"Hugely
imaginative" - Adelaide Advertiser
Both prequel and sequel to the Books of the Change,
this more adult series goes back to the origin of Sal Hrvati's
world then leaps forward to its most serious crisis. The characters of the Books of the Change are
older and more assured, but they face eternal problems: fractious families,
fragile love-lives, apparitions from the past, and
uncertain futures.
Sarah Douglass described the series opener as "an
edge-of-your-seat, intelligent contemporary fantasy. Compulsively
readable, utterly enthralling, seriously disturbing. One of the finest
fantasy novels I've read in a long, long time."
The Crooked Letter was the first fantasy novel in history to win both
Aurealis and Ditmar Awards.
The world had shattered into a
million pieces, and he didn't know if he could ever put it back together
again...
Hadrian's mirror
twin, Seth, is dead, stabbed in front of him, and the woman he and his brother
both loved has seemingly disappeared. As
Hadrian searches for her, the cityscape becomes more nightmarish by the second.
Figures from
legend swirl around him to help and hinder.
These figures give darks hints of secret histories and sleeping gods
stirring. Was everything he ever knew
about the world a lie?
Caught between
ancient forgotten magic and an uncertain future, Hadrian must learn to trust in
the only person he has left: himself.
"Must read!" (Today's Books,
"Strap yourself in and
hang on to your pants: The Crooked Letter, from best-selling Australian
fantasy author Sean Williams, is not only a great rollicking read but a superb
adventure into the wild realms of the imagination." (Visions)
"The
Crooked Letter acknowledges 'names and notions' from many traditions. It is haunted by the ghosts of just about
everything that anyone has ever tried to believe." (Sydney Morning
Herald)
"The
Crooked Letter is an edge-of-your-seat, intelligent contemporary fantasy. Compulsively readable, utterly enthralling, seriously disturbing.
One of the finest fantasy novels I've read in a long, long time." (Sara
Douglass)
"Imagine
Magritte's hallucinatory painting of a locomotive steaming out of a
fireplace...imagine that smoke-plumed black locomotive roaring into a surreal
hell of monsters, fiends, and demons.
René Magritte meets Hieronymus Bosch.
That's what it feels like to read--to experience--Sean Williams's brilliant new novel, The Crooked Letter. Williams is a master storyteller, and this
novel is a celebration of his wild talent. (Jack Dann)
"A dark and compelling tale." (Fiona McIntosh)
"An epic, richly
imaginative tale" (Jason Nahrung, The Courier-Mail)
"The Crooked Letter
acknowledges 'names and notions' from many traditions. It is haunted by the ghosts of just about
everything that anyone has ever tried to believe." - Sydney Morning
Herald
"In The Crooked Letter, Sean Williams explores
the nature of life, death, and reality. Big subjects, but with the precision of
an archaeological expert, Williams is more than up to the task... The story has
the mythic resonance of Neil Gaiman’s Sandman
and American Gods, the dark fantasy/horror one might associate with
something like Stephen King’s
"Ever wonder what happens to people after they die? Williams's exploration into the various realms of the
afterlife is as engaging as it is disturbing -- a page-turner of the highest
order...equal parts arcane fantasy, postapocalyptic
thriller, and Lovecraftian horror" (Barnes & Noble Explorations Newsletter)
"Australian sf and
speculative fiction writer Williams (The Stone Mage & the Sea; The
Storm Weaver & the Sand; The Sky Warden & the Sun) creates
unique worlds and captivating visions with his thoughtful and imaginative
storytelling. A superb addition to most fantasy collections." (Library Journal)
"The characters are extremely well developed. The
realms we find ourselves in are completely different but cohesive and
believable within the context of the book. This is a convoluted story with lots
depth and flavor. I look forward to the next [three] volumes." (SF Revu)
"...there’s a lot of fun to be had. I was particularly
struck by the vivid imagery of Williams’ worlds. I wanted to see the book done
as a comic — preferably by someone who has already worked on books like Hellblazer — so I could see all of the weird demons
Williams had created." (Cheryl Morgan)
"Drawing on worldwide myths and legends, Australian
author Williams (The Resurrected Man) expertly twists the familiar into
the grotesque in this deeply spooky story, the first in a new fantasy series.
