Trial of Flowers (City Imperishable)

The City Imperishable's secret master and heir to the long-vacant throne has vanished from a locked room, as politics have turned deadly in a bid to revive the city's long-vanished empire. The city's dwarfs, stunted from spending their childhoods in confining boxes, are restive. Bijaz the Dwarf, leader of the Sewn faction among the dwarfs, fights their persecution. Jason the Factor, friend and apprentice to the missing master, works to maintain stability in the absence of a guiding hand. Imago of Lockwood struggles to revive the office of Lord Mayor in a bid to turn the City Imperishable away from the path of destruction. These three must contend with one another as they race to resolve the threats to the city.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

The ancient and decadent City Imperishable teeters on the verge of obliteration in this inventive fantasy from the prolific Lake (Rocket Science), if not from the armies marching toward its gates, then from the dark, bloodthirsty gods reawakening within its walls. Three haunted and imperfect men must stand against the destruction of everything they know: Jason the Factor, a businessman and sometime civil servant who's in love with pain; Imago of Lockwood, a feckless lawyer who puts himself forward as a candidate for the centuries-dead position of Lord Mayor; and Bijaz the Dwarf, an embittered and self-hating half-man whose lips have been sewn shut. As random supernatural assaults are perpetrated on innocent citizens, these three must uncover the City Imperishable's blackest secrets, not knowing whether or not their actions will save what they hold dear. Filled with violence and some seriously perverse sex, this grand guignol of a book should appeal to fans of such authors of urban fantasies as China Miéville and Jeff VanderMeer. (Nov.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Campbell Award winner Lake's second novel (after Rocket Science 2005) is a contemporary fantasy that launches a planned series featuring a byzantine metropolis called the City Imperishable. When the city's de facto and largely unknown leader vanishes from a locked room, his apprentice, Jason the Factor, struggles to maintain civilian order in the face of terrifying hauntings from the noumenal world and the threat of advancing enemy soldiers beyond the city's walls. As if these challenges weren't enough, Bijaz the Dwarf, an estranged business partner of Jason's deceased father, is planning an uprising to end the persecution of the eccentric Sewn faction of dwarves, and Imago of Lockwood wants to return leadership to the now-defunct office of lord mayor. While vying among themselves for ultimate control, Jason, Bijaz, and Imago discover that they share a common dream of returning the City Imperishable to its former glory. Lake's masterfully atmospheric prose, littered with odd and endearing minutiae, sustains unforgettable characters, making this essential reading in the increasingly popular subgenre of urban fantasy. Carl HaysCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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