Wordsmith & Worldweaver
BOOKS
(Tales of the Edge, Vol. 2)
‘A fast-paced, riveting read, with writing that leaps off the page and one of the most compelling magic systems I’ve encountered in years, this is a must for fantasy fans!’ Natasha Ngan
The rebels on the other side of the Shadowpass are massing, and refugees are flooding in to the city. Scared, penniless and not exactly welcome, they are desperate for the protection of the Nest, and the powerful mages who live there. But there is dissension in the Nest’s ranks, and there is always someone willing to make money from the fearful.
The mages believe they have a secret weapon – a captured lightborn, kept prisoner by a magical collar and forced to do their bidding. But Tatters and Isha, tentative friends despite their suspicion of each other’s motives, know something the mages do not.
The rebels are aware of the lightborn. They know how to deal with it. And they are ready for war…
(Gollancz, May 2022.) You can pre-order it here!
SUNDAY TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLER
On the other side of the Shadowpass, rebellion is brewing and refugees have begun to trickle into the city at the edge of the world. Looming high on the cliff is the Nest, a fortress full of mages who offer protection, but also embody everything the rebellion is fighting against: a strict hierarchy based on magic abilities, and the oppression of the Kher community.
When Isha arrives as a refugee, she attempts to fit in amongst the other mages, but her Kher tattoo brands her as an outcast. She can't remember her past or why she has the tattoo. All she knows is that she survived. She doesn't intend to give up now.
Tatters, who wears the golden collar of a slave, knows that this rebellion is different from past skirmishes. He plans to stay in the shadows, until Isha appears in his tavern. Despite his fear of being discovered, Tatters decides to help her.
As the rebellion carves a path of destruction towards the city, The Collarbound follows an unlikely friendship between a man trying to escape his past and a woman trying to uncover hers, until their secrets threaten to tear them apart. A tale that questions fate and finds strength in not-belonging, The Collarbound will appeal to fans of magical, brink-of-war settings and lyrical, character-driven writing. (Gollancz, May 2022.) You can order it here!
“Rebecca Zahabi is a master at twisting the reality we know into something new and exciting. The Game Weavers is easily one of my favourites from the year so far.” The Queen of Teen Fiction
“A gripping novel of the future of games. The stakes are high; the characters involving; the storytelling direct and elegant.” Geoff Ryman
Seo Kuroaku has it all. Adopted as a boy by the formidable Sir Neil, he's the youth champion of Twine, the high-pressured national sport. Played in arenas where thousands come to watch, weavers craft creatures from their fingertips to wage battle against fearsome opponents.
But this is a Britain of darker times - and Seo is harbouring a secret.
When he is outed, Twine can't help him. With the help of his brother Minjun and Jack, the man he can’t quite decide if he loves or not, Seo has to fight to get his life back on track whilst facing the biggest match of his career.