When Seth Castillo is stabbed and killed, his spirit is whisked away to the
Second Realm, a literally inside-out place full of hideous monsters, while his
mirror twin, Hadrian, remains in the First Realm of the living. Their psychic
link draws the two realms together, precipitating a world-warping cataclysm..." (Publishers
Weekly)
"The winner, The Crooked Letter, stood out from the
rest for its unique and strongly written mythos, ambitiously leaving behind the
popular fantasy staples. Not one city but all cities and an afterlife that
ignores all rules of physics and accepted reality.
"The book has a distinctly Australian background; the rite of passage
whereby our young people travel overseas is a freedom they have never known
before, nor will again. Their heritage helps to equip the twin protagonists for
the overwhelming tasks they must complete. Williams pushes the boundaries of
the genre and teases the reader with Dante-like references adding depth and
mystery. The book has an amazing pantheon of characters... We, as judges, were
extremely impressed and excited. We can’t wait to read the sequels." (2004
Aurealis Awards Fantasy Judges' Report)
One of the top ten Sci-Fi
and Fantasy novels of the year according to The Advertiser / Big Book Club "Top 100
Books" list.
The Cataclysm is
ancient beyond memory, but its effects reach through the ages...
When the Homunculus emerges from the Void
Beneath, Sal and Shilly are enticed out of hiding to help track it down. In
return, the Sky Wardens will not prosecute them for dabbling in arcane secrets.
But just what is this strange creature? What is its connection to the world’s fragmented
history? And what is the connection to Highson Sparre, Sal’s missing father?
Family
secrets and political manoeuvring, live ghosts and
dead bodies ... Sal and Shilly will have to deal with all these things to
discover the truth about the Void Beneath, and about the mysterious Divide ...
"South Australian writer Sean Williams has been deeply
ensconced in his Austral fantasy land for some years now, but his latest book is
his clearest vision of the place. It is as though it has been gradually
emerging as Williams writes, and now, in THE BLOOD DEBT (...), the plot lines
are clearer and more engaging, and the landscapes more closely articulated. Williams has been wrestling with a setting
that was larger than any single book, and that is a very satisfactory thing.
Most fantasy writers have a set-piece, battlefield kind of approach to their
worlds, adding extra levels of fable or fiction to keep them interesting. But
Williams has been much less mechanical in his approach, stepping through time,
and coming from unexpected angles. This time, however, the sense of
connectedness in all his landscapes and books is palpable, and various
difficult-to-resolve threads have begun to twirl together. ... Williams'
writing is suffused with themes of orphanhood, broken
parenthood and flawed relations, and in this book the emotional themes and the
physical landscape truly begin to reflect one another. It's the best of the
books so far" (Adelaide Advertiser)
Ancient enemies stalk ghostly fog
forests as legends come to life...
The Divide is
flooded. Habryn Kail and the Homunculus
are missing, presumed dead. Sal and his companions
seek the source of the flood in the legendary
Something dark
and deadly is stirring in the heart of the mountains. And the closer it comes to waking, the more
certain it seems the Homunculus may not have been the enemy at all...
"The Hanging Mountains has something of the decaying uncertainty of the
fantasy novels of China Mieville and James Lovegrove. Since it is the third book in a series of four
novels--which themselves follow an earlier trilogy--there is a lot of assumed
familiarity with the setting and the characters... However, this does not
detract from the intrigue of the world or the pleasure of the story." (Chris McDonough, Australian Bookseller &
Publisher)
In a glacial lake at the top of the world,
salvation and destruction await...
Haunted by a ghost from the future, Shilly
and her man’kin allies are drawn into the snowbound mountains on a mission to
save the world. Yod, trapped by the
Castillo twins in the Void Beneath, may finally be close to breaking free. Hard on Shilly’s heels are Sal and his
father, and an uneasy alliance of Sky Wardens, Panic and foresters. The stakes are high. Strange and ancient forces struggle for
ascendancy, including the glast and a dragon with its own agenda.
If the Goddess rises from her Tomb the
fate of the Ice Eaters will be sealed, and they will kill anyone who tries to
get in their way...