destroyed her people, starting with the man who murdered her parents. Killing mages is a difficult and dangerous business, of course, but when she meets the inimitable and extraordinary Durrall Brown she discovers that physical strength is not the only way to defeat evil of all kinds. So Ferius undertakes to study the ways of the Argosi: the loosely-knit tribe of tricksters known for getting the better of even the most powerful of spellcasters. But the Argosi have a price for their teachings, and by the time Ferius learns what it is, it may be too late. Perfect for fans of The Dark Tower, Firefly, Guardians of the Galaxy, Terry Pratchett, Ben Aaronovitch and Jim Butcher.

Even Reichis has come to appreciate having a noble purpose - so long as no one minds him committing the occasional act of theft from the royal treasury. But everything changes when Kellen's own father, Ke'heops, arrives at the palace with crucial information which will provide Kellen with his most impossible dilemma yet.

A failed mage learns that just because he's not the chosen one it doesn't mean he can't be a hero in final book of the Spellslinger series. Once an outlaw spellslinger, Kellen Argos has made a life for himself as the Daroman Queen's protector. A little magic and a handful of tricks are all it takes to deal with the constant threats to her reign. But when rumors of an empire-shattering war begin to stir, Kellen is asked to commit an unimaginable act to protect his queen. Inside enemy territory, he quickly realizes something is amiss. Someone is playing a dangerous game. And to discover their secrets, Kellen will have to challenge the greatest spellcaster who's ever lived. Kellen's misadventures concludes in Crownbreaker, the riveting finale to the adventure fantasy series that began with Spellslinger. Spellslinger SeriesSpellslingerShadowblackCharmcasterSoulbinderQueenslayerCrownbreakerFor more from Sebastien de Castell, check out: The Greatcoats QuartetTraitor's BladeSaint's BloodKnight's ShadowTyrant's Throne