The Skull Throne
Peter V. Brett
In the grand tradition of George R.R. Martin and Robert Jordan, Sunday Times bestselling author Peter V. Brett continues his critically acclaimed Demon Cycle with the next dramatic instalment: THE SKULL THRONE.The Skull Throne of Krasia stands empty.Built from the skulls of fallen generals and demon princes, it is a seat of honour and ancient, powerful magic, keeping the demon corelings at bay. From atop the throne, Ahmann Jardir was meant to conquer the known world, forging its isolated peoples into a unified army to rise up and end the demon war once and for all.But Arlen Bales, the Painted Man, stood against this course, challenging Jardir to a duel he could not in honour refuse. Rather than risk defeat, Arlen cast them both from a precipice, leaving the world without a saviour, and opening a struggle for succession that threatens to tear the Free Cities of Thesa apart.In the south, Inevera, Jardir's first wife, must find a way to keep their sons from killing one another and plunging their people into civil war as they strive for enough glory to make a claim on the throne.In the north, Leesha Paper and Rojer Inn struggle to forge an alliance between the duchies of Angiers and Miln against the Krasians before it is too late.Caught in the crossfire is the duchy of Lakton – rich and unprotected, ripe for conquest.All the while, the corelings have been growing stronger, and without Arlen and Jardir there may be none strong enough to stop them.Only Renna Bales may know more about the fate of the missing men, but she, too, has disappeared…
Copyright (#u5ae22817-5277-5788-8d40-1df52ee0d1a7)
HarperVoyager
An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd
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London SE1 9GF
www.harpervoyagerbooks.co.uk (http://www.harpervoyagerbooks.co.uk)
First published in Great Britain by HarperVoyager 2015
Copyright © Peter V. Brett 2015
Ward artwork designed by Lauren K. Cannon, copyright © Peter V. Brett
Map by Andrew Ashton
Jacket layout design © HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2015
Jacket illustration by Larry Rostant
Peter V. Brett asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library.
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.
Source ISBN: 9780007425686
Ebook Edition © April 2015 ISBN: 9780007425709
Version: 2018-02-16
Dedication (#u5ae22817-5277-5788-8d40-1df52ee0d1a7)
For Lauren
Map (#u5ae22817-5277-5788-8d40-1df52ee0d1a7)
Contents
Cover (#u9d34bd9a-22e1-5591-96cc-68d65fd387bf)
Title Page (#u7e3aec45-d838-5ad4-8598-34d1788d4da4)
Copyright
Dedication
Map
Prologue: No Victor
Chapter 1: The Hunt
Chapter 2: Vacuum
Chapter 3: Ashia
Chapter 4: Sharum Blood
Chapter 5: Kajivah
Chapter 6: A Man Is Nothing
Chapter 7: More Sack Than Sense
Chapter 8: The True Warrior
Chapter 9: Anoch Sun
Chapter 10: The Chin Rebellion
Chapter 11: Docktown
Chapter 12: Filling the Hollow
Chapter 13: Foul Meat
Chapter 14: The Prisoner
Chapter 15: The Painted Children
Chapter 16: Demon’s Heir
Chapter 17: Goldentone
Chapter 18: A Whisper of Night
Chapter 19: Tea Politics
