Madness of Flowers: A Novel of the City Imperishable

The battle has been fought and won, and all have been transformed by the struggle. Imago of Lockwood has become Lord Mayor of the City Imperishable, though at a price beyond his wildest imagination. Bijaz the Dwarf has been imbued with a godlike power and a responsibility he scarcely understands. And Jason the Factor, resurrected from death at the hands of his sister, the Tokhari sandwalker Kalliope, has become the sula ma-jieni na-dia, the fabled Dead Man of Winter. When a beautiful mountebank arrives in the City Imperishable, offering to lead an expedition to uncover the lost tomb of the Imperator Terminus, she stirs up the mob with promises of treasure and imperial power... but what will her quest unleash? Political intrigue, adventure, and all-out war await the principles and inhabitants of the City Imperishable. Through it all, the City may endure, but none will remain untouched by the Madness of Flowers...Skyhorse Publishing, under our Night Shade and Talos imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of titles for readers interested in science fiction (space opera, time travel, hard SF, alien invasion, near-future dystopia), fantasy (grimdark, sword and sorcery, contemporary urban fantasy, steampunk, alternative history), and horror (zombies, vampires, and the occult and supernatural), and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller, a national bestseller, or a Hugo or Nebula award-winner, we are committed to publishing quality books from a diverse group of authors.

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Readers unfamiliar with 2006's Trial of Flowers will be baffled by this sequel; those who have read the former are likely to be both delighted and flabbergasted by the latter. The City Imperishable is the decadent relic of a magical empire in which human and numinal forces struggled until the Old Gods were almost forgotten—but this familiar-sounding background doesn't set up a predictable heroic fantasy yarn. The city's diverse inhabitants, including demigods and manmade dwarves, are subject to violent physical and moral transformations, and Lake's lushly energetic writing pulls readers through startling developments. Major concerns this time include bloody political intrigue, a blockade by corsairs and an expedition to the North that may lead to the city's rebirth or its doom. The result is exuberantly odd, melodramatically ironic and dangerously wonderful. (Nov.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Lake’s Trial of Flowers (2006) won raves for its multilayered depiction of the labyrinthine metropolis, the City Imperishable. As the story continues, two principal characters, Bijaz the Dwarf and Imago of Lockwood, are still coming to terms with newly bestowed powers. For Bijaz, a baffling magic allows him to manifest small objects from his fingertips, while for Imago, his sudden rise to the lord mayoralty comes with daunting responsibilities. A third protagonist, Jason the Factor, has been resurrected by his sister from a Tokhari sandwalker cult but remains offstage here, supplanted by Onesiphorous, a rebellious leader of the city’s expatriate dwarves. Now these three and their loyal minions face new challenges, including a restless citizenry stirred by the appearance of a beautiful, charismatic mountebank, who promises extravagant treasures in the distant tomb of a long-buried emperor. Lake juggles multiple plot elements and colorful personalities, including scheming politicians, mercenaries, and even an exotic ice bear, in a tale that’s often disturbingly twisted and paradoxically mesmerizing at the same time. --Carl Hays

Reviews

News