The Warded Man: Book One of The Demon Cycle

As darkness falls, the demons will rise: This first book in the Demon Cycle series by New York Times bestselling author Peter V. Brett has been “justifiably a fan favorite for fifteen years” (Robin Hobb).

The time has come to stand against the night.

At sunset, the corelings rise—demons who well up from the ground like hellish steam, taking on fearsome form and substance. Immune to mortal weapons, they burn with a consuming hatred of humanity. For hundreds of years corelings have terrorized the night, slowly culling the human herd that shelters behind magical wards—symbols of power whose origins are lost in myth and mystery.

It was not always this way. Once, men and women battled the corelings on equal terms. Once, under the leadership of the legendary Deliverer, and armed with powerful wards that were not merely shields but weapons, they took the battle to the demons. Now those days are gone. The fighting wards are lost. Night by night, the demons grow stronger, while human numbers dwindle. With hope for the future fading, three young survivors of vicious demon attacks will dare the impossible, stepping beyond the crumbling safety of the wards to risk everything in a desperate quest to regain the secrets of the past.

Includes a bonus Demon Cycle novella: The Great Bazaar

Don’t miss any of the thrilling novels in Peter V. Brett’s Demon Cycle
THE WARDED MAN • THE DESERT SPEAR • THE DAYLIGHT WAR • THE SKULL THRONE • THE CORE

Short-listed for American Library Association Notable Books 2010

“"Brett's debut builds slowly and grimly on a classic high fantasy framework of black-and-white morality and bloodshed. Young Arlen battles demons to save his mother while his father watches in terror; when his mother dies, Arlen runs away. Leesha leaves her village to work in the city hospital of Angiers after her betrothed claims to have taken her virginity. Jongleur Arrick Sweetsong saved himself from demons at the expense of a female friend, but he honors her last request and raises her son, Rojer, as his apprentice. Only near the end do the three strands of the story begin to intertwine. With its nameless enemies that exist only to kill, Brett's gritty tale will appeal to those who tire of sympathetic villains and long for old-school orc massacres."-- Publishers Weekly "I enjoyed The Warded Man immensely. There is much to admire in Peter Brett's writing, and his concept is brilliant. There's action and suspense all the way, plus he made me care about his characters and want to know what's going to happen next."--Terry Brooks " The Warded Man works not only as a great adventure novel but also as a reflection on the nature of heroism."--Charlaine Harris "An absolute masterpiece . . . The novel [is] literally 'unputdownable,' and certainly deserves to be the next Big Thing in dark fantasy."--HorrorScope "A very accomplished debut fantasy, broad in its scope."--SFRevu "A fabulous new fantasy series . . . that is likely to become a classic. Excellent fantasy literature."-- The Cairns Post ,Queensland, Australia”

“Brett’s custom blend of action and suspense, stirred into a unique magic system, has been justifiably a fan favorite for fifteen years.”—Robin Hobb, New York Times bestselling author of The Farseer Trilogy

“The Warded Man works not only as a great adventure novel but also as a reflection on the nature of heroism.”—Charlaine Harris

“I enjoyed The Warded Man immensely. There is much to admire in Peter Brett’s writing, and his concept is brilliant. There’s action and suspense all the way, plus he made me care about his characters and want to know what’s going to happen next.”—Terry Brooks

“As a genre, fantasy promises so much, and in The Warded Man, Peter V. Brett delivers in spectacular fashion. Books like this are why we read fiction, and most of us spend an entire lifetime searching for a story as good as this one. Read it, and there'll forever be a divide: life before The Warded Man and life after it. That’s how good it is.”—Evan Winter, author of The Rage of Dragons
 
“There are fantasy books that are all about the plot, fantasy books that are all about the characters, and fantasy books that are all about the world building. The Warded Man manages to be about all of that. A compelling read, inventive, fascinating, and demons . . . so many demons.”—Mark Lawrence, internationally bestselling author of The Book That Wouldn’t Burn

“Brett's debut builds slowly and grimly on a classic high fantasy framework of black-and-white morality and bloodshed. . . . With its nameless enemies that exist only to kill, Brett’s gritty tale will appeal to those who tire of sympathetic villains and long for old-school orc massacres.”—Publishers Weekly

“An absolute masterpiece . . . The novel [is] literally ‘unputdownable,’ and certainly deserves to be the next Big Thing in dark fantasy.”—HorrorScope

“A very accomplished debut fantasy, broad in its scope.”—SFRevu

“A fabulous new fantasy series . . . that is likely to become a classic. Excellent fantasy literature.”—The Cairns Post, Queensland, Australia

Peter V. Brett is the internationally bestselling author of the Demon Cycle series, which has sold more than 2.5 million copies in twenty-five languages worldwide. The novels in the series are The Warded Man, The Desert Spear, The Daylight War, The Skull Throne, and The Core. He spends too much time on the Internet, but occasionally unplugs to practice kickboxing and dad fu. He lives in Manhattan.

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