The City Stained Red (Bring Down Heaven, 1)

Step up to the gates.After years in the wilds, Lenk and his companions have come to the city that serves as the world's beating heart. The great charnel house where men die surer than any wilderness. They've come to claim payment for creatures slain, blood spilled at the behest of a powerful holy man. And Lenk has come to lay down his sword for good. But this is no place to escape demons.

Brent Weeks

"Action fantasy with soul-albeit a small, dirty, funny soul."

Robin Hobb

"Insouciant, unrepentant and irrepressible adventurers in a powder keg of a city. And that's just how the story begins."

Brian McClellan, author of Promise of Blood

"Sykes has put the fun back in fantasy with fantastical creatures and a lovable crew of malcontents. The City Stained Red is like David Eddings meets Conan the Barbarian."

Scott Lynch

"Sam Sykes continues to reinvent the fantasy adventuring party in a vibrant world of rude magic and good intentions gone bad. Bold and exuberant, never cynical, Sykes fights the good fight on behalf of rich fantasy that nonetheless refuses to apologize for being kick-ass fun."

SF Signal

"Playful language, distinctly drawn characters, and a cavalcade of action."

Juliet E. McKenna, author of The Thief's Gamble

"An entertaining blend of classic adventure and inventive inspiration."

RT Book Reviews (4.5 Stars)

"Excitement, vivacity, and sly wit... simply impossible not to enjoy."

Locus

"This brash, prolific wordsmith has a natural eloquence that grabbed my attention and refused to let go."

About the Author

Sam Sykes -- author, citizen, mammal -- has written extensively over the years, penning An Affinity for Steel, the Bring Down Heaven trilogy, Brave Chef Brianna, and now The Grave of Empires trilogy. At the time of this writing, no one has been able to definitively prove or disprove that he has fought a bear.

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