Seth Dickinson Knihy

Ambiciózní sci-fi román o setkání s nepřátelskou mimozemskou civilizací Exordia — jak strašidelné galaktické impérium, tak stejnojmenný román — představuje tresť všeho, co má správná sci-fi mít. Kurdská odstřelovačka, již pro své zájmy získají krvelační vetřelci, íránský stíhací pilot, který ovládne warp, čínská matematička a její nesmělá katolická milenka z Filipín, ugandští těžaři, kanadští prospektoři, zaměstnanci americké vlády, ruští molodci… a hrozba zničení Země a zotročení galaxie ztělesněným Zlem, jasně umístěným na exaktní škále morálních hodnot. Seth Dickinson rozjíždí válku světů, kde se jako na horské dráze střídají ohromující technobitvy s existenciálními úvahami, osobní dilemata s kosmickými nejistotami, časoprostorové anomálie s křehkostmi lidského sebevnímání. A to všechno naložil na hrb postavám, které si zamilujeme ne pro jejich sílu, ale pro humor, s nímž nesou svoji slabost, a statečnost, k níž jim dopomohly přízraky vlastní minulosti.

"The hunt is over. After fifteen years of lies and sacrifice, Baru Cormorant has the power to destroy the Imperial Republic of Falcrest that she pretends to serve. The secret society called the Cancrioth is real, and Baru is among them. But the Cancrioth's weapon cannot distinguish the guilty from the innocent. If it escapes quarantine, the ancient hemorrhagic plague called the Kettling will kill hundreds of millions ... not just in Falcrest, but all across the world. History will end in a black bloodstain. Is that justice? Is this really what Tain Hu hoped for when she sacrificed herself? Baru's enemies close in from all sides. Baru's own mind teeters on the edge of madness or shattering revelation. Now she must choose between genocidal revenge and a far more difficult path - a conspiracy of judges, kings, spies and immortals, puppeteering the world's riches and two great wars in a gambit for the ultimate prize. If Baru had absolute power over the Imperial Republic, she could force Falcrest to abandon its colonies and make right its crimes"-- Provided by publisher

Tomorrow, on the beach, Baru Cormorant will look up from the sand of her home and see red sails on the horizon. The Empire of Masks is coming, armed with coin and ink, doctrine and compass, soap and lies. They'll conquer Baru’s island, rewrite her culture, criminalize her customs, and dispose of one of her fathers. But Baru is patient. She'll swallow her hate, prove her talent, and join the Masquerade. She will learn the secrets of empire. She’ll be exactly what they need. And she'll claw her way high enough up the rungs of power to set her people free. In a final test of her loyalty, the Masquerade will send Baru to bring order to distant Aurdwynn, a snakepit of rebels, informants, and seditious dukes. Aurdwynn kills everyone who tries to rule it. To survive, Baru will need to untangle this land’s intricate web of treachery - and conceal her attraction to the dangerously fascinating Duchess Tain Hu. But Baru is a savant in games of power, as ruthless in her tactics as she is fixated on her goals. In the calculus of her schemes, all ledgers must be balanced, and the price of liberation paid in full.

A breathtaking geopolitical epic fantasy, The Monster Baru Cormorant is the sequel to Seth Dickinson's "fascinating tale" (The Washington Post), The Traitor Baru Cormorant. Her world was shattered by the Empire of Masks. For the power to shatter the Masquerade, She betrayed everyone she loved. The traitor Baru Cormorant is now the cryptarch Agonist—a secret lord of the empire she's vowed to destroy. Hunted by a mutinous admiral, haunted by the wound which has split her mind in two, Baru leads her dearest foes on an expedition for the secret of immortality. It's her chance to trigger a war that will consume the Masquerade. But Baru's heart is broken, and she fears she can no longer tell justice from revenge...or her own desires from the will of the man who remade her.

To further celebrate the launch of this book and both companies' longstanding relationships with First Book, Penguin Random House will donate $100,000 to First Book and Disney/Lucasfilm will donate 100,000 children's books-valued at $1,000,000-to support First Book and their mission of providing equal access to quality education.